Gerald "Gerry" Bridgwood (17 October 1944 – 2 March 2012) was an English footballer who played as a midfielder in the Football League for Shrewsbury Town and Stoke City. Bridgwood spent eight years at Stoke, in which time he was used as backup and was used sparingly by manager Tony Waddington.[1]

Gerry Bridgwood
Personal information
Full name Gerald Bridgwood[1]
Date of birth (1944-10-17)17 October 1944[1]
Place of birth Stoke-on-Trent, England[1]
Date of death 2 March 2012(2012-03-02) (aged 67)
Place of death Goostrey, England
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
1958–1960 Stoke City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1960–1968 Stoke City 95 (6)
1968–1973 Shrewsbury Town 117 (7)
Telford United
Total 212 (13)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Career

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Bridgwood started his career with local team Stoke City and made his professional debut at the end of the 1960–61 season at home to Brighton & Hove Albion.[1] It took him a while to establish himself in Tony Waddingtons squad and he was used as a back up player in his time at Stoke.[1] In total Bridgwood played in 111 matches for Stoke scoring eight goals in nine seasons.[1] His most productive season was the 1966–67 as he made 26 appearances. He also played six matches in the club's run to the 1964 Football League Cup Final. He left for regular football in 1968 and joined Shrewsbury Town where he spent five years before ending his career with Telford United.[1]

Personal life

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After finishing his playing career Bridgwood and his wife Cynthia became pub landlords. They owned The Greyhound (Stafford) for many years. Since the early 1990s they owned the Crown Inn, Goostrey. Bridgwood's eldest son, Mark, a ceramic artist, lives with his family in U.S. His youngest son, Scott is a painter in the UK.

Death

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Gerry Bridgwood died on 2 March 2012 after a suspected heart attack just days after he had decided to retire from the pub trade.[2]

Career statistics

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Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[3]
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Stoke City[1] 1960–61 Second Division 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
1961–62 Second Division 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 0
1962–63 Second Division 4 0 1 0 1 0 6 0
1963–64 First Division 16 2 0 0 6 0 22 2
1964–65 First Division 8 0 0 0 4 1 12 1
1965–66 First Division 15 2 0 0 1 0 16 2
1966–67 First Division 25 2 0 0 1 0 26 2
1967–68 First Division 15 0 0 0 1 1 16 1
1968–69 First Division 6 0 0 0 1 0 7 0
Total 95 6 1 0 15 2 111 8
Shrewsbury Town 1968–69 Third Division 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
1969–70 Third Division 30 2 1 0 2 0 33 2
1970–71 Third Division 23 1 2 0 1 0 26 1
1971–72 Third Division 35 2 3 0 2 0 40 2
1972–73 Third Division 25 2 3 0 1 0 29 2
Total 117 7 10 0 6 0 132 7
Career total 212 13 10 0 21 2 243 13

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.
  2. ^ "Former Stoke City star Gerry Bridgwood died days after retiring from pub". The Sentinel. Archived from the original on 4 June 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  3. ^ Gerry Bridgwood at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
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  • Gerry Bridgwood at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database