Garath McCleary

McCleary's current-season form is level with last season (Season 15→15), while his Rating held around 5. His peak season for form remains 2021/22 (Season 39).

Domestic career

Season	Club	Apps	G	A	Match	RTG	Season
2026/27	Gillingham · 21st	1	0	0	6.3	5	15
2025/26	Gillingham · 17th	27	4	3	6.83	5	15
2024/25	Wycombe · 5th	44	4	6	6.7	10	22
2023/24	Wycombe · 10th	41	5	5	6.93	15	24
2022/23	Wycombe · 9th	39	7	8	6.86	17	33

Domestic-league totals per season. RTG = Field Insider Rating (potential / ceiling); Season = age-blind form that year. 14 earlier seasons in the full career.

Jamaica · international

Side	Apps	G
Jamaica	23	2

Career caps & goals — tournament breakdown in the full career.

Scout report

Experienced headDefensive midfielder

G. McCleary is a 39-year-old defensive midfielder at Gillingham, enjoying a standout season — 4 goals and 3 assists in 27 appearances, a Season grade of 17. On long-term scout potential he's rated 5. A seasoned veteran, he has been a fringe squad member (34% of available minutes). His defensive output reads 1.15 tackles, blocks and interceptions per 90. Below: strengths, watch-points, market-value outlook and the latest transfer news on McCleary.

On the season, McCleary graded 17 for current form (age-blind), on 4 goals, 3 assists and 1.151 defensive actions per 90.

Year-on-year, that's broadly in line with last season (Season 15 → 15). Over the 7 seasons on record his form has held fairly steady, peaking in 2021/22.

On long-term talent our Rating reads 5. At 39 McCleary is into the veteran stage, where the age curve weighs on the projection, and a market index of 0.2 reflects that trajectory.

From the career report

Read the full career report →

Past his 2021/22 peak — the recent trend is downward, so buyers are paying for what's left, not what was.

Peak: 2021/22Trending downBreakout: 2021/22Injury-hit 2025/26

Ratingi

below regular-starter level

17.1

Seasoni

below regular-starter level

34%

Minutes

limited game time

1.15

Def. actions / 90

light defensive volume

Output in context · Gillingham finished 17th of 24 · a lower-table side

Apps

1.15

Def. / 90

Tackles

Interceptions

Clean sheets

1.15 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90 — light defensive volume, with 4 clean sheets across 27 appearances. Doing that for a lower-table side (17th of 24) is harder than the bare numbers suggest: a back line under more pressure has to defend more often and protects fewer leads, so the volume — and any clean sheets — carry real weight. Going forward he chipped in 4 goals and 3 assists — a useful bonus from the back.

Strengths

Attacking threat. Chips in from deep: 0.45 goal involvements per 90, useful for a defensive midfielder.

Watch points

Game time. Only 34% of available minutes — needs a settled run to prove the level.
Age curve. At 39, both level and resale value are on the downslope.
Level. Rates below a nailed-on top-tier starter on our model.

Outlook

Rated 5 overall — below regular-starter level. Defensively he reads as light defensive volume (1.15 tackles, blocks & interceptions per 90), with a bit more on the ball than most in the role. Veteran phase — a short-term, lower-fee proposition as both level and value decline (0.5× and falling).

Generated from Field Insider's rating model · AI-written analysis to follow.

Per 90 & availability

Minutes played %34%

Available fixtures46 of 46

Goals / 900.256

Assists / 900.192

Goal contribution / 900.447

Defensive actions / 901.151

Player flow

Goal involvements7

Cards / 900.128

Season-by-season progression

Rating (potential)Season (form)

Value & potential by age

Market valueRating

Solid = now · dashed = projected

The gold line is market value — an index (not €) blending rating, age and league. It climbs through the early 20s, peaks around ages 22–27 (~1), then tapers with age. At 39, McCleary sits on 0.2, past its peak and easing. The blue line is McCleary's projected Rating — 5 today — recomputed at each age, so it follows the same rise-and-fall as a career matures and declines. Solid = up to today; dashed = projected.

Season statistics

Bars = where he ranks among defensive midfielders in the League Two with 600+ minutes this season.

Shooting

Goals4

Passing

Assists3

Defending

Tackles14

Interceptions3

Blocks1

Yellow/red cards

Yellow cards2

Red cards0

Transfer history

GillinghamSept 2025 – nowFree Transfer

WycombeNov 2020 – Sept 2025Free

ReadingJul 2012 – Nov 2020Free

Nottingham Forestuntil Jul 2012

About G. McCleary

Garath James McCleary is a 39-year-old defensive midfielder who plays for Gillingham, born on May 15, 1987 in Oxford, standing 188 cm tall. He is from Jamaica. Gillingham currently sit 21st of 24 in the League Two.

This season

In the current season, G. McCleary has made 1 appearances with 0 goals and 0 assists across 18 minutes.

G. McCleary's next match is on August 29, 2026, when Gillingham face Northampton at home in the League Two.

Field Insider's view

Field Insider currently rates G. McCleary at 5 with a Season form score of 17.1. See the full scout report for strengths, watch-points and the market-value outlook.

Career

Across 19 recorded seasons, G. McCleary has totalled 577 club appearances with 70 goals and 45 assists for 4 different clubs. His busiest campaign came in 2021/22, with 45 appearances for Wycombe.

G. McCleary's career has also included time at Wycombe, Reading and Nottingham Forest.

On the international stage, G. McCleary has represented Jamaica — 23 caps and 2 goals in our records.

Transfer news

No transfer news found for this player.