Mark Bright

For the American comic book artist, see M. D. Bright. For the American record producer, see Mark Bright (record producer).
Mark Bright
Personal information
Full name Mark Abraham Bright[1]
Date of birth (1962-06-06) 6 June 1962[1]
Place of birth Stoke-on-Trent, England[1]
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[2]
Playing position Forward
Youth career
Port Vale
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1980–1981 Leek Town
1981–1984 Port Vale 29 (10)
1984–1986 Leicester City 42 (6)
1986–1992 Crystal Palace 227 (91)
1992–1997 Sheffield Wednesday 133 (48)
1996 → Millwall (loan) 3 (1)
1997 Sion 0 (0)
1997–1999 Charlton Athletic 27 (10)
Total 461 (166)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.


Mark Abraham Bright (born 6 June 1962) is an English former footballer who is now a sports pundit on BBC, British Eurosport and Al Jazeera, as well as a coach at Crystal Palace.

He made the move from non-league Leek Town to Port Vale in 1981, where he remained for three years before he signed with Leicester City. In 1986 he transferred to Crystal Palace, where he would score 92 league goals over the next six years. Joining Sheffield Wednesday in 1992, he stayed with the club for five years before moving to Swiss side FC Sion in 1997, following a short loan stay at Millwall. He returned to England later in 1997 to play for Charlton Athletic, before he announced his retirement in 1999. A forward, he scored 166 goals in 461 league games throughout an 18-year career in the Football League. He played in one League Cup and two FA Cup finals, all of which ended in defeat. He helped Crystal Palace and Charlton Athletic to win promotion to the top-flight via the play-offs.

Football career

After a spell working in a factory and playing part-time at Cheshire County League outfit Leek Town, Bright moved to John McGrath's Port Vale in October 1981, a club that had previously released him from their youth team at the age of 16.[3] He made his full debut on the last day of the 1981–82 season, in a 2–0 win over Torquay United at Vale Park, two weeks after coming on as a substitute in a goalless home draw with York City on 1 May 1982.[1] He played just once in the 1982–83 Fourth Division promotion campaign, scoring Vale's second goal in a 2–0 home win over Hereford United on 9 October.[1] Bright came to prominence for the "Valiants" under the stewardship of new boss John Rudge towards the end of the 1983–84 season, scoring ten goals in 31 games, though this was not enough to save the club from relegation out of the Third Division.[1] Graham Barnett advised him to reject John Rudge's offer of a two-year contract, and in June 1984 Bright was sold to Leicester City for £33,333.[4] This fee was later doubled due to a top-up clause.[1]

Gordon Milne's "Foxes" struggled in the lower half of the First Division table in the 1984–85 and 1985–86 seasons. Bright scored six goals in 42 league games in his two seasons on Filbert Street. He was sold on by new manager Bryan Hamilton early in the 1986–87 season.

Bright was signed to Crystal Palace by manager Steve Coppell for a £75,000 fee in November 1986. The "Eagles" were pressing for promotion out of the Second Division, but finished two points outside the play-offs in 1986–87. He earned the Golden Boot for the highest scorer in the division in 1987–88 with 24 goals, though again the club finished one place and two points outside of the play-offs.[5] A third-place finish in 1988–89 secured them a play-off place. In the play-offs, he scored in the semi-final victory over Swindon Town, which helped Palace to reach the play-off final; Palace then beat Blackburn Rovers 4–3 on aggregate, to win promotion to the top-flight.

His 12 goals in the First Division in 1989–90 were an important part of Palace's creditable showing, and it was Bright's crashing drive at the start of the second-half that began Palace's recovery against Liverpool in the FA Cup semi-final and ultimately helped them to get to the final at Wembley. Their victory over Liverpool was particularly remarkable as they had lost 9–0 at Anfield at the start of the season. After a 3–3 draw in the original tie, Palace lost 1–0 to Manchester United in the replay of the final.

As Palace impressed in the First Division throughout 1990–91, Bright proved his predatory skills at the highest level with a sequence of seven top-flight goals in just ten midwinter games as the "Eagles" secured their highest ever league finish of third. The potency of Bright and Ian Wright's partnership was demonstrated on 25 September 1990, when both players scored hat-tricks in an 8–0 win over Southend United at Selhurst Park in the League Cup. Even after Wright had left the club Bright continued his great form for Palace, and his 17 First Division goals in 1991–92 was, at the time, a record return for a Palace striker in the top-flight; he was also the division's seventh highest scorer.

Bright left Palace for Sheffield Wednesday in September 1992 in a cash plus player exchange deal involving fellow striker Paul Williams. He finished as the club's top-scorer for three consecutive seasons, taking pressure off club stalwart David Hirst. He eventually became the "Owls" highest goalscorer in the Premier League to date, scoring 48 goals between 1992 and 1996.[5] After scoring six goals in the League Cup, Bright played in the League Cup Final, which ended in a 2–1 defeat to Arsenal. One of Bright's notable goals came in the All-Sheffield FA Cup semi-final in 1993, Bright's extra-time header sealing a place in the final. He fared far less well in the final itself, controversially elbowing Arsenal defender Andy Linighan in the face, causing a broken nose. Later, with the scores level in the last minute of extra time, a heavily bandaged Linighan out-jumped Bright from a corner to score the winning goal.[6]

With 19 goals, he was Wednesday's highest scorer and the Premier League's seventh highest scorer in 1993–94. He then hit 13 goals in the 1994–95 season, in manager Trevor Francis's last season in charge. Bright played in the 1995 UEFA Intertoto Cup, scoring goals against Polish club Górnik Zabrze, German side Karlsruher SC, and Danish side AGF. The Hillsborough outfit then finished 15th in the league in 1995–96 under the stewardship of David Pleat. Bright then fell out of the first team picture in 1996–97, and was loaned to Second Division side Millwall, before joining Swiss club FC Sion in January 1997.

