Richard David Chaplow (born February 2, 1985 in Accrington, Lancashire) is an English professional footballer. He currently plays for West Bromwich Albion.

Career

Club career

Chaplow joined Burnley at the age of eight,^[1] before earning a scholarship at the club in in 2001. In 2002-03, part of his season in the reserves was blighted by glandular fever, although he returned to action in January.^[2] Chaplow broke into the Burnley first team at the end of that season, making his début as a substitute in a 2-0 defeat at Norwich City. His first start came later in the season in another 2-0 defeat, at Nottingham Forest. Chaplow suffered from alopecia during 2003, returning to pre-season training having lost all his hair.^[2] Nevertheless, he signed professional forms in September 2003 and became a regular in the Burnley side in 2003-04. Chaplow flourished under new boss Steve Cotterill in 2004-05, and his creative midfield talents were there for all to see in January 2005 as Burnley sent Liverpool crashing out of the FA Cup in the Third Round.

In all, Chaplow played 74 games for the Clarets, scoring seven goals before joining West Bromwich Albion for a fee of £1.5million on transfer deadline day in January 2005. The Baggies had previously attempted to force the deal through several times during the transfer window. He moved to The Hawthorns on a three-and-a-half year deal, with the option of a further season.^[3] Chaplow made his Albion debut in a 4-1 victory over Charlton Athletic at The Valley on 19 March, 2005. He won a penalty soon after coming on as a late substitute, enabling Robert Earnshaw to complete his hat-trick from the spot.^[4] Chaplow's first goals for West Brom came in an FA Cup 3rd round replay at Reading on 17 January, 2006. His two first-half goals gave Albion a 2-0 lead, but they eventually lost 3-2 in extra-time.^[5]

In February 2006, Chaplow signed a three-month loan deal with Championship side Southampton, as part of the deal which saw Nigel Quashie move the other way.^[6] He scored his only Saints goal at Brighton on 8 April, 2006.

International career

Chaplow has represented England at under-19, under-20 and under-21 levels. He became Burnley's first first-ever England under-21 international in February 2004, when he came off the bench on his debut against the Netherlands at the KC Stadium.^[1] In October 2005 he captained the England under-20 side to a 2-2 draw with the Netherlands, in a match played at his former club Burnley's Turf Moor ground.^[7]

References

External links

• Richard Chaplow career stats at Soccerbase

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