Michael James Coulson (born 4 April 1988) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker or winger for Northern Premier League Division One East club Bridlington Town.

[7] 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.

[8][9][10] 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.

[12] 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.

[14] 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.

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

[23] 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.

[25][26] 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.

[31] 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.

[32] 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.

[40][41] On 16 October 2009, Coulson signed a one-month loan deal with Conference Premier club Chester City, making his debut the following day against Gateshead in a 1–0 home victory.

[50] Coulson was released by Barnsley at the end of the season, leaving him free to join Grimsby permanently, signing a two-year contract on 31 May 2010.

[61] Coulson was handed a one-match suspension after accumulating five yellow cards, missing the home match against Newport County on 19 November.

[62] He made an immediate return to the Grimsby line-up, starting in their 1–0 home win over League Two team Port Vale in the FA Cup first round on 22 November 2011.

[63] His first two-goal haul of the season came in a 3–0 victory at home to Darlington in the FA Trophy first round on 10 December 2011, scoring Grimsby's first and third goals.

[64] It was announced on 23 April 2012 that Coulson had rejected a new two-year contract on reduced terms with Grimsby, meaning he would leave the club at the end of the season.

[65][66] Having been left out of the squad for Grimsby's final two matches of the season, Coulson spoke that he was saddened by the manner of his departure, saying "It would have been nice to go out on a high".

[69] In March 2016, Coulson signed a pre-contract deal with Scottish Premiership club St Johnstone, and would join on a two-year contract in the summer.