Simon Andrew Sturridge (born 9 December 1969) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. He made more than 250 appearances in the Football League for Birmingham City, Stoke City, Blackpool, Northampton Town and Shrewsbury Town.[1]

Simon Sturridge
Personal information
Full name Simon Andrew Sturridge
Date of birth (1969-12-09) 9 December 1969 (age 54)
Place of birth Birmingham, England
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
1985–1988 Birmingham City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1988–1993 Birmingham City 150 (30)
1993–1999 Stoke City 71 (14)
1999Blackpool (loan) 5 (1)
1999–2000 Northampton Town 18 (1)
2000Shrewsbury Town (loan) 11 (1)
Total 255 (47)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Career

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Sturridge was born in Birmingham and joined home-town club Birmingham City as a trainee in 1985 and turned professional in 1988. He played 186 games in all competitions for the club and scored the first goal of the 1991 Football League Trophy Final in which Birmingham beat Tranmere Rovers 3–2. After helping Birmingham gain promotion 1991–92 he joined Stoke City in September 1993.[2]

Sturridge had to wait before he could become a regular in the Stoke first team as he made 20 appearances in 1993–94 of which he started nine and played in just 11 matches in 1994–95 meaning that he was rarely seen at the Victoria Ground.[3] However his fortunes improved considerably in 1995–96 after manager Lou Macari brought in Mike Sheron and played him alongside Sturridge. The pair scored a combined 29 goals which saw Stoke reach the play-offs where they lost 1–0 to Leicester City.[3] He suffered a serious injury at the start of the 1996–97 and after making fleeting appearances in the next two years he left for Northampton Town, having spent a short time out on loan at Blackpool.[3] He played 19 times for the Cobblers helping them gain promotion in 1999–2000 and ended his career with an 11-game spell on loan at Shrewsbury Town.[3]

Personal life

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He is the brother of footballer Dean Sturridge and the uncle of footballer Daniel Sturridge,[4] and is of Jamaican descent.[5]

Career statistics

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Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[6]
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other[a] Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Birmingham City 1988–89 Second Division 21 3 0 0 1 0 1 0 23 3
1989–90 Third Division 31 10 4 1 3 0 1 0 39 11
1990–91 Third Division 38 6 2 1 2 0 8 3 50 10
1991–92 Third Division 40 10 1 0 7 1 0 0 48 11
1992–93 First Division 20 1 1 0 1 0 4 2 26 3
Total 150 30 8 2 14 1 14 5 186 38
Stoke City 1993–94 First Division 13 0 3 0 1 0 3 0 20 0
1994–95 First Division 8 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 11 1
1995–96 First Division 41 12 2 1 1 0 4 0 48 13
1996–97 First Division 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0
1997–98 First Division 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0
1998–99 Second Division 3 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 6 0
Total 71 13 7 1 4 0 10 0 92 14
Blackpool (loan) 1998–99 Second Division 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 1
Northampton Town 1999–2000 Third Division 18 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 19 1
Shrewsbury Town (loan) 1999–2000 Third Division 11 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 1
Career Total 255 47 16 3 18 1 24 5 313 56

Honours

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Birmingham City

Northampton Town

References

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  1. ^ Lowe, Simon (2000). Stoke City The Modern Era – A Complete Record. Desert Island Books. ISBN 1-874287-39-2.
  2. ^ Matthews, Tony (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 127. ISBN 978-1-85983-010-9.
  3. ^ a b c d "Simon Sturridge". drawformetheboothen.com. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  4. ^ "Daniel Sturridge: 'I'm aiming for the stars. I'm not happy in the". Independent.co.uk. 18 March 2011.
  5. ^ Limited, Jamaica Observer. "My Kingston - Daniel Sturridge and Micah Richards". Jamaica Observer. Archived from the original on 9 March 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2017. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  6. ^ Simon Sturridge at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
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