Gary Mills

Later career Mills joined fellow Conference National side Crawley Town on 10 August 2006, though he also had an unsuccessful trial with League One side Yeovil Town in July.

Mills rejoined Rushden & Diamonds on 9 January 2007 on a short-term contract.

On 25 May 2007 Mills signed for Conference North side Tamworth, managed by namesake Gary Mills. On 24 October, Mills was sacked by Tamworth following an argument with manager Gary Mills. The manager accused Mills of having "no bottle, no balls, and no discipline", regarding the player's lack of effort and reaction to being dropped from the first team. The player Mills, meanwhile, retorted that Tamworth was "the worst club [I have] ever been at."

Mills playing for Stevenage Borough in the 2009 FA Trophy final. Mills signed for Stevenage Borough on 13 May 2008, having been previously managed by manager Graham Westley whilst he was at Rushden & Diamonds. Boro qualified for the Conference Premier play-offs, losing out 4–3 on aggregate to Cambridge United in the semi-finals.

On 26 May 2009, Mills rejected a contract offer from Stevenage Borough to sign for Mansfield Town on a two-year deal. He was appointed as team captain, though was made available for loan in January 2010 after three months out of the first XI. He was replaced as captain by Luke Foster, though managed to return to the starting line-up by the end of the 2009–10 season.

In October 2010, Mills signed for fellow Conference side Forest Green Rovers on a one-month loan deal. He left Mansfield by mutual consent on 12 January 2011.

On 13 January 2011, Mills was signed by Rushden & Diamonds manager Justin Edinburgh for his third spell at the club. He said that "I'm delighted to be back. I never wanted to leave".

Mills joined Bath City on a one-year deal on 23 May 2011. He played four games before finding himself surplus to requirements at Twerton Park.

After leaving Bath, Mills signed for Conference North outfit, Nuneaton Town. On 13 May 2012, Mills was a part of the Nuneaton side that was victorious in the Conference North play-off final to earn promotion to the Conference National.

On 21 May 2012, Mills signed a one-year contract with Lincoln City. He was named as team captain by manager David Holdsworth. He left the club by mutual consent on 4 March 2013, three months after sustaining a serious knee injury.

In May 2013, Mills joined Boston United, though only featured in one Lincolnshire Senior Cup game. In August 2013, he joined King's Lynn Town, managed by former Rushden teammate Gary Setchell, on a three-month loan deal.

Style of play Mills was a midfielder who harassed and pressured opponents, breaking up play and passing the ball on to teammates.

Coaching career Mills was assistant manager to Kevin Wilkin at Wrexham from May 2014 until March 2015, when he and Wilkin both left the club following defeat in the 2015 FA Trophy final. Mills was appointed as manager at Northern Premier League Division One South club Rugby Town on 13 May 2015. He won one of his seven league games in charge. He played two league games. He resigned on 11 September.

In June 2016, Mills returned to his former club, King's Lynn Town, as player-coach. He was promoted to assistant manager in September 2016. On 19 October 2016, Mills was appointed as the manager of Southern League Division One Central side Corby Town. He was sacked on 9 April 2017 after a run of five games without a win that left the Steelman 21st in the table.

He then joined Northampton Town within their academy set-up as the lead coach at under-16 level. He joined St Ives Town as a coach in July 2020. In December 2022, he was appointed lead professional development coach at Coventry City, joining the club from Milton Keynes Dons where he had held a similar position. In September 2023, Mills was appointed first-team coach at League One club Burton Albion. Following the sacking of Dino Maamria on 9 December 2023, Mills was appointed caretaker manager. He returned to his role of first-team coach following the appointment of Martin Paterson on 11 January 2024. On 31 May 2024, Mills departed Burton Albion following the departure of Paterson. He joined Steve Evans coaching staff at Rotherham United in July 2024, departing alongside Evans in March 2025. He returned to his coaching role at Milton Keynes Dons. He joined Port Vale as assistant to new manager Jon Brady in January 2026.

Personal life His son, Harley, turned professional at Peterborough United.

Career statistics Playing statistics

Honours Rushden & Diamonds Football Conference: 2000–01

Kettering Town Conference North: 2007–08

Stevenage Borough FA Trophy: 2008–09

Nuneaton Town Conference North play-offs: 2011–12