Richard Dryden

Age : 30                                        Date of birth : 14.6.1969

Place of birth : Stroud                    Nationality : English  

Position : Defender                          Squad number : 12

Height : 5ft 11ins                            Weight : 13st 2lb

Signed : 1.8.1998

      This well traveled defender arrived at The Dell from Bristol City for a fee of £150,000 in August 1996 when Graeme Souness was in charge. Dryden started his career at Bristol Rovers and made 20 appearances for the Pirates. After a loan spell at Exeter City, he made a permanent move to St James' Park in March 1989, and he went on to make 99 appearances before switching to Notts County for £250,000 in August 1991. A mildly successful spell at Meadow Lane followed in which time he made 38 appearances and also had a loan period at Plymouth. The effective central defender moved to Birmingham in 1993 and made 54 appearances before he joined Bristol City a year later. At Ashton Gate he spent over 18 months clocking up 45 appearances. Capable of posing a threat at the attacking end, Dryden has scored 22 goals in his career, and had made 53 appearances for the Saints before the start of the season. The last campaign was a bad one for Dryden as a knee injury kept him sidelined for a large chunk, and this season he has been on loan at Stoke in a bid to boost his match fitness. Dryden has only figured in once match this season.