Mick Bodley

Mick Bodley
Personal information
Full name Michael John Bodley
Date of birth (1967-09-14) 14 September 1967
Place of birth Hayes, England
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Playing position Central defender
Youth career
1983–1985 Chelsea
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1985–1989 Chelsea 6 (1)
1989 Northampton Town 20 (0)
1989–1993 Barnet 108 (9)
1993–1996 Southend United 67 (2)
1994–1995 → Gillingham (loan) 7 (0)
1995 → Birmingham City (loan) 3 (0)
1996–1999 Peterborough United 86 (1)
1999 St Albans City 6 (0)
1999–2000 Dagenham & Redbridge
2000–2002 Canvey Island

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


Michael John "Mick" Bodley (born 14 September 1967) is an English former professional footballer who made 258 appearances in the Football League playing for Chelsea, Northampton Town, Barnet, Southend United, Gillingham, Birmingham City and Peterborough United.[1][2] He played as a central defender.

Playing career

Early career

Bodley was born in Hayes, in the London Borough of Hillingdon. He began his football career as an apprentice with Chelsea, and turned professional in 1985.[3] He played eight times for the first team in all competitions[4] before leaving for Northampton Town for a fee of £50,000 in January 1989.[3] He played 20 league games for the club[2] before moving into non-league football with Barnet, who paid £15,000 for his services in October 1989.

Barnet, Southend United and loans

Bodley contributed to Barnet's Conference title in 1991,[5] and to their run to the third round proper of that year's FA Cup, scoring twice in their 3–1 defeat of Heybridge Swifts in the fourth qualifying round.[6] In the 1992–93 season, Bodley was one of 11 Barnet players awarded free transfers by the Football League because the club had not paid their wages.[7] He joined Southend United in July 1993, linking up with former Barnet manager Barry Fry who had joined the club not long before. In three seasons with Southend he played 79 games in all competitions,[8] and spent two months on loan at Gillingham, whose supporters made a £2,500 donation to the club in an attempt to fund the player's stay for a third month:[9] a fruitless gesture, as the player joined Birmingham City five days later, also on loan, as cover for injuries and suspensions among the defence.[10]

Peterborough United, St Albans City and Dagenham & Redbridge

In July 1996, Peterborough United manager Barry Fry, who had worked with Bodley at Barnet, Southend and Birmingham, paid his former club £75,000 for his services.[1] Bodley took part in the club's record league win, against his former club Barnet in Division Three in September 1998:[11] Peterborough won 9–1, and Bodley's own goal meant they actually scored all ten.[12] Bodley played more than 100 games in all competitions,[13] and was appointed club captain,[14] before he and teammate Derek Payne were allowed to leave Peterborough on a free transfer for Isthmian League Premier Division club St Albans City, strengthening their squad prior to the FA Trophy semi-final.[15] Bodley played six league games for the club and took part in both legs of the Trophy semi-final, which St Albans lost 4–3 on aggregate.[16] In the 1999 close season he became manager Garry Hill's first signing for Dagenham & Redbridge, soon to be followed by Payne.[17] Awarded the captaincy,[18] Bodley led his players to the Isthmian League title, and with it promotion to the Conference National; they lost only five games all season, and finished the campaign with ten successive victories.[19]

Canvey Island

At the end of the season he signed for Canvey Island, and contributed to their reaching the second round of the FA Cup in his first season. Doubtful for the first-round match at home to Port Vale because of a groin injury,[18] Bodley declared himself fit, played 90 minutes in the tie which ended 4–4 draw,[20] and played 120 minutes in the replay as Canvey won 2–1 after extra time to set themselves up a local derby with Southend United.[21] Bodley, one of eight former Southend players on Canvey's books, would miss it through suspension, though the club enquired whether the game might be moved to the Friday to allow him to take part; as the venue was already booked that night for a carol concert, the match was played as scheduled,[22] and Canvey lost 2–1.[23] That same season, Bodley played as Canvey won the FA Trophy, defeating Forest Green Rovers 1–0 at Villa Park to become the first side from below the Conference to win the Trophy for 20 years.[24][25] Postponements because of cup success and bad weather caused fixture congestion at the end of the 2001–02 season, leaving Bodley facing a schedule of seven games in nine days combined with having to get up at 4:30am for work as a postman.[26] Bodley underwent a knee operation in November 2001 which kept him out for several weeks, then in March 2002 he damaged a tendon which put an end to his season and effectively meant his retirement.[14][27]

