Mike Ford

Managerial career During the 1999–2000 season he developed a problem with a disc in his back and was forced to retire. After his retirement he was appointed as youth team manager at Oxford and was called back into action for the team in 2000 when the team faced an injury crisis, making one appearance against Bristol City. Ford also took over as caretaker manager on two separate occasions for Oxford when they were between managers and was working as assistant manager at the club when he was fired in 2003, a decision that caused outrage among Oxford fans. After he was sacked Ford had a spell playing for non-league side Thame United.

Ford was the manager of Conference North football team Oxford City, who gained promotion in the 2011–12 season. He was also working as a football coach at the North Oxfordshire Academy teaching football skills and theory to 16- to 21-year-olds at the Academy sixth form, but is now employed by Oxford and Cherwell Valley College coaching students in the 16–19 age bracket. His team produced 3 or 4 players who helped the Oxford City first team to promotion.

On 30 April 2014, Oxford City announced that Ford would no longer be their first-team manager. After a year out of the game, in May 2015 he was appointed manager of Banbury United in the Southern League Division 1 South & West. He earned promotion to the Southern Premier Division in his first season as manager via the playoffs.

On 29 April 2020, Banbury United announced that Ford would cease to manage the club once his contract expired at the end of the month.

In the summer of 2022, he was appointed as manager of Evesham United in the Southern League Division One.