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28-year old Bridge-Wilkinson could be seen as a surprising signing for Carlisle given that he was released by relegated League One side Bradford City at the end of last season. The Nuneaton-born midfielder being one of ten players let go by the cash-strapped Bantams this summer as they prepare for life in the bottom rung of the Football League under new boss Stuart McCall.
Bridge-Wilkinson started his footballing career off at Derby County where he came through the Rams Youth Academy to eventually sign a professional contract with the club. Only one substitute appearance in a 2-1 win at Liverpool would be forthcoming for County though with Marc actually making his full debut at Brunton Park in a one-month loan spell in March 1999, the diminutive midfielder starting for the Cumbrians in a 2-1 win over Shrewsbury.
In the infamous 1998-99 Jimmy Glass season MBW went on to make four appearances and three substitute outings in a dire United team. With chances obviously limited at Pride Park though Marc moved on to Port Vale on a free transfer in the summer of 2000 where a successful stage in his career would see him make 125 starts, along with 16 appearances from the bench, and score a healthy 34 goals for the Valiants.
Vale boss Martin Foyle decided to release Bridge-Wilkinson in the summer of 2004 though with Marc then moving on to Stockport County where he signed a two-year contract with the Edgeley Park outfit. Times weren't the best for MBW in a struggling Hatters side however and he joined Bradford City on loan for a month in February 2005.
The attacking midfielder eventually signing for the Bantams on a two-year deal just four weeks later after enduring a disappointing spell at Stockport where he made 22 starts, with an extra three as a used substitute and scored two goals. Two relatively successful seasons would follow at Valley Parade for Marc although the 2006-07 campaign did see him complete a relegation double with the Bantams after Stockport had tasted the drop two years earlier.
The 28-year old found himself once more on the scrapheap though last month, after making 95 starts and scoring 14 goals for Bradford City, when he was released by the club along with nine other players as new boss Stuart McCall looks to make a fresh start at Valley Parade. Marc wasn't happy though about the way in which he left, the midfielder claiming that the Bantams never even told him he was being let go, Marc commenting :
"It was a disappointing way to find out, I was expecting somebody from the club to give me a call first and it left a sour taste. I was away on holiday and when I got back and switched on my mobile, there was a message from another manager saying he was sorry it hadn't worked out with Bradford. Obviously David Wetherall had mentioned that he had made recommendations to the chairman about who the club may keep and I knew the situation but it still came as a bit of a shock that nobody tried to contact me about it first."
So that's where Carlisle come in with MBW committing to the Cumbrians for two years to add to what now looks like a pretty full compliment of midfielders at the club, although a genuine right-winger with pace will hopefully be on Neil McDonald's shopping list over the summer. Three signings in now, although after the Brunton Park end-of-season exodus you'd certainly be looking for another five or six players to come through the "in" door before August.
First Team Transfers 2007-08 : Click here