Michael Branch
| Date of birth | 18 October 1978 |
| Place of birth | Liverpool |
| Nationality | English |
| Weight | 73 kg |
| Height | 1.78 m |
| Position | Forward |
Branch played well for Wolverhampton Wanderers in the opening game of the 2000-01 campaign against Sheffield Wednesday but was then sidelined by a torn hamstring and was unable to return to the starting line-up for several weeks.
Often used as a lone striker, he found goals hard to come by and was mostly used on the right wing in the second half of the campaign covering for the injured Darren Bazeley.
A pacy and versatile forward, he needs to try and increase his goal output.
Branch joined Bradford City in July 2003 with a two-year contract but moved on to Chester City in June 2004 in a three-year deal.
Club history
| Team | Joined | Left | Loan / Trialist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Everton | 24 Oct 1995 | 20 Jan 2000 | |
| Manchester City | 29 Oct 1998 | 30 Nov 1998 | L |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 25 Nov 1999 | 19 Jan 2000 | L |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 20 Jan 2000 | 30 Jun 2003 | |
| Reading | 21 Mar 2002 | 20 Apr 2002 | L |
| Hull City | 04 Oct 2002 | 04 Dec 2002 | L |
| Preston North End | 20 Jan 2003 | 24 Jan 2003 | T |
| Bradford City | 02 Jul 2003 | 04 Jun 2004 | |
| Chester City | 04 Jun 2004 | 30 Jun 2007 | |
| Milton Keynes Dons | 27 Jul 2007 | 03 Aug 2007 | T |
| Halifax Town | 26 Oct 2007 |
Club stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-96 | Everton | Premier League | 1 | 2 |
|||
| 1996-97 | Everton | FA Cup | 1 | ||||
| 1996-97 | Everton | League Cup | 1 |
||||
| 1996-97 | Everton | Premier League | 13 | 12 |
3 |
2
|
|
| 1997-98 | Everton | Premier League | 1 | 5 |
|||
| 1998-99 | Everton | FA Cup | 2 |
||||
| 1998-99 | Everton | Premier League | 1 | 6 |
|||
| 1999-00 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | FA Cup | 2 | ||||
| 2000-01 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | FA Cup | 2 | ||||
| 2000-01 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | League Cup | 2 | 1 |
1
|
||
| 2000-01 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | League Division 1 | 31 | 7 |
4 |
8
|
|
| 2001-02 | Reading | League Division 2 | 2 |
||||
| 2001-02 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | League Division 1 | 5 | 2 |
1
|
||
| 2002-03 | Hull City | League Division 3 | 6 | 1 |
3 |
2
|
|
| 2003-04 | Bradford City | FA Cup | 1 |
||||
| 2003-04 | Bradford City | League Cup | 1 |
1
|
|||
| 2003-04 | Bradford City | League Division 1 | 29 | 4 |
6 |
5
|
1
|
| 2004-05 | Chester City | FA Cup | 1 | 2 |
|||
| 2004-05 | Chester City | LDV Vans Trophy | 1 |
||||
| 2004-05 | Chester City | League Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2004-05 | Chester City | League Two | 31 | 2 |
11 |
8
|
|
| 2005-06 | Chester City | FA Cup | 2 | 1 |
1
|
||
| 2005-06 | Chester City | League Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2005-06 | Chester City | League Two | 23 | 4 |
5 |
5
|
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
Club matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Feb 1996 | Manchester United v Everton | L | 2-0 | Premier League | |
| 08 Apr 1996 | Queens Park Rangers v Everton | L | 3-1 | Premier League | |
| 27 Apr 1996 | Sheffield Wednesday v Everton | W | 2-5 | Premier League | |
| 07 Sep 1996 | Wimbledon v Everton | L | 4-0 | Premier League | |
| 14 Sep 1996 | Everton v Middlesbrough | L | 1-2 | Premier League | |
| 24 Sep 1996 | York City v Everton | L |
3-2 Agg: 4-3 |
