Date / Year of birth: 23rd November 1954

Position: Winger / Left-back

Season of first appearance: 1976/77

Season of last appearance: 1988/89

Also played for: Ramsgate Athletic, Gillingham (0), Ramsgate, Maidstone United, Dover, Folkestone, Hythe Town, Ashford Town and Folkestone Invicta

5' 11" tall talented left-sided player born in Margate who captained his school Birchington when they won the final of the Watson Trophy, a competition organised by the Margate Schools Football Association, by beating Garlinge 1-0 in a match played at Margate's Hartsdown Park ground on 5.5.66.

Ricky later played for Birchington Athletic Colts and was with them during the 1968/69 campaign. He also played for Ramsgate's reserves during that season and again during the 1969/70 term.

Ricky stayed with the Rams for the 1970/71 season and made his first team debut during the campaign. On his 17th birthday in November 1971 Ricky signed professional forms for the Rams and at the time Margate were rumoured to be interested in him. Ramsgate's manager Jack Smith was quoted as saying that Ricky had "a lot of latent ability". He also played for Gillingham's youth team during the 1971/72 season.

Ricky scored his first Southern League goal for Ramsgate on 2.12.72, helping the Rams to a 1-0 win at Cambridge City, and during the 1972/73 campaign he attracted a lot of attention from Football League scouts. He was watched by Luton, Crystal Palace and Reading and had a trial with Brighton at the end of the season.

Ricky was Ramsgate's leading scorer during the 1973/74 campaign, scoring 18 goals and he stayed with the Rams until February 1976 when he joined Maidstone for a fee in the region of £800. By that time Ricky had made almost 150 Southern League appearances for Ramsgate.

He found it hard to settle at Maidstone and after nine months with the Stones, during which he made just 14 appearances, Ricky returned to Thanet to join Margate for a small three figure fee in November 1976. Margate manager Les Riggs said at the time "he is a sound experienced player who will strengthen our left flank considerably."

Ricky made his debut in a 2-1 defeat at Dover on 17.11.76 and his brother Norman scored the Margate goal. It was the first time the two of them had played together at senior level. Ricky went on to make the left wing slot his own during the remainder of the 1976/77 season and made 30 appearances (one as sub) as Margate were relegated from the Southern League Premier Division. He scored four goals and the best of them was a solo effort in a 3-2 defeat at Minehead on 16.4.77 when Ricky beat two players before firing home.

During the 1977/78 campaign he was virtually ever-present and featured in 45 of Margate's 47 matches as the club won the Southern League 1st Division (South) title. Ricky sometimes played as a striker and scored 11 goals, including both in a 2-1 win at Aylesbury on 7.1.78 and a 25-yarder in a 2-2 draw with Basingstoke on 28.1.78.

The 1978/79 season saw Ricky used almost exclusively as a striker and he scored ten goals. His strike in a 3-2 win over Kettering at Hartsdown on 26.8.78 was described as "probably the finest goal he has ever scored for the club" by the Thanet Times. It was a shot on the turn from the edge of the penalty area. He followed that with a 20-yarder in a 2-1 win at Dartford on 30.9.78 and on 22.1.79 Ricky scored direct from a corner in another game against the Darts. He'd made 44 appearances, taking his overall tally past 100, when he left the club in March 1979.

Ricky joined Dover, having asked for a transfer a month earlier, and Margate manager Jack Smith said "I am sorry to lose such a talented player." The four figure fee wasn't revealed officially but it was said to be in the region of £1,200. Despite leaving the club before the end of the season Ricky's goals were enough to make him Margate's joint top scorer along with George Putman.

During the 1978/79 campaign Ricky helped Dover to win the Southern League Division 1 (South) title, scoring eight goals including two hat-tricks. Both were at Crabble - in a 4-0 win over Bognor Regis on 31.3.79 and a 7-0 win over Canterbury on 16.4.79. Ricky was Dover's joint leading scorer for the 1979/80 season, his 14 goals being matched only by Bobby Wilson. On 27.10.79 he scored in a 2-0 win over Margate at Hartsdown. During the 1980/81 campaign Ricky missed a penalty in a game against Thanet at Hartsdown but still scored ten goals during the season. By then he was Dover's captain. Ricky's string of memorable matches against his former club continued on 20.1.82 when he was sent off for fighting with Alan Draper (who was also dismissed) when Dover played Thanet United at Crabble. Ricky had already scored in the game, one of six goals he managed during 1981/82.

