Sonny Bradley

Sonny Bradley

Bradley playing for Portsmouth 2013
Personal information
Full name	Sonny Bradley [1]
Date of birth	(1991-09-13) 13 September 1991 (age 32) [2]
Place of birth	Kingston upon Hull, England
Height	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) [3]
Position(s)	Centre-back [4]
Team information
Current team	Derby County
Number	5
Youth career
0000–2010	Hull City
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2010–2013	Hull City	2	(0)
2010	→ Harrogate Town (loan)	6	(0)
2011	→ IK Frej (loan)	5	(1)
2012	→ Aldershot Town (loan)	14	(0)
2012–2013	→ Aldershot Town (loan)	42	(1)
2013–2014	Portsmouth	33	(2)
2014–2016	Crawley Town	72	(2)
2016–2018	Plymouth Argyle	84	(11)
2018–2023	Luton Town	163	(5)
2023–	Derby County	33	(3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:23, 28 April 2024 (UTC)

Sonny Bradley (born 13 September 1991) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for EFL Championship club Derby County.

He has formerly played for Luton Town, Hull City, Harrogate Town, IK Frej, Aldershot Town, Portsmouth, Crawley Town and Plymouth Argyle and Luton Town.

Early life

Bradley was born and raised in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire. ^[5] He progressed through the Hull City youth ranks, joining the club at the age of seven. ^[6] While in the youth ranks at Hull City, Bradley met his childhood friend, Danny East, who he has known for more than ten years. ^[7]

Career

Hull City

In October 2010, he was sent out on loan to Conference North club Harrogate Town, making his debut in a 3–2 win over Worcester City. ^[8] He made seven appearances for the Town, scoring in an FA Trophy tie with Witton Albion. ^[9]

In April 2011, he joined Division 1 Norra team IK Frej on a one-month loan after going on trial with the club. ^{[10] [11]} Bradley made his debut on 25 April, against BK Forward, and scoring against Dalkurd FF on 7 May. He returned to Hull after making five appearances and scoring once.

He was offered his first professional contract by Hull City in the summer of 2011. ^[12] Bradley was also a former pupil at Kelvin Hall School and at sixteen, Bradley missed out the apprenticeship. ^[13]

In January 2012, he joined League Two club Aldershot Town on a one-month loan deal. ^[14] He made his professional debut on 7 January 2012, in a 3–0 defeat to Oxford United at the Recreation Ground. ^[15] The loan period was later extended to 7 April 2012. ^[16] He finished the season with 14 appearances for Aldershot before being recalled by Hull on 29 March 2012. ^[17]

He made his league debut for Hull on 31 March when he was used as a half-time substitute for captain Jack Hobbs in the 0–2 defeat by Coventry City at the KC Stadium. ^[18] He was handed his first start on 7 April, in a 0–2 defeat against Millwall. ^[19]

On 7 August 2012, Bradley returned to Aldershot in a season-long loan. ^[20] He made his second debut for the club on 11 August, against Wolverhampton Wanderers. ^[21] On 23 October, Bradley scored his first career goal, an 87th-minute header in a 2–1 win against Southend United. ^[22] He finished the season with 42 league appearances, scoring once. Despite relegation to Conference Premier, Bradley says his time at Aldershot Town in his second spell helped him improved as a player. ^[23]

Bradley was released at the end of 2012–13 season. ^[24]

Portsmouth

After his release from Hull, Bradley signed a two-year deal with Portsmouth on 9 May 2013, where he will joining with Danny East. ^[25] Bradley revealed he turned down a move from Championship and League One clubs in favour joining Portsmouth. ^[26] Bradley would also take number six shirt at the club. ^[27]

He made his debut in a 4–1 home defeat to Oxford United on 3 August 2013. Despite the loss, Bradley was impressed with the club's supporters attendance at the stadium. ^[28] Since his debut, Bradley had an extended run of the first team and then on 1 January 2014, Bradley scored his first goal for the club and also the first goal of 2014 for the club, as Portsmouth lose 2–1 to Southend United. ^[29] But towards the end of the season, Bradley would be often used in first team ins and out, mostly on the substitution bench. Bradley would then score his second goal of the season, just ten minutes after coming on as a substitute, in a 4–4 draw against Bury on 26 April 2014, in which it turns out to be his last appearance for the club. ^[30]

Crawley Town

On 17 June 2014, Bradley signed a two-year contract at Crawley Town, from Portsmouth for an undisclosed fee. Crawley had fought off competition from Championship clubs for his signature. ^{[31] [32]}

Plymouth Argyle

On 11 July 2016, Bradley signed for Plymouth Argyle. ^[33] He was offered a new contract by Plymouth at the end of the 2017–18 season. ^[34] After two successful campaigns with Plymouth, Bradley opted not to renew his contract and left on 8 June 2018, having made 95 appearances for the Devon club. ^[35]

