Lee Bullock
Encyclopedia
Lee Bullock is an English footballer who plays for Bradford City
as a midfielder
.
He started his career with York City
, with whom he played 171 league games and scored 24 goals, before he moved to First Division
side Cardiff City
in 2004 after a loan spell. He spent just one season with Cardiff before he returned to north east England with Hartlepool United
. He won promotion from League Two
with Hartlepool, but after he lost his place in the side, he had loan spells with Mansfield Town
, Bury
and Bradford City, before signing permanently for Bradford in January 2008.
on 22 May 1981, Bullock is a Middlesbrough
supporter and attended the club's League Cup
final appearance in 2004
when they defeated Bolton Wanderers
2–1.
He married in the summer of 2009 before honeymooning in the Maldives
.
in August 1998, making his first team debut on 5 December 1998 in a 2–1 FA Cup
defeat to Wrexham. He signed a new two-year contract by the end of the 1998–99 season, which he finished with the young player of the year award. He made 17 starts during his first full season and played 24 league games in total, but never managed more than six succssive appearances. His season had been ended early because of an ankle injury he picked up in a reserve game, but he extended his contract during the summer to three years, keeping him at Bootham Crescent until at least 2003. His first goal came nearly two years after his debut when he scored a header in a 3–1 victory over Halifax Town
at The Shay
on 24 October 2000. He scored another three goals that season, including another goal against Halifax Town in a 2–1 relegation battle on 14 April 2001. In the 2001–02 season, he more than doubled the number of goals to nine. He underwent an ankle operation in April 2002, which ended his season early after playing 40 games. He scored another seven the following season, but at the end of the season, he was one of just eight players to be kept on at the club, because of financial problems. Once again he scored seven goals in 2003–04. His form earned him interest from other clubs, including Cardiff City
.
, and in a 1–1 draw with Ipswich Town
on the final day of the season. Bullock's form linked him with a move to Ipswich in June 2004, but he joined Cardiff later that month on a permanent deal, which would make York £100,000 if he made 25 appearances for Cardiff.
He scored five goals, including two in the League Cup
in 2004–05 but he was released during the summer having made just eight league starts. Bullock joined Hartlepool United
from Cardiff City
on a free transfer in June 2005.
, before he scored three days later in a 1–1 draw with Bournemouth
. He scored four goals in his first season, but missed two months from November to January 2006 because of a thigh strain and then a hand injury. He had his lowest scoring season in 2006–07 netting just twice, but helped Hartlepool to promotion from League Two
.
Bullock signed for Mansfield Town
on an initial one-month loan on 30 August 2007 to play regular first-team football. He returned to Hartlepool in September 2007. He signed for Bury
on a month's loan in October 2007. This loan was extended for a second month in November 2007, but he returned to Hartlepool in December after he turned down a permanent deal with Bury.
on 1 January 2008. Three games into his loan spell at Bradford, he was transfer listed by Hartlepool United. Bradford were unbeaten during Bullock's five game loan period, winning three and drawing two, and they signed Bullock on an 18-month contract before the end of the transfer window. His first goal for Bradford was the side's third in a 3–2 victory over Rotherham United
on 26 February 2008. Bullock played for a month with a groin injury, and after playing 12 consecutive games since he first joined Bradford, he was rested for a game at Chester City
on 12 March 2008 before undergoing a hernia operation, which kept him out for the rest of the 2007–08 season.
Having played in a number of pre-season games, Bullock returned to the Bradford side on the opening day of the 2008–09
season against Notts County
, which Bradford won 2–1. Bullock scored in consecutive league games as Bradford won four of their first five games, but tore his ligaments in a game at Shrewsbury Town
at the end of September. He returned to action after three months out injured when he played the first half of a reserve game against his former side Hartlepool United on December 16. His return to first-team action came more than a month later, when he was a second-half substitute for fellow midfielder Dean Furman
in a 3–3 draw at Luton Town
, before he made his first start for four months just three days later in a 1–0 defeat to his former side Bury. He was offered a new one-year contract extension by Bradford after the end of the season, and despite it necessitating a wage cut, he agreed to it in June .
Bullock signed a new two-year contract with the club on 9 June 2010.
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
as a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
.
He started his career with York City
York City F.C.
York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Conference National, the fifth tier of English football. Founded in 1922, they joined the Football League in 1929, and have spent most of their history in the lower divisions...
, with whom he played 171 league games and scored 24 goals, before he moved to First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
side Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
in 2004 after a loan spell. He spent just one season with Cardiff before he returned to north east England with Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United F.C.
Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season...
. He won promotion from League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
with Hartlepool, but after he lost his place in the side, he had loan spells with Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...
, Bury
Bury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...
and Bradford City, before signing permanently for Bradford in January 2008.
Personal life
Born in Thornaby-on-TeesThornaby-on-Tees
Thornaby-on-Tees is a town and civil parish within the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees, in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. It is on the south bank of the River Tees, three miles southeast of Stockton-on-Tees, and four miles southwest of Middlesbrough town centre and has a...
on 22 May 1981, Bullock is a Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
supporter and attended the club's League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
final appearance in 2004
2004 Football League Cup Final
The 2004 Football League Cup Final was played between Bolton Wanderers and Middlesbrough at the Millennium Stadium on 29 February 2004. Middlesbrough won the game 2-1 to clinch their first major trophy...
when they defeated Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
2–1.
