Gary Mills (footballer, born 1981)

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Gary Mills
Gary Mills 1981 2.png
Mills playing for Stevenage Borough in the 2009 FA Trophy final
Personal information
Full name Gary Leonard Mills [1]
Date of birth (1981-05-20) 20 May 1981 (age 44) [2]
Place of birth Isle of Sheppey, England [2]
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) [2]
Position Midfielder
Youth career
?–1997 Coventry City
1997–1998 Rushden & Diamonds
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1998–2006 Rushden & Diamonds 124 (2)
2006–2007 Crawley Town 21 (0)
2007 Rushden & Diamonds 17 (0)
2007 Tamworth
2007–2008 Kettering Town
2008–2009 Stevenage Borough 30 (1)
2009–2011 Mansfield Town 44 (1)
2010 → Forest Green Rovers (loan) 2 (0)
2011 Rushden & Diamonds 21 (0)
2011 Bath City 4 (0)
2011–2012 Nuneaton Town 23 (5)
2012–2013 Lincoln City 18 (0)
2013–2014 Boston United 0 (0)
2013–2014 → King's Lynn Town (loan) 18 (0)
2015 Rugby Town 2 (0)
2016 King's Lynn Town 8 (0)
2020–2021 St Ives Town 0 (0)
Total330(9)
Managerial career
2015 Rugby Town (player-manager)
2016–2017 Corby Town
2023–2024 Burton Albion (caretaker)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Gary Leonard Mills (born 20 May 1981) is an English football coach and former player who is the assistant first-team manager at EFL League One club Port Vale. He was a midfielder during his 18-year playing career, which he mostly spent in non-League football.

Contents

Mills began his career at Rushden & Diamonds, helping the club to win the Conference title in 2000–01 and the Third Division title in 2002–03. However, he left Rushden shortly before relegation out of the Football League was confirmed in 2006. He had made 143 appearances in seven seasons at the club. He then spent the next seven years playing in the Conference for Crawley Town, Rushden & Diamonds (in two further spells), Tamworth, Kettering Town, Stevenage Borough, Mansfield Town, Forest Green Rovers (on loan), Bath City, Nuneaton Town, Lincoln City and Boston United. He won the Conference North with Kettering Town in 2007–08 and was promoted out of the Conference North play-offs with Nuneaton Town in 2011–12. He also lifted the FA Trophy with Stevenage Borough in 2008–09, playing in the 2009 FA Trophy final at Wembley Stadium. He went on to play for King's Lynn Town lower down the pyramid.

He turned to coaching, spending seven games in charge at Rugby Town in 2015 and managing Corby Town from October 2016 to April 2017. He coached at Wrexham, King's Lynn Town, Northampton Town, Milton Keynes Dons, Coventry City, Burton Albion, Rotherham United and Port Vale. He took caretaker charge at Burton Albion for part of the 2023–24 season.

Career

Rushden & Diamonds

Mills spent time in the Academy at Coventry City. [3] He later came through the Rushden & Diamonds youth team and was rated as a £50,000 talent by manager Brian Talbot in December 1999. [4]

In the following season, Mills was part of the Rushden squad that secured promotion to the Football League after winning the Conference. [5]

He scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 victory over Tranmere Rovers on 25 February 2004. [6]

On 11 September 2004, Mills suffered a dislocated ankle in a league match against Oxford United, leading him to miss the rest of the 2004–05 campaign. [7]

He left Nene Park on 20 April 2006, his contract cancelled by mutual consent, having not played since early February. [8] Rushden's relegation from the Football League was confirmed nine days later. [9]

Later career

Mills joined fellow Conference National side Crawley Town on 10 August 2006, though he also had an unsuccessful trial with League One side Yeovil Town in July. [10]

Mills rejoined Rushden & Diamonds on 9 January 2007 on a short-term contract. [11]

On 25 May 2007 Mills signed for Conference North side Tamworth, managed by namesake Gary Mills. [12] On 24 October, Mills was sacked by Tamworth following an argument with manager Gary Mills. The manager accused Mills of having "no bottle, no balls, and no discipline", regarding the player's lack of effort and reaction to being dropped from the first team. The player Mills, meanwhile, retorted that Tamworth was "the worst club [I have] ever been at." [13]

Mills playing for Stevenage Borough in the 2009 FA Trophy final. Gary Mills 1981 1.png
Mills playing for Stevenage Borough in the 2009 FA Trophy final.

