Gary Mills
Encyclopedia
Gary Roland Mills is an English former footballer who is currently manager
of York City
.
Mills started his career with Nottingham Forest
and 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 left the club in 1982 to join American team the Seattle Sounders and during his period with the club he had a loan at Derby County
. He returned to Forest in 1983 and left for rivals Notts County
in 1987 having made over 130 league appearances over his two spells at the club. Mills then joined Leicester City
in 1989, with whom he made 200 league appearances and helped win promotion
to the FA Premier League in 1994. He subsequently returned to County and after leaving in 1996 he had made over 120 league appearances for the club over two spells.
He started his managerial career as player-manager with Grantham Town
in 1996 and after leading the team to the Southern Football League
Midland League title in his second season Mills left following the club's takeover by a local businessman. He subsequently had a spell as player-manager at King's Lynn
from 1998 to 2000, which was brought to an end after he resigned. He was appointed player-manager of Tamworth
in 2001 but left in 2002 to take over as first team coach
at Coventry City
. Mills was handed his first managerial role in the Football League
with Notts County in 2004, but was sacked later that year several months after the club were relegated. After being appointed Alfreton Town
manager in 2005 he returned to Tamworth in 2007, although he was unable to prevent the club being relegated. He led Tamworth to the Conference North
title in 2009 and left the club in 2010 to become York manager.
, Northamptonshire
, Mills played for a local village team before being spotted by a Nottingham Forest
scout at the age of 11 and by 14 he had broken into their reserve team
. He started his senior career under Brian Clough
at Forest and he made his first team debut against Arsenal
in September 1978 and in doing so became Forest's youngest league player at the age of 16 years and 203 days. He signed a professional
contract with Forest in November after serving his apprenticeship. Despite not participating in the 1979 European Cup Final
, Mills became the youngest player to win the European Cup
at the age of 17 years and 201 days on the virtue of having appeared in the competition that season. He finished the 1978–79 season, his first as a first team player, with four league appearances.
Owing to an injury to Trevor Francis
he started in the 1–0 victory over Hamburger SV
in the 1980 European Cup Final
as an 18-year-old, which made him the youngest player to appear in a European Cup final. Having made 58 league appearances and scoring eight goals between 1978 and 1982, Mills left Forest to join North American Soccer League
team the Seattle Sounders in March 1982.
, on loan on 13 October 1982. He played 18 league games and scored two goals for Derby and he finished his Sounders career with 34 appearances and four goals.
on 14 August 1987. He was there for just under two seasons before joining Leicester City
on 2 March 1989, having made 75 league appearances and scored eight goals for County.
and was part of Leicester's midfield for five years, making 200 league appearances and scoring on 15 occasions. He was part of the team that won promotion to the FA Premier League through the First Division
play-offs in the 1993–94 season, as well as finishing the 1991–92 and 1992–93 seasons as play-off runners-up. He became a fans favourite during his time at Leicester, winning the Player of the Season award twice: once in 1989-90
then again in 1991-92
.
. Mills left County in 1996 having made 47 league appearances during his second spell with the club.
in a 3–0 victory over Romania
in a 1982 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
qualifier on 28 April 1981. His second and last cap
came in a 0–0 with Norway
in a friendly
on 8 September 1981.
in July 1996 and led the team to fourth place in the Southern Football League
Midland League in the 1996–97 season. The following season, 1997–98, Mills managed Grantham to the Southern Football League Midland League title but resigned a week later in May 1998 as the club's takeover by local businessman Reg Brearley resulted in budget cuts. He had a short spell playing for Gresley Rovers after signing in July, making seven appearances for the club. He took over at King's Lynn
as player-manager in September but resigned from this post on 8 November 2000. He returned to playing after signing for Football Conference
club Boston United
on 11 November. He made eight appearances for the club before being appointed player-manager of Southern Football League Premier Division side Tamworth
on 12 January 2001. After Tamworth missed out on promotion to the Conference on the final day of the 2001–02, finishing two points behind champions Kettering Town
in the Southern Football League Premier Division, Mills left Tamworth in May 2002 to become first team coach
at First Division club Coventry City
.
