As the clock ticked over to signify the beginning of the new Millennium, an unfamiliar face sat top of the Premier League table. It wasn’t treble holders Manchester United. Nor Arsene Wenger’s French legion. Liverpool and Chelsea were nowhere to be seen either. In fact, it was David O’Leary’s Leeds United. Despite a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal on the eve of the clock hitting the big 2000, just two days previously on Boxing Day, the Whites had hit the top of England’s elite thanks to a 2-1 over Leicester at Elland Road.

The man who grabbed the first goal for Leeds that day was Michael Bridges, the latest hero of the Kop. Bridges had signed from Sunderland that summer for a fee of £5 million, a figure that seemed fairly pricey for a someone unproven in the top flight. However, at 21, the striker had the potential to be a hit in the white shirt, especially considering his partnership at former club Sunderland up front with Kevin Phillips had helped the Black Cats back into the top flight. He joined the O’Leary babes, forging a youthful squad with the likes of Jonathan Woodgate, Harry Kewell and Lee Bowyer, all of whom were to play a significant role in the season ahead.

Bridges settled into life in Yorskhire quickly, bagging a hat-trick in his first appearance against Southampton that showed Leeds meant business. This was just the start of a fantastic season for the young striker, who managed 19 goals in the Premier League, putting him equal fourth in the Golden Boot standings, an award picked up by his old mate Phillips. Although Leeds missed on the title by a remarkable 22 points in the end, they reached the semi finals of the UEFA Cup and qualified for the Champions League for the first time, courtesy of their third place finish. It seemed as if Bridges would follow his teammates Woodgate, Bowyer and Alan Smith into the England setup if he continued in that sort of form.

Unfortunately for Bridges, that was as good as it got. As the Whites took the Champions League by storm, reaching the semi finals, Bridges watched on from the sidelines, having picked up a season-ending injury during a group stage game against Besiktas. His Leeds career was then ravaged by yet more injuries; indeed Bridges only made 10 further appearances in the white shirt, as he picked up a medical record longer than Owen Hargreaves. As the club crumbled under financial pressure, so did Bridges’s career as his contract ended in 2004, the same time as Leeds’s Premier League lifespan. A loan move to Newcastle came to nothing and after being released, he joined Bolton on a free transfer.

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Unfortunately he failed to settle in Lancashire and switched back to Sunderland on loan, where he made just 11 appearances, scoring the one goal. After failing to earn a permanent deal there, he moved south to Bristol City, but injuries and form failed him once again as the striker looked a shadow of his former self at Ashton Gate. His career had taken something of a nomadic turn and Bridges appeared to be falling faster down the divisions than his former club. He finally found a bit of form after joining Carlisle on loan, notching three times in seven games to help the club into League One.

He made the switch to Brunton Park a permanent one and enjoyed a fruitful year in 2006, scoring 12 goals in 24 games for the Cumbrians, showing why he was once so highly rated. Those goals for Carlisle proved a useful springboard, earning him a £350,000 summer move to Hull City. He started brightly with the Tigers, bagging a spectacular goal against Leicester, but the old problems resurfaced and Bridges suffered a number of issues with his back and knee. By the time he got himself fully fit, Hull had landed in the Premier League and there was no place for the former England U21 international in the squad. He made loan switches to Sydney F.C and back to Carlisle before his contract expired in 2009.

With his career looking finished after a two game non-contract spell at MK Dons, Bridges stepped into the footballers’ graveyard, signing for Newcastle Jets, where he was joined by, wait for it, fellow English exile Francis Jeffers. Bridges has in fact proved a popular figure with the Aussie club, captaining the side before a brief retirement and has, to date, scored 11 goals in 48 games.

Unfortunately, the story of Bridges’s career is one of tragedy. Much like the side he played in, he looked so promising at the turn of the century and much was promised. Again, just like Leeds United, it all came crashing down around him. Unlike Leeds though, Bridges’s demise was not of his own doing, instead being dealt a cruel hand by injury. He may not have the illustrious name of Owen Hargreaves or Kieron Dyer, but it seemed a fairly sure bet back in 1999 that Bridges would pull on the Three Lions shirt. Instead, he’s over in Australia dreaming about what might have been, acting as a reminder of how unfair the game of football can be.