Walsall Ricketts began his career at
Walsall, for which he signed in 1996. He made 76 league appearances for them, scoring 14 times.
Bolton Wanderers In July 2000,
First Division side
Bolton Wanderers signed him for £400,000. He started his Bolton career in impressive style, scoring 24 times as they won promotion to the
Premier League through the playoffs. His finest moments at Bolton Wanderers include sealing victory against
Preston North End in the Division One Play-off final in 2001 and scoring the winning goal at
Old Trafford in a 2–1 win for Bolton over
Manchester United in the 2001–02
Premier League season. Ricketts continued scoring in his first season in the Premier League, hitting 15 goals by February, and this form led to his call-up for
England's friendly against the
Netherlands in February 2002. Ricketts played 45 minutes in that game but failed to score, and subsequently did not score for Bolton again all season.
Middlesbrough In January 2003,
Middlesbrough spent £3.5 million to sign him from Bolton. He failed to recapture his goal-scoring form, netting just four times in 38 matches. While at Middlesbrough he did, however, win the
League Cup in the
2003–04 season, coincidentally against Bolton.
Leeds United In June 2004, he signed for
Championship side
Leeds United on a free transfer, agreeing a three-year deal with the club. Ricketts failed to impress, failing to score in 25 league appearances, although he did manage a solitary goal in the League Cup against
Swindon Town.
Loans to Stoke, Cardiff and Burnley Ricketts then joined
Stoke City on a month-long loan in February 2005, but also failed to impress there, and returned to Leeds. He made five more appearances, scoring once against
Oldham Athletic, again in the League Cup. He was then loaned out to
Cardiff, where he scored four goals in 11 appearances, before returning to Leeds. On 30 January 2006, he signed for Championship side
Burnley in a loan deal that would keep him at
Turf Moor until the end of the season. Despite scoring twice in his first three matches against
Plymouth Argyle and Ipswich Town, he again failed to impress (he did not score again) and returned to Leeds after the season had finished.
Move to Southend On 30 June 2006, Ricketts signed a two-year deal with Championship side
Southend United with an option to extend for another year. A clause in the contract he signed stated that he was prohibited from playing against Leeds United. However, after only a couple of months into the new season, Southend released Ricketts on the basis that he was overweight and had put on weight since joining the club, questioning his level of fitness.
Preston and Oldham After leaving Southend, Ricketts joined Preston North End, playing a handful of games for their first team. In March 2007 he scored the winner against
Ipswich Town. He made his second debut for Walsall in a league match against
Cheltenham Town on 3 November. On 31 January 2008, transfer deadline day, Ricketts had his contract cancelled by Oldham Athletic.
Return to Walsall On 24 July 2008, Ricketts once again rejoined Walsall and scored nine goals in his third spell there. At the game against Southend United played at Roots Hall on 7 March 2009, Ricketts was sent off in the 14th minute when he attempted to punch Kevin Betsy. At the end of the season he was released.
Tranmere Rovers On 14 August 2009, it was announced that Ricketts had signed a one-year deal with
Tranmere Rovers (his 11th professional club). Ricketts stated playing for
John Barnes was a major factor in his decision to join the club. He made his debut for the club as a substitute in a League Cup game against his former club Bolton Wanderers on 25 August. He scored his first goal for Tranmere in a 2–1 defeat at Exeter City on 19 September 2009. On 21 January 2010, Ricketts had cancelled his contract by mutual consent. ==Personal life==