Bridgeman was born in
Bromley-by-Bow in 1882. He signed for West Ham United in 1903 making his debut in a 4–1 home defeat to
Bristol Rovers on 10 October. Joining West Ham from local side, Adam and Eve FC, Bridgeman scored West Ham's first ever goal at
Upton Park in a 3–0 win against
Millwall in September 1904.
Folklore has it that he scored all three goals in this game although some references show one of the goals being scored by another player,
Jack Flynn. Bridgeman left West Ham in 1906 to join
Chelsea, helping them gain promotion to the
First Division in 1912. After 159 games with Chelsea he moved to
Southend United, where he ended his footballing career. ==References==