Personal life

When Bodley left professional football he worked as a postman. He is married with daughters.[26]

References

  1. 1 2 "Mick Bodley". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 May 2009.
  2. 1 2 "Mick Bodley". UK A–Z Transfers. Neil Brown. Retrieved 12 May 2009.
  3. 1 2 Matthews, Tony (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 73. ISBN 978-1-85983-010-9.
  4. ↑ "Mickey Bodley". Chelsea F.C. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
  5. ↑ Harman, John, ed. (2005). Alliance to Conference 1979–2004: The first 25 years. Tony Williams Publications. pp. 61, 72. ISBN 978-1-869833-52-7.
  6. ↑ "Barnet in the qualifying rounds of the FA Cup". Barnet F.C. 17 November 2004. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011.
  7. ↑ Metcalf, Rupert; Cole, Robert (10 July 1993). "Watford turn to Roeder to replace Perryman: Former player takes over at Vicarage Road to dismay of Gillingham". The Independent. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
  8. ↑ "Mick Bodley". Southend United Player Database. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  9. ↑ "McStay leads Celtic buyers". The Independent. 19 January 1995. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
  10. ↑ Hodgson, Guy (24 January 1995). "Leeds land Yeboah at last". The Independent. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
  11. ↑ "Peterborough United FC History: Club records". Peterborough United F.C. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  12. ↑ Swann, Alan (22 November 2008). "N is for Neal: a legend and his son". Peterborough Evening Telegraph. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
  13. ↑ "Mick Bodley Career History". Up The Posh! The Peterborough United Database. Chris Wilkinson. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
  14. 1 2 "Current squad 2002/03 Season". Canvey Island F.C. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
  15. ↑ Metcalf, Rupert (9 April 1999). "Rovers look poised for Wembley return". The Independent. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
  16. ↑ "Mick Bodley (No Longer With Club)". St Albans City F.C. Archived from the original on 27 January 2007.
  17. ↑ "Player Profiles". Dagenham & Redbridge F.C. Unofficial Website. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
  18. 1 2 "King's ruling has Gulls soaring high...". Southend Echo. 18 November 2000. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  19. ↑ "Dagenham in return to Conference". BBC Sport. 28 June 2000. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
  20. ↑ Rowbottom, Mike (20 November 2000). "Vaughan gives Canvey drama an epic climax". The Independent. Retrieved 19 May 2012 – via NewsBank.
  21. ↑ Shaw, Phil (29 November 2000). "Port Vale humbled by inspired Islanders". The Independent. Retrieved 19 May 2012 – via NewsBank.
  22. ↑ Sills, Adam (9 December 2000). "Culture shock for islanders as Canvey caught in the headlights". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
  23. ↑ Rowbottom, Mike (11 December 2000). "Abbey goal seals 'jellied-eel derby'". The Independent. Retrieved 19 May 2012 – via NewsBank.
  24. ↑ Metcalf, Rupert (11 May 2001). "Spink's stint at old home". The Independent. Retrieved 19 May 2012 – via NewsBank.
  25. ↑ Harling, Nicholas (13 May 2001). "FA Trophy: Chenery brings relief to Canvey". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
  26. 1 2 Kidd, Dave (21 April 2001). "Seven matches in nine days". The Sun. Retrieved 13 May 2009 – via NewsBank.
  27. ↑ "Bodley injury blow rocks Gulls". Southend Echo. 15 March 2002. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
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