Michael Bridges
| Date of birth | 05 August 1978 |
| Place of birth | North Shields |
| Nationality | English |
| Weight | 70 kg |
| Height | 1.85 m |
| Position | Forward |
A striker of undoubted ability whose career has been wrecked by injury, Michael joined Newcastle United on loan in the latter stages of the 2003-04 as he again sought to return to full fitness.
A striker of undoubted skill and talent and Leeds United's leading scorer in 1999-2000, Michael began 2000-01 in a three-man attack at Elland Road.
Surprisingly, he failed to find the net in the opening games and was subsequently rested.
He returned to the fore at Besiktas in October only to be stretchered off after 28 minutes.
He was then diagnosed with an ankle injury and this kept him out of action for the remainder of the season.
His qualities were sorely missed up front by United.
After a loan spell, Michael returned to Sunderland in December 2004 with a contract to the end of the season that was extended to June 2006 in February 2005.
However, he was made available for transfer in May 2005 and subsequently joined Bristol City with a one-year contract.
After a loan spell, Michael joined Carlisle United in January 2006 with a contract to June 2007.
He joined Hull City in August 2006 with a three-year contract.
Club history
| Team | Joined | Left | Loan / Trialist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunderland | 09 Nov 1995 | 29 Jul 1999 | |
| Leeds United | 29 Jul 1999 | 30 Jun 2004 | |
| Newcastle United | 02 Feb 2004 | 16 May 2004 | L |
| Bolton Wanderers | 01 Jul 2004 | 24 Dec 2004 | |
| Sunderland | 23 Sep 2004 | 23 Dec 2004 | L |
| Sunderland | 24 Dec 2004 | 25 Jul 2005 | |
| Bristol City | 25 Jul 2005 | 01 Jan 2006 | |
| Carlisle United | 15 Nov 2005 | 31 Dec 2005 | L |
| Carlisle United | 01 Jan 2006 | 31 Aug 2006 | |
| Hull City | 31 Aug 2006 | 30 Jun 2009 | |
| Sydney FC | 15 Oct 2007 | 31 Jan 2008 | L |
| Carlisle United | 24 Jul 2008 | 31 May 2009 | L |
| Milton Keynes Dons | 07 Aug 2009 | 27 Aug 2009 | |
| Newcastle Jets | 29 Sep 2009 |
Club stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-97 | Sunderland | FA Cup | 2 | ||||
| 1996-97 | Sunderland | League Cup | 1 | 1 |
|||
| 1996-97 | Sunderland | Premier League | 10 | 15 |
3 |
3
|
|
| 1997-98 | Sunderland | League Cup | 2 | 1 |
|||
| 1998-99 | Sunderland | League Cup | 5 | 2 |
4 |
||
| 1999-00 | Leeds United | FA Cup | 1 | 1 |
|||
| 1999-00 | Leeds United | League Cup | 2 |
1
|
|||
| 1999-00 | Leeds United | Premier League | 32 | 2 |
19 |
6
|
|
| 1999-00 | Leeds United | UEFA Cup | 12 | 2 |
2
|
||
| 2000-01 | Leeds United | Premier League | 6 | 1 |
|||
| 2000-01 | Leeds United | UEFA Champions League | 4 | ||||
| 2002-03 | Leeds United | League Cup | 1 |
||||
| 2002-03 | Leeds United | Premier League | 1 | 4 |
|||
| 2002-03 | Leeds United | UEFA Cup | 1 | 2 |
|||
| 2003-04 | Leeds United | League Cup | 1 | 1 |
|||
| 2003-04 | Leeds United | Premier League | 1 | 9 |
2
|
||
| 2003-04 | Newcastle United | Premier League | 6 |
1
|
|||
| 2003-04 | Newcastle United | UEFA Cup | 1 | 2 |
|||
| 2004-05 | Sunderland | FA Cup | 2 |
||||
| 2004-05 | Sunderland | League Championship | 5 | 14 |
2 |