Bright joined Alan Curbishley's Charlton Athletic towards the end of the 1996–97 season. He helped the "Addicks" to finish fourth in the second tier in 1997–98, and played in their dramatic win over Sunderland in the 1998 play off final,[5] which was won 7–6 on penalties after a 4–4 draw. He left The Valley and retired from professional football at the end of the 1998–99 season.

Media career

After retiring, Bright became a football correspondent on The Big Breakfast. He currently works on the BBC show Football Focus.[7] He also commentates on some international matches, often alongside Jonathan Pearce and Steve Wilson on Match of the Day.[5] He is also the sports correspondent for BBC London News.[5] He has also written for Match magazine, appeared on 606 phone-in show, Fighting Talk radio show, 5 live Sport radio show, and on television programme Final Score.

In 2013, Bright agreed to join the British Eurosport team to commentate on the live African Cup of Nations matches.

Bright featured as himself in a television advert for Prostate Cancer UK in January 2013 alongside impressionist Jon Culshaw, who featured as Tiziano Crudeli.

For the 2013/14 season, Bright joined Al Jazeera as a pundit on their Premier League coverage.

Coaching career

In summer 2009 he joined the Crystal Palace academy set-up, along with his former teammate John Salako.[8]

Personal life

Bright's father was Gambian and his mother was English, he was raised in his mother's hometown of Stoke-on-Trent.[9] He is the half-brother of Exit State vocalist Roy Bright.[10]

He met British singer and actress Michelle Gayle in 1995, the couple later married in Las Vegas and in 2000 had a son they named Isaiah. They separated in 2007, though remain on good terms.

In his spare time he enjoys playing golf[11] and riding motorbikes.[5]

Bright has completed six half marathons since his retirement in 1999, all of them in the Great North Run.[5] He is also a regular competitor in the London Marathon, raising funds for cancer research in 2000, the Willow Foundation in 2005 and The Rhys Daniels Trust in 2006.[5] In 2006 he starred in Cirque de Celebrité, only to be the first person to be voted off. In March 2007, he scored the first goal at the new Wembley Stadium for a "Geoff Thomas Foundation Charity XI", in aid of his captain at Palace, Geoff Thomas; his team won 2–0 (Simon Jordan scoring the second goal).[5]

Statistics

Club Season Division League FA Cup Other Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Port Vale 1981–82 Fourth Division 20000020
1982–83 Fourth Division 11000011
1983–84 Third Division 26911403110
Total 291011403411
Leicester City 1984–85 First Division 1600020180
1985–86 First Division 2461020276
1986–87 First Division 20000020
Total 421610404716
Crystal Palace 1986–87 Second Division 2872000307
1987–88 Second Division 382510314226
1988–89 Second Division 4620101255925
1989–90 First Division 361263835018
1990–91 First Division 329301164615
1991–92 First Division 4217101155422
1992–93 Premier League 51000051
Total 227911434520186114
Millwall (loan) 1996–97 Second Division 31001041
Sheffield Wednesday 1992–93 Premier League 301173764420
1993–94 Premier League 401932725023
1994–95 Premier League 371132304313
1995–96 Premier League 25700773214
1996–97 Premier League 10000010
Total 13348137241517070
Charlton Athletic 1996–97 First Division 62000062
1997–98 First Division 1673050247
1998–99 Premier League 51101071
Total 271040603710
Career Total 46116633118435529212

Honours

Individual
with Port Vale
with Crystal Palace
with Sheffield Wednesday
with Charlton Athletic

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 41. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
  2. ↑ "Mark Bright". www.adrianbullock.com. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  3. ↑ "Football: Top players must lead way on ref respect, says Vale hero Bright". The Sentinel. 11 February 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
  4. ↑ Kent, Jeff (December 1991). Port Vale Tales: A Collection Of Stories, Anecdotes And Memories. Witan Books. p. 30. ISBN 0-9508981-6-3.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Mark Bright". BBC Press Office. April 2008. Archived from the original on 2 February 2007. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  6. ↑ "New season will begin again minus a Linighan". The Northern Echo. 11 May 2001. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  7. ↑ "Mark Bright". BBC Sport. 25 March 2004. Retrieved 12 May 2009.
  8. ↑ "Palace Legends Join Academy Set Up". Crystal Palace FC. 11 September 2009. Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  9. ↑ "Former Port Vale star returns to school to help African children". The Sentinel. 11 June 2009. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  10. ↑ "A great State of affairs for Burnley band". Lancashire Telegraph. 4 June 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  11. ↑ Rookwood, Dan (4 July 2003). "Mark Bright". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  12. ↑ Kent, Jeff (1990). "From Rags to Riches (1979–1990)". The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale. Witan Books. pp. 258–290. ISBN 0-9508981-4-7.
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