A Bluebird and a White

Footballers who have played league football for both PNE and Cardiff

N-Z

909) Guylain N'Dumbu-Nsungu

PNE 6 apps; 0 goals

Cardiff 11 apps; 0 goals

PNE debut 28/09/2004 v Plymouth (H) - Drawn 1-1

839) Kurt Nogan

PNE 83 apps; 27 goals

Cardiff 18 apps; 1 goal

PNE debut 15/03/1997 v Blackpool (A) - Lost 1-2

724) Tony Phillskirk

PNE 14 apps; 6 goals

Cardiff 61 apps; 5 goals

PNE debut 11/02/1989 v Bristol Rovers (H) - Drawn 1-1

940) Michael Ricketts

PNE 14 apps; 1 goal

Cardiff 17 apps; 5 goals

PNE debut 13/01/2007 v Barnsley (A) - Lost 1-0

812) Andy Saville

PNE 56 apps; 30 goals

Cardiff 35 apps; 12 goals

PNE debut 12/08/1995 v Lincoln (H) - Lost 1-2

637) Peter Sayer

PNE 45 apps; 6 goals

Cardiff 4 apps; 1 goal

PNE debut 30/08/1980 v Sheffield Wednesday (A) - Lost 0-3

910) Gavin Ward

PNE 7 apps; 0 goals

Cardiff 59 apps; 0 goals

PNE debut 19/10/2004 v Q.P.R. (H) - Won 2-1

448) Willie Watson

PNE 15 apps; 0 goals

Cardiff 1 app; 0 goals

PNE debut 31/08/1946 v Leeds (H) - Won 3-2

Player Profile - Michael Ricketts

Michael Barrington Ricketts was born in Birmingham on 4 December 1978. He came through the youth set up at Walsall and signed professional forms in September 1996.

He scored on his debut as a substitute in the 1995/96 season. The next three years his first team starts were minimal and scoring only two goals in the process. It was the 1999/2000 season where Ricketts made his name for Walsall, the previous season had seen Walsall promoted to Division One. Ricketts scored 11 goals in 32 appearances in the 1999/2000 season including a brace in a 3-2 defeat at Crystal Palace on 28 December.

This prompted First Division side Bolton to sign him for £400,000. He started his Bolton career in impressive style, scoring 19 league goals in 39 appearances. He scored on his debut in a 2-0 victory over Preston on 26 August 2000. Bolton was promoted via the play-off as Ricketts scored in the final also against Preston. He also scored a brace on two occasions in victories at Huddersfield and Burnley.

Ricketts scored in his first three matches in the Premier League with victories over Leicester, Middlesbrough and Liverpool. He scored 12 goals in his first 21 Premier League matches. The highlight was the winner six minutes from the end in a 2-1 win at Old Trafford against Manchester United. The league goals dried up after that but played 45 minutes for England in a friendly against Holland on 13 February 2002.

After making 98 appearances and netting 37 goals Ricketts joined Middlesbrough for £3.5 million in January 2003. He made his debut in a 1-1 draw at Liverpool on 8 February and his first goal came in a 2-1 win on the final day of the 2002/03 season against former club Bolton. While at Middlesbrough he did, however, win the League Cup in the 2003/04 season, coincidentally against Bolton. His final game was a 5-1 defeat at Pormsmouth and had scored only 3 goals from 32 appearances.

In June 2004, he signed for Championship side Leeds on a free transfer. Ricketts made his debut on 7 August 2004 in a 1-0 win against Derby. He failed to impress, failing to score in 21 league appearances, although he did manage a solitary goal in the League Cup victory over Swindon. He was then loaned out to Stoke in February 2005 and made his debut as a substitute in a 3-2 win against Leicester on 22 February. Only once did he start in 11 appearances and was unable to find the net.

Ricketts started the 2005/06 season with Leeds and scored his second League Cup goal in his final appearances against Oldham. On 31 August 2005, Ricketts joined Cardiff on loan and made his debut in a 3-3 draw at Burnley. Ricketts scored in his next two appearances, both 1-0 home victories against Leicester on 13 September and Crystal Palace four days later. Ricketts scored twice in October in a 2-1 home defeat against Luton and a 6-1 win over Crewe. His last goal came in a 2-1 home win against Ipswich whilst his final Cardiff appearances saw a 2-1 home win against Southampton on New Year's Eve. Ricketts had scored 5 goals, all at home, in 17 appearances.

On 30 January 2006 he signed for Burnley in a loan deal that would keep him at Turf Moor until the end of the season. After his debut on 4 February at Brighton which finished 0-0, he scored in his next two appearances in a 1-0 home win against Plymouth on 11 February and a 2-1 defeat at Ipswich three days later. But for the remaining ten matches he failed to score and returned to Leeds after the season had finished.

On 30 June 2006, Ricketts signed a two-year deal with Championship side Southend on a free transfer and made his debut as a substitute in a 3-0 home defeat against Cardiff on 24 September. His next appearance came also as a substitute six days later also another 3-0 defeat at Derby. However after only a couple of months into the new season, Southend released Ricketts on the basis that he was overweight and had put on weight since joining the club, questioning his level of fitness.

After leaving Southend, Ricketts joined Preston and made his debut on 13 January 2007 in a 1-0 win at Barnsley. His only goal for the Lilywhites came in a 1-0 home victory against Ipswich on 13 March 2007. The last of his 14 appearances came in a 1-0 win at Deepdale against Birmingham on 6 May 2007, before being released at the end of the season.

For the start of the 2007/08 season saw Ricketts join Oldham and scored on his debut with a third minute penalty in a 2-1 win against Swansea. He made 9 appearances, netting twice before going on loan to Walsall on 3 November. His first gal came on this third appearance a week later in a FA Cup victory over Shrewsbury. His departure from Oldham was shrouded in mystery and was confirmed when his contract was cancelled on 31 January 2009.

In March 2008 he joined Southampton on trial. Ricketts then crossed the Atlantic to have further trials with San Jose Earthquakes and Columbus Crew, but failed to earn a permanent deal at either side.

On 24 July 2008 Ricketts once again rejoined Walsall and is now in his third spell with the Midlands side. This season Ricketts has scored over ten goals in all competitions, but has seen him receive the red card on three occasions.