Mark Birch (footballer)

Last updated

Mark Birch
Personal information
Full name Mark Birch [1] [2]
Date of birth (1977-01-05) 5 January 1977 (age 46) [2]
Place of birth Stoke-on-Trent, England [2]
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
1994–1995 Stoke City
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1996–1998 Stoke City 0 (0)
1996–1998Leek Town (loan)
1998–2000 Northwich Victoria 73 (1)
2000–2003 Carlisle United 112 (1)
2003–2008 Gretna 85 (11)
2007Southport (loan) 19 (1)
2007Northwich Victoria (loan) 9 (0)
2008Newcastle Blue Star (loan)
2008 Northwich Victoria 1 (0)
Total299(18)
Managerial career
2016 Penrith [3]
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Mark Birch (born 5 January 1977) is an English former professional footballer who played in the Football League for Carlisle United. [2] [4]

Contents

Career

Birch was born in Stoke-on-Trent and began his career with Stoke City. [2] He failed to break into the first team at Stoke and joined Football Conference side Northwich Victoria in 1998 where he spent two seasons. [2] He joined Third Division side Carlisle United in June 2000 for a fee of £10,000. Birch played 129 times for Carlisle scoring once in a 1–0 win against Macclesfield Town in March 2003. [5] He left Carlisle in August 2003 to join ambitious Scottish Third Division side Gretna. At Gretna he helped them win promotion to the Scottish First Division and reach the 2006 Scottish Cup Final where they lost on penalties to Heart of Midlothian. [6] He returned to England in 2007 playing for Southport and a return to Northwich Victoria.

Coaching career

Birch was appointed Professional Development Phase coach at Carlisle United in June 2019. [7]

Career statistics

Source: [2]

ClubSeasonLeagueFA CupLeague CupOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Stoke City 1995–96 Second Division 0000000000
Northwich Victoria 1999–2000 Football Conference 350000010360
Carlisle United 2000–01 Third Division 440302010500
2001–02 Third Division420301010470
2002–03 Third Division241201030301
2003–04 Third Division2000000020
Total11218040501291
Gretna 2003–04 Scottish Third Division 233301000273
2004–05 Scottish Third Division307211030368
2005–06 Scottish Second Division 271700000341
2006–07 Scottish First Division 5000101070
Total8511121304010412
Southport (loan) 2006–07 Football Conference191000000191
Northwich Victoria (loan) 2007–08 Football Conference110000000110
Northwich Victoria 2008–09 Football Conference1000000010
Career total263132017010030014

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gretna F.C.</span> Former association football club in Scotland

Gretna Football Club was a Scottish professional football club based in the town of Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway, close to the border between England and Scotland, that last competed in the Scottish Premier League, the then top flight of Scottish football. Nicknamed the Black and Whites or the Anvils the club was founded in 1946, and had rapid and continual success in the mid-2000s, and reached the Scottish Cup Final in 2006, but the club fell into severe financial difficulties when businessman Brooks Mileson, its main financial backer, withdrew funds due to ill health. The club was forced to dissolve in 2008 due to money issues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Foyle</span> English association football player

Martin John Foyle is an English former professional footballer and manager who is the Head of Recruitment at Scottish Premiership club St Mirren. In his 20-year playing career he played 533 League games, scoring 155 goals. As a manager, he took charge of Port Vale and York City, Northwich Victoria, Hereford United and Southport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sammy McIlroy</span> Northern Irish footballer

Samuel Baxter McIlroy is a Northern Irish retired footballer who played for Manchester United, Stoke City, Manchester City, Örgryte (Sweden), Bury, VfB Mödling (Austria), Preston North End and the Northern Ireland national team.

Shaun Teale is an English football manager and former professional footballer.

Paul Warhurst is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender, midfielder or striker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Boyd (footballer)</span> English footballer and manager

Mark Edward Boyd is an English former football player and manager. He scored 19 goals in 298 league and cup appearances in an 11-year career in the English Football League, Scottish Football League and Conference, and also later spent six years playing non-League football below the Conference level.

Mark Christopher Gardiner is an English former professional footballer who made 262 appearances in the Football League. He could play effectively at either left-back or left-wing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gavin Skelton</span> English footballer (born 1981)

Gavin Richard Skelton is an English football coach, manager, and former professional footballer. As a player, he was primarily deployed as a defensive midfielder. He is the first-team coach of Carlisle United.

Richard Stuart Walker is an English football coach and former player who is the lead professional development phase coach at Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Gregory Strong is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender. He was the manager of Rhyl from 2009 until 2015, and chief scout of Plymouth Argyle between 2015 and 2018. He is currently the Head of Recruitment at Morecambe FC.

Mark Bailey is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender.

Jonathan David McCarthy is a former professional footballer who is the assistant manager at Cymru Premier club Connah's Quay Nomads.

Mark David Sale is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward. He made more than 200 appearances in the Football League and many more in non-league football. He was first-team coach of Birmingham City from October 2014 to December 2016. In March 2017 he was appointed first-team coach at Derby County. He was appointed first-team at Stoke City in June 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danny Grainger</span> English footballer (born 1986)

Daniel Leslie Grainger is an English professional football manager and former player who is the manager of Workington

Anthony Mark Gallimore is an English former professional footballer who played as a left back from 1990 to 2007.

Peter David Handyside is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a defender from 1992 until 2007.

Kenneth James Griffiths was an English footballer. A forward, he scored 59 goals in 221 games in the Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Simms</span> English footballer

John Simms was an English footballer who played on the left-wing for Stoke, Leek Alexandra, Port Vale, Swansea Town, Winsford United, Macclesfield, Northwich Victoria and Stafford Rangers. He helped Port Vale to win the Third Division North title in 1929–30.

Kristian Rogers is an English footballer.

Michael McCartney was a Scottish footballer who played as a full-back in the 1970s and 1980s. He spent most of his career with Carlisle United, for whom he made nearly 300 League appearances in two spells, between which he played for Southampton and Plymouth Argyle. He subsequently had 11+12 years as manager of Scottish club Gretna.

References

  1. "Mark Birch". Barry Hugman's Footballers.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Mark Birch at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  3. "Birch steps down as Penrith boss". nonleaguedaily.com.
  4. Mark Birch at Soccerbase
  5. "Carlisle 1–0 Macclesfield". BBC. 18 March 2003. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  6. "Hearts 1-1 Gretna (4-2 on pens)". BBC Sport. 13 May 2006. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  7. "INTERVIEW: I do feel ready for the step up". Carlisle United. Retrieved 10 June 2020.