Luton Town

Bradley agreed to sign for newly promoted League One club Luton Town on 12 June 2018 on a three-year contract, effective from 1 July. ^[36] He scored his first goal for Luton with a half volley from 25 yards on the opening day of the 2019–20 season in a 3–3 home draw with Middlesbrough. ^[37]

On 10 May 2023, it was announced that Bradley would be departing the club following the conclusion of their play-off campaign. ^[38]

Derby County

On 7 July 2023, Bradley signed for Derby County on a free transfer. ^[39] Bradley made his debut in a 2–1 opening day home defeat against Wigan Athletic, in which his wayward backpass resulted in Wigan's opening goal. ^[40] After Derby lost two of the next three games, a 2–0 EFL Cup defeat to Blackpool and a 2–1 league defeat to Oxford, Bradley lost his place in the first team following criticism of his performances; Derby subsequently won the next two games.

Bradley came on as a 17th-minute substitute away at Bolton, but, with Derby level at 1–1, again made a vital mistake which led to Derby keeper Joe Wildsmith being sent-off when trying to rescue the situation; Derby went on to lose 2–1. ^[41] After this, Derby changed formation to a back 4 and Bradley was mainly used as a substitute as Eiran Cashin and Curtis Nelson became the preferred central defensive pairing, ^[42] Bradley stated his "frustration" at losing his place as his starts in the league came as Cashin picked up minor injuries and suspensions. ^[43]

In early 2024, Derby head coach Paul Warne went back to a back 5 formation when Warne used this system, Bradley became a starter and then on 24 February 2024, Bradley scored his first goal for the club, a headed goal against Barnsley, Bradley scored the opening goal in the match, but Derby lost 2–1. ^[44] Bradley's performances were much improved from his August 2023 displays. ^[45]

Bradley had his longest run in the starting 11, with nine starts in eleven league matches in February and March, however this run would ended as he picked up a direct red card in Derby's 1–0 defeat at Northampton Town for a headbutt at Northampton's Manny Monthé, the red card resulted in a automatic three game suspension with neither Derby nor the player appealed the suspension despite claims from Bradley of no wrongdoing on his behalf. ^[46]

On 13 April 2024, Bradley made his return from his suspension in a home match against Leyton Orient, Bradley scored two goals 3–0 win. ^[47] Bradley would help Derby keep clean sheets in their last two matches of the season, as they gained promotion to the Championship after finishing runners-up in League One. ^[48] Bradley made 41 appearances for his first season for Derby, scoring three goals.

Career statistics

As of match played 27 April 2024

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National Cup [lower-alpha 1]		League Cup [lower-alpha 2]		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Hull City	2010–11 [49]	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2011–12 [50]	Championship	2	0	0	0	0	0	—		2	0
	2012–13 [51]	Championship	0	0	—		—		—		0	0
	Total		2	0	0	0	0	0	—		2	0
Harrogate Town (loan)	2010–11 [52]	Conference North	6	0	—		—		1 [lower-alpha 3]	1	7	1
IK Frej (loan)	2011 [3]	Division 1 Norra	5	1	—		—		—		5	1
Aldershot Town (loan)	2011–12 [50]	League Two	14	0	—		—		—		14	0
	2012–13 [51]	League Two	42	1	4	0	1	0	1 [lower-alpha 4]	0	48	1
	Total		56	1	4	0	1	0	1	0	62	1
Portsmouth	2013–14 [53]	League Two	33	2	1	0	1	0	3 [lower-alpha 4]	0	38	2
Crawley Town	2014–15 [54]	League One	26	1	0	0	1	0	3 [lower-alpha 4]	0	30	1
	2015–16 [55]	League Two	46	1	1	0	1	0	1 [lower-alpha 4]	0	49	1
	Total		72	2	1	0	2	0	4	0	79	2
Plymouth Argyle	2016–17 [56]	League Two	44	7	5	0	1	0	2 [lower-alpha 5]	0	52	7
	2017–18 [57]	League One	40	4	2	0	1	0	1 [lower-alpha 5]	0	44	4
	Total		84	11	7	0	2	0	3	0	96	11
Luton Town	2018–19 [58]	League One	45	0	4	0	1	0	0	0	50	0
	2019–20 [59]	Championship	40	3	0	0	0	0	—		40	3
	2020–21 [60]	Championship	37	0	1	0	3	0	—		41	0
	2021–22 [61]	Championship	22	2	1	0	0	0	2 [lower-alpha 6]	1	25	3
	2022–23 [62]	Championship	20	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	20	0
	Total		164	5	6	0	4	0	2	1	176	6
Derby County	2023–24 [63]	League One	33	3	2	0	1	0	5 [lower-alpha 5]	0	41	3
	2024–25 [64]	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	Total		33	3	2	0	1	0	5	0	41	3
Career total			455	25	21	0	11	0	19	2	505	27

1. Includes FA Cup
2. Includes League/EFL Cup
3. Appearance in FA Trophy
4. Appearance(s) in Football League Trophy
5. Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
6. Appearance(s) in English Football League play-offs

