Gavin Mahon
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Gavin Andrew Mahon (born 2 January 1977) is an English former professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who played as a
defensive midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...
. Mahon started his career as a trainee at
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
, although he did not make any first-team appearances for the club. In July 1996, he joined
Hereford United Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'Th ...
on a free transfer, and went on to play two and a half years of regular first-team football. Mahon signed for
Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...
in November 1998, for a fee that increased to £130,000. He helped the club earn promotion from
Division Three The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 and again from 1958 until 1992. When the FA Premier League was formed, the Third Division become the fourth tier of English football. In 2 ...
during the 1998–99 season, and made 166 appearances for the west London club. He joined
Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...
for £150,000 in March 2002, and captained the club to promotion into the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
. Mahon then signed for
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...
ahead of the 2008–09 season, following a successful
loan In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...
spell the previous season. Injuries hampered the latter stages of his QPR career, and he was briefly loaned out to
Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition buildin ...
in March 2011, although he did not make any appearances for the club. Mahon signed for
Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football, football club in Nottingham, England, which competes in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of Football in England, English football, following promotion and relegation, promotion ...
on a free transfer in August 2011. He was loaned to
Stevenage Stevenage ( ) is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevenage w ...
in February 2013, for the remainder of the 2012–13 season. Mahon left Notts County at the end of the season, and briefly joined
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
in October 2013 for a one-month spell. He signed for Tamworth in December 2013, playing for the club for the rest of the 2013–14 season in what was the final playing role of his football career.


Playing career


Early career

Mahon began his career with
Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club ( ), commonly referred to as Wolves, is a professional association football, football club based in Wolverhampton, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league s ...
, where he progressed through the club's youth academy and played regularly for the youth team. He was released by Wolves at the end of the 1995–96 season, having made no first-team appearances. In July 1996, he signed for
Hereford United Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'Th ...
of
Division Three The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 and again from 1958 until 1992. When the FA Premier League was formed, the Third Division become the fourth tier of English football. In 2 ...
on a free transfer, making his first professional appearance in the club's 1–0 victory against
Doncaster Rovers Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system after winning the 202 ...
on 24 August 1996. Mahon scored the first goal of his career during the same season, in a 3–0 victory against
Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England, and the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale. In the United Kingdom 2021 Census, 2021 Census, the town had a population of 111,261, compared to 223,773 for the wid ...
. He played seven times during the early stages of the season, although did not make any further first-team appearances from November onwards, with Hereford suffering relegation to the
Conference National The National League, officially known as Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in England. The National League is the first division of the National League (English football), National Le ...
at the end of the season. Mahon remained at Hereford for the 1997–98 season, playing in all 42 league matches as Hereford finished the season in sixth-place.


Brentford

In November 1998, Mahon signed for Division Three club
Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...
, joining for a nominal fee of £50,000, which eventually increased to £130,000 under the terms of the deal. Mahon debuted for Brentford in the club's 2–1 defeat to
Leyton Orient Leyton Orient Football Club, commonly referred to as Orient, is a professional association football club based in Leyton, Waltham Forest, London, England. The team compete in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. ...
at
Brisbane Road BetWright Stadium, traditionally known as Brisbane Road and originally known as Osborne Road, is a football stadium in Leyton, East London, England. It has been the home ground of Leyton Orient since 1937, before which it was the home of amat ...
on 21 November 1998, and played regularly in central midfield. He scored his first goal for Brentford in the club's first match of 1999, scoring the third goal in a 3–1 victory against
Barnet Barnet may refer to: People *Barnet (surname) *Barnet (given name) Places United Kingdom *Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below. *East Barnet, a district of the borough below; anc ...
at
Griffin Park Griffin Park was a association football, football ground in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow, England. It was the home ground of Brentford F.C. from its opening in September 1904 to August 2020. The ground was in a predominantly resi ...
. Brentford earned promotion to Division Two as champions in Mahon's first season there, winning the league by four points. He made 32 appearances during the season, contributing with four goals. The 1999–00 season was Mahon's first full season with the west London club, making 44 appearances in all competitions and scoring three times, as Brentford consolidated their place in Division Two with a mid-table finish. Mahon played regularly during the 2000–01 season, making 51 appearances in league and cup competitions, as Brentford once again finished in mid-table. He scored once that season, scoring the equalising goal in an away game against
Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England. The team compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded in 1894, the club competed in the Southern League and Western L ...
in December 2000, a match that Brentford went on to win 2–1. He was also named in the starting line-up for the first competitive final of his career, as Brentford lost 2–1 to
Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in , the third tier of the English football league system. Vale are named after the valley of ports on the Trent and Mersey Canal ...
in the Football League Trophy final. Mahon received the first red card of his career that season; he was sent-off in the 83rd-minute in a 1–0 home defeat to
Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded as Swindon A ...
on 11 April 2002. His fourth consecutive season at Brentford started with the club producing an eight-match unbeaten start to the season. He made 39 appearances during the season, and was named Brentford's
Player of the Year Several sports leagues honour their best player with an award called Player of the Year. In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award. Association football In association football, this award is held on b ...
for the season despite leaving the west London club three months before the end of the season. During his three and a half years at Brentford, Mahon made 166 appearances in all competitions, scoring eight goals.