He married in the summer of 2009 before honeymooning in the Maldives
Maldives
The Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...
.
York City
Bullock started his career with York CityYork City F.C.
York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Conference National, the fifth tier of English football. Founded in 1922, they joined the Football League in 1929, and have spent most of their history in the lower divisions...
in August 1998, making his first team debut on 5 December 1998 in a 2–1 FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
defeat to Wrexham. He signed a new two-year contract by the end of the 1998–99 season, which he finished with the young player of the year award. He made 17 starts during his first full season and played 24 league games in total, but never managed more than six succssive appearances. His season had been ended early because of an ankle injury he picked up in a reserve game, but he extended his contract during the summer to three years, keeping him at Bootham Crescent until at least 2003. His first goal came nearly two years after his debut when he scored a header in a 3–1 victory over Halifax Town
Halifax Town A.F.C.
Halifax Town Association Football Club were an English football team who most recently played in the Conference National, although prior to that they participated in the Football League for over eighty years...
at The Shay
The Shay
The Shay is a multi-use sports stadium in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England near Shaw Hill. FC Halifax Town and Halifax both play their home games at the Shay....
on 24 October 2000. He scored another three goals that season, including another goal against Halifax Town in a 2–1 relegation battle on 14 April 2001. In the 2001–02 season, he more than doubled the number of goals to nine. He underwent an ankle operation in April 2002, which ended his season early after playing 40 games. He scored another seven the following season, but at the end of the season, he was one of just eight players to be kept on at the club, because of financial problems. Once again he scored seven goals in 2003–04. His form earned him interest from other clubs, including Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
.
Cardiff City
Bullock had a trial with Cardiff City in February 2004, before he signed on loan until the end of the season the following month. He scored three goals in ten games during his loan spell, including one on his debut in a 3–2 defeat to ReadingReading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
, and in a 1–1 draw with Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
on the final day of the season. Bullock's form linked him with a move to Ipswich in June 2004, but he joined Cardiff later that month on a permanent deal, which would make York £100,000 if he made 25 appearances for Cardiff.
He scored five goals, including two in the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
in 2004–05 but he was released during the summer having made just eight league starts. Bullock joined Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United F.C.
Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season...
from Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
on a free transfer in June 2005.
Hartlepool United
Bullock made his Hartlepool debut on the opening day of the 2005–06 season in a 2–0 loss to Bradford CityBradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
, before he scored three days later in a 1–1 draw with Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth is an English football club currently playing in Football League One. The club plays at Dean Court in Kings Park, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset and have been in existence since 1899....
. He scored four goals in his first season, but missed two months from November to January 2006 because of a thigh strain and then a hand injury. He had his lowest scoring season in 2006–07 netting just twice, but helped Hartlepool to promotion from League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
.
Bullock signed for Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...
on an initial one-month loan on 30 August 2007 to play regular first-team football. He returned to Hartlepool in September 2007. He signed for Bury
Bury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...
on a month's loan in October 2007. This loan was extended for a second month in November 2007, but he returned to Hartlepool in December after he turned down a permanent deal with Bury.
Bradford City
He joined Bradford City on a month's loan in December, which started in January 2008. He made his Bradford debut in a 2–0 victory against Accrington StanleyAccrington Stanley F.C.
Accrington Stanley is an English association football club from Accrington in Lancashire, in the North West of England, who play in Football League Two, the fourth-highest division in the English football league system....
on 1 January 2008. Three games into his loan spell at Bradford, he was transfer listed by Hartlepool United. Bradford were unbeaten during Bullock's five game loan period, winning three and drawing two, and they signed Bullock on an 18-month contract before the end of the transfer window. His first goal for Bradford was the side's third in a 3–2 victory over Rotherham United
Rotherham United F.C.
Rotherham United Football Club are an English professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, although these have evolved through history...
on 26 February 2008. Bullock played for a month with a groin injury, and after playing 12 consecutive games since he first joined Bradford, he was rested for a game at Chester City
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
on 12 March 2008 before undergoing a hernia operation, which kept him out for the rest of the 2007–08 season.
Having played in a number of pre-season games, Bullock returned to the Bradford side on the opening day of the 2008–09
2008–09 in English football
The 2008–09 season was the 129th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City and Hull City were all playing in the Premier League after winning promotion from the Championship last season. Stoke returned to the top flight after a 23-year absence, while...
season against Notts County
Notts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
, which Bradford won 2–1. Bullock scored in consecutive league games as Bradford won four of their first five games, but tore his ligaments in a game at Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town F.C.
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is an English Association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1886 and has played in all the bottom three divisions in various guises since being elected into the Football...
at the end of September. He returned to action after three months out injured when he played the first half of a reserve game against his former side Hartlepool United on December 16. His return to first-team action came more than a month later, when he was a second-half substitute for fellow midfielder Dean Furman
Dean Furman
Dean Furman is a South African footballer who plays for English League One club Oldham Athletic, after signing from Rangers...
in a 3–3 draw at Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
, before he made his first start for four months just three days later in a 1–0 defeat to his former side Bury. He was offered a new one-year contract extension by Bradford after the end of the season, and despite it necessitating a wage cut, he agreed to it in June .
Bullock signed a new two-year contract with the club on 9 June 2010.