Gavin Andrew Mahon (born 2 January 1977) is an English former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.
Mahon began his career as a trainee at Wolverhampton Wanderers but did not make a first-team appearance. He gained his first experience of senior football at Hereford United, playing regularly for two and a half seasons before signing for Brentford in November 1998 for a fee rising to £130,000. He helped Brentford achieve promotion from Division Three that season and made 166 appearances during his time there. In March 2002, he moved to Watford for £150,000, playing 215 matches across six years and captaining the club to promotion to the Premier League.
He joined Queens Park Rangers ahead of the 2008–09 season having played for the club on loan the previous season. Injuries affected the latter stages of his time at QPR, and he was briefly loaned to Crystal Palace in March 2011, although he did not make an appearance for the club. Mahon signed for Notts County later that year and was loaned to Stevenage in February 2013. He subsequently had brief spells with Portsmouth and Tamworth during the 2013–14 season, the latter being his final club before retirement.
Playing career
Early career Mahon began his career with Wolverhampton Wanderers, progressing through the club's youth academy and playing 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 of Division Three on a free transfer, making his professional debut a 1–0 victory over Doncaster Rovers on 24 August 1996. He scored the first goal of his career later that season in a 3–0 win against Rochdale. Mahon played seven times during the early stages of the season, although did not make any further first-team appearances from November, as Hereford were relegated to the Conference National at the end of the season. He remained at Hereford for the 1997–98 season, playing in all 42 league matches as Hereford finished sixth.
Brentford In November 1998, Mahon signed for Division Three club Brentford for a nominal fee of £50,000, which eventually increased to £130,000 under the terms of the agreement. Mahon debuted for Brentford in the club's 2–1 defeat to Leyton Orient at Brisbane Road 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 at Griffin Park. Brentford were promoted to Division Two as champions in Mahon's first season, winning the league by four points. He made 32 appearances during that season, scoring four goals. The 1999–2000 season marked Mahon's first full season with the west London club; he made 44 appearances in all competitions, 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 across league and cup competitions, as Brentford once again finished in mid-table. He scored once that season, scoring the equaliser in a 2–1 away victory against Bristol City on 12 December 2000. He was also named in the starting line-up for the first competitive final of his career, as Brentford were defeated 2–1 by Port Vale in the Football League Trophy final. Mahon received the first red card of his career that season, sent off in the 83rd minute of a 1–0 home loss to Swindon Town on 11 April 2001. His fourth consecutive season at Brentford started with the team recording an eight-match unbeaten run. He made 39 appearances during the season and was named Brentford's Player of the Year, 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 for an initial fee of £150,000. The move materialised following a recommendation from Watford reserve team manager Ray Lewington, who had previously signed Mahon at Brentford, to new manager Gianluca Vialli. Vialli subsequently watched Mahon and made him his first signing for the club. Upon joining 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 full 90 minutes in a 2–0 away victory against Crystal Palace. Mahon made a further five appearances for the club during the remainder of the 2001–02 season. Ahead of the 2002–03 season, and following Vialli's dismissal, Mahon was reunited with Lewington, now first-team manager. He was among several players who agreed to a voluntary wage reduction in light of Watford's financial difficulties. Prior to pre-season, the club announced that Mahon would miss the opening months of the season due to a knee injury sustained in May 2002. After regaining fitness with two months of reserve team football, Mahon returned to the first team in the club's 2–1 victory over Burnley at Vicarage Road on 30 November 2002, and went on to make 22 appearances over the course of the season. Five of those appearances came in Watford's FA Cup run, which ended in a 2–1 defeat in the semi-final to Southampton at Villa Park.