Watford

In March 2002, Mahon signed for Division One club
Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...
for an initial fee of £150,000. The move came about as a result of Watford reserve team manager Ray Lewington, who had previously signed Mahon at Brentford, recommending the player to new manager
Gianluca Vialli Gianluca Vialli (; 9 July 1964 – 5 January 2023) was an Italian football player and manager who played as a striker. Vialli started his club career at his hometown club Cremonese in 1980, where he made 105 league appearances and scored 23 g ...
. Vialli subsequently went to watch him play, and opted to make Mahon his first signing for the club. On signing for Watford, Mahon stated – "As soon as I knew Watford were interested I was ready to jump at the chance". He made his Watford debut on 9 March 2002, playing the whole match in a 2–0 away victory against
Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition buildin ...
. Mahon made a further five appearances for the club during the remainder of the 2001–02 season. Ahead of the 2002–03 season, under the management of Lewington once again following Vialli's sacking, Mahon was one of several players who took a voluntary pay cut as a result Watford's financial troubles. Shortly before the start of pre-season, Watford stated that Mahon was going to miss the opening months of the new season after sustaining a knee injury in May 2002. After playing in the reserve team for two months to gain fitness, Mahon returned to the first team in the club's 2–1 victory against
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
at
Vicarage Road Vicarage Road is a stadium in Watford, England, and is the home stadium of EFL Championship, Championship club Watford F.C., Watford. An all-seater stadium, its current capacity is 22,200. History It has been the home of Watford since 1922, w ...
on 30 November 2002, and made 22 appearances during the season. Five of those appearances were in Watford's FA Cup run, as they lost 2–1 in the semi-final to
Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
at
Villa Park Villa Park is a association football, football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, with a seating capacity of 42,918. It has been the home of Premier League club Aston Villa F.C., Aston Villa since 1897. The ground is less than a mile from both Witt ...
. Mahon played in the club's opening game of the 2003–04 season, a 1–0 home victory over
AFC Bournemouth AFC Bournemouth ( ) is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. ...
in the League Cup, and played in every game during the first two months of the season. An injury in the club's 1–0 away victory against
Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, England. Its first team competes in League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' ...
on 4 October 2003 ultimately ruled Mahon out for two months. In January 2004, Mahon scored his first goal for Watford, scoring with a header to give the club a brief lead over
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
club Chelsea in the third round of the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
, in an eventual 2–2 draw. He added to his goal tally twice during the second half of the season, in home matches against
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
and
Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club in Derby, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. One of the 12 founder members of the English Football ...
respectively. The goals meant Mahon had scored three times during a season that produced another mid-table finish, making 36 appearances in all competitions. Shortly after the season had finished, he was voted as the club's Player of the Season. Two months into the 2004–05 season, in October 2004, Mahon signed a new three-year contract extension with the club, keeping him at Watford until 2007. On Mahon signing the new deal, Lewington stated – "I've known Gavin a long time and it doesn't surprise me that he's become a very important part of our squad". He made 51 appearances during the season. Watford narrowly avoided relegation by two points under the new management of
Aidy Boothroyd Adrian Neil Boothroyd (born 8 February 1971) is an English former footballer who was most recently the manager of Indian Super League club Jamshedpur. At club level, he was manager of Watford from 2005 to 2008. During his time with Watford, he ...
, after picking up seven points from their final three matches. Following the departure of previous captain
Sean Dyche Sean Mark Dyche (; born 28 June 1971) is an English professional football manager and former footballer who was most recently the manager of Premier League club Everton. During his playing career, Dyche played as a centre-back, making his pro ...
, Mahon was appointed
club captain The captain of a football/soccer team, sometimes known as the skipper, is a team member chosen to be the on-pitch leader of the team; they are often one of the older or more experienced members of the squad, or a player that can heavily influ ...
ahead of the 2005–06 season. Mahon scored his first goal of the season in a 3–1 home victory against Burnley on 20 August 2005 Watford reached the play-offs that season, with Mahon playing in all three matches as Watford defeated Crystal Palace 3–0 on aggregate in the semi-finals, before defeating
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
by a 3–0 scoreline in the final at the
Millennium Stadium The Millennium Stadium (), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium () for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it has a retractable roof and is the home of the Wales national rugby union team; it has ...
on 21 May 2006. The victory meant Watford had earned promotion to the Premier League in Mahon's first season as captain, during which he made 43 appearances. Mahon signed a two-year contract extension with the club on 18 July 2006. He subsequently started in the club's first game since their return to the Premier League, playing the whole match as Watford lost 2–1 to Everton at
Goodison Park Goodison Park is a Association football, football stadium in Walton, Liverpool, Walton, Liverpool, England, it was the home of Premier League club Everton F.C., Everton from 1892 until 2025. It is now the home of Everton F.C. (women), Everton's ...
. Mahon made 38 appearances during the season, scoring once with a "fierce volley" in a 4–2 victory against
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
, a goal that was nominated for April's Goal of the Month award. Watford were relegated back to the Championship after finishing in 20th position. The club made the FA Cup semi-final that season, losing 4–1 to
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
at Villa Park, with Mahon playing in three of Watford's five FA Cup ties. With the club back in the Championship for the 2007–08 season, Mahon continued to play regularly during the first half of the season, making 19 appearances. In December 2007, manager Aidy Boothroyd told Mahon that he wanted to build a squad that was ready for the Premier League, and that Mahon did not feature in his future plans. Mahon stated – "I said to Aidy that I wanted to stay, at least until the end of the season. I wanted to get a second promotion in three years on my CV. Aidy explained his reasons why, and I have no grudges with him for that". Mahon left Watford when the club were in first place in the Championship, although they would ultimately finish in sixth position. Boothroyd later stated that he regretted letting Mahon leave "too early". During his five-and-a-half-year spell with Watford, Mahon made 215 appearances and scored seven goals.


