The latest Hereford signing, Ryan Bartley, produced an assured and confident performance on his club debut against Buxton yesterday. The Derby County loanee has joined up with the Bulls squad for an initial 28-day loan period. Simon Wright looks at life so far for the new Paul Caddis recruit.
Initially signed on a months’ loan, Ryan Christopher Bartley is a six foot plus 20-year-old central defender, who can also play right back. The defender has joint British and Jamaica nationality. He’s part of the Derby County U21 squad, contracted until next summer. He’s the latest in quite a line of temporary talent to the Street from the Championship club over the years.
Ryan was educated in Croydon and Thornton Heath so very much in Crystal Palace territory. During his early days, the youngster (who credits his barber Dez for getting him interested) was spotted in Sunday League football. Fulham scouted him and so he joined their Academy aged 8. He was considered to be overweight (at 8 years old?) and in addition also being injury-prone, he was released aged 11 or 12. Soon after, Ryan was diagnosed with Vasovagal Synope, a condition which inhibits blood from flowing through his body. Nine months passed without football while the condition was managed.
Bartley has strong religious beliefs. He was “saved” in 2017 by his local Baptist church. His faith and in particular prayers are very important to him. He will feel at home in the Hereford dressing room where several players are all serious about their faith. Let us all hope common ground can be found.
Crystal Palace took him for their Academy. At 14, he trained two evenings a week after school. He earned a two-year scholarship in 2020 followed by a one-year pro deal in 2022. As he explained to the Palace media team “It hasn’t come without a lot of challenge through the age groups, and having to struggle to get where I am today.” This may have been a reference to being out injured for 12 months from November 2020. Missing so much training and development was bound to have an impact and by January 2023, he was on loan to Eastbourne Borough for the rest of the season. Nothing was said in public but this could easily have been a one-way loan, a ‘something on the cv’ kindness. The defender made 15 appearances, totalling 1178 minutes, close to the maximum available and turned heads. He scored his first goal, a winner at Weymouth where Sussex World described him as “being outstanding throughout.” The ‘Boro reporter referred to his “sound positioning, strong tackling and offering intelligent support” during another away victory.
Although his local club didn’t want him back, Derby County were happy to step in, and so he joined the Rams in the summer of 2023. This season, he had a busy month at Spennymoor who had lost two first choice defenders at the same time. Bartley made 7 appearances, totalling 585 minutes so again was trusted to get on with the job. He returned mid-September to what would feel pretty dull U21 football. Going out again can only help him. Those 20 odd Step 2 appearances thus far have given Caddis the reassurance that the new arrival can do a job.
Ryan appears very articulate and thoughtful, keen to personally embrace any thinking around improving performance. Welcome to the Street.
GALLERY | Buxton FC 1-2 Hereford FC | Hereford FC – The Official website of Hereford FC
Images: Graham Goodwin & Andy Walkden
