Gregory Stephen Abbott (born 14 December 1963) is an English football coach and former player who is the head of recruitment of Carlisle United.
He played as a right back or midfielder. Abbott was the manager of Carlisle United from December 2008 until September 2013.
Born in Coventry, Abbott started his career with his hometown team Coventry City. He was released without playing a game but recommended to Bradford City, where he won the Division Three title in the 1984–85 season and went on to play more than 300 games. He had spells with Halifax Town and non-league Guiseley before he returned to The Football League with former manager Terry Dolan at Hull City. He spent four seasons with Hull playing another 100 games to take his career total to in excess of 500 first team matches.
After retiring, he went into coaching. He spent a decade at Leeds United coaching a number of junior and reserve sides, before he was appointed assistant manager of Carlisle United in 2006. He spent a brief spell as caretaker manager in 2007. He was given the job full-time in December 2008, after the dismissal of John Ward.
Playing career
Coventry City
Abbott was born in Coventry, Warwickshire, on 14 December 1963. He started his football career with his hometown club Coventry City, first signing schoolboy forms, before becoming an apprentice in June 1980. He developed through the junior and reserve teams to sign a professional contract in January 1982 but at the end of the season he was given a free transfer without making a league appearance for the Division One side. The youth development team at Coventry City instead recommended Abbott to Bradford City, where he was given a trial in July, before earning a one-year contract at the newly promoted Division Three club.
Bradford City
Abbott had to wait eight months for his first team debut, which came in a 3–1 defeat to Plymouth Argyle at right back. However, he was a regular member of the club's reserve side, which won the 1983 Northern Intermediate League Cup. Abbott finished with 11 first team games in his first season with City at full back or in midfield, who finished 12th in the first season in Division Three.
Abbott became a more regular member of the first team the following season as City won just one of their first 15 games, following a summer where the club was nearly closed. However the club resigned striker Bobby Campbell from Derby County and embarked on a club record ten consecutive victories, during which Abbott scored his first senior goal as City defeated Lincoln City. The club eventually finished seventh after winning only once in the final six fixtures of the season. Abbott finished the season with four goals from 39 games, which included starting the final 20 games of the season.
During the summer of 1984, City signed winger John Hendrie, who had played with Abbott at Coventry, as well as defender Dave Evans. Abbott missed two of the season's first six games and was substitute for another two, but after that he missed only two more as City won the title by four points. Abbott's games again were shared between his roles in midfield and at full back as he weighed in with six league goals, four from penalties. City's joy, however, was overshadowed on the final day of the season against Lincoln City, when the game was abandoned because of a fire killing 56 supporters, only an hour after the team had paraded the Division Three trophy.
City played their home games at a number of grounds during the 1985–86 season during the redevelopment of their Valley Parade ground. That season, Abbott had his best season in terms of goals, scoring 13 times, which included ten in the league, and a total of nine penalties; his tally helped Abbott to be the club's joint top goalscorer tied with John Hendrie. Despite having no home ground, City finished in mid-table in Division Two. He added another ten the following season, which included a penalty against top flight side Newcastle United in the League Cup. Despite struggling during the first half of the season, City returned to Valley Parade and ended in tenth position thanks to seven games in the final nine fixtures under new manager Terry Dolan.