Bridges began his career at Cambridge United, making his first-team debut in 2001. After three seasons, he had a brief spell with FK Rīga in Latvia and later played for Histon, before returning to Cambridge United in July 2005. He joined Kettering Town in July 2007, helping the club win promotion to the Conference Premier, and signed for Stevenage Borough a year later. During three seasons at Stevenage, he was part of the team that won the FA Trophy and achieved consecutive promotions from the Conference Premier to League One.
Bridges played for local team Cambridge United, whom he joined at the age of eight, and he progressed through the club's youth system before signing his first professional contract in February 2002.[3] He made his first-team debut as a substitute in a 1–0 defeat to Huddersfield Town at the Abbey Stadium on 16 March 2002.[6] He played six further matches that season,[7] scoring his first senior goal in a 2–1 home victory against Tranmere Rovers on 13 April 2002.[8] Bridges was a regular in the first half of the 2002–03 season, making 25 appearances and scoring once in a 3–0 victory against York City.[9][10] A persistent ankle injury curtailed his season, and he did not feature from February onwards.[11] He returned to the first team in October 2003,[12] and played a further 22 times for the club during the 2003–04 season.[13] Bridges left Cambridge at the end of the season after failing to agree terms on a new contract, later stating the offer undervalued his contribution to the club.[4] Over his three seasons with Cambridge United, Bridges made 55 appearances in all competitions, scoring four goals.[3]
FK Rīga and non-League
Bridges trialled with several clubs ahead of the 2004–05 season, including Chesterfield and Northampton Town, but was unable to secure a contract.[14][15] He also spent much of the close season in the United States training with two professional American football clubs, though ultimately concluded that a move was not financially viable.[4] Struggling to find a club in England, he accepted an offer to join FK Rīga in Latvia.[4] However, just ten days after signing, Bridges suffered a fractured foot and did not make any appearances for the club.[4] Despite the injury, he remained in Latvia for three months before returning to England to assess his options.[4] In November 2004, he began rehabilitation at Lilleshall and started training part-time with Histon in January 2005.[16]
Shortly after training with Histon, Bridges signed a short-term contract with Braintree Town, making his debut for the club in a 2–1 home victory against Slough Town a day after joining.[17] He sustained a foot injury in a 3–1 away victory at Hendon,[18] which proved to be his final appearance for the club; he played four times for Braintree, all of which were victories.[19] A month later, Bridges joined Histon on a short-term basis, making 11 appearances, as the club achieved promotion to the Conference South during his time there.[20] He left Histon at the end of the season and rejoined Cambridge United on a one-year contract following a successful trial.[21] Reflecting on the return, Bridges stated he "did not hesitate in joining Cambridge for a second time" after being offered a full-time contract in June 2005.[4]
Return to Cambridge
During the 2005–06 season, Bridges was a regular in the centre of Cambridge's midfield.[22] He made his second debut for Cambridge in a 1–0 defeat at Forest Green Rovers,[23] and scored in each of the following two games against Hereford United and Accrington Stanley.[24][25] He made 40 appearances that season, contributing seven goals from midfield.[3] His performances earned him the club's Player of the Year award and a one-year contract extension in May 2006.[26] Bridges made 31 appearances under new manager Jimmy Quinn during the 2006–07 season, scoring three goals.[27] He was released by Cambridge in May 2007 as part of a major overhaul of the playing squad.[28] Across his second spell at the club, Bridges made 71 appearances in all competitions over two seasons, scoring ten goals.[3]
Kettering Town
Two months after leaving Cambridge United, Bridges joined Conference North club Kettering Town on a one-year deal.[29] He made his debut in late August 2007, starting in a 3–2 away win over Worcester City.[30] He scored his first goal for the club in the following game, doubling Kettering's lead in a 2–1 victory against Tamworth.[31] He was a regular throughout the 2007–08 season, scoring 11 goals in 27 appearances to help Kettering earn promotion to the Conference Premier.[32][33]
Stevenage
Bridges was offered a new contract by Kettering manager Mark Cooper, which he rejected, instead joining former Kettering team-mates Craig Westcarr and Gary Mills at Stevenage Borough on 13 May 2008.[34] A knee injury sustained in pre-season sidelined him for the first half of the 2008–09 season. He eventually made his Stevenage debut in a 1–1 draw against Oxford United on 20 December 2008, scoring Stevenage's goal with an "unstoppable drive from outside the area".[35] Bridges went on to score three goals in the club's successful FA Trophy run that season, which included scoring the winner in Stevenage's 3–2 home victory against Ebbsfleet United in the first leg of the semi-final.[36] His season was cut short by injury in a 1–1 draw against Oxford United at Broadhall Way, in which he scored Stevenage's goal before being ruled out for the remainder of the season.[37] Bridges made 19 appearances during the 2008–09 season, scoring six goals.[38]
