Gary Clayton is an English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 former professional footballer. He also represented the England semi-professional football team.

Clayton began his career as an apprentice at Rotherham United

Rotherham United F.C.

Rotherham United Football Club are an English professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, although these have evolved through history...

, but on failing to make the grade drifted into non-league football. He was working as a plasterer

Plasterer

A plasterer is a tradesman who works with plaster, such as forming a layer of plaster on an interior wall or plaster decorative moldings on ceilings or walls...

 and playing for Gainsborough Trinity

Gainsborough Trinity F.C.

Gainsborough Trinity Football Club are an English football club based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire.Between 1896 and 1912 they were members of the Football League. They are currently in the Conference North, and play their home matches at The Northolme, which has a capacity of 4,304...

 when he moved to Burton Albion

Burton Albion F.C.

Burton Albion Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. The club's home ground is the Pirelli Stadium, having moved from Eton Park in 2005...

, then managed by Neil Warnock

Neil Warnock

Neil Warnock is an English former footballer who is currently manager of English Premier League club Queens Park Rangers....

, for a fee of £1,000. He left to join Doncaster Rovers

Doncaster Rovers F.C.

Doncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.The club was founded in...

 in August 1986, a relative latecomer to the professional game. He was a regular in his first season and moved to Cambridge United

Cambridge United F.C.

Cambridge United Football Club is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. They are currently playing the 2011-2012 season in the Conference National, the fifth tier of the English league system, where they have competed since 2005 following their relegation from the Football League...

 the following June for £10,000. He spent almost 7 years at the Abbey Stadium, other than a brief loan spell with Peterborough United

Peterborough United F.C.

Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is...

 in January 1991, scoring 17 times in 179 league games as Cambridge rose through the Football League. In February 1994 he joined Neil Warnock's Huddersfield Town

Huddersfield Town F.C.

Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...

, costing the Terriers £20,000. In June 1995, Warnock took over at Plymouth Argyle

Plymouth Argyle F.C.

Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...

, with Clayton following in August, Chris Billy and £125,000 accompanying Clayton to Plymouth in exchange for Paul Dalton

Paul Dalton

Paul Dalton is an English former footballer, who played as a midfielder.-Playing career:Born in Middlesbrough, Dalton started his career at non-league Brandon United, before moving to the academy of Manchester United in 1988...

. A regular in his first season at Home Park, he missed most of the following campaign with a knee injury and was released at the end of the season.

At the start of the pre-season period, he rejoined Plymouth to coach the reserves, but on proving his fitness re-signed for Argyle on non-contract terms. He turned down a move to Leyton Orient

Leyton Orient F.C.

Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...

 to remain in Devon

Devon

Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...

, and joined Torquay United

Torquay United F.C.

Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...

 on a free transfer on the 21st of August 1997 as a replacement for the recently departed Charlie Oatway

Charlie Oatway

Anthony Philip David Terry Frank Donald Stanley Gerry Gordon Stephen James Oatway , more commonly known as Charlie Oatway, is an English former footballer. Oatway retired from the professional game in August 2007. He was assistant manager and a player at Havant & Waterlooville but departed the club...

. He scored twice in 56 league games for the Gulls before retiring from league football. He now resides in his home town, Sheffield.

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