Mark Bonner (born 7 June 1974) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. During his career, he made over 300 appearances in the Football League. He began his professional career with Blackpool, making his first team debut at the age of just 17, and went on to make over 200 appearances for the side in all competitions. In 1998, he turned down a new contract at Bloomfield Road and instead joined Cardiff City, nicknamed the Bluebirds, where he spent six seasons. In 1999, he spent a brief period on loan at Hull City to regain match fitness after struggling for playing time at Ninian Park, playing one match before returning to Cardiff due to injury.
During his spell with the Bluebirds, Bonner helped the club to three promotions in six seasons and suffered one relegation during the 1999–2000 season. The club reached the First Division in his time there, and he also played in their 2–1 victory over Premier League side Leeds United in the third round of the FA Cup in January 2002. In 2004, Bonner joined Oldham Athletic but suffered a career ending injury in September 2005 after breaking his arm in a match against Port Vale. After two surgeries on the arm, he was advised to stop playing by medical staff and subsequently retired from professional football in 2006 at the age of 32.
Early life
Bonner was born in Ormskirk in Lancashire. As a teenager, he attended Bishop Rawstorne Church of England Academy in Croston.
Career
Blackpool
Bonner began his career playing youth football for local side Euxton Villa. A boyhood Blackpool fan, he joined the club on a Youth Training Scheme (YTS) deal at the age of 15 after impressing scout Neil Bailey, before progressing through the youth ranks under Jimmy Mullen and Graham Carr. He broke into the first team as a teenager, making his debut at the age of 17 in November 1991 as a substitute during a 5–2 victory over Aldershot. However, this match was later expunged from the final standings after Aldershot withdrew from the Football League due to bankruptcy. His official debut then came just four days later when he was named in the starting line-up in a 1–1 draw with Chesterfield. He went on to make three league appearances during the 1991–92 season as Blackpool reached the Division Four play-off final, defeating Scunthorpe United on penalties to win promotion to the Third Division, although Bonner played no part in the play-offs. At the end of the season, he signed his first professional contract on 18 June 2002.
At the age of 19, he became a regular in the first team under Billy Ayre during the manager's final two years with the Tangerines. During the 1995–96 season, Blackpool missed out on promotion to the Second Division by a single point under the guidance of manager Sam Allardyce. During the play-offs, they played Bradford City, with Bonner scoring once during a 2–0 first leg win. However, Bradford won the second leg 3–0 to advance to the final. He also played in several notable FA Cup upsets at the club, including defeating Manchester City, a game in which he was tasked with marking Georgian winger Georgi Kinkladze, and a 5–4 defeat to Chelsea, after Blackpool had recovered from an original 2–0 first leg deficit by scoring three times at Stamford Bridge.
Cardiff City
After seven years and four managers in his time at Bloomfield Road, Bonner moved south to join Cardiff City in 1998 on a free transfer after turning down a new contract at Blackpool, stating "I felt I was going a bit stale and I needed a new challenge. It was nothing to do with Blackpool or the people connected with the club, I just felt it was time to move on." Another reason Bonner chose Cardiff was the presence of his former Blackpool manager Billy Ayre at Ninian Park, describing him as "almost like a second dad to me", where he was assistant manager to Frank Burrows. Ayre would later replace Burrows as manager during the 1999–2000 season as the club struggled. He soon established himself in the side but after suffering from injury he was unable to reclaim his place and was allowed to join Third Division side Hull City on a one-month loan deal, alongside Blackpool midfielder Gary Brabin. In debut for the club, he scored the winning goal against Rotherham United, but the loan spell was cut short when he suffered an ankle injury in training and was sent back to Cardiff, with the Rotherham game being his only appearance for the club.