Mills signed for Stevenage Borough on 13 May 2008, having been previously managed by manager Graham Westley whilst he was at Rushden & Diamonds. [14] [15] Boro qualified for the Conference Premier play-offs, losing out 4–3 on aggregate to Cambridge United in the semi-finals. [16]

On 26 May 2009, Mills rejected a contract offer from Stevenage Borough to sign for Mansfield Town on a two-year deal. [17] He was appointed as team captain, though was made available for loan in January 2010 after three months out of the first XI. [18] He was replaced as captain by Luke Foster, though managed to return to the starting line-up by the end of the 2009–10 season. [19]

In October 2010, Mills signed for fellow Conference side Forest Green Rovers on a one-month loan deal. [20] He left Mansfield by mutual consent on 12 January 2011. [21]

On 13 January 2011, Mills was signed by Rushden & Diamonds manager Justin Edinburgh for his third spell at the club. [22] He said that "I'm delighted to be back. I never wanted to leave". [23]

Mills joined Bath City on a one-year deal on 23 May 2011. [24] He played four games before finding himself surplus to requirements at Twerton Park. [25]

After leaving Bath, Mills signed for Conference North outfit, Nuneaton Town. [26] On 13 May 2012, Mills was a part of the Nuneaton side that was victorious in the Conference North play-off final to earn promotion to the Conference National. [27]

On 21 May 2012, Mills signed a one-year contract with Lincoln City. [28] He was named as team captain by manager David Holdsworth. [29] He left the club by mutual consent on 4 March 2013, three months after sustaining a serious knee injury. [30]

In May 2013, Mills joined Boston United, though only featured in one Lincolnshire Senior Cup game. [31] In August 2013, he joined King's Lynn Town, managed by former Rushden teammate Gary Setchell, on a three-month loan deal. [32]

Style of play

Mills was a midfielder who harassed and pressured opponents, breaking up play and passing the ball on to teammates. [33]

Coaching career

Mills was assistant manager to Kevin Wilkin at Wrexham from May 2014 until March 2015, when he and Wilkin both left the club following defeat in the 2015 FA Trophy final. [34] [35] Mills was appointed as manager at Northern Premier League Division One South club Rugby Town on 13 May 2015. [36] He won one of his seven league games in charge. [37] He played two league games. [38] He resigned on 11 September. [39]

In June 2016, Mills returned to his former club, King's Lynn Town, as player-coach. He was promoted to assistant manager in September 2016. [40] On 19 October 2016, Mills was appointed as the manager of Southern League Division One Central side Corby Town. [41] He was sacked on 9 April 2017 after a run of five games witout a win that left the Steelman 21st in the table. [42]

He then joined Northampton Town within their academy set-up as the lead coach at under-16 level. [43] He joined St Ives Town as a coach in July 2020. [44] In December 2022, he was appointed lead professional development coach at Coventry City, joining the club from Milton Keynes Dons where he had held a similar position. [45] In September 2023, Mills was appointed first-team coach at League One club Burton Albion. [46] Following the sacking of Dino Maamria on 9 December 2023, Mills was appointed caretaker manager. [47] He returned to his role of first-team coach following the appointment of Martin Paterson on 11 January 2024. On 31 May 2024, Mills departed Burton Albion following the departure of Paterson. [48] He joined Steve Evans coaching staff at Rotherham United in July 2024, [49] departing alongside Evans in March 2025. [50] He returned to his coaching role at Milton Keynes Dons. [51] He joined Port Vale as assistant to new manager Jon Brady in January 2026. [52]

