Ex-footballer released by dream club at 17 opens up about 'loss of identity' after rejection

Richard ‘Rich’ Wilkinson, from Whitchurch, was released from his dream football club – Stoke City – at 17 years old, having played throughout his childhood and adolescence. More than 20 years on and Rich is using his past experiences for good, working in private practice and in secondary schools, counselling young people aged 11 to 16.