Queens Park Rangers

Mahon subsequently joined Championship rivals
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...
on an 'emergency loan' basis on 31 December 2007, with a view to a permanent transfer at the end of the season. QPR beat "four or five other Championship sides" to his signature. Watford received an initial payment of £200,000 for Mahon, with an additional £50,000 due on further clauses. Although disappointed by his exit at Watford, Mahon stated it was "a very exciting time to be joining" QPR, and that "the ambition and drive of the board and the new investors really impressed me and I'm delighted to be here". He made his debut a day after signing, coming on as a 67th-minute substitute in the club's 3–1 victory against
Leicester City Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
at
Loftus Road Loftus Road, currently known as MATRADE Loftus Road Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Shepherd's Bush, West London, Greater London, England, which is home to Queens Park Rangers F.C., Queens Park Rangers Football Club, w ...
. Mahon scored his first goal for the club on 12 February 2008, the opening goal of the match as QPR squandered a two-goal lead to lose 4–2 at home to Burnley. He made 17 appearances during the second half of the season, with QPR finishing the season in 14th place. Mahon signed for the club on a permanent basis at the end of the season. Under the new management of
Iain Dowie Iain Dowie (born 9 January 1965) is a football manager, former professional footballer and sports television pundit. He played as a striker from 1983 until 2001, notably in the Premier League for Southampton, Crystal Palace and West Ham Unit ...
, Mahon and QPR began the 2008–09 season with five victories in their first six matches. Mahon scored his first goal of the season in a 1–0 home victory against
Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It currently competes in , the third tier of the English football league system in the 2025–26 season following relegation. Founded in 1899 a ...
on 8 November 2008, coming on as a 67th-minute substitute, before scoring a headed goal against a nine-man Cardiff team with 10 minutes remaining. The goal was highlighted in the BBC documentary '' The Four Year Plan'', as joint-owner
Flavio Briatore Flavio Briatore (; born 12 April 1950) is an Italian businessman, who serves as executive adviser and '' de facto'' team principal of Alpine in Formula One. As the longtime team principal of Team Enstone (Benetton Formula / Renault F1 Team ...
ordered sporting director Gianni Paladini into "going down to the touchline to order caretaker manager
Gareth Ainsworth Gareth Ainsworth (born 10 May 1973) is an English professional former player and football manager who is the manager of club Gillingham. A former youth player at Blackburn Rovers, the midfielder, who was known for his crossing ability, moved ...
to bring Gavin Mahon off the bench. Mahon promptly scores a last gasp winner and Briatore, his football genius now proven, erupts in a mixture of self-righteous anger and joy in the directors' box". His second goal of the season came in April 2009, scoring with a diving header to equalise in a match QPR had trailed by two goals to
Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an off ...
, with Mahon atoning for his earlier own goal. QPR went on to win the match 3–2, all of their goals coming in the last half-hour of the match. He played under three different managers during the season, making 40 appearances as the club finished in mid-table. Mahon started in QPR's opening game of the 2009–10 season on 8 August 2009, playing the whole match as the club drew 1–1 at home to
Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...
. He played regularly in the opening months of the season, making nine appearances in all competitions, scoring once, with QPR winning seven of the games. He suffered a knee injury in November 2009, which would ultimately rule him out for the remainder of the season. With Mahon's contract expiring at the end of the season, manager
Neil Warnock Neil Warnock (born 1 December 1948) is an English football manager and former player who is currently football advisor at Torquay United. He is also a television and radio pundit. In a managerial career spanning five decades, Warnock has managed ...
stated – "He'll probably come back and do a pre-season with us and try and show me what he can do. I've always liked Gavin, we've just got to wait and see who's available". Despite being released at the 2009–10 season, he re-joined the club in October 2010 on a one-month contract, describing the move as being "like a trial". Although he did not make any further first-team appearances for QPR, the monthly deal was extended on four occasions. He joined Championship club
Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition buildin ...
on loan until the end of the 2010–11 season on 24 March 2011. He did not make any appearances during the loan spell and returned to his parent club in May 2011. A month after his return, Mahon was one of eight players to be released by QPR. During his time at the club, he scored four goals in 66 appearances.


