Jon Stead will be looking forward to continuing his coaching career at Bristol Rovers after being appointed as one of the Club’s new Assistant Head Coaches.
The 42-year-old steps into the role, having previously made over 700 professional appearances in his 19-year playing career, turning out in all of the top five divisions in English football before retiring in May 2021.
Ready to move into coaching, Stead wanted a change of scenery and moved to the United States of America before returning to England with Barnsley in 2023, eventually working with a familiar face in Darrell Clarke, who he will be assisting again at the Gas.
Born in Huddersfield, Stead came through the Trotters' academy and made his first-team debut in 2002, coming off the bench in a 2-0 defeat to Brentford on the opening day of the campaign.
As a striker, he would have wanted to make his mark as quickly as possible but had to wait until his tenth appearance in the Second Division to get off the mark. However, it was worth the wait, with the forward netting a brace in a 3-0 victory over Notts County, ending the season with six goals. Nevertheless, Huddersfield were relegated to the Third Division, where Stead began to find the back of the net consistently.
Bagging four goals in his first three games, including a brace against Cambridge United in the first fixture of the campaign, the striker scored 18 goals in all competitions to cause big teams to start circling for his signature heading into the January transfer window.
Premier League outfit Blackburn Rovers signed the striker on a four-and-a-half-year deal, with Graeme Souness trusting the then 20-year-old to lead the line. He made an immediate impact, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 victory away to Middlesbrough on his debut before going on to net winners against Fulham, Everton and Manchester United to help the Riversiders avoid relegation.
His exploits at the Premier League Club also earned him a call-up for England U21s side, debuting against Ukraine in a friendly alongside the likes of James Milner, Stewart Downing and Carlton Cole. In total, he scored one goal in eleven appearances for the Young Lions.
He clocked up eight goals in 46 appearances for Blackburn before transferring to fellow Premier League team Sunderland ahead of the 2005/06 campaign, netting one goal in 30 outings as the Black Cats were relegated. Stead started the following campaign in the Championship, playing five times before being loaned out to Derby County. Just 17 appearances and three goals later, he returned to the topflight with Sheffield United, moving to the Blades in January 2007.
Stead scored five goals in 14 outings, including one against former team Blackburn, but could not save his new side from the drop. He spent one further full season at Sheffield United before spending three seasons at Ipswich Town and three campaigns at Bristol City.
The striker then looked to move back up north and returned to boyhood team Huddersfield before the 2013/14 campaign, scoring twice in 19 outings before a brief loan spell at Oldham before back-to-back campaigns at Bradford City.
Stead then had his longest spell at one Club, spending four seasons at Notts County. After netting fourteen goals in his first term in League Two, the striker then hit eleven in his second. Overall, Stead scored 51 goals in 185 appearances in all competitions during his time at Notts County before making the final move of his career.
Harrogate Town came calling in the National League, with Stead scoring seven goals on the way to the Sulphurites reaching the final of the playoffs. Wembley was the location, and Stead's former side, Notts County, were the opponents, with the forward coming off the bench in a 3-1 victory as Harrogate reached the English Football League.
Stead scored the final goal of his career against Colchester United in October 2020 before moving to the United States to become the Assistant Coach at USL Championship side Hartford Athletic. After a brief spell, Stead reconnected with former Sunderland teammate Neill Collins at Tampa Bay Rowdies.
Then, when Collins moved to Barnsley, Stead followed to assist the Head Coach alongside Martin Devaney. When Collins departed the Tykes in April 2024, Stead remained to work with Clarke during his ten-month spell at Oakwell. The striker worked at Barnsley until the conclusion of the 2024-25 campaign and rejoins Clarke, this time at the Gas.
