Gary Robert Warren (born 16 August 1984) is a retired English footballer who played as a defender. He was a stalwart for Inverness Caledonian Thistle during seven seasons, establishing himself as a club legend. After ending his professional football career, Warren became a Head of Professional Academy at Scottish Premiership club Ross County. He returned to England to join Weston-super-Mare as the Head of Academy and Recruitment.
Club career Mangotsfield United Born in Bristol, England, Warren's football career began at Mangotsfield United in the Southern League, where he rose up through the youth & reserve ranks to the first team. Warren made his debut for Mangotsfield United away to Evesham United on 1 April 2003. He quickly became a first team regular at the club for whom he played between 2002 and 2006.
Warren played a pivotal role in the team's 2004–2005 Southern League – Western Division championship-winning side. For his performance, he was named Mangotsfield United's player-of-the-year by the club's supporters. His performance throughout the 2005–06 season saw him linked a move away from Mangotsfield United, with the club rejecting two bids for him. On 30 September 2006, Warren signed a contract with Mangotsfield United. He then became a captain for the side along the way. His career record with Mangotsfield totalled 164 appearances with 11 goals.
Team Bath In the summer transfer window of 2006, Warren went on trial at Bristol Rovers, with a view to permanent contract and even played a friendly match against Mangotsfield United. However, manager Paul Trollope opted to sign Byron Anthony over him and he eventually opted to join Team Bath.
Warren quickly became a first team regular for the club and captained the side during his time there. Warren captained Team Bath to play-off promotion and played a pivotal part in the university's rise to conference football. Team Bath folded in his last year and Warren then joined Newport County after interest from a number of clubs including Hereford United.
Newport County On 1 June 2009, following the disbandment of Team Bath, Warren signed for Newport County, then in the Conference South. The club tried to sign him two years ago but the move never happen, due to they had to pay a transfer fee to Team Bath, as he was under 24.
2009–10 season Warren made his debut for Newport County, in a friendly match against Mansfield Town on 19 July 2009. He made his league debut for the club, starting the whole game, in a 0–0 draw against Bishop's Stortford in the opening game of the season. In a follow–up match against Hampton & Richmond Borough, Warren played in the right–back position. He captained Newport County for the first time, in a 0–0 draw against Dorchester Town on 18 August 2009. Since joining the club, Warren was immediately a regular for Newport County, forming a centre–back partnership with Aaron Cook. At times, he played in the right–back position in absence of Paul Bignot. On 29 August 2009, Warren scored his first goal for the club, in a 3–1 win against Maidenhead United.
However, he suffered a groin injury and stomach strain that saw him out for five matches. On 9 November 2009, Warren returned from injury, starting the whole game, in a 2–1 win against Dover Athletic. After the match, manager Dean Holdsworth praised his performance, saying: "He's immense, I could talk about him all day, he's fantastic, and it's difficult to pick one out, one and all it was a brilliant performance." Due to the absence of Cook from the starting eleven, Warren was appointed captain for Newport County. Following his return from injury, he continued to regain his first team place, forming a centre–back position with Alton Thelwell and Paul Cochlin.
On 9 December 2009, Warren scored his second goal for Newport County, in a 5–0 win against Thurrock. On 16 December 2009, he signed a contract extension with the club, keeping him until 2012. On 29 December 2009, Warren scored his third goal of the season, in a 3–0 win against Dorchester Town. On 23 January 2010, he scored his fourth goal of the season, in a 5–0 win against St Albans City. However in a 4–0 win against Hampton & Richmond on 20 February 2010, Warren suffered a knee injury, resulting in his substitution in the 48th minute and did not play throughout February. On 3 March 2010, he made his return from injury, starting the whole game as captain, in a 5–1 win against Basingstoke Town. On 15 March 2010, Warren led the club to beat Havant & Waterlooville 2–0 at Newport Stadium with seven league games remaining to seal their promotion to Conference Premier. In a follow–up match, he scored his fifth goal of the season, in a 2–1 loss against Thurrock.
However, Warren suffered a groin injury that required a surgery once the season was concluded. But he returned to the starting line–up as captain, in a 4–1 win against Maidenhead United on 3 April 2010. His recurring injury that saw him out briefly. On 17 April 2010, Warren returned to the starting line–up, in a 3–0 win against Dover Athletic. He led Newport County crown as Conference South champions with a record 103 points, 28 points ahead of second-placed Dover Athletic. At the end of the 2009–10 season, Warren made forty–one appearances and scoring five times in all competitions. For his performances, he was handed the Conference South player of the year and selected as Newport County's Player of the Year for the 2009–10 season. Warren was also named the Conference South Team of the Year.
2010–11 season At the start of the 2010–11 season, however, Warren suffered a groin injury that could see him out for a while. But he recovered in time and started the whole game, in a 1–0 loss against Darlington in the opening game of the season. Warren continued to remain in the first team, playing in the centre–back position with Chris Todd. He also continued to retain his captaincy as Newport County along the way.
