3/1 To Win
John Eustace has returned to Derby County as the club’s new Head Coach, and he brings two trusted lieutenants with him to Pride Park Stadium.
Matt Gardiner and Keith Downing arrive with a wealth of experience behind them to take into the next challenge in their respective careers.
Find out more about the two newest members of the Rams’ backroom team…
Matt Gardiner – Assistant 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.
Keith Downing – First Team Coach
Born in the West Midlands, Downing was a youth player at Chelsea during the 1980s but he moved east to begin his professional career just up Brian Clough Way with Notts County in 1984.
From there, he switched back towards his birthplace and settled at Wolverhampton Wanderers, where Downing would spend the vast majority of his playing career.
The midfielder made over 200 appearances for the Molineux club during a six-season spell, which started in the fourth tier but ended just one promotion away from the top flight of English football, following two promotion campaigns.
Downing also won the Associate Members' Cup – the predecessor to the Football League Trophy – in 1988, when he played the full 90 minutes of Wolves’ final triumph over Burnley in front of a crowd of over 80,000 at Wembley Stadium.
Shorter spells with Birmingham City, Stoke City, Cardiff City and Hereford United followed, before he hung up his boots in 1999.
He started his coaching career with Wolves' youth set-up following his retirement and he stepped back into senior football as assistant manager to John Ward at Cheltenham Town.
Downing took over the reins when Ward left the club in 2007 and he went on to manage the Robins in 50 games before his own departure the following year.
From there, he embarked on a long spell at West Bromwich Albion where he took on a variety of roles, including a caretaker stint in charge following the end of Steve Clarke’s time at manager during the 2013/14 Premier League season.
He joined the England set-up in 2015 and he led their Under-19s to victory at the UEFA European Under-19 Championship in 2017, with Downing’s squad comprising of several rising stars, including future Ram Mason Mount.
The assistant manager role at Bristol City was next, as he worked under Dean Holden before taking up the same role at Plymouth Argyle alongside Steven Schumacher.
He linked up with Eustace for the first time at Birmingham City in 2022, before following the former midfielder to Blackburn Rovers just under 12 months ago.