||
| 2005-06 | Bristol City | LDV Vans Trophy | 1 |
||||
| 2005-06 | Bristol City | League Cup | 1 |
1 |
|||
| 2005-06 | Bristol City | League One | 4 | 7 |
2
|
||
| 2005-06 | Carlisle United | League Two | 23 | 2 |
15 |
2
|
|
| 2006-07 | Carlisle United | League Cup | 1 |
1
|
|||
| 2006-07 | Carlisle United | League One | 5 |
1
|
|||
| 2006-07 | Hull City | League Championship | 8 | 7 |
2 |
||
| 2007-08 | Hull City | League Championship | 1 | 6 |
|||
| 2007-08 | Hull City | League Cup | 2 | 1 |
|||
| 2008-09 | Carlisle United | FA Cup | 1 |
||||
| 2008-09 | Carlisle United | Johnstones Paint Trophy | 1 | 1 |
|||
| 2008-09 | Carlisle United | League Cup | 1 | 1 |
|||
| 2008-09 | Carlisle United | League One | 12 | 18 |
7 |
4
|
1
|
| 2009-10 | Milton Keynes Dons | League Cup | 1 | ||||
| 2009-10 | Milton Keynes Dons | League One | 1 |
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Aug 1996 | Sunderland v Leicester City | D | 0-0 | Premier League | |
| 21 Aug 1996 | Nottingham Forest v Sunderland | W | 1-4 | Premier League | |
| 24 Aug 1996 | Liverpool v Sunderland | D | 0-0 | Premier League | |
| 14 Sep 1996 | Derby County v Sunderland | L | 1-0 | Premier League | |
| 24 Sep 1996 | Sunderland v Watford | W |
1-0 Agg: 3-0 |
League Cup | 2nd round 2nd leg |
| 28 Sep 1996 | Arsenal v Sunderland | L | 2-0 | Premier League | |
| 19 Oct 1996 | Southampton v Sunderland | L | 3-0 | Premier League | |
| 23 Oct 1996 | Tottenham Hotspur v Sunderland | L | 2-1 | League Cup | 3rd round |
| 26 Oct 1996 | Sunderland v Aston Villa | W | 1-0 | Premier League | |
| 02 Nov 1996 | Leeds United v Sunderland | L | 3-0 | Premier League | |
| 16 Nov 1996 | Tottenham Hotspur v Sunderland | L | 2-0 | Premier League | |
| 23 Nov 1996 | Sunderland v Sheffield Wednesday | D | 1-1 | Premier League | |
| 30 Nov 1996 | Everton v Sunderland | W | 1-3 | Premier League | |
| 07 Dec 1996 | Sunderland v Wimbledon | L | 1-3 | Premier League | |
| 15 Dec 1996 | Sunderland v Chelsea | W | 3-0 | Premier League | |
| 21 Dec 1996 | Manchester United v Sunderland | L | 5-0 | Premier League | |
| 28 Dec 1996 | West Ham United v Sunderland | L | 2-0 | Premier League | |
| 01 Jan 1997 | Coventry City v Sunderland | D | 2-2 | Premier League | |
| 04 Jan 1997 | Arsenal v Sunderland | D | 1-1 | FA Cup | 3rd round |
| 11 Jan 1997 | Sunderland v Arsenal | W | 1-0 | Premier League | |
| 15 Jan 1997 | Sunderland v Arsenal | L | 0-2 | FA Cup | 3rd round replay |
| 04 Mar 1997 | Sunderland v Tottenham Hotspur | L | 0-4 | Premier League | |
| 08 Mar 1997 | Sunderland v Manchester United | W | 2-1 | Premier League | |
| 12 Mar 1997 | Sheffield Wednesday v Sunderland | L | 2-1 | Premier League | |
| 16 Mar 1997 | Chelsea v Sunderland | L | 6-2 | Premier League | |
| 22 Mar 1997 | Sunderland v Nottingham Forest | D | 1-1 | Premier League | |
| 05 Apr 1997 | Newcastle United v Sunderland | D | 1-1 | Premier League | |
| 13 Apr 1997 | Sunderland v Liverpool | L | 1-2 | Premier League | |
| 11 May 1997 | Wimbledon v Sunderland | L | 1-0 | Premier League | |
| 16 Sep 1997 | Sunderland v Bury | W | 2-1 | League Cup | 2nd round 1st leg |
| 15 Oct 1997 | Middlesbrough v Sunderland | L | 2-0 | League Cup | 3rd round |