Notts County

Ahead of the 2011–12 season, Mahon joined former club Watford for pre-season training in order to regain fitness ahead of the new season. Although no transfer materialised, he played for Watford against Brentford in a friendly at the end of July 2011, and stated he "really appreciated the opportunity" Watford gave him to train with the club. Two weeks into the new season, on 25 August 2011, Mahon signed for
League One League One or League 1 may refer to: Association football * EFL League One, the third tier of football in England. * China League One, the second tier of football in China * K League 1, the top-tier football in South Korea * Lao League 1 * Lea ...
club
Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football, football club in Nottingham, England, which competes in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of Football in England, English football, following promotion and relegation, promotion ...
on an initial pay-as-you-play deal. He made his debut for the club two days later as Notts County lost 2–0 away to
Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English footbal ...
. Mahon impressed manager
Martin Allen Martin James Allen (born 14 August 1965) is an English football manager and former player. He played more than 100 games as a midfielder for both Queens Park Rangers and West Ham United before finishing his playing career with Portsmouth and ...
during his first month with the club, and Allen wished to secure a longer deal for the player – "The manager called me a few weeks ago and said he'd like to try to extend the deal to the end of the season". Mahon signed an 18-month contract with Notts County on 13 October 2012, keeping him contracted to the club until the summer of 2013. He was described as a "pivotal" player in Notts County's season, and went on to make 34 appearances as they missed out on a play-off place on goal difference. At the end of the season, Notts County stated they wanted to retain Mahon's services, and the player was offered a new one-year contract, which he signed on 28 June 2012. Mahon began his second season at Notts County playing predominantly as a substitute, making six starting appearances and a further nine as a substitute during the first half of the season. In November 2012, it was revealed that Mahon was the subject of loan bids from two League Two clubs in the form of
Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers FC is a men's professional football club in Bristol. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club is affiliated to Bristol Rovers W.F.C., whose team play in the FA Women's National Leag ...
and Port Vale. He rejected the opportunity of going out on loan after Notts County manager
Keith Curle Keith Curle (born 14 November 1963) is an English football manager and former professional player, who was most recently the manager of National League side Hartlepool United. He played as a centre back from 1981 to 2005, notably in the Prem ...
told him there was still of chance of him regaining his first-team place. However, two weeks later, Mahon stated he was prepared to leave
Meadow Lane Meadow Lane is a football (soccer), football stadium in Nottingham, England. It is the home ground of Notts County F.C., Notts County, who have played there since it opened in 1910. The stadium was also home to Notts County Ladies F.C. from 201 ...
if he did not play more games – "You do think like that sometimes, when you travel halfway across the country to get splinters in your backside, but that's football, you have to wait for your chance to come. I told him the last thing I want to do is leave a club like Notts, but when you get to my age you have got to play, especially if you want to go on and play next season". In February 2013, Mahon joined fellow League One club
Stevenage Stevenage ( ) is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevenage w ...
on a loan agreement for the remainder of the 2012–13 season. He made his Stevenage debut in the club's 2–1 away defeat to
Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1886, the club were inaugur ...
on 23 February, playing the whole match. Mahon made nine appearances for the club during the two-month loan spell. Mahon was released by Notts County at the end of the 2012–13 season.


