Michael Bridges (1999-2004) 82 apps, 21 goals
Bridges deserves his place in this list because of the 21 goals he scored in his debut season and the sheer determination he showed during the injury hell that followed. Bridges could have been one of the best strikers in the club's history - he was the record signing when bought for £5 million and scored a memorable hat-trick at Southampton - but there was a meningitis scare, drilled bones and no end of failed comebacks. "You think, 'What the hell have I done to deserve this?' but I wasn't ever going to tie a knot in the ceiling and put my head in it," he told me. "I thought about people worse off than myself." When he scored for Carlisle United at Elland Road last year, it was hard not to feel happy for him and sad that he never achieved what he should have.
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Michael Bridges | |
| Date of birth | 5 August 1978 (1978-08-05) | |
| Place of birth | North Shields, Tyne and Wear, England | |
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | |
| Playing position | Striker | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Newcastle United Jets | |
| Number | 14 | |
| Youth career | ||
| 1994-1995 | Sunderland | |
| Senior career1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1995-1999 1999-2004 2004 2004 2004 2004-2005 2005 2005 2006 2006-2009 2007-2008 2008-2009 2009 2009- | Sunderland Leeds United → Newcastle United (loan) Bolton Wanderers → Sunderland (loan) Sunderland Bristol City → Carlisle United (loan) Carlisle United Hull City → Sydney FC (loan) → Carlisle United (loan) Milton Keynes Dons Newcastle United Jets | 79 (16) 56 (19) 6 (0) 0 (0) 11 (1) 8 (0) 11 (0) 7 (3) 23 (12) 22 (2) 9 (2) 30 (7) 1 (0) 10 (6) |
| National team2 | ||
| England U18 England U21 | ||
1 Senior club appearances and goals | ||