Cheltenham Town Football Club sends its heartfelt condolences to the friends and family of former player Richard Hadgkiss, who recently passed away at the age of only 46.
Richard Hadgkiss made only one first team appearance for Cheltenham Town, deputising at right-back in an injury-hit Robins team against Sittingbourne at Whaddon Road, although also spent time with the reserves and was cosidered unfortunate not to have become a more regular first team player. He performed particularly well in his one game for a Cheltenham team missing several key players that managed a notable 0-0 draw against big-spending and title-chasing Sittingbourne.
Hadgkiss had been a leading player in the Hellenic League Premier Division for Fairford Town for a number of seasons and was effectively ‘borrowed’ by Cheltenham manager Lindsay Parsons for the game. His performance hinted that he was capable of playing at the higher level but he returned to Fairford for the following week. Hadgkiss came back to Cheltenham Town for pre-season training in the summer of 1996 but was not included in the plans of new manager Chris Robinson.
Later in his career Hadgkiss played for Cirencester Town and also had two spells with Swindon Supermarine, the second being particularly successful as he played a major role in the club’s 2001 Hellenic League championship. Playing as a midfielder or forward for Supermarine, he made a total of 112 appearances for the club scoring 52 goals.