Ex-Hatters skipper makes his 500th career appearance during Derby County stalemate

Former Luton skipper Sonny Bradley made his 500th career appearance during Derby County’s goalless draw at Burnley in the Championship on Tuesday night.

The 33-year-old started his career at Hull City in January 2011, playing twice for the Tigers, with loan spells at Harrogate Town, Swedish side IK Frejm and Aldershot, turning out over 50 times for the Shots. Bradley then signed for Portsmouth in May 2013, featuring 39 times, as he spent a year at Fratton Park before heading to Crawley Town in June 2014, making 79 appearances.

Following his spell with the Red Devils, the imposing defender went to Plymouth Argyle in July 2016 as he had 96 outings for the Pilgrims in two seasons, before agreeing a move to Kenilworth Road in July 2018, as in his first campaign in Bedfordshire, he was part of a Luton team who won promotion from League One, featuring 50 times, as Town finished as champions.

Bradley then made 40 appearances as the Hatters were able to stay in the Championship during a year hit by Covid, as they beat Blackburn Rovers 3-2 on the final day of the season to avoid relegation. He went on to make 175 outings for Luton, including 19 as Town won the Championship play-offs, lifting the trophy at Wembley before leaving on a free transfer in the summer of 2023.

Speaking about his time with the Hatters at the time, Bradley said: “As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end at some point, and it’s my time. It feels like the right time for the club and myself. The manager’s been brilliant with me, Gary (Sweet, CEO), Mick (Harford), everyone’s been brilliant with me and I can’t say any more positive things. It’s not always been easy, if you look at the positions we’ve finished in the last five years, you might think we’ve absolutely cruised it. There have been times when it has been difficult, but we’ve come out on the right side.”

Moving to Derby County after being released from Luton, Bradley played 41 times for the Rams as they won promotion from League One last term, finishing in second spot, while back in the second tier, he has played just six games this term, coming off the bench for the final 13 minutes at Turf Moor in midweek as Derby held on for a point against the Clarets.

Discussing his efforts in the week, County assistant head coach Richie Barker said: “The defenders always get the praise when you get a clean sheet and rightly so. The five lads who started the game, and then the two lads in Sonny Bradley and Kane Wilson who came on to be part of a back five, defended really well. They stuck to the shape and stuck to the gameplan. The whole team’s desire to keep a clean sheet was fantastic.”