as manager of Second Division
side Notts County
on 7 January 2004, but despite an improvement in results he could not prevent the club's relegation
to League Two
. The 2004–05 season began disappointingly and Mills was sacked on 4 November 2004.
he was appointed manager of Conference North
team Alfreton Town
on a three-year contract on 25 May 2005, becoming the first full-time manager in the club's history. He made 24 appearances for the club between 2005 and 2006 as player-manager.
Mills was named Conference North Manager of the Month for September 2008, with Tamworth achieving three straight league wins following a draw away at in-form Alfreton. He won the award again for March 2009 after Tamworth were top of the table with five wins and two draws, including a 1–0 victory at title rivals Southport
. Mills led Tamworth to promotion back into the Conference after winning the Conference North title in the 2008–09
season and this was confirmed with a 1–0 victory over local rivals Hinckley United
on 21 April 2009. The final game of that season against AFC Telford United
saw Mills come out of retirement after he came on as a second half substitute for Alex Rodman. Mills received a standing ovation from the travelling faithful in the process. After the end of the season he was named the Conference North Manager of the Year.
on 13 October 2010. Following his appointment, Mills said "It's a fantastic football club and one that I'm privileged to be manager of". His first game in charge was a 1–1 draw with Bath City
on 16 October. He was named Conference Manager of the Month for November after York went through an unbeaten period of seven matches.
Mills' York made a surprising playoff charge from January onwards, averagely gaining the second largest number of points per game in 2011, and by mid-March had cemented themselves just below the playoff positions. However, defeats at home to Tamworth
and away at Darlington
denied them a playoff position. Mills' made a statement of intent to win the Blue Square bet Premier title for the 2011/12 campaign shortly afterwards.
Manager (association football)
In association football, a manager is responsible for running a football club or a national team. The manager of a professional club is responsible directly to the club president. The position of manager is almost exclusively used in British football...
of York City
York City F.C.
York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Conference National, the fifth tier of English football. Founded in 1922, they joined the Football League in 1929, and have spent most of their history in the lower divisions...
.
Mills started his career with Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
and 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
1980 European Cup Final
The 1980 European Cup Final was a football match held at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Madrid, on 28 May 1980, that saw Nottingham Forest of England defeat Hamburg of Germany 1–0. In the 21st minute, John Robertson squeezed a shot past Hamburg keeper Rudolf Kargus for the only goal of the game, to...
, which made him the youngest finalist in European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
history. He left the club in 1982 to join American team the Seattle Sounders and during his period with the club he had a loan at Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
. He returned to Forest in 1983 and left for rivals Notts County
Notts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
in 1987 having made over 130 league appearances over his two spells at the club. Mills then joined Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
in 1989, with whom he made 200 league appearances and helped win promotion
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
to the FA Premier League in 1994. He subsequently returned to County and after leaving in 1996 he had made over 120 league appearances for the club over two spells.
He started his managerial career as player-manager with Grantham Town
Grantham Town F.C.
Grantham Town F.C. is a football club, based in Grantham, Lincolnshire, currently playing in the Northern Premier League Division One South. They are nicknamed The Gingerbreads and they play their home matches at the South Kesteven Sports Stadium . They were established in August 1874...
in 1996 and after leading the team to the Southern Football League
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
Midland League title in his second season Mills left following the club's takeover by a local businessman. He subsequently had a spell as player-manager at King's Lynn
King's Lynn F.C.
King's Lynn F.C. was an English football club based in King's Lynn, Norfolk. Established in 1879, they were wound up at the High Court on 25 November 2009 with debts of £77,000 and went out of business in December after a failed appeal...
from 1998 to 2000, which was brought to an end after he resigned. He was appointed player-manager of Tamworth
Tamworth F.C.
