Barry Bridges
Encyclopedia
Barry John Bridges is an English former footballer who played in the Football League
for Chelsea
, Birmingham City
, Queens Park Rangers
, Millwall
and Brighton & Hove Albion
and was capped four times for England
.
having been spotted whilst playing for Norwich and Norfolk Boys. He made his debut for the club against West Ham United
in February 1959, and scored in a 3-2 victory. He first established himself in the Chelsea side during the 1961-62
season, and though the club were relegated, he nevertheless proved himself a prolific goalscorer as he found the net 20 times that season.
A prolific and versatile forward who could play in the centre or on the wing, Bridges was an important part of manager Tommy Docherty
's re-structured Chelsea attack, alongside Bobby Tambling
and Terry Venables
. He helped the club gain promotion
back to the First Division
at the first attempt, and then challenge for the major honours. His most successful season with the club was in 1964-65
, in which he scored 27 goals in 42 matches, as Chelsea won the League Cup but faltered late-on in their championship and FA Cup challenges.
It was during that season that Bridges, along with several other players, was punished by Docherty for breaking a curfew
, after which the manager's relationship with his players deteriorated. Following one more season with Chelsea, Bridges was sold to Second Division
side Birmingham City
in May 1966 for a club-record £55,000. He continued his impressive scoring record at St Andrews
, netting 47 times in just over 100 games, and helped the side reach the League Cup semi-finals in 1967 and the FA Cup semi-finals a year later. Following the latter defeat, he moved to Queens Park Rangers
and then had spells at Millwall
, Brighton & Hove Albion
and Highlands Park in South Africa
. He retired having scored over 200 career goals.
He won four caps
for the England national team
, all in 1965, and scored his only goal in a 1-1 draw with Yugoslavia
. Bridges was in the preliminary squad of forty players selected by Alf Ramsey
for the 1966 World Cup, but failed to make the final team.
He later moved into management, first in Ireland
as player-manager of St Patrick's Athletic
in March 1976 http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1976/0313/Pg003.html#Ar00301 until he was sacked in February 1978 http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1978/0214/Pg003.html#Ar00302:38E72D44D77A3DE7B842E7D238A80D3BC82338A87F3BE89450A84D53C86251095954196E54595854796D4BD9BC4EE9D138F7B83CF7D24DA84D4FD862. While at Richmond Park
he signed Gordon Banks
on a short time contract.
Also was player-manager at Sligo Rovers
. He then returned to his native Norfolk to manage Dereham Town
and Horsford United.
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
for Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
, Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
, Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
, Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
and Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
and was capped four times for England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
.
Career
Bridges was signed by ChelseaChelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
having been spotted whilst playing for Norwich and Norfolk Boys. He made his debut for the club against West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
in February 1959, and scored in a 3-2 victory. He first established himself in the Chelsea side during the 1961-62
1961-62 in English football
The 1961–62 season was the 82nd season of competitive Football in England.-Overview:The season was notable for the remarkable achievement of Ipswich Town winning the League Championship. Under the managership of Alf Ramsey, the club progressed from the old Third Division South to the First Division...
season, and though the club were relegated, he nevertheless proved himself a prolific goalscorer as he found the net 20 times that season.
A prolific and versatile forward who could play in the centre or on the wing, Bridges was an important part of manager Tommy Docherty
Tommy Docherty
Thomas Henderson "Tommy" Docherty , commonly known as "The Doc", is a Scottish former footballer and football manager.-Playing career:...
's re-structured Chelsea attack, alongside Bobby Tambling
Bobby Tambling
Robert Victor 'Bobby' Tambling is a retired English footballer, who played most notably for Chelsea and Crystal Palace in the 1960s and 1970s...
and Terry Venables
Terry Venables
Terence Frederick "Terry" Venables , often referred to as "El Tel", is a former football player and manager, as well as being a media pundit. During the 1960s and 70s, he played for various clubs including Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers, and gained two caps for England...
. He helped the club gain promotion
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
back to the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
at the first attempt, and then challenge for the major honours. His most successful season with the club was in 1964-65
1964-65 in English football
The 1964–65 season was the 85th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* After a three-way tussle for the League title between Manchester United, Leeds United and Chelsea, Manchester United came out on top and were crowned champions....
, in which he scored 27 goals in 42 matches, as Chelsea won the League Cup but faltered late-on in their championship and FA Cup challenges.
It was during that season that Bridges, along with several other players, was punished by Docherty for breaking a curfew
Curfew
A curfew is an order specifying a time after which certain regulations apply. Examples:# An order by a government for certain persons to return home daily before a certain time...
, after which the manager's relationship with his players deteriorated. Following one more season with Chelsea, Bridges was sold to Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
side Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
in May 1966 for a club-record £55,000. He continued his impressive scoring record at St Andrews
St Andrews (stadium)
St Andrew's is an association football stadium in the Bordesley district of Birmingham, England. It has been the home ground of Birmingham City Football Club for more than a century....
, netting 47 times in just over 100 games, and helped the side reach the League Cup semi-finals in 1967 and the FA Cup semi-finals a year later. Following the latter defeat, he moved to Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
and then had spells at Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
, Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
and Highlands Park in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. He retired having scored over 200 career goals.
He won four caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
for the England national team
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
, all in 1965, and scored his only goal in a 1-1 draw with Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia national football team
The Yugoslavia national football team represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in association football. It enjoyed a modicum of success in international competition. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international...
. Bridges was in the preliminary squad of forty players selected by Alf Ramsey
Alf Ramsey
Sir Alfred Ernest "Alf" Ramsey was an English footballer and manager of the English national football team from 1963 to 1974. His greatest achievement was winning the 1966 World Cup with England on 30 July 1966...
for the 1966 World Cup, but failed to make the final team.
He later moved into management, first in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
as player-manager of St Patrick's Athletic
St Patrick's Athletic F.C.
St Patrick's Athletic Football Club is a football club from Dublin, Ireland. They compete in the League of Ireland Premier Division. Founded in 1929, they are based in the Dublin suburb of Inchicore and play their home matches at Richmond Park. They have won the League of Ireland title 7 times and...
in March 1976 http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1976/0313/Pg003.html#Ar00301 until he was sacked in February 1978 http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1978/0214/Pg003.html#Ar00302:38E72D44D77A3DE7B842E7D238A80D3BC82338A87F3BE89450A84D53C86251095954196E54595854796D4BD9BC4EE9D138F7B83CF7D24DA84D4FD862. While at Richmond Park
Richmond Park
Richmond Park is a 2,360 acre park within London. It is the largest of the Royal Parks in London and Britain's second largest urban walled park after Sutton Park, Birmingham. It is close to Richmond, Ham, Kingston upon Thames, Wimbledon, Roehampton and East Sheen...
he signed Gordon Banks
Gordon Banks
Gordon Banks, OBE is a retired English football goalkeeper. The IFFHS named Banks the second best goalkeeper of the 20th century – after Lev Yashin and ahead of Dino Zoff ....
on a short time contract.
Also was player-manager at Sligo Rovers
Sligo Rovers F.C.
Sligo Rovers Football Club is a professional Irish football club playing in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. The club was founded in 1928 and have been in the League of Ireland since 1934. The club is a co-operative venture, owned by the people of Sligo. Sligo Rovers have played at...
. He then returned to his native Norfolk to manage Dereham Town
Dereham Town F.C.
Dereham Town F.C. is an English football club based in Dereham, Norfolk. The club are currently members of the Eastern Counties League Premier Division and play at Aldiss Park.-History:...
and Horsford United.