Career statistics

Playing statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeague FA Cup League Cup OtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Rushden & Diamonds 1999–2000 [53] Conference 16000—00160
2000–01 [54] Conference21010—2 [a] 0240
2001–02 [55] Third Division9000201 [b] 0120
2002–03 [56] Third Division30020201 [b] 0350
2003–04 [57] Second Division 30110102 [b] 0341
2004–05 [58] League Two 7100100081
2005–06 [59] League Two11020001 [b] 0140
Total12426060701432
Crawley Town 2006–07 [53] Conference National21000—00210
Rushden & Diamonds 2006–07 [53] Conference National170——00170
Stevenage Borough 2008–09 [60] Conference Premier30120—7 [c] 0391
Mansfield Town 2009–10 [53] Conference Premier26030—00290
2010–11 [53] Conference Premier18100—00181
Total441300000471
Forest Green Rovers (loan) 2010–11 [53] Conference Premier2000—0020
Rushden & Diamonds 2010–11 [53] Conference Premier210——00210
Bath City 2011–12 [53] Conference Premier4000—0040
Nuneaton Town 2011–12 [61] Conference North 235——1 [d] 040
Lincoln City 2012–13 [53] Conference Premier18040—00220
Boston United 2013–14 [62] Conference North0000—1 [e] 010
King's Lynn Town (loan) 2013–14 [53] Northern Premier League
Premier Division		18020—00200
Rugby Town 2015–16 [38] Northern Premier League
Division One South		2000—0020
King's Lynn Town 2016–17 [53] Southern League
Premier Division		8021—10111
St Ives Town 2020–21 [53] Southern League
Premier Division Central		0000—0000
Career total33291916016037310
  1. ↑ 1 appearance in the Football League Trophy and 1 appearances in the Conference Trophy
  2. 1 2 3 4 Appearance in the Football League Trophy
  3. ↑ 4 appearances in the FA Trophy and 2 appearances in the play-offs
  4. ↑ Appearance in the Birmingham Senior Cup
  5. ↑ Appearance in the Lincolnshire Senior Cup

Managerial statistics

Managerial record by team and tenure
TeamFromToRecordRef
PWDLWin %
Burton Albion (caretaker)9 December 202311 January 20248224025.0 [63]

