Gary Warren (footballer)

Gary Warren

Personal information
Full name	Gary Warren
Date of birth	(1984-08-16) 16 August 1984
Place of birth	Bristol, England
Position(s)	Defender
Team information
Current team	Inverness Caledonian Thistle
Number	5
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2002–2006	Mangotsfield United	164	(11)
2006–2009	Team Bath	35	(6)
2009–2012	Newport County	76	(9)
2012–	Inverness CT	102	(9)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:39, 3 October 2015 (UTC)

Gary Warren (born 16 August 1984) is an English footballer who plays as a defender for Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the Scottish Premiership.

Club career

Warren's football career began at Mangotsfield United in the Southern League, for whom he played between 2002 and 2006. He rose up through the youth & reserve ranks to the first team and made his debut for Mangotsfield away to Evesham United on 1 April 2003. He played a pivotol role in the team's 2004–2005 Southern League – Western Division championship-winning side. His career record with Mangotsfield totaled 164 appearances with 11 goals.
In the summer transfer window of 2006, Warren went on trial at Bristol Rovers, with a view to permanent contract, but he eventually opted to join Team Bath.

Newport County

In July 2009, following the disbandment of Team Bath, Warren signed for Newport County, then in the Conference South. He made his debut against Mansfield Town. Warren was immediately a regular for Newport and was appointed captain. In the 2009–10 season Newport County were crowned Conference South champions with a record 103 points, 28 points ahead of second-placed Dover Athletic.
In the 2010–11 season, Warren was linked with a £10k move to League Two side Cheltenham Town. This bid was rejected, with manager Anthony Hudson criticising Cheltenham for their offer, describing it as a 'insult'. Hudson also insisted the club had no plans to sell Warren.
On 12 May 2012, Warren played for Newport in the FA Trophy Final at Wembley Stadium – a match they lost 2–0 to York City. Nevertheless, in the build-up to the final Warren had stated it was a boyhood dream to play at Wembley.

Inverness Caledonian Thistle

At the end of the 2011–12 season, Warren's contract at Newport expired. Despite being offered a new contract he chose to move on to Inverness Caledonian Thistle. For Newport County, Warren's departure was the end-of-an-era as he was the last of Dean Holdsworth's team to depart. Upon joining Inverness, Warren said he signed for the club because he 'couldn't say no' to playing under manager Terry Butcher.

In the opening game of the season, Warren made his debut in a 2–2 draw against St Mirren. Two-months later on 22 December 2012, Warren scored his first goal for Inverness in a 4–1 win over Dundee. In the quarter-final of Scottish League Cup, he scored his second goal in a 3–0 win over Rangers to reach the semi-finals. In the first part of the season, Warren and his team-mates struggled as the club found themselves near the foot of the table, but the fans soon began to see the best of him. His second league goal came in a 3–2 win over Aberdeen on 27 November 2012, followed up two-weeks later when he scored in a 4–4 thriller against Dundee United. In late December 2012, Warren said his future in Scotland was uncertain due to personal issues. However, three-months later, Warren signed a new two-year deal. Prior to signing the new contract, Warren scored a 'brace' as Inverness beat Heart of Midlothian 3–2.

The 2013–14 season started positively for Warren. Alongside Josh Meekings in central defence and new goalkeeper Dean Brill, he helped Inverness keep three consecutive clean sheets in their opening matches, before eventually conceding in a 2–2 draw against Celtic on 24 August 2013. In October, Warren scored his first goal of the season, a header, in a 2–1 loss against Partick Thistle. He then scored in the next match, equalising against Dundee United in the quarter-final of the Scottish League Cup. Inverness CT won through after extra-time to reach the semi-finals. However, in the semi-final against Hearts, he was sent-off. Despite this, Inverness CT won in a penalty-shootout, but Warren's dismissal meant he missed the final through suspension. An attempt to overturn his ban was unsuccessful. On 22 February 2014, he scored in a 1–0 win over St Johnstone, giving Inverness their first victory in Perth in three years. Warren watched from the sidelined in the Scottish Cup Final against Aberdeen, as Inverness CT lose 4-2 in the penalty shoot-out. Following this, Warren made his return in the first team, as he made forty appearance and scoring three times in all competitions. In May 2014, Warren signed a further contract extension, committing himself to the club until 2017.

The 2014–15 season started positively for Warren. Alongside Josh Meekings in central defence, Warren enjoyed the club's playing style that made him a better player. Warren then scored his first Inverness CT goal on 8 November 2014, in a 4-2 win over Hamilton Academical. Warren scored his second goal of the season, in the fourth round replay of Scottish Cup, in a 4-1 win over St Mirren on 2 December 2014. Warren was then sent-off in a match against Dundee United at the last minute after being involved in an incident with Nadir Çiftçi, in a 1-1 draw on 24 February 2015. He was again unfortunate to be suspended for the final of the Scottish Cup, after picking-up a caution in the semi-final against Celtic. After the match, Warren expressed disappointment not to play in the final again, though he accepted the decision to not to play in the final. Despite this, Warren assisted a goal for Meekings for the first before scoring the third goal of the game himself, in a 3-0 win over Dundee United. Once again, Warren watched from the sidelines, as Inverness Caledonian Thistle won 2-1 against Falkirk to win the final for the first time. Following the match, Warren celebrated with his team-mates and was given a medal. Warren went on to make forty-one appearance and scoring three times in all competitions.

External links

• Gary Warren at Soccerway