Tamworth Football Club are an English semi-professional football club based in the town of Tamworth, Staffordshire. Nicknamed 'The Lambs', they are currently members of the Conference National, the fifth highest tier in the English league system....
in 2001 but left in 2002 to take over as first team coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
at Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
. Mills was handed his first managerial role in the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
with Notts County in 2004, but was sacked later that year several months after the club were relegated. After being appointed Alfreton Town
Alfreton Town F.C.
Alfreton Town F.C. is an English football club based in Alfreton, Derbyshire. The club was reformed after a merger between Alfreton Miners Welfare and Alfreton United in 1959...
manager in 2005 he returned to Tamworth in 2007, although he was unable to prevent the club being relegated. He led Tamworth to the Conference North
Conference North
The Conference North also known as Blue Square Bet North for sponsorship reasons, is a division of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National. Along with Conference South it is at Step 2 of the National League System and the sixth overall tier of...
title in 2009 and left the club in 2010 to become York manager.
Nottingham Forest
Born in NorthamptonNorthampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, Mills played for a local village team before being spotted by a Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
scout at the age of 11 and by 14 he had broken into their reserve team
Reserve team
Large professional sports clubs often have far more players under contract than could possibly play in a match. As a result, many of these clubs create second teams composed of players who need playing time, but have little hope of playing on the first team. The players on this second team are...
. He started his senior career under Brian Clough
Brian Clough
Brian Howard Clough, OBE was an English footballer and football manager. He is most notable for his success with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. His achievement of winning back-to-back European Cups with Nottingham Forest, a traditionally moderate provincial English club, is considered to be...
at Forest and he made his first team debut against Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
in September 1978 and in doing so became Forest's youngest league player at the age of 16 years and 203 days. He signed a professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
contract with Forest in November after serving his apprenticeship. Despite not participating in the 1979 European Cup Final
1979 European Cup Final
The 1979 European Cup Final was a football match held at the Olympiastadion, Munich, on 30 May 1979, that saw Nottingham Forest of England defeat Malmö FF of Sweden 1–0.-Background:...
, Mills became the youngest player to win the European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
at the age of 17 years and 201 days on the virtue of having appeared in the competition that season. He finished the 1978–79 season, his first as a first team player, with four league appearances.
Owing to an injury to Trevor Francis
Trevor Francis
Trevor John Francis , is a former footballer who won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest and played for England 52 times. He was England's first £1 million player...
he started in the 1–0 victory over Hamburger SV
Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein, usually referred to as HSV in Germany and Hamburg in international parlance, is a German multi-sport club based in Hamburg, its largest branch being its football department...
in the 1980 European Cup Final
1980 European Cup Final
The 1980 European Cup Final was a football match held at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Madrid, on 28 May 1980, that saw Nottingham Forest of England defeat Hamburg of Germany 1–0. In the 21st minute, John Robertson squeezed a shot past Hamburg keeper Rudolf Kargus for the only goal of the game, to...
as an 18-year-old, which made him the youngest player to appear in a European Cup final. Having made 58 league appearances and scoring eight goals between 1978 and 1982, Mills left Forest to join North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
team the Seattle Sounders in March 1982.
Seattle Sounders and Derby County loan
Mills returned to England to play for Forest's local rivals, Derby CountyDerby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
, on loan on 13 October 1982. He played 18 league games and scored two goals for Derby and he finished his Sounders career with 34 appearances and four goals.
Return to Forest
Mills returned to England by rejoining his former club Forest for a second spell in March 1983. Like the first time round, Mills was a Forest player for four years, spanning from 1983 until 1987, making 78 league appearances and scoring four goals.Notts County
After calling time on his Forest career, Mills was once again on the move, this time to Forest's main rivals Notts CountyNotts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
on 14 August 1987. He was there for just under two seasons before joining Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
on 2 March 1989, having made 75 league appearances and scored eight goals for County.
