Gary Brabin

Early career

Brabin began his senior career with Fourth Division side Stockport County, making three appearances under Danny Bergara during the 1989–90 season. He played just one further match at Edgeley Park in the 1990–91 campaign before leaving the "Hatters" and dropping into the Northern Premier League with Tony Lee's Gateshead following a successful loan period at the Gateshead International Stadium. He then left the "Tynesiders" and joined Conference club Runcorn, who struggled in the 1991–92 and 1992–93 seasons, before he helped the "Linnets" to a fifth-place finish in 1993–94. He also made two appearances at Wembley Stadium in the 1993 and 1994 FA Trophy finals as Runcorn lost out 4–1 to Wycombe Wanderers and then 2–1 to Woking. He worked as a bouncer during his time at Runcorn.

Doncaster Rovers and Bury

Brabin departed Canal Street and made a return to the Football League after being signed by Doncaster Rovers manager Sammy Chung for a £45,000 fee in July 1994. He also played three games for the England C team against Wales, Finland and Norway. He went on to score eight goals from 33 appearances for "Donny" throughout the 1994–95 season. Brabin was sent off three times in the second half of the campaign, having already been dismissed against Rochdale earlier in the season. The suspensions caused him to miss a significant number of matches. He curbed his disciplinary problems and added three goals from 34 games in the 1995–96 campaign before he left…

Brabin was a midfielder, but could also play at centre back due to his heading ability. He had a poor disciplinary record.

Southport

On 8 April 2008, Brabin was appointed manager of Southport on a contract running until the end of the 2007–08 season, replacing Peter Davenport. He guided the "Sandgrounders" into the Conference North play-offs, where they were beaten by Stalybridge Celtic in the penalty shoot-out after a 2–2 aggregate draw over the two legs of the semi-final.

Cambridge United

On 23 June 2008, Brabin was named as manager of Cambridge United on a two-year contract, taking over from Jimmy Quinn. He led the "U's" to runners-up spot in the Conference at the end of the 2008–09 season, finishing just two points behind Burton Albion. United defeated Stevenage Borough in the play-off semi-finals but were beaten 2–0 by Torquay United in the play-off final at Wembley Stadium. The following month he was named as the Conference Premier Manager of the Year. However, he was sacked from his post at the Abbey Stadium on 13 July 2009 following a series of disputes with the club's board.

Luton Town

Brabin was appointed as chief scout at Luton Town in October 2009. In May 2010, he was named as Luton's assistant manager, taking over from Alan Neilson. He was promoted to manager at Kenilworth Road until the end of the 2010–11 season after Richard Money left the club on 28 March 2011. Brabin secured Luton's place in the Conference Premier play-offs, leading them to a 5–1 aggregate victory over Wrexham in the semi-finals. In the final at the City of Manchester Stadium, Luton…

Playing statistics

Managerial statistics