League Cup | 2nd round 2nd leg |
| 28 Sep 1996 | Everton v Sheffield Wednesday | W | 2-0 | Premier League | |
| 12 Oct 1996 | Everton v West Ham United | W | 2-1 | Premier League | |
| 28 Oct 1996 | Nottingham Forest v Everton | W | 0-1 | Premier League | |
| 04 Nov 1996 | Everton v Coventry City | D | 1-1 | Premier League | |
| 30 Nov 1996 | Everton v Sunderland | L | 1-3 | Premier League | |
| 07 Dec 1996 | Chelsea v Everton | D | 2-2 | Premier League | |
| 16 Dec 1996 | Derby County v Everton | W | 0-1 | Premier League | |
| 21 Dec 1996 | Everton v Leeds United | D | 0-0 | Premier League | |
| 26 Dec 1996 | Middlesbrough v Everton | L | 4-2 | Premier League | |
| 28 Dec 1996 | Everton v Wimbledon | L | 1-3 | Premier League | |
| 01 Jan 1997 | Everton v Blackburn Rovers | L | 0-2 | Premier League | |
| 05 Jan 1997 | Everton v Swindon Town | W | 3-0 | FA Cup | 3rd round |
| 11 Jan 1997 | Sheffield Wednesday v Everton | L | 2-1 | Premier League | |
| 19 Jan 1997 | Arsenal v Everton | L | 3-1 | Premier League | |
| 01 Mar 1997 | Everton v Arsenal | L | 0-2 | Premier League | |
| 05 Mar 1997 | Southampton v Everton | D | 2-2 | Premier League | |
| 08 Mar 1997 | Leeds United v Everton | L | 1-0 | Premier League | |
| 15 Mar 1997 | Everton v Derby County | W | 1-0 | Premier League | |
| 05 Apr 1997 | Aston Villa v Everton | L | 3-1 | Premier League | |
| 09 Apr 1997 | Everton v Leicester City | D | 1-1 | Premier League | |
| 12 Apr 1997 | Everton v Tottenham Hotspur | W | 1-0 | Premier League | |
| 16 Apr 1997 | Everton v Liverpool | D | 1-1 | Premier League | |
| 19 Apr 1997 | West Ham United v Everton | D | 2-2 | Premier League | |
| 03 May 1997 | Sunderland v Everton | L | 3-0 | Premier League | |
| 09 Aug 1997 | Everton v Crystal Palace | L | 1-2 | Premier League | |
| 27 Aug 1997 | Everton v Manchester United | L | 0-2 | Premier League | |
| 01 Sep 1997 | Bolton Wanderers v Everton | D | 0-0 | Premier League | |
| 13 Sep 1997 | Derby County v Everton | L | 3-1 | Premier League | |
| 02 Nov 1997 | Everton v Southampton | L | 0-2 | Premier League | |
| 08 Nov 1997 | Blackburn Rovers v Everton | L | 3-2 | Premier League | |
| 19 Dec 1998 | West Ham United v Everton | L | 2-1 | Premier League | |
| 26 Dec 1998 | Everton v Derby County | D | 0-0 | Premier League | |
| 02 Jan 1999 | Bristol City v Everton | W | 0-2 | FA Cup | 3rd round |
| 18 Jan 1999 | Aston Villa v Everton | L | 3-0 | Premier League | |
| 23 Jan 1999 | Everton v Ipswich Town | W | 1-0 | FA Cup | 4th round |
| 30 Jan 1999 | Everton v Nottingham Forest | L | 0-1 | Premier League | |
| 27 Feb 1999 | Everton v Wimbledon | D | 1-1 | Premier League | |
| 10 Mar 1999 | Blackburn Rovers v Everton | W | 1-2 | Premier League | |
| 03 Apr 1999 | Liverpool v Everton | L | 3-2 | Premier League | |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-96 | England | UEFA Under-18 | 4 | ||||
| 1995-96 | England | Under-18 | 1 | ||||
| 1996-97 | England | UEFA Under-21 | 1 |
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
International matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Nov 1995 | England v Latvia | W | 2-0 | UEFA Under-18 | Group 13 |
| 18 Nov 1995 | England v Sweden | W | 6-2 | UEFA U18 | Group 13 |
| 28 Feb 1996 | France v England | D | 1-1 | Under-18 | |
| 19 Mar 1996 | Scotland v England | W | 0-3 | UEFA Under-18 | 2nd round group 6 |
| 23 Apr 1996 | England v Scotland | W | 3-0 | UEFA Under-18 | 2nd round group 6 |
| 08 Oct 1996 | England v Poland | D | 0-0 | UEFA Under-21 | Group 2 |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.