Gary John Martin (born 10 October 1990) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Hebburn Town. Besides England, he has played in Hungary, Iceland, Belgium and Norway.
Martin was born in Darlington, County Durham. He started his career with Middlesbrough, where he came through the club's youth system and was given a youth-team scholarship (YTS) in 2007. He was a prolific goalscorer at both youth and reserve levels, scoring 19 goals in 39 matches for the academy team, and 17 goals in 26 appearances for the reserve team. In June 2009, his YTS was extended by a year, and in the build-up to the 2009âÂÂ10 season he played with the first team in pre-season. On 23 February 2010, Martin joined Nemzeti Bajnokság I club ÃÂjpest on loan until the end of the season. He went on to make two league appearances during his spell with ÃÂjpest, coming on as a substitute in a 4âÂÂ1 home win against Diósgyà Âr and a 1âÂÂ0 defeat away to Lombard-Pápa.
After being released by Middlesbrough in May 2010, Martin signed for 1. deild karla club ÃÂA on 23 July 2010, initially on a short-term contract to the end of the season. He made his debut five days later, coming on as a 54th-minute substitute for Stefán ÃÂrn Arnarson in the 1âÂÂ1 draw with Fjölnir, and scored his first goal for the club two weeks later in a 2âÂÂ2 draw away to ÃÂór Akureyri. Martin joined Danish 1st Division club Hjørring on loan in August 2011, making seven appearances before the club decided to not extend his loan in November.
After two successful seasons, Martin signed for ÃÂrvalsdeild champions KR for a nominal fee. In the 2013 season, KR again won the ÃÂrvalsdeild title, with Martin being joint top scorer in the league with 13 goals. He was named the best foreign player in the league and was selected in the Team of the Year. During the season, Martin also made his first appearance in the UEFA Europa League, scoring his first goal in that competition against Glentoran. He was the ÃÂrvalsdeild top scorer in the 2014 season with 13 goals.
Martin signed for KR's ÃÂrvalsdeild rivals VÃÂkingur ReykjavÃÂk on 15 February 2016 on a three-year contract. On 10 August 2016, he signed for Tippeligaen club Lillestrøm on loan for the remainder of the 2016 season, joining up with his former coach at KR, Rúnar Kristinsson. He returned to VÃÂkingur ReykjavÃÂk in January 2017.
Martin signed for Belgian First Division A club Lokeren on 16 January 2017 on a two-and-a-half-year contract, where he again joined up with his former manager Rúnar Kristinsson. Having not played at the beginning of the 2017âÂÂ18 season, Martin was released on 18 October 2017.
On 24 October 2017, Martin signed a three-year contract to return to Lillestrøm, effective from 1 January 2018. He signed for National League North club York City on 2 November 2017 on a short-term contract, playing for them in the interim period before his transfer to Lillestrøm. He made his debut two days later in York's 2âÂÂ1 home win over Curzon Ashton, in which he provided an assist for Jon Parkin to score the opening goal. Martin scored his first goal in his fourth appearance, a 3âÂÂ1 home victory over Coalville Town in the FA Trophy third qualifying round on 25 November 2017. He scored the opening goal of the match, with a curling shot from the edge of the penalty area into the top-left corner. Martin left the club two days later, because of what York described as a disciplinary issue. It was reported in The Press that the club had discovered that he had been playing for Darlington Albion in the Darlington Sunday Morning Invitation League.
Martin signed for ÃÂrvalsdeild champions Valur on 7 January 2019 on a three-year contract. However, after five months with Valur, he left the club to join fellow ÃÂrvalsdeild club ÃÂBV. He finished as top scorer in the 2019 ÃÂrvalsdeild, with 14 goals for Valur and ÃÂBV combined. Martin signed for his home-town club, Darlington of the National League North, on 11 January 2020 on loan until late March. On 1 May, he signed with 1. deild karla club Selfoss. In April 2024, he joined VÃÂkingur on loan.
On 1 November 2024, Martin returned to England, signing a two-year deal with Northern Premier League side Bishop Auckland. On 16 November, he scored on his debut in a 2âÂÂ0 win over Liversedge. In May 2025, Martin joined Hebburn Town.
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