Mahon played in the club's opening game of the 2003–04 season, a 1–0 home victory over AFC Bournemouth in the League Cup, and appeared in every match during the first two months of the season. He sustained an injury in a 1–0 away victory against Crewe Alexandra on 4 October 2003, which sidelined him for two months. In January 2004, Mahon scored his first goal for Watford, heading the team into a brief lead against Premier League club Chelsea in the third round of the FA Cup, in an eventual 2–2 draw. Mahon finished the season with three goals in 36 appearances as Watford finished in mid-table. Shortly after the season had finished, he was voted the club's Player of the Season. Two months into the 2004–05 season, Mahon signed a new three-year contract extension on 29 October 2004, 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 across all competitions during the season, as Watford avoided relegation by a two-point margin under new manager Aidy Boothroyd, collecting seven points from their final three matches.
Following the departure of former captain Sean Dyche, Mahon was appointed club captain 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 the club defeated Crystal Palace 3–0 on aggregate in the semi-finals, before securing promotion with a 3–0 win over Leeds United in the final at the Millennium Stadium 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. He signed a two-year contract extension with the club on 18 July 2006. He subsequently started in the club's opening game of the 2006–07 Premier League season, playing the full match in a 2–1 to Everton at Goodison Park. Mahon made 38 appearances during the season, scoring once with a "fierce volley" in a 4–2 victory against Portsmouth, a goal later nominated for April's Goal of the Month award. Watford were relegated at the end of the season, finishing 20th in the league. The club also reached the FA Cup semi-final that season, losing 4–1 to Manchester United at Villa Park, with Mahon playing in three of Watford's five ties in the competition.
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 informed Mahon that he did not feature in his long-term plans, as he intended to build a squad capable of competing in the Premier League. Mahon later 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 departed Watford with the club top of the Championship table, although they ultimately finished in sixth place. Boothroyd later expressed regret over allowing Mahon to leave "too early". During his five-and-a-half-year spell at Watford, Mahon made 215 appearances and scored seven goals.
Queens Park Rangers Mahon subsequently joined Championship rivals Queens Park Rangers on an emergency loan on 31 December 2007, with a view to a permanent transfer at the end of the season. QPR reportedly beat "four or five other Championship sides" to his signature. Watford received an initial transfer fee of £200,000, with a further £50,000 payable in add-ons. Although disappointed to leave Watford, Mahon described his move to QPR as "a very exciting time to be joining", adding 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 the following day, coming on as a 67th-minute substitute in the club's 3–1 victory against Leicester City at Loftus Road. Mahon scored his first goal for the club on 12 February 2008, opening the scoring in a match QPR went on to lose 4–2 at home to Burnley. He made 17 appearances during the second half of the season, as QPR finished 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, Mahon and QPR began the 2008–09 season with five wins from their opening six matches. Mahon scored his first goal of the season in a 1–0 home victory against Cardiff City on 8 November 2008, coming on as a 67th-minute substitute in the match and scoring the winning goal with 10 minutes remaining. The goal was later featured in the BBC documentary The Four Year Plan, in which joint-owner Flavio Briatore was shown instructing sporting director Gianni Paladini to relay orders to caretaker manager Gareth Ainsworth to substitute Mahon onto the pitch. Mahon subsequently scored the late winner, prompting Briatore to celebrate in what was described as "a mixture of self-righteous anger and joy" in the directors' box. Mahon made 40 appearances during the season, playing under three different managers, as the club finished in mid-table.
Mahon played regularly in the opening months of the 2009–10 season, making nine appearances in all competitions and scoring once, with QPR winning seven of those matches. He sustained a knee injury in November 2009, which ruled him out for the remainder of the season. With his contract due to expire, manager Neil Warnock commented: "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". Although Mahon was released at the end of the 2009–10 season, he returned to the club in October 2010 on a one-month contract, which he described as "like a trial". Whilst he did not make any further first-team appearances, the monthly deal was extended on four occasions.
He joined Championship club Crystal Palace on loan until the end of the 2010–11 season on 24 March 2011. Mahon did not make any appearances during the loan spell and returned to QPR in May 2011. The following month, he was one of eight players to be released by the club. During his time at QPR, he scored four goals in 66 appearances.
Notts County