Honours

Luton Town

• EFL Championship play-offs: 2023 ^[65]
• EFL League One: 2018–19 ^[66]

Derby County

• EFL League One second-place promotion: 2023–24 ^[48]

Individual

• EFL Team of the Season: 2016–17 ^[67]
• PFA Team of the Year: 2016–17 League Two ^[68]

References

1. "EFL – Squad List 2020/21: Luton Town – In Squad Players" (PDF). English Football League. p. 10. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
2. "Sonny Bradley: Overview". ESPN. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
3. "S. Bradley: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
4. "Sonny Bradley". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
5. Cross, Beren (11 July 2016). "Who is Sonny Bradley and what will he bring to Plymouth Argyle?". The Herald. Plymouth. Archived from the original on 12 July 2016.
6. "Sonny Bradley profile". 8 January 2012. Archived from the original on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
7. "East relishing Pompey fresh start with his childhood friend". Portsmouth News. 18 June 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
8. "Harrogate Town boss Weaver makes double loan signing". 22 October 2010. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
9. "Harrogate Town profile". Harrogate Town F.C. 22 October 2010. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
10. "IK Frej testing Sonny Bradley from Hull City" [IK Frej testar Sonny Bradley från Hull City] (in Swedish). Fotboll Transfers. 16 March 2011. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
11. "IK Frej borrows Hull City duo Bradley and Emerton" [IK Frej lånar Hull City-duon Bradley och Emerton] (in Swedish). Fotboll Transfers. 2 April 2011. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
12. "Young Quartet Offered Pro Deals". 21 July 2011. Archived from the original on 30 May 2011. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
13. "Hull City's homegrown Sonny Bradley 'competitive and composed' says Billy Russell". Hull Daily Mail. 3 April 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
14. "Aldershot bring defenders Troy Brown and Sonny Bradley". 6 January 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
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18. "Hull 0 – 2 Coventry". BBC Sport. 31 March 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
19. "Millwall 2–0 Hull". BBC Sport. 7 April 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
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27. "Squad Numbers Revealed". Portsmouth F.C. 8 July 2013. Archived from the original on 24 June 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
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35. "Sonny Bradley reveals he is leaving Plymouth Argyle after rejecting new contract offer". Plymouth Herald. 8 June 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
36. Simmonds, Mike (12 June 2018). "Hatters sign ex-Plymouth defender Bradley on a three year deal". Luton Today. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
37. "Luton Town 3–3 Middlesbrough: Championship season starts with thrilling draw". BBC Sport. 2 August 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
38. "Captain Sonny Bradley to leave the Hatters this summer". www.lutontown.co.uk. 10 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
39. "Derby sign striker Washington and defender Bradley". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
40. "Derby 1 – 2 Wigan". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
41. "Bolton 2–1 Derby". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
42. "Is Derby County boss Paul Warne finally abandoning his 3-5-2 system?". Derby World. 26 September 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
43. "Sonny Bradley honest about Derby County frustration and braced for Rams challenge". Derby Telegraph. 4 November 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
44. "Barnsley 2–1 Derby County". BBC Sport. 24 February 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
45. "Leigh Curtis's Derby County player ratings v Barnsley as Rams lose battle of promotion-chasers". Derby Telegraph. 24 February 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
46. "Derby County notebook: Bradley claim, Portsmouth director comments and coach returns". Derby Telegraph. 25 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
47. "Derby County 3–0 Leyton Orient". BBC Sport. 13 April 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
48. "Breaking: Derby County promoted as duo seal it for Paul Warne's side". Derby Telegraph. 27 April 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
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50. "Games played by Sonny Bradley in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
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52. Williams, Mike; Williams, Tony, eds. (2011). Non-League Club Directory 2012. Tony Williams Publications. pp. 216–217. ISBN   978-1-869833-70-1.
53. "Games played by Sonny Bradley in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
54. "Games played by Sonny Bradley in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
55. "Games played by Sonny Bradley in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
56. "Games played by Sonny Bradley in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
57. "Games played by Sonny Bradley in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
58. "Games played by Sonny Bradley in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
59. "Games played by Sonny Bradley in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
60. "Games played by Sonny Bradley in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
61. "Games played by Sonny Bradley in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
62. "Games played by Sonny Bradley in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
63. "Games played by Sonny Bradley in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
64. "Games played by Sonny Bradley in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
65. "Coventry 1–1 Luton Town AET: Hatters win Championship play-off final 6–5 on penalties to reach Premier League". Sky Sports. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
66. "League One: 2018/19: Current table". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
    "Luton: Squad details: 2018/19". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
67. "EFL Awards: The complete 2017 winners list". EFL.com. 10 April 2017. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
68. "PFA teams of the year: Chelsea and Tottenham dominate Premier League XI". BBC Sport. 20 April 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2018.

External links

• Profile at the Luton Town F.C. website