Former Lincoln City captain joins League One strugglers

 Former Lincoln City captain Gary Mills has been confirmed as part of new Port Vale boss Jon Brady’s backroom staff, joining as Assistant First-Team Manager.

Mills is a familiar name to City supporters, having worn the armband during his playing career at Sincil Bank, and he now returns to the dugout with extensive coaching experience behind him.

The remainder of the coaching staff has also been confirmed. After taking interim charge at Vale Park, Jamie Smith will remain in post as Lead First-Team Coach, working alongside First-Team Coach Simon Ireland and Goalkeeping Coach Gary Walsh.

Mills’ Journey from Player to Coach

Mills started his career at Coventry City’s academy and played for various teams, including Rushden & Diamonds, Crawley Town, Stevenage Borough, Mansfield Town, Tamworth and, of course, Lincoln City.

Mills had an interesting career. He left Tamworth after falling out with his namesake, who described him as having “no bottle, no balls, and no discipline,” regarding the player’s lack of effort. In return, Mills, the player, gave his own damning assessment of the situation and the club itself, stating that Tamworth was “the worst club I have ever been at.”

He joined Lincoln in 2012 under David Holdsworth and was given the captaincy. He left in March 2013 by mutual consent, having been injured for three months. He made a total of 24 appearances and was complimentary of his time at City, saying, “I thoroughly enjoyed my time here as captain and would like to wish the club every success for the future.”

It’s fair to say we weren’t huge fans of his. In my 2017 book, Lincoln City Who’s Who 1993-2016, I wrote:

‘Mills was billed as the type of player that does the unseen work, the harassing and pressuring of opponents, the simple distribution of the ball and the constant breaking up of play.

“If this was the case, he was really good at it, because it was completely unseen in his 24 outings for Lincoln. What we did see was a lot of pointing and shouting, which is good for a captain, but a lack of actual touches tarnishes that somewhat.

“He became a figure of derision and didn’t do himself any favours with his often abrasive and confrontational style on social media.”

Since finishing his career, the 44-year-old has taken coaching roles in other clubs, including Wrexham, Northampton Town, King’s Lynn, MK Dons, Coventry City and most recently, Burton Albion. He’ll now join a Port Vale side who need a miracle to stave off the threat of League Two football again next season.