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His first few seasons were spent largely as understudy: first to Andy Dawson, then Kevin Sharp. It was not until the 04/05 campaign that he made the left-back spot his own, when he took advantage of an injury to Sharp to make a total of 48 appearances in all competitions.
That season saw United win promotion to League One after finishing second in League Two, but Ridley found first team opportunites harder to come by after the step up.
He only made eight appearances in 05/06, and although he featured 20 times as the Iron stormed to the League One title in 06/07 he turned down a new contract to stay as the club prepared for life int he Championship.
In search of first-team football he stayed in League One, joining Cheltenham Town on a free transfer. Despite starting the 07/08 season as a regular in the Robins side, he found himself out of the team and spent time on loan at the League Two outfitsDarlington and Lincoln City.