| 18 Aug 1998 | Sunderland v York City | W |
2-1 Agg: 4-1 |
League Cup | 1st round 2nd leg |
| 15 Sep 1998 | Sunderland v Chester City | W | 3-0 | League Cup | 2nd round 1st leg |
| 22 Sep 1998 | Chester City v Sunderland | W |
0-1 Agg: 0-4 |
League Cup | 2nd round 2nd leg |
| 27 Oct 1998 | Sunderland v Grimsby Town | W | 2-1 | League Cup | 3rd round |
| 11 Nov 1998 | Everton v Sunderland | W | 1-1 (5-4) | League Cup | 4th round |
| 01 Dec 1998 | Sunderland v Luton Town | W | 3-0 | League Cup | Quarter-final |
| 17 Feb 1999 | Leicester City v Sunderland | D |
1-1 Agg: 3-2 |
League Cup | Semi-final 2nd leg |
| 24 Sep 2004 | Leeds United v Sunderland | W | 0-1 | League Championship | |
| 16 Oct 2004 | Sunderland v Millwall | W | 1-0 | League Championship | |
| 19 Oct 2004 | Watford v Sunderland | D | 1-1 | League Championship | |
| 30 Oct 2004 | Sunderland v Brighton and Hove Albion | W | 2-0 | League Championship | |
| 02 Nov 2004 | Sunderland v Wolverhampton Wanderers | W | 3-1 | League Championship | |
| 05 Nov 2004 | Millwall v Sunderland | L | 2-0 | League Championship | |
| 21 Nov 2004 | Sunderland v Ipswich Town | W | 2-0 | League Championship | |
| 27 Nov 2004 | Stoke City v Sunderland | W | 0-1 | League Championship | |
| 04 Dec 2004 | Sunderland v West Ham United | L | 0-2 | League Championship | |
| 11 Dec 2004 | Cardiff City v Sunderland | W | 0-2 | League Championship | |
| 18 Dec 2004 | Sunderland v Burnley | W | 2-1 | League Championship | |
| 26 Dec 2004 | Sunderland v Leeds United | L | 2-3 | League Championship | |
| 03 Jan 2005 | Sunderland v Gillingham | D | 1-1 | League Championship | |
| 08 Jan 2005 | Sunderland v Crystal Palace | W | 2-1 | FA Cup | 3rd round |
| 22 Jan 2005 | Sunderland v Sheffield United | W | 1-0 | League Championship | |
| 29 Jan 2005 | Everton v Sunderland | L | 3-0 | FA Cup | 4th round |
| 04 Feb 2005 | Wolverhampton Wanderers v Sunderland | D | 1-1 | League Championship | |
| 19 Feb 2005 | Brighton and Hove Albion v Sunderland | L | 2-1 | League Championship | |
| 22 Feb 2005 | Sunderland v Rotherham United | W | 4-1 | League Championship | |
| 04 Mar 2005 | Burnley v Sunderland | W | 0-2 | League Championship | |
| 12 Mar 2005 | Crewe Alexandra v Sunderland | W | 0-1 | League Championship | |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-97 | England | UEFA Under-18 | 4 | 1 |
1 |
||
| 1996-97 | England | Under-21 | 1 |
||||
| 1998-99 | England | Under-21 | 1 | ||||
| 1999-00 | England | 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Jul 1996 | England v Spain | D | 0-0 | UEFA Under-18 | Finals Group B |
| 27 Jul 1996 | England v Republic of Ireland | W | 1-0 | UEFA Under-18 | Finals Group B |
| 31 Jul 1996 | England v Belgium | W | 3-2 | UEFA Under-18 | Finals 3rd place |
| 01 Apr 1997 | England v Switzerland | D | 0-0 | Under-21 | |
| 29 Apr 1997 | England v Portugal | W | 2-1 | UEFA U18 | 2nd round group 3 |
| 13 May 1997 | Portugal v England | L | 3-0 | UEFA U18 | 2nd round group 3 |
| 09 Feb 1999 | England v France | W | 2-1 | Under-21 | |
| 08 Oct 1999 | England v Denmark | W | 4-1 | Under-21 | |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.