STRIKERS Simon Ainge and Mark Beck are the obvious links when talking about Wrexham and Harrogate.

Both endured nightmare loan spells at The Racecourse. Ainge didn’t score and hardly featured under Dean Keates last season despite grabbing 35 goals in 53 games in Yorkshire.

Beck also drew a blank in his temporary spell from Yeovil 12 months previously but now scores a goal every three games for the superbly-named Sulpherites.

But dig a bit deeper - 24 years to be exact - and one player nearing the end of his playing days at Wetherby Road enjoyed a dream four game spell at The Racecourse.

Nick Richardson arrived on loan at Wrexham from Welsh rivals Cardiff City and remembers his debut well.

“I scored twice in a 3-2 win at home to Oxford in what was a bizarre month,” said Richardson, whose next game was the 1-1 derby day draw at Chester - a team he would sign for by the end of the year.

“I was on a week to week contract at Cardiff and wanted a move back up north.

“I could have left on a free if the rules now were in place because I was over 24 at the time.

“Brian Flynn wanted to sign me and it was a dream start. Two goals on my debut against Oxford for whom an old school friend in Phil Whitehead was in goal.

“Wrexham were a good club and I remember the chairman, Pryce Griffiths, was desperate to do his best for the club.

“I played in the derby at Chester but a move didn’t happen and the Chester manager Mike Pejic made a move to sign me after I returned to Cardiff after the month’s loan at Wrexham.

“But by the time I’d moved to Chester, Pejic was sacked and Derek Mann had been put in charge.”

Richardson scored once in six games at The Deva before heading back to Cardiff.

He would return the following season though, teaming up with his former Bluebirds’ team-mate, Kevin Ratcliffe, who was now in the Blues hot-seat.

And it was at Cardiff where Richardson re-lives his best FA Cup moment.

“We beat Manchester City in the fourth round after beating Middlesbrough in a replay the round before,” said Richardson, who still lives in his hometown of Halifax where he kicked off his career back 30 years ago.

“Nathan Blake scored the winner against City and I remember being the first player to jump on his back to celebrate - right in front of all the photographers.

“It was the most exposure I’ve ever had because I was on the back pages of most of the national newspapers the next day.”

Former Wrexham captain Eddie May managed Cardiff that day but he and Richardson couldn’t make it through the next round as they were beaten 2-1 by Luton Town at Ninian Park.

Richardson’s best FA Cup moment for Chester came in a third round clash at The Deva - again against Manchester City.

“We lost 4-1 but it was never a 4-1,” said Richardson. “We were right in it but they scored three in the last 10 minutes. I got our goal and I remember Luke Beckett missing a great chance that would have put us 2-1 up.”

That run came under the infamous Terry Smith reign at The Deva.

Smith’s American Revolution was a disaster as Chester lost their Football League status in 2000.

Richardson watched the drama unfold as Smith made him one of three captains in the team.

“You look back on it now and maybe some of Terry’s methods and ideas could have worked but it was a total disaster,” said Richardson.

“I remember doing a piece on TV when I said I was the captain of Chester, and then Luke Beckett said I’m the captain of Chester before Ross Davidson said exactly the same.

“You can look back at it and laugh about it but I enjoyed my time at Chester - I think it was the longest time I’d stayed at a club in my career.”

Richardson played 175 games and scored 12 goals in a six year Chester spell that also included 12 months on the sidelines after a career-threatening knee injury.

As for his time at Harrogate, for whom he played eight times for in the 2002/03 season, Richardson, said: “I think the old Leeds chairman had gone there and you could see at the time they were trying to progress.

“I wasn’t there for long and ended up moving on to Ossett and then Frickley.”