Bradford (Park Avenue) welcome former Aston Villa academy player, Riccardo Calder to the squad.
Calder was part of the Villa under-19’s team which won the 2012–13 NextGen Series, beating Chelsea in the final of the competition.
Speaking about the signing, interim first team boss, Marcus Law admitted the signing may be controversial amongst supporters:
“We’re aware that there may be some controversy around this signing. Riccardo’s recently come back to football after serving a short sentence. I won’t go into the details here, but he’s made a mistake, served his time and is looking to rebuild his life.”
“Since I came on board with the Avenue it’s been stressed to me that we are a community club. So with that in mind I think it’s the perfect environment for the lad to rebuild his career in the game, and I hope the fans will join myself and Lee in welcoming Riccardo in with open arms.”
Calder, who plays at left back, spoke to BPAFC.com at training on Thurday saying:
“I’m looking forward to getting going. I like a challenge and feel I can make a real difference here. I’m a team player and can bring the energy needed to create opportunities.”
For the chance to see Calder in action, join us at the Horsfall stadium tomorrow at 3pm, as Avenue take on Blyth Spartans.