Ricky left Dover in the summer of 1982 and joined Folkestone where he played alongside his brother Norman once again. He spent four successful seasons at Cheriton and during the 1985/86 campaign the Folkestone programme featured a profile on Ricky's team-mate Pat Hilton who was asked to name his 'moments to remember'. His answer was "Ricky Fusco turning up for training".

In the summer of 1986 Ricky returned to Hartsdown Park, joining Thanet United and linking up with Norman once more. He began the 1986/87 season as a fixture on United's left wing and turned in some impressive displays. On 25.10.86 Ricky scored his first goal of the season in a 2-0 win at Chatham when his 2nd minute free-kick from the right wing was caught by the wind and floated into the net. However after 35 minutes Ricky was sent off for remarks made to a linesman. The local Adscene newspaper said that the decision was "questionable" and Thanet manager John Wickens agreed. He said Ricky's dismissal was "a little bit harsh…all he was doing was having a chat with the linesman ! He didn't even swear at him". In December 1986 Ricky moved into the United defence, taking over from his brother Norman at left-back but he returned to the attack towards the end of February 1987 and enjoyed a good run of form up to the end of the season. The Thanet Times said that he was "outstanding" in a 1-1 draw with Burnham & Hillingdon at Hartsdown on 4.4.87 and on 7.4.87 Ricky scored direct from a corner in a 4-1 home win over Canterbury. He scored twice more in Thanet's remaining four games, including a deft lob in a 3-3 draw with Dover at Hartsdown on 20.4.87. Ricky broke his toe during the match but still played in United's final game - a 5-0 win over Poole on 25.4.87. The Isle of Thanet Gazette said that was "typical of his commitment to the club" and Ricky finished the season with a record of 50 appearances and five goals.

Ricky started the 1987/88 campaign on the left wing but soon moved into defence, forming a solid centre-back partnership with new signing Dave Carr. The Isle of Thanet Gazette said that he was "outstanding" in United's rearguard during a 0-0 draw with Ashford on 29.9.87. The same paper described Ricky as being a "pillar of efficiency" in a 1-0 defeat at home to Marlow in an FA Trophy tie played on 3.11.87. Towards the end of 1987 he moved back into midfield and continued his good form there, prompting the Gazette to label Ricky as a "talented utility player". On 13.2.88 he scored what the Thanet Times described as "a magnificent goal" in a 2-1 win over Corinthian at Hartsdown. Ricky embarked on a mazy run down the right wing and beat three defenders as he cut into the centre before firing home a low drive. His brother Norman, by then Thanet's player-manager, said "I've seen him score a lot like that over the years and hope there are a few more to come." Shortly after that Ricky resumed his central defensive duties, playing nine games at the back before switching to midfield once again for a run of ten consecutive matches from late March 1988 to the end of the campaign. Ricky made 53 appearances during the season, taking his total for the club past 200, and the only three games he missed were due to a suspension imposed for picking up too many yellow cards. He scored 12 goals including four penalties and it was Ricky's best-ever tally for the club in what was probably his best season at Hartsdown.

Ricky began the 1988/89 campaign in excellent form and the Isle of Thanet Gazette said that he was "outstanding in defence" as United drew 1-1 at Hastings on 23.8.88. He then played as a sweeper as Thanet drew 2-2 at Buckingham on 27.8.88 and the Thanet Times said that Ricky "gave a thoroughly competent display" in his new role. The same paper felt he "excelled" in a 2-0 win over Sheppey on 29.8.88 and the report also described Ricky as being "tenacious" in defence. Ricky made his sixth appearance of the season in a 4-1 defeat at Chelmsford on 3.9.88 and it turned out to be his final game for the club as he decided to make a shock move to big-spending Hythe. The Thanet Times ran a story under the headline "Storm over Fusco move" and his brother Norman, who was still United's player-manager, told the paper "I am disappointed that he has decided to leave the club and he will be sorely missed." He added "He has gone purely for financial reasons. Kent League is well below our standard. It is simply a case of Hythe paying more money."

Ricky stayed with Hythe for the rest of the campaign and then hung up his boots in the summer of 1989. However during the early part of 1989/90 he played a few more games for Hythe and then returned to Folkestone early in 1990, having clearly abandoned his retirement plans.

Ricky joined Ashford for the 1990/91 season before retiring once more but he made another comeback when he linked up with Folkestone Invicta for the 1994/95 campaign. He was a fixture in their side at left-back throughout the season and then finally bowed out of football aged 40.

Ricky worked at Pearce Signs in Broadstairs for many years and he was still living locally in 2004.

In August 2013 he turned out for a Folkestone Legends team in a charity match to celebrate former Thanet player John Lineham's 50th birthday and a host of other former Margate / Thanet players, including his brother Norman, were also involved in the game.