Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Gary Roland Mills[1] | ||
Date of birth | [2] | 11 November 1961||
Place of birth | Northampton, England | ||
Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[3] | ||
Position(s) | Right-back / Midfielder | ||
Youth career | |||
–1978 | Nottingham Forest | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1978–1982 | Nottingham Forest | 58 | (8) |
1982–1983 | Seattle Sounders | 34 | (5) |
1982–1983 | → Derby County (loan) | 18 | (2) |
1983–1987 | Nottingham Forest | 79 | (4) |
1987–1989 | Notts County | 75 | (8) |
1989–1994 | Leicester City | 200 | (15) |
1994–1996 | Notts County | 47 | (0) |
1996–1998 | Grantham Town | 66 | (3) |
1998 | Gresley Rovers | 7 | (0) |
1998–2000 | King's Lynn | 67 | (3) |
2000–2001 | Boston United | 8 | (0) |
2001–2002 | Tamworth | 41 | (2) |
2005 | Glapwell | ||
2005–2007 | Alfreton Town | 24 | (0) |
2007–2010 | Tamworth | 3 | (0) |
Total | 727 | (50) | |
International career | |||
1977 | England Schoolboys | 9 | (2) |
1978–1979 | England U18 | 2 | (0) |
1981 | England U21 | 2 | (0) |
Managerial career | |||
1996–1998 | Grantham Town | ||
1998–2000 | King's Lynn | ||
2001–2002 | Tamworth | ||
2004 | Notts County | ||
2005–2007 | Alfreton Town | ||
2007–2010 | Tamworth | ||
2010–2013 | York City | ||
2013–2015 | Gateshead | ||
2015–2016 | Wrexham | ||
2016–2017 | York City | ||
2020–2022 | Corby Town | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Gary Roland Mills (born 11 November 1961) is an English football manager and former professional player. He played in the Premier League and Football League for Nottingham Forest, Derby County, Notts County and Leicester City and managed in the Football League with Notts County and York City. He was recently the manager of Northern Premier League Division One Midlands club Corby Town.
Mills, who played as a right-back and as a midfielder, started his career with First Division club Nottingham Forest. He became the club's youngest league player after making his first-team debut at the age of 16 in 1978. He played in the victorious 1980 European Cup Final, which made him the youngest finalist in European Cup history. He joined the Seattle Sounders of the North American Soccer League in 1982 and played for them for one season, which culminated in a loss to the New York Cosmos in Soccer Bowl '82. While with them Mills had a loan at Derby County, making 23 appearances for the Second Division club. He returned to Forest in 1983, and made 168 appearances over two spells at the club. He left for their rivals, Notts County of the Third Division, in 1987. Mills then joined Leicester City in 1989, and after two unsuccessful forays into the First Division play-offs he helped them win promotion to the Premier League in 1994. He soon returned to County, by this time playing in the First Division, after 232 appearances for Leicester. Here Mills earned the last honour of his playing career, winning the Anglo-Italian Cup in 1995. He retired from professional football in 1996 due to an injury, having made 159 appearances for County over two spells.
Mills started his managerial career as player-manager with Grantham Town in 1996. He left the club after leading them to the Southern League Midland Division title in his second season. He then served as player-manager at Southern League Premier Division club King's Lynn from 1998 to 2000, which was brought to an end after he resigned. He was appointed player-manager of Southern League Premier Division club Tamworth in 2001, before leaving to join the coaching staff at Coventry City in 2002. Mills was handed his first managerial role in the Football League with Notts County in 2004, but was dismissed several months after the club was relegated to League Two. He managed Alfreton Town of the Conference North from 2005 to 2007 when he returned to Tamworth. The club was relegated from the Conference National before Mills led them to the Conference North title in 2009. He left Tamworth in 2010 to become manager of their Conference Premier rivals York City. Mills oversaw York's victories in the FA Trophy and Conference Premier play-offs in 2012, the latter resulting in promotion to League Two. He was dismissed by York in 2013 before taking over at Gateshead, and after leading them to the Conference Premier play-offs in 2014 he was named the Non-League Manager of the Year. Mills took over as manager of their National League rivals Wrexham in 2015, but was dismissed the following year.