Bridges returned from injury at the start of the 2009–10 season and made 38 appearances, scoring eight goals.[39] His final goal of the season came in a 1–0 victory over York City in the club's final league match, as Stevenage earned promotion to the Football League as Conference Premier champions.[40] He missed the first three games of the 2010–11 season due to suspension following a red card in the 2010 FA Trophy Final.[41] An ankle injury sustained in training sidelined him for a month, returning to the first team as a second-half substitute in a 2–0 home defeat to Wycombe Wanderers in October 2010, later admitting he was "not fully fit".[42][43] He scored his only goal of the season in Stevenage's 3–1 away victory against Port Vale on 22 February 2011.[44] Bridges made 24 appearances in all competitions, helping Stevenage earn promotion to League One in their first Football League season.[45][46]
Return to Kettering
Bridges rejoined Conference Premier club Kettering Town on 1 August 2011, signing a two-year contract after being released by Stevenage.[47] An injury late in the previous season, combined with contractual delays at Stevenage, prompted him to sign for Kettering.[47][48][49] Bridges made his debut in a 2–0 away victory at Lincoln City on 10 September 2011, the club's first away win of the season.[50] After just five appearances, Bridges was transfer-listed by new manager Mark Stimson on 29 September amid the club's financial difficulties.[51] Despite this, he remained involved with the first team and scored his first goal in a 2–2 draw against Ebbsfleet United.[52] Following Stimson's departure, Bridges assumed responsibility for taking training sessions, with as few as six players attending due to unpaid wages.[53] Bridges remained ever-present for the remainder of the season, making 38 appearances in all competitions.[54] Kettering were relegated after finishing bottom of the league, and faced a further relegation after entering a company voluntary arrangement.[55][56] Although he had one year remaining on his contract, Bridges left the club in July 2012, describing the season as the "worst of his career".[57]
Chelmsford City
In August 2012, Bridges signed for Conference South club Chelmsford City on a free transfer.[58] He made his debut in a 3–2 home win over Bromley on 25 August 2012[59] and scored his first goal in a 2–2 draw with East Thurrock United in the FA Cup on 20 October 2012.[60] It took Bridges seven months to register his first league goal, scoring in a 6–0 home victory over Farnborough on 18 March 2013, a match in which he also provided two assists.[61] He made 36 appearances in all competitions during his one season at Chelmsford, scoring twice,[59] as the club were defeated 2–1 on aggregate by Salisbury City in the Conference South play-off semi-finals.[62][63]
Later career
Shortly after the end of the 2012–13 season, Bridges signed for Isthmian League Premier Division club Bury Town on a free transfer.[64] He left Bury Town in December 2013, without making an appearance, due to the club's financial difficulties, and subsequently joined National League North club Brackley Town the following month.[65] Bridges made 15 appearances during the second half of the 2013–14 season, scoring twice.[2]
Bridges left Brackley at the season's end and signed for King's Lynn Town of the Northern Premier League on 28 May 2014.[66] On announcing the signing, manager Gary Setchell described the club as "very fortunate" to have secured Bridges at a time when he was balancing football with business commitments.[66] Whilst sidelined through injury, and having already obtained his UEFA B Licence, Bridges was appointed first-team coach in February 2015.[67] He combined coaching duties with regular first-team appearances,[67] and following the club's transfer to the Southern League Premier Division for the 2015–16 season, he made 39 appearances in all competitions. Bridges retired from playing in May 2016 to focus on his business interests and spend more time with his family.[68] Setchell described his departure as a loss for the club, but expressed full understanding of his decision to end a "fantastic playing career".[68]
After more than a year in retirement, Bridges returned to playing with St Neots Town of the Southern League Premier Division, where he also served as a first-team coach.[69] He made his first appearance in a 1–0 away defeat to AFC Rushden & Diamonds in the Southern Combination Challenge Cup on 3 October 2017.[70] Bridges went on to make 25 appearances during the 2017–18 season, scoring five goals.[70] His final match saw him score twice as St Neots won the Huntingdonshire Senior Cup.[70][71] Bridges made one appearance for Southern League Premier Division Central club St Ives Town in August 2021.[70]
International career
In January 2006, Bridges was called up to the England C team, who represent England at non-League level, for a friendly against Italy C held at Cambridge United's Abbey Stadium, his home ground at the time.[72] He came on as a 73rd-minute substitute as England C secured a 3–1 victory in front of a crowd of 2,711.[73]
Style of play
Primarily deployed as a central midfielder throughout his career,[74] Bridges also played across all of the midfield positions.[4][74] Manager Graham Westley described him as a player with "a lot of off-the-ball intelligence" who "reads the game well".[75]
Coaching career
Bridges began coaching whilst playing at Kettering Town, taking training sessions in January 2012 in the absence of a first-team manager.[53] He earned his UEFA B Licence whilst at King's Lynn Town and was appointed the club's first-team coach in February 2015, a role he held for a year and a half alongside continuing to play.[67]
In May 2017, he took on his first coaching-only role as first-team coach at Southern League Premier Division club St Neots Town.[76] He left the club on 13 August 2018 to become head of coaching at League Two club Lincoln City.[71] After spending over two years at Lincoln,[77] he was appointed a coach educator for the Professional Footballers' Association in February 2021.[77] He returned to Lincoln City as assistant head coach to Michael Skubala on 2 August 2024.[78] After working in the role for three months, he left the club to "explore other opportunities within football".[79]
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