Marc Bridge-Wilkinson

Marc Bridge-Wilkinson
Personal information
Full name Marc Bridge-Wilkinson[1]
Date of birth 16 March 1979 (1979-03-16) (age 32)
Place of birth Coventry, England
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[2]
Playing position Midfielder
Club information
Current club Darlington
Number 31
Youth career
1997–1998 Derby County
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1998–2000 Derby County 1 (0)
1999 → Carlisle United (loan) 7 (0)
2000–2004 Port Vale 124 (31)
2004–2005 Stockport County 22 (2)
2005 → Bradford City (loan) 4 (0)
2005–2007 Bradford City 87 (12)
2007–2011 Carlisle United 90 (11)
2010–2011 → Darlington (loan) 9 (3)
2011– Darlington 37 (11)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:14, 27 December 2011 (UTC).
† Appearances (Goals).

Marc Bridge-Wilkinson (born 16 March 1979) is an English footballer who plays for Conference National club Darlington. He is a left-sided midfielder and also a winger, and is known for his goal-scoring ability.[3]

Starting his career at Derby County in 1998, he instead made his name at Port Vale following his transfer in 2000. He made over 100 appearances in four years, scoring 31 league goals, and lifting the Football League Trophy in 2001. He spent 2004–05 with Stockport County, before signing with Bradford City in 2005. He spent two years at Bradford, making close to 100 appearances. He signed with Carlisle United in 2007, and went on to pick up a League Trophy runners-up with the club in 2010. After four years with Carlisle, he joined Darlington in 2011, breaking his run of ten consecutive seasons in the third tier of English football. With Darlington he lifted the FA Trophy in 2011.

Contents

Playing career

Derby County

Born in Coventry, Bridge-Wilkinson was a product of the Derby County youth academy and made his debut for Derby in a 2–1 victory against Liverpool at Anfield on 7 November 1998.[4] This Premier League clash would be his only appearance for the club. He joined Carlisle United of the Third Division, where he played seven games in a six-week loan spell at the end of the 1998–99 season.[4][5] He returned to Derby and was released by the club at the end of the following season, after which he was given a trial at Port Vale.[6]

Port Vale

Bridge-Wilkinson joined Port Vale on a free transfer following his trial and made his debut in a 4–1 defeat at Oldham Athletic on 12 August 2000. The following week he scored twice in his first Vale start when they defeated Oxford United 3–0.[7] He scored fourteen goals in 52 games throughout his first season at Vale, which included one in the final of the Football League Trophy final – which Vale won 2–1 over Brentford.[8][9] He also scored the winner in the Potteries derby in the Northern Section semi-finals with a 105th minute golden-goal penalty.[10][11]

He spent much of the next season out with a hamstring injury, and did not feature between August and late-January.[12] His return to the side coincided with Vale's climb up the table, and he consequently signed a new two-year contract with the club.[13]

Recovering from a knee injury,[14] his nine goals in 2002–03 were enough to make him the club's top-scorer, as the Second Division club posted a mid-table finish.

He struck seven times in 37 games during the 2003–04 campaign, as the club finished outside of the play-offs on goal difference. At the end of the season manager Martin Foyle offered him a new contract at reduced pay due to the club's dire financial situation,[15][16] an offer which Bridge-Wilkinson rejected in order to sign for League One rivals Stockport County on a two-year contract in June 2004.[17]

Stockport County

Bridge-Wilkinson made just 22 starts with Stockport, and in February 2005 joined Bradford City, also of League One, on a month's loan deal to cover for injuries.[18] The loan soon become a permanent transfer.

Bradford City

Bridge-Wilkinson made his City debut on 25 February 2005 in a 1–1 draw with Walsall[19] and after four games he signed a two-year deal on transfer deadline day to stay at Valley Parade permanently.[20] He celebrated his new contract with his first Bradford goal in a 1–1 draw with Doncaster Rovers later the same day.[20] He scored another two goals in a 4–1 victory over Brentford,[21] finishing the season with three goals from his 12 games.