Leicester City
Mills made his debut against WalsallWalsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
and was part of Leicester's midfield for five years, making 200 league appearances and scoring on 15 occasions. He was part of the team that won promotion to the FA Premier League through the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
play-offs in the 1993–94 season, as well as finishing the 1991–92 and 1992–93 seasons as play-off runners-up. He became a fans favourite during his time at Leicester, winning the Player of the Season award twice: once in 1989-90
1989-90 in English football
-European competitions:English clubs were still banned from competing in European competitions following the Heysel Stadium disaster.- First Division :...
then again in 1991-92
1991-92 in English football
- First Division :The last-ever league championship before the creation of the Premier League was won by Leeds United who overhauled Manchester United thanks to the efforts of, among others, Gordon Strachan, Lee Chapman, David Batty, Gary Speed and Gary McAllister...
.
Return to County
Having made one Premier League appearance for Leicester Mills made a return to County on 26 September 1994 after re-signing for a fee of £50,000. Mills picked up his last winner's medal here as he was part of the team that won the Anglo-Italian CupAnglo-Italian Cup
The Anglo-Italian Cup is a defunct European football competition that was played intermittently between 1970 and 1996 between clubs from England and Italy. Founded by Gigi Peronace in 1970, following the success of the Anglo-Italian League Cup, it was played as a professional tournament until 1973...
. Mills left County in 1996 having made 47 league appearances during his second spell with the club.
International career
Mills made his debut for the England national under-21 teamEngland national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....
in a 3–0 victory over Romania
Romania national under-21 football team
The Romania national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation. The team competes in the European Under-21 Football Championship, held every two years....
in a 1982 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
1982 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
The UEFA U-21 Championship 1982, which spanned two years , had 26 entrants. West Germany competed in the competition for the first time. England U-21s won the competition....
qualifier on 28 April 1981. His second and last cap
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
came in a 0–0 with Norway
Norway national under-21 football team
The Norwegian national under-21 football team, controlled by the Football Association of Norway, is the national football team of Norway for players of 21 years of age or under at the start of a UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship campaign...
in a friendly
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
on 8 September 1981.
Early managerial career
Mills was appointed player-manager of Grantham TownGrantham Town F.C.
Grantham Town F.C. is a football club, based in Grantham, Lincolnshire, currently playing in the Northern Premier League Division One South. They are nicknamed The Gingerbreads and they play their home matches at the South Kesteven Sports Stadium . They were established in August 1874...
in July 1996 and led the team to fourth place in the Southern Football League
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
Midland League in the 1996–97 season. The following season, 1997–98, Mills managed Grantham to the Southern Football League Midland League title but resigned a week later in May 1998 as the club's takeover by local businessman Reg Brearley resulted in budget cuts. He had a short spell playing for Gresley Rovers after signing in July, making seven appearances for the club. He took over at King's Lynn
King's Lynn F.C.
King's Lynn F.C. was an English football club based in King's Lynn, Norfolk. Established in 1879, they were wound up at the High Court on 25 November 2009 with debts of £77,000 and went out of business in December after a failed appeal...
as player-manager in September but resigned from this post on 8 November 2000. He returned to playing after signing for Football Conference
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
club Boston United
Boston United F.C.
Boston United Football Club are an association football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. They currently play in the Conference North. The club is known as 'the Pilgrims' in reference to the Pilgrim Fathers, who fled from Boston to the USA and founded Boston, Massachusetts. The club's...
on 11 November. He made eight appearances for the club before being appointed player-manager of Southern Football League Premier Division side Tamworth
Tamworth F.C.
Tamworth Football Club are an English semi-professional football club based in the town of Tamworth, Staffordshire. Nicknamed 'The Lambs', they are currently members of the Conference National, the fifth highest tier in the English league system....
on 12 January 2001. After Tamworth missed out on promotion to the Conference on the final day of the 2001–02, finishing two points behind champions Kettering Town
Kettering Town F.C.
