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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07 Aug 2004 | Notts County v Chester City | D | 1-1 | League Two | |
| 10 Aug 2004 | Chester City v Wycombe Wanderers | L | 0-2 | League Two | |
| 14 Aug 2004 | Chester City v Mansfield Town | L | 0-3 | League Two | |
| 21 Aug 2004 | Bury v Chester City | D | 1-1 | League Two | |
| 24 Aug 2004 | Sunderland v Chester City | L | 3-0 | League Cup | 1st round |
| 28 Aug 2004 | Chester City v Darlington | L | 0-3 | League Two | |
| 30 Aug 2004 | Boston United v Chester City | L | 3-1 | League Two | |
| 04 Sep 2004 | Chester City v Macclesfield Town | W | 1-0 | League Two | |
| 02 Oct 2004 | Chester City v Swansea City | D | 1-1 | League Two | |
| 08 Oct 2004 | Cheltenham Town v Chester City | D | 0-0 | League Two | |
| 16 Oct 2004 | Rushden and Diamonds v Chester City | W | 0-1 | League Two | |
| 23 Oct 2004 | Chester City v Grimsby Town | W | 2-1 | League Two | |
| 26 Oct 2004 | Chester City v Kidderminster Harriers | W | 3-0 | League Two | |
| 30 Oct 2004 | Yeovil Town v Chester City | L | 4-1 | League Two | |
| 02 Nov 2004 | Chester City v Rochdale | W | 1-0 | LDV Vans Trophy | 2nd round - northern section |
| 04 Dec 2004 | Halifax Town v Chester City | W | 1-3 | FA Cup | 2nd round |
| 07 Dec 2004 | Bristol Rovers v Chester City | L | 4-1 | League Two | |
| 11 Dec 2004 | Chester City v Shrewsbury Town | D | 1-1 | League Two | |
| 17 Dec 2004 | Southend United v Chester City | L | 1-0 | League Two | |
| 26 Dec 2004 | Chester City v Scunthorpe United | D | 1-1 | League Two | |
| 28 Dec 2004 | Rochdale v Chester City | D | 2-2 | League Two | |
| 01 Jan 2005 | Macclesfield Town v Chester City | W | 1-2 | League Two | |
| 03 Jan 2005 | Chester City v Lincoln City | L | 0-1 | League Two | |
| 15 Jan 2005 | Cambridge United v Chester City | D | 0-0 | League Two | |
| 22 Jan 2005 | Chester City v Rochdale | D | 0-0 | League Two | |
| 29 Jan 2005 | Swansea City v Chester City | L | 3-0 | League Two | |
| 01 Feb 2005 | Chester City v Cheltenham Town | L | 0-3 | League Two | |
| 05 Feb 2005 | Chester City v Rushden and Diamonds | W | 3-1 | League Two | |
| 12 Feb 2005 | Kidderminster Harriers v Chester City | W | 0-1 | League Two | |
| 05 Mar 2005 | Chester City v Southend United | D | 2-2 | League Two | |
| 12 Mar 2005 | Wycombe Wanderers v Chester City | L | 4-2 | League Two | |
| 19 Mar 2005 | Chester City v Notts County | W | 3-2 | League Two | |
| 25 Mar 2005 | Mansfield Town v Chester City | D | 0-0 | League Two | |
| 28 Mar 2005 | Chester City v Bury | W | 2-1 | League Two | |
| 02 Apr 2005 | Darlington v Chester City | L | 1-0 | League Two | |
| 23 Apr 2005 | Leyton Orient v Chester City | L | 2-0 | League Two | |
| 06 Aug 2005 | Peterborough United v Chester City | W | 0-1 | League Two | |
| 09 Aug 2005 | Chester City v Lincoln City | D | 2-2 | League Two | |
| 20 Aug 2005 | Rushden and Diamonds v Chester City | D | 1-1 | League Two | |
| 23 Aug 2005 | Wolverhampton Wanderers v Chester City | L | 5-1 | League Cup | 1st round |
| 27 Aug 2005 | Chester City v Darlington | D | 4-4 | League Two | |
| 29 Aug 2005 | Torquay United v Chester City | W | 0-1 | League Two | |
| 02 Sep 2005 | Chester City v Mansfield Town | W | 3-1 | League Two | |
| 06 Sep 2005 | Chester City v Grimsby Town | L | 1-2 | League Two | |
| 10 Sep 2005 | Notts County v Chester City | D | 1-1 | League Two | |
| 24 Sep 2005 | Stockport County v Chester City | D | 0-0 | League Two | |
| 27 Sep 2005 | Chester City v Carlisle United | W | 2-0 | League Two | |
| 01 Oct 2005 | Wycombe Wanderers v Chester City | D | 3-3 | League Two | |
| 07 Oct 2005 | Chester City v Rochdale | L | 2-3 | League Two | |
| 15 Oct 2005 | Barnet v Chester City | W | 1-3 | League Two | |
| 22 Oct 2005 | Chester City v Bury | D | 1-1 | League Two | |
| 29 Oct 2005 | Shrewsbury Town v Chester City | L | 3-1 | League Two | |
| 05 Nov 2005 | Chester City v Folkestone Invicta | W | 2-1 | FA Cup | 1st round |
| 12 Nov 2005 | Chester City v Northampton Town | D | 0-0 | League Two | |
| 19 Nov 2005 | Rochdale v Chester City | D | 2-2 | League Two | |
| 26 Nov 2005 | Chester City v Peterborough United | W | 3-1 | League Two | |
| 14 Jan 2006 | Chester City v Boston United | L | 0-1 | League Two | |
| 17 Jan 2006 | Chester City v Cheltenham Town | L | 0-1 | FA Cup | 3rd round replay |
| 21 Jan 2006 | Bristol Rovers v Chester City | L | 2-1 | League Two | |
| 24 Jan 2006 | Mansfield Town v Chester City | W | 1-2 | League Two | |
| 04 Feb 2006 | Carlisle United v Chester City | L | 5-0 | League Two | |
| 11 Feb 2006 | Chester City v Stockport County | L | 1-2 | League Two | |
| 18 Feb 2006 | Chester City v Leyton Orient | L | 0-2 | League Two | |
| 25 Feb 2006 | Grimsby Town v Chester City | L | 1-0 | League Two | |
| 18 Mar 2006 | Chester City v Cheltenham Town | L | 0-1 | League Two | |
| 26 Mar 2006 | Wrexham v Chester City | L | 2-1 | League Two | |
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.