by JAKE NUTTING

The Tampa Bay Rowdies increased their pool of forwards today with the signing of Welsh striker Eliot Richards for the Spring Season, with an option for the Fall Season.

Richards, 24, came up through the youth system of Bristol Rovers and signed his first professional contract with the club in 2009 at 17-years-old. Rowdies Head Coach Stuart Campbell was wearing the captain’s armband for Rovers when Richards made his professional debut as a substitute halfway through that first season.

“Eliot is someone that we believe has a role to play with both our first team and Rowdies 2 in the NPSL,” said Campbell. “As we begin the process of building Rowdies 2, we looked at a few young players while we were in England and it just so happens that Eliot became available sooner than we expected. I know him well and he falls into both the NASL and NPSL categories for us.”

Following Campbell’s departure from Rovers after the club’s relegation to England’s fourth division in 2011, Richards became more entrenched in the starting lineup. In total, he recorded 94 appearances and 15 goals over three seasons with Rovers in the fourth division.

After a brief stint with Tranmere Rovers, Richards transferred to Cheltenham Town in early 2015. Shortly after signing, though, he was dealt with a major blow when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer.

Richards spent the majority of last summer receiving chemotherapy over a 60-day period. He was given the all-clear to return to training in back in September. A long way off from recovering his previous level of fitness due to the draining chemotherapy sessions, Cheltenham sent him on loan to Bath City in January before eventually releasing him in March.

While in England for preseason training, Campbell invited Richards to train with the Rowdies and showed enough to earn a spot on the roster. According to the Rowdies front office, Richards could likely see time with the reserves squad, Rowdies 2, before he sees first team action.

As an additional note, today’s signing does not fill the team’s final international spot, as midfielder Juan Guerra has received a green card. The development affords the Rowdies to keep one last international spot moving forward.