Michael Boulding

However, he was unable to add any more goals and due to injury he missed the run in to the end of the season and Grimsby were relegated from Division One in 24th place.

Michael Thomas Boulding (born 8 February 1976) is an English former professional footballer and tennis player.

He held an ATP singles world ranking between 8 July 1996 and 1 November 1999, apart from between 25 August 1997 and 24 August 1998, which peaked at 1,119 with four world ranking points on 3 May 1999.

His highest doubles ranking was 964 on 10 February 1997 with 15 ranking points.

As a footballer he was a forward and winger from 1998 to 2011.

Prior to his football career, he was a promising young tennis player, ranking among the top 20 players in Britain.

He notably played in the Football League with several spells each with Grimsby Town and Mansfield Town.

Boulding maintained his links with football and trained with Doncaster Rovers, and in 1998 he joined non-league Hallam near his home in Sheffield.

His form at Hallam attracted the interest of a number of league clubs, and Boulding was offered a trial by Mansfield Town.

He was given a contract by the Division Three side and turned professional in 1999, which brought an end to his tennis career.

He made his debut with Mansfield in a League Cup game against Nottingham Forest on 11 August 1999 as a late substitute for Gary Tallon, before his first league game came three days later against Cheltenham Town.

During September and October of the 1999–2000 season, Boulding scored in four successive league games.

However, he could only score another two goals during the rest of the campaign to once again record a tally of six goals.

Having left Mansfield, Boulding joined Division One side Grimsby Town on a free transfer in September 2001.

His debut was as a second-half substitute in a 3–3 draw with Stockport County on 22 September 2001, before he scored his first Grimsby goal a week later away at Bradford City.

Boulding was involved in Grimsby's League Cup upset, when they defeated cup holders Liverpool with a 2–1 extra-time victory, but they struggled in the league.

Boulding finished Grimsby's leading scorer for the 2001–02 season with 11 goals in 39 appearances, and with his one-year contract due to expire in the summer, he was offered a new contract by the club.

in 2002 he signed for Premier League side Aston Villa however he would only feature in the UEFA Intertoto Cup and six months later had returned to Grimsby on a permanent deal.

Boulding was in and out of the starting eleven, but when he was recalled to the side for the visit of Crystal Palace on 2 March 2002 in place of Martin Pringle, who had broken his leg, Boulding scored in a 5–2 victory to ease their relegation worries.

He scored again three days later in a defeat, and followed it up with the first hat-trick of his career in a 6–2 victory later the same month against Wimbledon, which moved them out of the relegation zone.

Grimsby's survival was ensured before the end of the season, when they defeated Burnley 3–1, with two goals from Boulding.

Boulding, however, turned down the offer and instead joined Aston Villa in July 2002 on a Bosman free transfer.

Boulding was immediately involved in Aston Villa's Intertoto Cup campaign, making his debut against FC Zürich on 21 August 2002 in a 2–0 defeat, before he scored the first goal in the second leg as Aston Villa overturned the first leg deficit to win 3–2 on aggregate.

However, he did not make an appearance in the Premier League and in September 2002, he joined Sheffield United on a one-month loan with a view to a permanent move.

The loan deal was extended for a second month, but an ankle injury restricted his opportunities at Sheffield United and he returned to Aston Villa in November 2002.

He played seven times for United, scoring one goal in a League Cup tie with Wycombe Wanderers.

Only six months after joining Aston Villa, Boulding returned to Grimsby Town in January 2003, initially on a one-month loan, to allow him to play the following day against Wimbledon, and then on an 18-month contract only days later He opened the scoring on his return in a 3–3 with Wimbledon, and added another three goals in his following five games.

Boulding scored Grimsby's first goal of the 2003–04 season, during the opening day 2–2 draw with Plymouth Argyle.

He also played professionally for Sheffield United, Barnsley, Cardiff City, Rotherham United and Bradford City before retiring with a short spell at Derby County in 2011.

Prior to his professional career he had played non-league football for Hallam.

He is the brother of fellow footballer Rory Boulding and singer-songwriter Helen Boulding.

Following his retirement he has worked away from sport and spent a time working for his family owned property business.

Boulding was both a skilled footballer and tennis player as a schoolboy, but he was persuaded to pursue a career in the latter sport when he was talent spotted by coach Tony Pickard at the age of 13.

Boulding was part of the national squad and played in events across the world, including India, South America, the Far East, and also the junior Wimbledon Championships and the qualifying rounds of the main Grand Slam event.

During his career he roomed with Tim Henman and was ranked the top 20 players in Britain.

He had to wait until his 12th game as a professional to register his first goal when he scored in a 2–1 victory over Shrewsbury Town on 23 October.

His last goal came only two minutes after he had come on as a substitute during Mansfield's penultimate game of the season against Scunthorpe United, which helped the team to their fourth successive home victory and a final league position of 13th.

Boulding's two-year contract with Mansfield had finished and he left after playing 74 appearances in all competitions for Mansfield, of which 41 were as a substitute.

During his two seasons he scored 12 goals, all in the league.

He eventually finished his first season with six goals with Mansfield coming 17th but 17 points above Carlisle United, the only side to be relegated out of The Football League.