Portsmouth

Mahon was without a club for the first two months of the 2013–14 season, eventually signing for League Two club Portsmouth on a one-month contract on 4 October 2013. He made his Portsmouth debut four days after signing, playing the whole match in a 2–1
Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, officially known as the Vertu Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two and U-21 teams from the Premier Le ...
away win at
Oxford United Oxford United Football Club () is a professional association football, football club based in Oxford, England. The club compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football league system, English football. Founded as Headingto ...
. Mahon was sent-off in a 2–1 defeat to former club Stevenage in an
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
tie on 9 November 2013, receiving a straight red card for an elbow on
Filipe Morais Filipe Alexandre Major Morais (born 21 November 1985) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a winger. Morais began his career at Chelsea, progressing through the youth system before signing a professional deal in 2005. ...
. He made three appearances during his time at Portsmouth, leaving upon the expiry of his contract on 28 November 2013.


Tamworth

In December 2013, Mahon joined
Conference Premier The National League, officially known as Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in England. The National League is the first division of the National Leagues and step 1 of the National Le ...
club Tamworth on a short-term deal until the end of the 2013–14 season. He made his debut for Tamworth in the club's 2–0 home victory over Halifax Town on 4 January 2014, playing the whole match. Mahon played regularly for Tamworth during the second half of the season, starting in all of the 23 games he played in. He left Tamworth upon the expiry of his contract in May 2014. Ahead of the 2014–15 season, Mahon was invited to spend time on trial at
Barnet Barnet may refer to: People *Barnet (surname) *Barnet (given name) Places United Kingdom *Chipping Barnet or High Barnet, commonly known as Barnet, one of three focal towns of the borough below. *East Barnet, a district of the borough below; anc ...
, and he played in a pre-season friendly fixture against
Peterborough United Peterborough United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third level of the English football league system. Peterborough United formed in ...
in July 2014. No transfer materialised and Mahon subsequently retired from playing, opting to work for a sports consultancy company.


Style of play

Mahon was predominantly deployed as a
defensive midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...
throughout his career. He was described by his former teammate at Notts County, Alan Judge, as being a "pivotal point" in the centre of midfield due to his desire to play the ball on the floor, as well as being calm on the ball.


Personal life

Mahon has two children called Mia and Alfie. He supports
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...
. After his retirement from playing, Mahon joined the Stellar Group, a sports consultancy company. He undertakes the role of Football Intermediary, a position to help pass on his knowledge and understanding to younger players.


Career statistics

:A.  The "League" column constitutes appearances and goals (including those as a substitute) in the
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
and
Football Conference The National League of English Football Clubs is a professional Association football, football league in England that consists of 72 teams, divided equally between the National League (division), National League North and National League South ...
. :B.  The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals (including those as a substitute) in the
FA Trophy The Football Association Challenge Trophy, also known as the Isuzu FA Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after The Football Association (the FA) and competed by mainly National League ...
,
Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, officially known as the Vertu Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two and U-21 teams from the Premier Le ...
and
play-offs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
.


Honours

Brentford *
Football League Third Division The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 Football League, 1920–21 and again from 1958–59 Football League, 1958 until 1991–92 Football League, 1992. When the FA Premier League ...
: 1998–99 *
Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, officially known as the Vertu Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two and U-21 teams from the Premier Le ...
runner-up: 2000–01 Watford *
Football League Championship play-offs The English Football League (EFL) Championship play-offs are a series of play-off matches contested by the association football teams finishing from third to sixth in the EFL Championship table and are part of the English Football League play-of ...
:
2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...
Individual * Watford Player of the Year: 2003–04


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mahon, Gavin 1977 births Footballers from Birmingham, West Midlands Living people English men's footballers Men's association football midfielders Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. players Hereford United F.C. players Brentford F.C. players Watford F.C. players Queens Park Rangers F.C. players Crystal Palace F.C. players Notts County F.C. players Stevenage F.C. players Portsmouth F.C. players Tamworth F.C. players Premier League players English Football League players