On 21 September 2010, Warren scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–1 win against Hayes & Yeading United. In a match against Eastbourne Borough on 5 October 2010, however, he was sent–off in the 7th minute, for giving a penalty, in a 3–3 draw against Eastbourne Borough. After serving a one match suspension, Warren returned to the starting line–up, in a 3–2 win against Crawley Town on 16 October 2010. On 6 November 2010, Warren scored his second goal of the season, in a 2–1 loss against Barrow. After missing one match due to an injury, he returned to the first team, coming on as an 83rd-minute substitute, in a 2–0 win against Southport on 20 November 2010. However, in a match against Southport on 8 January 2011, Warren suffered a concussion and was substituted at half-time, as Newport County loss 2–1. In a follow–up match against Tamworth, he received a straight red card at the last minute of the game, as the club loss 3–2. After serving a four match suspension, Warren returned to the starting line–up, in a 1–1 draw against Luton Town on 18 February 2011.
Initially, Warren lost his place due to the form of Todd and Jamie Collins. He slowly regained his first team place, playing in the right–back position before returning back to playing in the centre–back position. On 26 February 2011, Warren scored an own-goal, in a 2–0 loss against Kettering Town. He scored against Fleetwood Town and Altrincham on 5 March 2011 and 12 March 2011 respectively. Warren scored against Barrow and Altrincham on 16 April 2011 and 23 April 2011, putting his tally to six goals this season. At the end of the 2010–11 season, he made forty–four appearances and scoring six times in all competitions.
Warren acknowledged that the departure of Dean Holdsworth led Newport County failing to earn a spot in the playoffs. He was linked with a move to a number of clubs including Blackpool, then managed by Ian Holloway and also a £10k move to League Two side Cheltenham Town. This bid was rejected, with manager Anthony Hudson criticising Cheltenham Town for their offer, describing it as an 'insult'. Hudson also insisted Newport County had no plans to sell Warren.
2011–12 season Ahead of the 2011–12 season, Newport County revealed that Warren is one of several players committed at the club, with their aim for promotion to League Two. On 6 July 2011, he stayed on at the club for another season. Warren missed the first four league matches, due to international commitment. On 27 August 2011, he made his first appearance of the season, starting the whole game, in a 2–1 loss against Telford United. In a follow–up match against Kidderminster Harriers, however, Warren received a straight red card in the 37th minute for a foul on Steve Guinan, as the club loss 3–1. But he returned to the starting line–up, in a 1–0 loss against Cambridge United.
Since returning from his international commitment, Warren continued to regain his first team place, playing in the centre–back position with Ismail Yakubu and Wayne Hatswell, as well as, regaining his captaincy. However, he suffered a back injury that had been recurring since late–October and did not play for three matches. On 29 November 2011, Warren made his return to the starting line–up and set up a goal for Yakubu, who went on to score twice, in a 4–0 win against Hayes & Yeading United. After the match, manager Justin Edinburgh praised his performance, saying: "He came in and did fantastic. I feel slightly for Hats because he hasn't put a foot wrong but with the games coming as quick as they are at the moment I felt he needed a rest. Gary is an influential figure and he's a winner." On 6 December 2011, he scored his first goal of the season, in a 3–2 loss against Alfreton Town.
Prior to the match against Bath City on 3 January 2012, Warren said the match must be a win game for Newport County. When the match took place, he went on to score his second goal of the season, in a 3–2 loss. After the match, Warren said: "We conceded a goal after 40 seconds of the second half and we had a mountain to climb then. It's very disappointing. We let ourselves down." However, in a match against Mansfield Town on 18 February 2012, he suffered a hamstring injury and was substituted at half-time, as the club won 1–0. After missing two matches, Warren returned to the starting line–up, in a 1–1 draw against Southport on 3 March 2012. In a follow–up match against Braintree Town, he scored his third goal of the season, in a 4–3 loss. In a match against Cambridge United on 20 March 2012, however, Warren suffered ankle injury and was substituted in the 68th minute, as the match ended in a 1–1 draw. After missing one match, he made his return to the starting line–up, in a 1–0 win against Gateshead on 31 March 2012.
However, his return was short lived when Warren suffered ankle injury that saw him out for three matches. After missing two matches, he made his return to the starting line–up, in a 0–0 draw against Darlington on 17 April 2012. In the last game of the season against Barrow, Warren suffered a hamstring injury and was substituted in the 52nd minute, as Newport County loss 3–1. But he recovered from his injury. On 12 May 2012, Warren played for the club in the FA Trophy Final at Wembley Stadium – a match they lost 2–0 to York City. At the end of the 2011–12 season, he made forty–three appearances and scoring three times in all competitions.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle