Teddy Bishop

Edward James Bishop (born 15 July 1996) is an English professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for club Colchester United.

Club career Ipswich Town Bishop was born in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire. He originally played for boyhood side Whittlesford Warriors before starting his career as part of the Ipswich Town academy system with the under-8s. He signed his first professional contract with Ipswich in May 2014, signing a one-year contract. On 12 August 2014, Bishop made his first-team debut for Ipswich Town in the first round of the League Cup against Crawley Town. He came on as a 77th-minute substitute for Kévin Bru in a match which Ipswich Town lost 1–0 after extra-time. On 30 August 2014, Bishop made his league debut in a 1–1 draw against Derby County. On 11 September 2014, Bishop signed a two-year extension to his Ipswich Town contract. Bishop became a regular in the Ipswich Town team, attracting praise from his manager Mick McCarthy, as well as former Ipswich Town player Mick Mills. Bishop scored his first goal for Ipswich against Bournemouth in a 2–2 draw on 22 November. In February 2015, Bishop signed a new contract with Ipswich, signing a three-year deal with the option of an additional year extension. He scored once and provided seven assists in 36 appearances during his first senior season, helping Ipswich reach the Championship play-offs. He returned to the first-team on 4 February, featuring as a substitute in a 2–2 draw with Reading. He made 20 appearances during the 2016–17 season. In April 2018, Ipswich took up the option to extend Bishop's contract by a further year.

After recovering from the hamstring injury suffered in December 2017, Bishop made his return to the first-team as a substitute in a EFL Cup tie against Exeter City on 14 August. He did not make a league appearance until 23 November, when he featured as a second-half substitute in a 1–2 loss to West Bromwich Albion. On 9 February 2019, Bishop signed a new two-year contract with Ipswich Town, keeping him at the club until 2021, with the option of a further year. He managed to feature more regularly during the 2018–19 season, making 20 appearances in all competitions, 13 of which were starts, the most starts Bishop had managed since his debut season in 2014–15. He did not feature in the league until New Year's Day 2020 when he came off the bench in a 1–1 draw with Wycombe Wanderers. He made 10 appearances during the remainder of the 2019–20 season, before it was suspended due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bishop scored his first goal since November 2014 in the first league match of the season, netting the opening goal in a 2–0 home win against Wigan Athletic at Portman Road. He made his 100th appearance for Ipswich in a 1–1 draw with Milton Keynes Dons on 3 October. His goal scoring form continued during the early stages of the season, scoring 4 goals and providing two assists in the opening 14 games of the season, including scoring a late winner with a long range shot from outside the box in a 1–0 home win over Gillingham on 27 October. On 21 November, Bishop picked up an ankle injury in a match against Shrewsbury Town, ruling him out for a few weeks. He returned from injury on 16 January 2021, making his 100th league appearance for Ipswich in a 1–0 away win against Burton Albion.

On 10 May 2021, Ipswich announced that Bishop had triggered a clause to extend his contract by an additional year, keeping him under contract until 2022.

Lincoln City On 27 July 2021, Bishop joined Lincoln City for an undisclosed fee. This ended his 17-year association with Ipswich. He made his Lincoln City debut coming off the bench on the opening day of the season against Gillingham. He made his first start against Shrewsbury Town in the EFL Cup a few days later, where he scored his first goal for the club, a stunning goal from outside the area.

Following the end of the 2023–24 season the club confirmed that they were negotiating a new deal with him. On 27 June 2024, manager Michael Skubala admitted that Bishop was likely to leave the club following a break-down in negotiations over a new contract.

Colchester United On 7 August 2024, Bishop signed for Colchester United on a two-year deal. On 16 May 2026 the club announced it had extended the player's contract.

International career On 17 March 2015, Bishop received his first call-up for England at youth level after being named in the England U19 squad for the elite round of European Under-19 Championship qualifiers. However, he withdrew from the squad due to injury.

Career statistics

Honours Individual Ipswich Town Young Player of the Year: 2014–15