Player profile

Gary Ablett

Birthdate: 19.11.1965
Birthplace: Aigburth, Liverpool England
Other clubs: Derby County (loan), Hull City (loan), Everton, Sheffield United (loan), Birmingham City, Wycombe Wanderers (loan), Blackpool, Long Island Rough Riders (USA)
Bought from: Local
Signed for LFC: 0 Professional 19.11.1983
International caps: 1 England U-21 cap
Liverpool debut: 20.12.1986
Last appearance: 01.01.1992
Debut goal: 18.04.1987
Last goal: 18.04.1987
Contract expiry: 13.01.1992
LFC league games/goals: 109 / 1
Total LFC games/goals: 147 / 1

Player profile

A hard-working defender dedicated to Liverpool's cause who was either at left-back or centre half and started 20 matches in the successful 1987/88 side. Ablett featured in 49 matches in the following season but struggled for a regular place in the 1989/90 championship-season. Souness sold him to Everton for £750,000 in January 1992. Ablett won the FA Cup at Everton when the Blues beat Manchester United in the 1995 final. He wrote his name in the history books by becoming the only player to win the FA Cup at Liverpool and Everton, having won the cup previously in 1989. Ablett went on to make 156 appearances for Everton from 1992-1996 before establishing an excellent understanding with Steve Bruce in the middle of Birmingham's defence from 1996-1998. When Bruce left to become player-manager at Sheffield United, Ablett was appointed captain of the club.

Ablett spent a few years as coach at Everton's academy and in the summer of 2006 he returned to Liverpool as manager of the reserve team. That appointment brought success as under Ablett's guidance Liverpool won the Premier Reserve League North in April 2008 and a month later became national champions by convincingly defeating the Southern champions Aston Villa 3-0 at Anfield. His second season in charge proved to be somewhat of an anti-climax and he was sacked as part of Rafa Benítez' rebuilding of the youth system at Liverpool in the summer of 2009. On 8 July 2009 Gary Ablett was named as the new manager of League One club Stockport County which had a miserable 2009/10 season and were relegated back to League Two. Just over two months later it was announced that Ablett had left the club. 

In the summer of 2010, Ablett was offered a way back into the game by Roy Keane at Ipswich Town, who wanted to add him to his coaching staff at Portman Road. Unfortunately, before he was really able to take up this new post in earnest, Ablett was rushed to hospital after being taken ill on the training ground. It was subsequently confirmed that the 44-year old was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma - the same form of cancer that ex-Arsenal midfielder David Rocastle died from in 2001. Only three days passed from diagnosis to the first session of chemotherapy so it was a massive shock to Gary and his family. Gary fought the disease bravely for 16 months: "I thought it can't be me, it just can't," he recollected. "I felt so strong - I had played for the best two teams in the world, coached for the best two teams in the world. It can't be me. But unfortunately it was. In terms of what I've been through with the different regimes of the chemotherapy, the blood transfusions, the platelet transfusions, eight radiotherapy sessions, the lumber punches and I had a bone marrow transplant in January 2011... the list can go on and on." Gary Ablett passed away on 1 January 2012 only 46 years of age.

Appearances per season

SeasonLeagueFALCEuropeOtherTotal
Totals109181163147
1985-1986 000000
1986-1987 510006
1987-1988 17500022
1988-1989 35660249
1989-1990 15010016
1990-1991 23610131
1991-1992 14036023

A more detailed look at the player's appearances

TotalOpponent
12Everton
10Arsenal
9Nottm For
8Wimbledon
8Coventry
7Man Utd
7Luton
6Sheff Wed
6Tottenham
6Derby
5Aston Villa
5Southampton
5Norwich
5Man City
4QPR
4Charlton
4West Ham
3Millwall
2Crystal Palace
2Brighton
2Middlesbrough
2Newcastle
2Walsall
2Chelsea
2Kuusysi Lahti
2Auxerre
2Swarowski Tirol
1Oldham
1Leeds United
1Stoke
1Portsmouth
1Sunderland
1Hull City
1Sheff Utd
1Carlisle
1Brentford
1Notts County
1Crewe
1Peterborough
1Blackburn
1Port Vale
1Watford
Total Started/substitutions
138 Started
26 On the bench
9 Substitute
3 Substituted

Goals per season

SeasonLeagueFALCEuropeOtherTotal
Totals100001
1985-1986 000000
1986-1987 100001
1987-1988 000000
1988-1989 000000
1989-1990 000000
1990-1991 000000
1991-1992 000000

A more detailed look at the player's goalscoring

TotalStarted/substitutions
1Started
0Substitute
TotalCompetition
1League
TotalGoal minute period
01-15
016-30
031-45
046-60
161-75 minutes
076-90
091-120
TotalOpen play/Penalty
1Open play
0Penalty

Wartime Appearances / Goals

SeasonAppearancesGoals
No records to display.

Stats note

Milestone Appearances

#DateAgainstStadiumCompetition
120.12.1986CharltonSelhurst ParkLeague
5017.12.1988NorwichAnfieldLeague
10010.11.1990LutonAnfieldLeague

Milestone Goals

#MinuteDateAgainstStadiumCompetition
16818.04.1987Nottm ForAnfieldLeague

Related Articles

A snore draw

Match report from British Soccer Week on Manchester United - Liverpool on 06.10.1991.More

Gary Ablett - Tribute To A Mersey Marvel

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Hansen's tribute to Ablett

Alan Hansen has spoken of his sadness following the death of former Liverpool defender Gary Ablett.More

Related Quotes

"I just thought there was no harm in applying so I sent my CV in and a couple of days later Rafa called me and said 'would you like to come in?' I was interviewed for an hour and a half and found it fascinating to be quite truthful. He grilled me on the tactics board so obviously he wanted to see I knew what I was doing. I waited for 10 days, maybe two weeks, before I got another call asking me to come in when he asked me to do a plan of the season for him, which I did for the young players. Four to five days later I was asked to come in again and was told that the job was mine.

I'm under no illusions. I know from the conversations I had with the manager there was some illustrious names who had applied for the job, probably players with a lot more personality, a lot more character and a lot more history with Liverpool Football Club. I think the fact the background I had come from was working with players at Everton for three or four years at under-18 level, that maybe I was the type of personality that Rafa was looking for."

Ablett became Liverpool's reserve team manager in the summer of 2006

"Not in a million years. I was about to become an Everton player and crossing Stanley Park is a very strange feeling. Although I'd always been a Liverpudlian all my thoughts and energies were suddenly focused on Everton and I wanted to prove Liverpool were wrong for letting me go. When I eventually hung up my boots and returned to England it was Everton who gave me my break on the coaching side and that's all I was concentrating on. I would never have dreamt that four years down the line I'd be crossing sides again."

Gary Ablett in March 2007 on if he ever thought he would return to Liverpool again after he left as a player in January 1992

The player was in the squad the following season

SeasonShirt #Position
1985-1986 * Defender
1986-1987 * Defender
1987-1988 * Defender
1988-1989 * Defender
1989-1990 * Defender
1990-1991 * Defender
1991-1992 * Defender
* Note, Since the 1993-94 season players have been allocated a fixed number.

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