RICK HOLDEN 

Date and Place of Birth 9th September 1964 - Skipton   Transfers to and from Burnley from March 1986 released - September 1986   First and Last Burnley Games Orient (a) - 3rd May 1986 sub: replaced Ashley Hoskin   Other Clubs ---------------------------------------- Halifax Town, Watford, Oldham Athletic, Manchester City, Oldham Athletic, Blackpool

Burnley Career Stats

Profile by Tony Scholes

I think it is fair to say that Rick Holden was one that got away as far as Burnley were concerned. He might have made his league debut for us but his stay was short and he made just that one appearance.

Holden was already 21 when Burnley took him on trial towards the end of the 1985/86 season at a time when Tommy Cavanagh was manager. He impressed Cavanagh enough to win a place in the first team squad and on the last Saturday of the season he was named as our substitute (there was only one sub at that time) for our away game against Orient.

Despite the 3-0 defeat he came on for Ashley Hoskin and the most unlikely of wingers did well. Unlikely because he was tall for a winger, very ungainly, didn't have much pace but the one thing he could do, and do very well, was cross a ball.

At the end of the season with Cavanagh gone there was no sign of Holden at the beginning of the following season, the one that would almost end in disaster for Burnley. But new boss Brian Miller tracked him and brought him back in.

Miller wanted him and we offered him a full time contract. However, Holden wanted to continue his studies for a physiotherapy related degree at Alsager. Burnley wouldn't accept that and wanted him to become full time, and so he took the opportunity to up sticks and sign for fellow fourth division club Halifax Town who did allow him to continue with his studies. Burnley's loss appeared to be Halifax's gain as Holden became the star of the show at the Shay.

He turned in some really good performances for them and was in their side that fought out a draw in the Sherpa Van Trophy Northern Final, a game we finally won on penalties on our way to Wembley.

Such was his form that Watford boss Graham Taylor snapped him up towards the end of the 1987/88 season, paying Halifax £150,000 for him, the sort of money that would have made a hell of a difference then down Turf Moor way.

Watford were relegated at the end of that season, just two years after their FA Cup Final appearance and Holden spent one more year with them in the second division before moving back north to Oldham.

There he became something of a cult figure in two spells at Boundary Park. In his first season he went to Wembley to play in a League Cup Final and also played in an FA Cup Semi-Final. They lost the final to Forest whilst Manchester United beat them in the FA Cup.

They'd looked promotion contenders for much of the season but the cup runs got in the way. However that only delayed things by a year and Holden was prominent as they reached the top division in 1991. He played that first season for them in the top flight, and then in the summer of 1992 made the move to Manchester City in a £900,000 transfer to start his Premiership career at Maine Road.

He was never quite so successful there as he'd been at Oldham and after just over a year with City he returned to Oldham. He played in another FA Cup Semi-Final only to be beaten by Manchester United again.

His form was still good but Oldham were relegated at the end of the 1993/94 season although he played one more season for them in what was by then Division One before signing for Blackpool where he played for two years before retiring as a player.

He didn't leave the game and was manager of Peel on the Isle of Man for a while, and then spent time at Barnsley with former team mate Andy Ritchie where he was physio and then assistant manager.

His playing career saw him play in 449 league and cup games and he scored 65 goals in those games besides providing the crosses for the likes of Ritchie and others to score. Many of those were played at the top level and most in the top two divisions. I think it is fair to say this is one player that definitely got away.