Richard Ian Barker (born 30 May 1975 in Sheffield) is a retired English footballer. Barker has never played at the highest level, but is an experienced striker in the lower leagues. He is the brother of Plymouth Argyle defender Chris Barker.

Barker began his career at Sheffield Wednesday, but only played in the Intertoto Cup for the first team. He was sold by the Owls in 1997 to Northern Irish side Linfield after loan spells at Doncaster and Ards, before returning home to play for Brighton. He played two seasons at Brighton, scoring 12 goals, before moving to Macclesfield on a free transfer in 1999.

At Macclesfield, Barker scored 23 goals in 58 league games. He was signed by Rotherham in January 2001, and helped the Millers gain promotion to the Championship. He was mostly used as a substitute by Rotherham, and was allowed to move to Mansfield Town on a free transfer in November 2004.

Barker soon became a fan favourite at Field Mill, scoring 10 goals in his first season at the club. In the summer of 2005, he was named team captain, and he leads by example with his professionalism and work-rate. Barker was the Stags' top scorer in 2005-06 with a career-best 23 goals, including two goals against his old club Rotherham in the FA Cup first round.

In the summer of 2006, Barker signed a contract extension with Mansfield which tied him with the club until the end of the 2008-09 season. However in January 2007 he joined Hartlepool United F.C. during the January transfer window.

He re-joined Rotherham United on the 3rd October 2008, on an emergency loan in January 2009. He scored on his second Millers debut in the 4-1 over Grimsby Town after coming off the bench. "The Tank", as he is affectionately known to Millers fans, made his move permanent on the 1st January 2009. Due to a knee injury in January 2009 he decided to hang up his boots on 29th May 2009.^[1]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Richard Barker career stats at Soccerbase
• Barker's Official Hartlepool United F.C. profile
• Vital Hartlepool Profile: Richie Barker
• Richard Barker profile at In The Mad Crowd