Oldham Athletic Born in
Heywood, Lancashire, He made his debut for Everton as a half-time
substitute for
Neville Southall in a 7–1 win at home to
Southampton on 16 November 1996. When Royle left Everton, Southall returned as first choice goalkeeper for Everton, and Gerrard decided to go on loan to
Oxford United in 1997 for regular first team action. However, soon afterwards
Howard Kendall took over for his second spell as team manager at
Goodison Park and recalled Gerrard from Oxford. In December 2000, he suffered a knee injury in a Premier League match against
West Ham United, and sparked a surprise reaction from West Ham striker
Paolo Di Canio who spurned the opportunity to score the winning goal in order to attend to the injured Gerrard. Royle, now at
Ipswich Town, signed Gerrard on a month-long loan in November 2002, although Gerrard returned to Everton early after suffering from a dislocated kneecap, having made five appearances for Ipswich. During the
2003–04 season, he was signed on loan by
Sheffield United covering for injured goalkeeper
Paddy Kenny, and he spent three months at the club. He played a total of 16 games for
the Blades, before joining
Nottingham Forest on loan in March 2004 for the final two months of the season.
Nottingham Forest In the summer of 2004, Gerrard signed permanently for Nottingham Forest. At the end of his first season the club was relegated to
League One. Despite ending the
2004–05 season as first-choice goalkeeper and Player of the Year at Forest, Gerrard found himself as second choice goalkeeper behind new signing
Rune Pedersen, having sustained a knee injury during a pre-season tour to Denmark. Although he handed in a transfer request, Gerrard returned to first team action at the end of August in a 3–1 win against
Gillingham. Gerrard was again dropped from the first team when manager
Gary Megson signed
Russell Hoult on loan from
West Bromwich Albion. However, Hoult was recalled by West Brom in October, and Gerrard once again became the preferred goalkeeper. On 15 February 2006, Gerrard limped off in a 3–0 defeat against former club Oldham Athletic, having sustained a knee injury that later required surgery. He played only one game under
Ian McParland and
Frank Barlow due to a knee injury. Gerrard was released from Forest at the end of the
2005–06 season, following the club's failure to secure promotion to the Championship.
Sheffield United On 27 September 2006, he signed a four-month contract with the Blades to add depth to the
goalkeeping department. The 33-year-old, who had a loan spell at
Bramall Lane in 2003, was signed to provide cover for
Paddy Kenny and
Ian Bennett. On 1 January 2007, Gerrard made his Premiership debut for Sheffield United against
Middlesbrough at the
Riverside Stadium. He made two further appearances for the Blades, but was released at the end of the
2006–07 season. On 6 August 2007, he was re-signed on a 12-month deal by new Sheffield United manager
Bryan Robson for the upcoming
Championship campaign. On 24 January 2008, he signed on loan for
Blackpool until the end of the
2007–08 season. On 3 March it was revealed that Gerrard had undergone a knee operation which ended his season prematurely. He was subsequently released by the Blades when his contract expired at the end of the season.
Stockport County After leaving Bramall Lane, he joined
Stockport County, but failed to make a competitive appearance for the club.
Return to Oldham Athletic On 5 November 2011, while working as goalkeeping coach at Oldham, he was brought on as a substitute for
Alex Cisak, who had been sent off. He made his first start in his second spell at the club in the 3–1 victory over
Crewe Alexandra, on 8 November 2011. ==International career==