Matt Gardiner was appointed as Derby County's Assistant Head Coach on 13th February 2025 following the arrival of John Eustace as Head Coach.
Gardiner is a native of the West Midlands and he served a number of clubs, both at professional level and in non-league, during his playing days.
His youth career began with Torquay United and he made his professional debut in 1992 with the Gulls, before moving on to Shrewsbury Town.
From there, Gardiner spent time at Hereford United, Worcester City, Hednesford Town, Evesham United and Redditch United before beginning his coaching career with Redditch in 2010.
Despite financial challenges, he led them to the Fourth Qualifying Round of the FA Cup during the 2010/11 campaign and similar exploits followed when he returned to Worcester in the second half of that season.
As assistant manager for City, Gardiner oversaw a famous away win over then-League One side Coventry City in the First Round of the cup.
He was the first appointment Eustace made at Kidderminster Harriers in 2016, where he stepped in as Head of Coaching before making the move alongside the new Derby boss to be a part of Steve McClaren’s backroom team at Queens Park Rangers in 2018.
He linked up with Eustace at Birmingham City in 2022 and Blackburn Rovers in 2024, before making the switch to Pride Park.
