The Thistle Archive

A striker of many, many clubs (more than any Jag in history!), Ritchie was regarded as a strong link man, adept at holding the ball up. He started his career with Queens Park Rangers, playing in the same youth team as future England internationalist Peter Crouch. He turned pro with Rangers in February 2000 and made his first-team debut towards the end of the 2000–01 season. He had loan spells with Stevenage Borough, Dagenham & Redbridge and Mansfield Town before being released in 2004, having made over 40 appearances for QPR. As they plotted a quick return to the Premier League, Gerry Britton & Derek Whyte invited a number of trialists from down south to join Partick Thistle for the 2004 pre-season games, among them Andy Wilkinson of Stoke City and the 21-year-old Ritchie Pacquette. In the Cyprus tour that July, he did his chances no harm by scoring seven goals in two games against the Royal Highland Fusiliers (admittedly inferior opposition) but, ultimately, there was to be no deal at the end of it. A hamstring injury during the last of his 5 games (against Leicester City) scuppered his chances which, until then, were looking good.

Post-Thistle, Ritchie had brief spells with Milton Keynes Dons and Brentford before dropping down to non-League football, where he played for more than 20 years. Following short spells at five different clubs, he played for Worthing in 2006-07 and scored 17 goals in 30 league games. He famously headed home the opener for Havant & Waterlooville in their FA Cup fourth round match against Liverpool at Anfield in January 2008, where they were defeated 5–2 despite leading twice! Ritchie and his teammates would have received £10,000 each if they had beaten Liverpool but it wasn't to be. The 25-year-old - born in London to Dominican parents - was capped for the Dominica national team the following month, scoring on his debut (a 1-1 World Cup Qualifier draw against Barbados) and earned a second cap in the return fixture several weeks later (a 0-1 loss for a 1-2 aggregate). With his last couple of clubs he went into management - player/assistant at Amersham Town and player/manager at Harefield United, his second spell there.

In his personal life, he attended Cardinal Hinsley Maths and Computing College when he was young. His cousin is fellow Dominica international footballer Jefferson Louis, with whom he was paired upfront in Dominica's aforementioned second leg against Barbados. During his time as a semi-professional he worked as a school caretaker and a truancy officer. He became a PE Teacher at Newman Catholic College. Like his cousin, Ritchie is known to be an Arsenal supporter.

Ritchie is included in our feature piece, The Definitive Who's Who Of The Partick Thistle Internationalists →