Manchester United Hill was born in
Maltby, Yorkshire. Upon leaving school in 1981, he began an apprenticeship at
Manchester United. He played in the
youth side that finished as
FA Youth Cup runners-up to
Watford in
1982, his teammates included
Clayton Blackmore,
Mark Hughes and
Norman Whiteside. He also gained
England Youth Honours. He later signed as a professional but never got a first-team game at
Old Trafford and signed for
Fourth Division club
Bury in July 1984.
Bury The "Shakers" secured the fourth and final automatic
promotion place in
1984–85, and Hill was voted the club's Player of the Year. Hill was then appointed as
captain by
manager Martin Dobson at the age of 19. Bury finished three points above the
Third Division drop zone in
1985–86. They then finished comfortably in mid-table in
1986–87,
1987–88, and
1988–89.
Sam Ellis then took over as manager and led the club to the
play-offs with a fifth-place finish in
1989–90 – they were then beaten by
Tranmere Rovers at the semi-final stage. The following season, under new boss
Mike Walsh, he was sold to Manchester City. Hill played 317 matches and scored 12 goals for the
Gigg Lane club.
Manchester City Hill signed for
Manchester City in a
£200,000 deal in 1990 who were flying high in the
First Division eventually finishing fifth under
Peter Reid's stewardship. The "Sky Blues" again finished fifth in
1991–92, with Hill scoring a career-high of four goals in his 41 appearances. He started 23
Premier League games in
1992–93, as the
Maine Road club posted a ninth-place finish. The club slipped down the table under new boss Brian Horton, with Hill missing large chunks of the Horton tenure due to injury. Hill was recommended for a new
contract by Horton in May 1995; however, Hill rejected chairman
Francis Lee's offer of a new two-year deal.
Port Vale In August 1995, Hill joined
John Rudge's First Division
Port Vale for a £150,000 fee. He made his debut in a 1–0 win over
Potteries derby rivals
Stoke City at the
Victoria Ground on 27 August. He later featured in the
FA Cup fourth round giant-killing over cup holders
Everton. At the end of the
1995–96 season, he played in the
1996 Anglo-Italian Cup final, as Vale lost 5–2 to
Genoa. He made 43 appearances in
1996–97, as the "Valiants" made their highest post-war finish. He played 31 games at
Vale Park in the
1997–98 season, before announcing his retirement in May 1998. ==Coaching career==