Kettering Town Football Club are a football club originating in Kettering, Northamptonshire but currently based in the nearby village of Irthlingborough. The club play in the Conference National after winning the Conference North in 2007–08...
in the Southern Football League Premier Division, Mills left Tamworth in May 2002 to become first team coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
at First Division club Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
.
Notts County
Mills replaced Bill DeardenBill Dearden
William Dearden is an English football manager, most recently at Mansfield Town prior to his departure in March 2008. Dearden also managed the Stags between 1999 and 2002, as well as managing Notts County, and having a four-day spell as joint caretaker manager of Port Vale in 1999...
as manager of Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
side Notts County
Notts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
on 7 January 2004, but despite an improvement in results he could not prevent the club's relegation
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
to League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
. The 2004–05 season began disappointingly and Mills was sacked on 4 November 2004.
Alfreton Town
Following a return to playing with GlapwellGlapwell F.C.
Glapwell F.C. are a football club based in Glapwell, near Chesterfield in Derbyshire, England.-History:The club were formed in 1985 and joined the Central Midlands Football League Division One in 1989. They reached the 2nd round of the FA Vase in the 1996–97 season...
he was appointed manager of Conference North
Conference North
The Conference North also known as Blue Square Bet North for sponsorship reasons, is a division of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National. Along with Conference South it is at Step 2 of the National League System and the sixth overall tier of...
team Alfreton Town
Alfreton Town F.C.
Alfreton Town F.C. is an English football club based in Alfreton, Derbyshire. The club was reformed after a merger between Alfreton Miners Welfare and Alfreton United in 1959...
on a three-year contract on 25 May 2005, becoming the first full-time manager in the club's history. He made 24 appearances for the club between 2005 and 2006 as player-manager.
Return to Tamworth
Mills left Alfreton to return to Tamworth, who were now in the Conference National, for a second spell as manager on 26 January 2007. He joined with the club bottom of the table and following his appointment he said "It feels fantastic to be back. It is an amazing football club that means a lot to me". However, he was unable to keep the club up, adding a second relegation to his managerial CV.Mills was named Conference North Manager of the Month for September 2008, with Tamworth achieving three straight league wins following a draw away at in-form Alfreton. He won the award again for March 2009 after Tamworth were top of the table with five wins and two draws, including a 1–0 victory at title rivals Southport
Southport F.C.
Southport Football Club are an English football club, based in Southport, Merseyside. They are currently in the Conference National, and play their home matches at Haig Avenue, which has a capacity of 6,008...
. Mills led Tamworth to promotion back into the Conference after winning the Conference North title in the 2008–09
2008–09 in English football
The 2008–09 season was the 129th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City and Hull City were all playing in the Premier League after winning promotion from the Championship last season. Stoke returned to the top flight after a 23-year absence, while...
season and this was confirmed with a 1–0 victory over local rivals Hinckley United
Hinckley United F.C.
Hinckley United Football Club are an English football club, from Hinckley, Leicestershire currently playing in the Conference North. Formed only in 1997, the club has risen from the Southern League Midland/West Division to the Conference North in those 14 years...
on 21 April 2009. The final game of that season against AFC Telford United
A.F.C. Telford United
A.F.C. Telford United are an English football club based in Telford, Shropshire, playing in the Conference National league at the fifth level of the English football pyramid. The club plays its home matches in Wellington, which forms part of the new town of Telford...
saw Mills come out of retirement after he came on as a second half substitute for Alex Rodman. Mills received a standing ovation from the travelling faithful in the process. After the end of the season he was named the Conference North Manager of the Year.
York City
Mills left Tamworth after being appointed manager of fellow Conference team York CityYork City F.C.
York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Conference National, the fifth tier of English football. Founded in 1922, they joined the Football League in 1929, and have spent most of their history in the lower divisions...
on 13 October 2010. Following his appointment, Mills said "It's a fantastic football club and one that I'm privileged to be manager of". His first game in charge was a 1–1 draw with Bath City
Bath City F.C.