At the start of the following season he missed more than two months after sustaining a knee injury in training.[22][23][24][25] He finished the season with six goals in forty games.

On 16 September 2006, he scored against his former club Port Vale,[26] but it was just one of four goals for Bridge-Wilkinson that season, as Bradford were relegated into League Two.[27] He was one of many players released by Bradford in May 2007.[28]

Carlisle United

In June 2007, Bridge-Wilkinson rejoined Carlisle United.[5] He played 52 games in his first full season at the club, including both legs of the League One play-off semi-final with Leeds United. He scored Carlisle's second at Elland Road to give his side a 2–1 first leg victory.[29] However in the second leg he could not help his side avoid a 2–0 defeat.[30]

A regular in 2008–09, he picked up a toe injury in January, which ended his contribution to the campaign.[31] The problem was a floating bone in his big toe.[32]

He made 26 appearances in 2009–10, as Carlisle posted a mid-table finish. He also made an appearance at Wembley Stadium in the Football League Trophy Final, which ended in a 4–1 defeat to Southampton.[33]

Searching for first team football,[34] in October 2010 he joined Conference National outfit Darlington on loan for one month.[35] After the midfielder impressed manager Mark Cooper,[36] this one month then got extended until January.[37][38]

Darlington

On 18 January 2011, he signed for Darlington on a permanent basis after he was released from Carlisle United two days earlier.[39] He scored the first hat-trick of his career in a 6–1 victory against Eastbourne Borough on 12 February.[40][41] All Bridge-Wilkinson's goals, which included two penalties, came in the first half and within the space of 14 minutes.[42] At the end of the campaign he picked up the second significant honour of his career, as Darlington lifted the 2011 FA Trophy.[43]

Playing style

"He's always got a chance of creating you something. He'll give balls away sometimes, but you have to put up with that because he's a clever player."
—Darlington manager Mark Cooper speaking on Bridge-Wilkinson in March 2011.[44]

Statistics

As of 1 August 2011.
Club performance League Cup League Cup Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
England League FA Cup League Cup Total
1997–98 Derby County Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1998–99[45] Derby County Premier League 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
1998–99[45] Carlisle United Third Division 7 0 0 0 0 0 7 0
1999–2000 Derby County Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2000–01[46] Port Vale Second Division 42 9 2 1 1 1 52 14
2001–02[47] Port Vale Second Division 19 6 0 0 0 0 19 6
2002–03[48] Port Vale Second Division 31 9 0 0 1 0 33 9
2003–04[49] Port Vale Second Division 32 7 2 0 1 0 36 7
2004–05[50] Stockport County League One 22 2 2 0 1 0 25 2
2004–05[50] Bradford City League One 12 3 0 0 0 0 12 3
2005–06[51] Bradford City League One 36 5 2 0 1 1 40 6
2006–07[52] Bradford City League One 39 4 3 1 1 0 43 4
2007–08[53] Carlisle United League One 45 6 2 0 1 0 52 8
2008–09[54] Carlisle United League One 23 5 3 0 2 0 28 5
2009–10[55] Carlisle United League One 19 0 0 0 2 0 26 1
2010–11[56] Carlisle United League One 3 0 0 0 1 0 4 0
2010–11[56] Darlington Conference National 27 9 3 1 0 0 36 11
2011–12[57] Darlington Conference National 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total England 358 65 19 3 12 2 414 76
Career total 358 65 19 3 12 2 414 76
Notes

Honours

Port Vale
with Carlisle United
with Darlington

References

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  47. ^ "Games played by Marc Bridge-Wilkinson in 2001/2002". Soccerbase. http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=13733&season_id=131. Retrieved 11 September 2011. 
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  49. ^ "Games played by Marc Bridge-Wilkinson in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=13733&season_id=133. Retrieved 11 September 2011. 
  50. ^ a b "Games played by Marc Bridge-Wilkinson in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=13733&season_id=134. Retrieved 11 September 2011. 
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External links

Darlington F.C. – current squad