Ciaran Patrick Gilligan (born 5 February 2002) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for club Burton Albion. Born in England, he has represented the Republic of Ireland as a youth international.
Club career Born in Derby, Gilligan signed his first professional contract with Burton in June 2020. Gilligan joined Burton Albion's academy at under-8 level. He broke into the club's first team in the 2020–21 season, and made his full debut for the club in a 3–3 EFL Trophy draw against Peterborough United on 8 September 2020. He made his first League One start on 17 October 2020 against Bristol Rovers. In doing so, he became the first Burton player to progress through every age group of Burton's youth system before appearing in the first team. In November 2020, Gilligan signed a new contract with the club, valid until summer 2022, with the option for a further year. Over the course of the season, he made 22 appearances, 18 of which were in the league. He missed a number of games during the second half of the 2021–22 season through a hamstring injury. In April 2022, he signed a new contract until summer 2024. He made 10 appearances over the 2021–22 season in total. Gilligan picked up a further hamstring injury in September 2022.
On 10 February 2024, he scored his first senior goal with a "looping shot" in a 2–1 win away at Bristol Rovers.
On 17 October 2025, Gilligan joined National League club Aldershot Town on loan for the remainder of the season. On 16 January 2026, it was announced that Gilligan had returned to Burton Albion following the early conclusion of his loan.
International career Gilligan was called up to a training camp for the Republic of Ireland under-19 team in May 2021. In March 2022, he was called up to the under-20 team for a fixture against an Ireland Amateurs team.
Career statistics
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueFA CupEFL CupOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsBurton Albion2020–21League One1800010302202021–22League One800000201002022–23League One60000020802023–24League One1511010201912024–25League One1201000301602025–26League One1000101030Total6012030130781Aldershot Town (loan)2025–26National League4110—1061Career total6423030140842
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