Bath City Football Club are a semi-professional football club based in Bath, Somerset. They play in the Conference National league after gaining promotion from the Conference South via the play-offs in May 2010...
on 16 October. He was named Conference Manager of the Month for November after York went through an unbeaten period of seven matches.
Mills' York made a surprising playoff charge from January onwards, averagely gaining the second largest number of points per game in 2011, and by mid-March had cemented themselves just below the playoff positions. However, defeats at home to Tamworth
Tamworth F.C.
Tamworth Football Club are an English semi-professional football club based in the town of Tamworth, Staffordshire. Nicknamed 'The Lambs', they are currently members of the Conference National, the fifth highest tier in the English league system....
and away at Darlington
Darlington F.C.
Darlington Football Club is a professional association football club based in Darlington, County Durham, currently playing in the Conference National. The club was founded in 1883, and originally played its games at Feethams, before moving to the Darlington Arena in 2003...
denied them a playoff position. Mills' made a statement of intent to win the Blue Square bet Premier title for the 2011/12 campaign shortly afterwards.
Leicester City
- Football League First DivisionFootball League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
play-offs winner: 1993–94 - Football League First DivisionFootball League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
play-offs runner-up (2): 1991–92, 1992–93
Tamworth
- Conference NorthConference NorthThe Conference North also known as Blue Square Bet North for sponsorship reasons, is a division of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National. Along with Conference South it is at Step 2 of the National League System and the sixth overall tier of...
champions: 2008–09 - Southern Football LeagueSouthern Football LeagueThe Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
Premier Division runner-up: 2001–02
Individual
- Conference North Manager of the Year (1): 2008–09
- Conference North Manager of the Month (2): September 2008, March 2009
- Conference National Manager of the Month (1): November 2010
Managerial statistics
| Team | Nation | From | Grantham Town Grantham Town F.C. Grantham Town F.C. is a football club, based in Grantham, Lincolnshire, currently playing in the Northern Premier League Division One South. They are nicknamed The Gingerbreads and they play their home matches at the South Kesteven Sports Stadium . They were established in August 1874... | July 1996 | May 1998 | 102 | 62 | 16 | 24 | 60.8 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King's Lynn King's Lynn F.C. King's Lynn F.C. was an English football club based in King's Lynn, Norfolk. Established in 1879, they were wound up at the High Court on 25 November 2009 with debts of £77,000 and went out of business in December after a failed appeal... |
September 1998 | 8 November 2000 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | |||||
| Tamworth Tamworth F.C. Tamworth Football Club are an English semi-professional football club based in the town of Tamworth, Staffordshire. Nicknamed 'The Lambs', they are currently members of the Conference National, the fifth highest tier in the English league system.... |
12 January 2001 | May 2002 | 71 | 40 | 20 | 11 | 56.3 | |||||
| Notts County Notts County F.C. Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system... |
7 January 2004 | 4 November 2004 | 40 | 10 | 11 | 19 | 25.0 | |||||
| Alfreton Town Alfreton Town F.C. Alfreton Town F.C. is an English football club based in Alfreton, Derbyshire. The club was reformed after a merger between Alfreton Miners Welfare and Alfreton United in 1959... |
25 May 2005 | 26 January 2007 | 76 | 21 | 27 | 28 | 27.7 | |||||
| Tamworth Tamworth F.C. Tamworth Football Club are an English semi-professional football club based in the town of Tamworth, Staffordshire. Nicknamed 'The Lambs', they are currently members of the Conference National, the fifth highest tier in the English league system.... |
26 January 2007 | 13 October 2010 | 191 | 77 | 50 | 64 | 40.3 | |||||
| York City York City F.C. York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Conference National, the fifth tier of English football. Founded in 1922, they joined the Football League in 1929, and have spent most of their history in the lower divisions... |
13 October 2010 | Present | 60 | 29 | 17 | 14 | 48.3 | |||||
| Total | 540 | 239 | 141 | 160 | 44.3 | |||||||