{{short description|French footballer (born 1980)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Bertrand Bossu | image = | full_name = Bertrand Bossu<ref name="PFA 71">{{cite book | last = Hugman | first = Barry J. | title = The PFA Premier & Football League Players' Records 1946–2005 | publisher = Queen Anne Press | year = 2005 | page = 71 | isbn = 1-85291-665-6 }}</ref> | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1980|10|14|df=y}}<ref name="PFA 71"/> | birth_place = Calais, France | height = {{height|ft=6|in=7}} | position = Goalkeeper | currentclub = | youthyears1 = 1989–1997 | youthclubs1 = Calais RUFC | youthyears2 = 1997–1999 | youthclubs2 = Lens | years1 = 1999–2000 | clubs1 = Lens | caps1 = 0 | goals1 = 0 | years2 = 2000–2001 | clubs2 = Barnet | caps2 = 1 | goals2 = 0 | years3 = 2000 | clubs3 = → Hayes (loan) | caps3 = 1 | goals3 = 0 | years4 = 2001 | clubs4 = → Rushden & Diamonds (loan) | caps4 = 0 | goals4 = 0 | years5 = 2001–2003 | clubs5 = Hayes | caps5 = 60 | goals5 = 1 | years6 = 2003–2005 | clubs6 = Gillingham | caps6 = 4 | goals6 = 0 | years7 = 2004 | clubs7 = → Torquay United (loan) | caps7 = 2 | goals7 = 0 | years8 = 2004 | clubs8 = → Oldham Athletic (loan) | caps8 = 0 | goals8 = 0 | years9 = 2005–2006 | clubs9 = Darlington | caps9 = 9 | goals9 = 0 | years10 = 2005 | clubs10 = → Accrington Stanley (loan) | caps10 = 1 | goals10 = 0 | years11 = 2006–2008 | clubs11 = Walsall | caps11 = 1 | goals11 = 0 | years12 = 2008–2009 | clubs12 = Aberdeen | caps12 = 1 | goals12 = 0 | years13 = 2009 | clubs13 = Crewe Alexandra | caps13 = 0 | goals13 = 0 | years14 = 2011–2013 | clubs14 = Harlow Town | caps14 = 22 | goals14 = 0 | years15 = 2013–2015 | clubs15 = Calais RUFC | caps15 = 0 | goals15 = 0 | years16 = 2015–2017 | clubs16 = Gravelines | caps16 = | goals16 = }} '''Bertrand Bossu''' (born 14 October 1980) is a French former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. After his retirement from playing, he worked as a goalkeeping coach.
==Career==
===France=== Born in Calais, Pas-de-Calais,<ref name="PFA 71"/> Bossu started out as a boy at small French amateur club US Blériot-Plage, before joining Calais RUFC. When he was 16 he moved to RC Lens but never managed to play for the professional team there as he was confined to the third and fourth teams.
===Barnet and Hayes=== Bossu joined Barnet in March 2000. He made his debut and subsequently only first team appearance for Barnet on 17 May 2000 in the second leg of the play-off semi-final. Barnet were trailing 2–0 (4–1 on aggregate) away to Peterborough United when Bossu replaced the injured Lee Harrison in the Barnet goal. He conceded one more goal, giving David Farrell his hat-trick and confirming Peterborough's place in the final.
He joined Conference side Hayes on loan in December 2000. His one-man heroics in the 1–0 win away to Boston United on 2 December ended a run of seven consecutive defeats. However, in the process Bossu broke a finger and returned to Barnet to recuperate.
He joined Rushden & Diamonds on loan in March 2001, but failed to make a first team appearance for them and was released by Barnet at the end of the season. He rejoined Hayes in August 2001, but lost his place as Hayes were relegated from the Conference. Although he began the following season as second-choice, he regained his place in the side and went on to win the Hayes Supporters' Player of the Year Award in 2003. In the midst of this he had also become the first Hayes goalkeeper to score a goal, with a last-minute header in the game away to St Albans City.
===Gillingham=== Bossu joined Gillingham in September 2003 and made his debut later that month away to Walsall. He played just five more times that season, including the victory at home to Premier League side Charlton Athletic in the FA Cup.<ref>{{Cite news |date=3 January 2004 |title=Gillingham 3-2 Charlton |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/fa_cup/3349181.stm |access-date=9 March 2025 |work=BBC Sport |language=en-GB}}</ref>
In August 2004 he joined Torquay United on a three-month loan deal<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/sport/clubs/torquay_news_august04.shtml|title=Bossu seals Gulls' loan move}}</ref> playing in the first two games of the season away to Bristol City and at home to Hull City the same month. However, he was sent back to Gillingham by Torquay with a knee injury, prompting a row over who should pay his wages.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/t/torquay_united/3579956.stm|title=Row over Bossu loan cash | publisher=BBC News | date=19 August 2004 | accessdate=1 January 2010}}</ref> He joined Oldham Athletic in late October 2004, but failed to make a first team appearance. He was released by Gillingham at the end of the 2004–05 season after failing to report for pre-season training.<ref>{{Cite web |date=3 July 2005 |title=Keeper axed after training no-show |url=https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/sport/keeper-axed-after-training-no-sh-a19114/ |access-date=9 March 2025 |website=Kent Online |language=en}}</ref>
===Darlington and Walsall=== Bossu joined Darlington in August 2005. The same month he joined Accrington Stanley on loan, playing one Conference National game away to Cambridge United before returning to Darlington where he played 10 times before being released at the end of the season. He then joined Walsall in September 2006,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.football.co.uk/walsall/bossu_teams_up_with_saddlers_234660.shtml|title=Bossu teams up with Saddlers}}</ref> but was released in May 2008.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wrack and Roper leaving Saddlers |url=https://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/7387499.stm |access-date=9 March 2025 |website=BBC Sport}}</ref>
===Aberdeen=== After being released by Walsall, Bossu then went on trial with Scottish Premier League side Aberdeen. After impressing goalkeeping coach Jim Leighton, he was offered a contract with the Scottish club.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/658139|title=Calderwood happy as new squad starts to take shape|publisher=Press & Journal|accessdate=27 May 2008}}</ref> Bossu left Aberdeen in August 2009 after only three appearances for the club.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.afc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/clubNewsDetail/0,,10284~1783177,00.html |publisher=Aberdeen F.C. |title=bert Bossu Leaves Aberdeen |date=31 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090903022402/http://www.afc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/clubNewsDetail/0%2C%2C10284~1783177%2C00.html |archivedate=3 September 2009 }}</ref>
He signed for Crewe Alexandra on a two-month contract on 28 October following a successful trial.<ref name="Keeper Bossu signs on with Crewe">{{cite news | title = Keeper Bossu signs on with Crewe | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/crewe_alexandra/8316433.stm | publisher = BBC Sport | date = 28 October 2009 | accessdate = 18 November 2009}}</ref> However, he left six days later after asking for his contract to be cancelled.<ref name="Keeper Bossu asks to leave Crewe">{{cite news | title = Keeper Bossu asks to leave Crewe | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/crewe_alexandra/8338754.stm | publisher = BBC Sport | date = 2 November 2009 | accessdate = 18 November 2009}}</ref>
===Later career=== Bossu joined Isthmian League Division One North side Harlow Town in August 2011.<ref>{{Cite web |date=14 October 2012 |title=ON THIS DAY {{!}} Gillingham F.C. |url=https://www.gillinghamfootballclub.com/news/2012/october/on-this-day14 |access-date=9 March 2025 |website=Gillingham Football Club |language=en}}</ref>
He spent two seasons with Gravelines.<ref>{{cite news |title=Football (DH): le gardien gravelinois Bertrand Bossu raconte son odyssée dans l’Angleterre du foot |trans-title=Football (DH): Gravelines goalkeeper Bertrand Bossu recounts his odyssey in English football |url=https://www.lavoixdunord.fr/art/region/football-dh-le-gardien-gravelinois-bertrand-bossu-ia17b47595n2468948 |access-date=20 April 2025 |work=La Voix du Nord |date=1 November 2014 |language=French}}</ref><ref name="gravelines">{{cite news |title=Bertrand Bossu, le gardien anglais |trans-title=Bertrand Bossu, the English goalkeeper |url=https://www.nordlittoral.fr/art/80116/article/2018-04-14/bertrand-bossu-le-gardien-anglais |access-date=20 April 2025 |work={{ill|Nord Littoral|fr}} |date=14 April 2018 |language=French}}</ref>
As of April 2018, he was a goalkeeping coach at Coulogne and Calais Football Club.<ref name="gravelines"/>
==Honours== '''Walsall''' * League Two: 2006–07
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{Soccerbase}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bossu, Bertrand}} Category:1980 births Category:Living people Category:Footballers from Calais Category:French men's footballers Category:French expatriate men's footballers Category:Men's association football goalkeepers Category:RC Lens players Category:Calais RUFC players Category:Barnet F.C. players Category:Hayes F.C. players Category:Rushden & Diamonds F.C. players Category:Gillingham F.C. players Category:Torquay United F.C. players Category:Oldham Athletic A.F.C. players Category:Darlington F.C. players Category:Accrington Stanley F.C. players Category:Walsall F.C. players Category:Aberdeen F.C. players Category:Crewe Alexandra F.C. players Category:Harlow Town F.C. players Category:Union Sportive Gravelines Football players Category:English Football League players Category:National League (English football) players Category:Scottish Premier League players Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Scotland Category:Expatriate men's footballers in England Category:French expatriate sportspeople in Scotland Category:French expatriate sportspeople in England Category:21st-century French sportsmen