Honours

Rushden & Diamonds

Kettering Town

Stevenage Borough

Nuneaton Town

References

  1. ↑ Gary Mills at BDFutbol
  2. 1 2 3 Gary Mills at Soccerbase OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  3. ↑ "Matchday Memories: On This Day 2002 – Macca's Men Roast Rushden ('Sheffers' Scores Three Of Sky Blues' Eight)!! : Coventry City Former Players Association || CCFPA". ccfpa. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  4. ↑ Atkin, Ronald (19 December 1999). "Football: Talbot is forever Diamonds". The Independent. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Rushden gain League status". BBC Sport. 5 May 2001. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  6. ↑ "Rushden 2-1 Tranmere". BBC Sport. 25 February 2004. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  7. ↑ "Oxford 0-0 Rushden". BBC Sport. 11 September 2004. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  8. ↑ "Rushden release midfielder Mills". BBC Sport. 20 April 2006. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  9. ↑ "Rushden defeat means relegation". BBC Sport. 29 April 2006. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  10. ↑ "Glovers may hand chance to Mills". BBC Sport. 5 July 2006. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  11. ↑ "Rushden return for defender Mills". BBC Sport. 9 January 2007. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  12. ↑ "Tamworth complete deal for Mills". BBC Sport. 31 May 2007. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  13. ↑ Clayton, Dave (24 October 2007). "Manager scathing over namesake's departure". Tamworth F.C. Archived from the original on 6 February 2012. Retrieved 1 November 2007.
  14. ↑ "Stevenage sign defender Anaclet". BBC Sport. 13 May 2008. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  15. ↑ "Gary Mills – Midfield – Player Profile". BoroGuide. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  16. ↑ "Heartbreak as Boro blow play-off chance". The Comet. 4 May 2009. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  17. ↑ "Stags swoop for Stevenage's Mills". BBC Sport. 26 May 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2010.
  18. ↑ "Stags' Mills available for loan". BBC Sport. 28 January 2010. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  19. ↑ "Stags' Mills showing true colours". Evening Post. 29 March 2010. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  20. ↑ "Forest Green Rovers sign Mills, Enver-Marum and Kamara". BBC Sport. 19 October 2010. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
  21. ↑ "Midfielder Mills leaves Mansfield". BBC Sport. 12 January 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  22. ↑ "Gary Mills set for third Rushden & Diamonds spell". BBC Sport. 13 January 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
  23. ↑ "Mills keen to stay with Rushden". BBC Sport. 10 February 2011. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  24. ↑ "Midfielder Gary Mills joins Bath City on one-year-deal". BBC Sport. 23 May 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
  25. ↑ "City sign Norway Under-19 international striker Agdestein on loan". Bath City FC. 16 September 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  26. ↑ "Mills impressed by Nuneaton set up". Non League Daily. 20 September 2011. Archived from the original on 4 October 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  27. 1 2 "Gainsborough Trinity 0-1 Nuneaton". BBC Sport. 13 May 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  28. ↑ "Lincoln sign Ashley Westwood, Rob Duffy and Gary Mills". BBC Sport. 21 May 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  29. ↑ "Mills Named Team Captain". Lincoln City FC. 8 August 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  30. ↑ "Lincoln City: Gary Mills leaves club by mutual consent". BBC Sport. 4 March 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  31. ↑ "Mills Makes Loan Switch To Lynn". The Non-League Football Paper. 29 August 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  32. ↑ Caney, Gavin (31 August 2013). "Loanee Gary Mills ready to earn his King's Lynn Town shirt". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  33. ↑ "Former Lincoln City Captain Joins League One Strugglers | The Stacey West". staceywest.net. 10 January 2026. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  34. ↑ "Wrexham: Gary Mills becomes Wilkin's assistant". BBC Sport. 29 May 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  35. ↑ Welton, Blake (31 March 2015). "Gary Mills exits Wrexham FC day after Kevin Wilkin sacked". Daily Post. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  36. ↑ Venner, Jon (13 May 2015). "Rugby Town FC | Official Website | 2015-16 | Gary Mills Appointed New Valley Manager". Rugby Town FC. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  37. ↑ "Corby Town appoint ex-Rugby boss Gary Mills as their new manager". The Non-League Football Paper. 20 October 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  38. 1 2 "Rugby Town FC | Official Website | Ex-Manager | Gary Mills". Rugby Town FC. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  39. ↑ "Rugby Town FC | Official Website | 2015-16 | Gary Mills Resigns". Rugby Town FC. 11 September 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  40. ↑ "King's Lynn Town Football Club - Pen Pictures 2015-16". thelinnets.co.uk. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  41. ↑ "| Gary Mills is the New Corby Boss". Corby Town FC. Archived from the original on 6 February 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  42. ↑ Dunion, Robbie (9 April 2017). "Gary Mills Departs Steel Park". Corby Town FC. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  43. ↑ "St Ives Town hope Mills will prove a boon to coaching staff". The Hunts Post. 29 July 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  44. ↑ "Mills Added to St Ives` Management Team - The Southern League". southern-football-league.co.uk. 28 July 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  45. ↑ "Gary Mills appointed Lead Professional Development Phase Coach". Coventry City FC. 23 December 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  46. ↑ McCarthy, Tom (15 September 2023). "Gary Mills Appointed As First Team Coach". Burton Albion FC. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  47. ↑ Powlson, Nigel (11 December 2023). "Club Statement From The Chairman". Burton Albion FC. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  48. ↑ "Gary Mills And John Dreyer Depart Burton Albion". Burton Albion FC. 31 May 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  49. ↑ "Evans Completes Coaching Staff With Trio Of Appointments". Rotherham United FC. 1 July 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  50. ↑ Davis, Paul (30 March 2025). "Both were part of Paul Warne's backroom staff". Rotherham Advertiser. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  51. ↑ "Gary Mills Departs Mk Dons Academy". MK Dons FC. 9 January 2026. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
  52. ↑ "Brady's backroom staff confirmed | Port Vale FC". Port Vale FC. 9 January 2026. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  53. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Gary Mills | Player Profile · Aylesbury United Archive". www.aylesburyunitedarchive.com. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  54. ↑ "Games played by Gary Mills in 2000/2001". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  55. ↑ "Games played by Gary Mills in 2001/2002". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  56. ↑ "Games played by Gary Mills in 2002/2003". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  57. ↑ "Games played by Gary Mills in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  58. ↑ "Games played by Gary Mills in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  59. ↑ "Games played by Gary Mills in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  60. ↑ "Gary Mills | Player Profile | Stevenage Football Archive". www.stevenagefootballarchive.co.uk. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  61. ↑ "Nuneaton Town 2011-2012" (PDF). fromtowntotown.org.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 July 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  62. ↑ "Boston United Football Club First Team statistics". Boston United FC. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  63. ↑ Gary Mills management career statistics at Soccerbase
  64. ↑ "Football Club History Database - Football League 2002-03". fchd.info. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  65. ↑ "Football Club History Database - Football Conference 2007-08". fchd.info. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
  66. ↑ "Stevenage 2-0 York". BBC Sport. 9 May 2009. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
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