Michael Coulson

His first goal for Northwich came with the team's only goal in a 3–1 home defeat to Histon, before being substituted in the 79th minute with calf strain.

Michael James Coulson (born 4 April 1988) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker or winger for club Farsley Celtic.

He has played in the Football League for Barnsley, Grimsby Town and York City and in the Scottish Premiership for St Johnstone.

Coulson captained the Scarborough under-19 team that won the Northern Alliance League title in the 2003–04 season.

Coulson started his career with hometown club Scarborough, making his first-team debut in a Conference National match in 2004.

His first goal for Scarborough, scored later that year, made him the youngest goalscorer in the club's history.

In April 2004, he went on trial with Premier League club Everton, playing in a youth academy match against Liverpool.

He made his first-team debut as a 16-year-old after coming on as a 79th-minute substitute at home to Accrington Stanley in a 4–0 Conference National victory on 23 October 2004, making him the second youngest player in Scarborough's history.

Coulson became Scarborough's youngest goalscorer after he scored an equalising goal against Tamworth in a 2–2 home draw on 15 March 2005 with 10 minutes of the match remaining.

He signed a one-year professional contract with Scarborough on 5 April 2005 and finished 2004–05, his first in senior football, with two goals in 14 appearances.

During pre-season Scarborough manager Nick Henry stated his hope that Coulson, along with fellow youngster Ryan Blott, would fill the gap left by some high-profile departures in the summer.

His first goal of 2005–06 came after scoring an 87th-minute equaliser in a 1–1 draw away to Altrincham on 20 September 2005, having entered the match as a second-half substitute.

He signed for Championship club Barnsley in 2006, before making a return to Conference Premier football with a loan at Northwich Victoria in 2007.

He went on trial with League One club Barnsley in January 2006 and the following month manager Andy Ritchie expressed his desire to sign Coulson in the summer.

Despite this, Coulson decided against extending his trial at Barnsley, opting to return to the Scarborough team to help their fight against relegation.

He finished the season seven goals from 33 appearances as Scarborough were relegated to the Conference North and was awarded the club's annual Players' Player of the Year and Fans' Player of the Year awards.

Coulson was signed by Barnsley on a two-year contract on 4 July 2006, following their promotion to the Championship.

Ritchie described him as a "good young, raw talent who I am sure will develop into a fine addition to our squad".

His debut came in Barnsley's 2–2 draw away to Blackpool in the League Cup on 22 August 2006, which Barnsley went on to win 4–2 in a penalty shoot-out, and was booked during the match for a collision with Blackpool goalkeeper Rhys Evans.

He finished 2006–07 with one goal in six appearances.

He scored his first Barnsley goal with a close range header in the third minute of stoppage time away to Southend United in the FA Cup third round on 6 January 2007, making the score 1–1.

He joined Conference Premier club Northwich Victoria on a one-month loan on 31 August 2007 to provide cover for the injured Lee Steele.

He made his debut on 4 September 2007 in a 2–0 defeat at home to Burton Albion, in which he came close to scoring but goalkeeper Kevin Poole and defender John Brayford blocked his efforts on goal.

Coulson returned to Barnsley after the loan expired on 30 September 2007, despite caretaker manager Paul Warhurst having convinced him to stay at Northwich for another month.

He finished the loan with two goals in six appearances.

Some consolation came after being named as Barnsley's Young Player of the Year for 2007–08.

He finished the season with 16 appearances and one goal for Barnsley.

Coulson's return to the Barnsley first team came on 1 January 2008 after entering a 2–2 draw at home to Scunthorpe United as a half-time substitute.

Following this appearance, Coulson said: "I really enjoyed that chance and it has been a long time coming".

His second Barnsley goal came with the winner in an FA Cup third round 2–1 victory over Blackpool on 5 January 2008, which was his first goal at Oakwell.

He made an appearance as an 80th-minute substitute for match winner Kayode Odejayi in the 1–0 home victory over Premier League team Chelsea in the FA Cup quarter-final on 8 March 2008.

He suffered a knee injury in training on 21 April 2008, rupturing an anterior cruciate ligament, which was expected to keep him sidelined for seven to nine months.

Manager Simon Davey commented: "It's a complete disaster for him. He'd been coming on really well. He was the first name I looked to put on the bench".

Coulson suffered two cruciate ligament injuries in the space of a year before being loaned to Chester City of the Conference Premier in 2009.

Coulson joined League Two club Grimsby Town on loan later that year, signing for the club permanently in 2010 after their relegation to the Conference Premier.

He left Grimsby in 2012, signing for League Two club York City.

In 2016, after four years with York, Coulson signed for Scottish Premiership club St Johnstone.

Coulson was born in Scarborough, North Yorkshire and attended Graham School in the town.

He supported Scarborough F.C. from a young age, living a short distance from the club's ground, the Athletic Ground.

Coulson started his career in the youth system of his hometown club Scarborough at the age of nine.