Playing career Ford began his career at his hometown club
Grimsby Town when he made his first-team debut as a 16-year-old on 4th October 1975 in an away game against Walsall. Ford is of mixed heritage (his father was a Black Barbadian) and he was the first Black player to play for the club. He spent 11 years at Blundell Park, where he made his name as one of the most talented players outside the top division. In 1986, he left Grimsby. He first had a short loan spell at
Sunderland, and later joined
Stoke in a permanent deal. Ford spent two and a half years at Stoke, before being transferred to
West Bromwich Albion midway through the
1988–89 season. After three years at The Hawthorns, he rejoined Grimsby in late 1991. His second spell at Blundell Park lasted three seasons, and he left the club at the end of the
1993–94 season, having played 423 league games for the club, which at the time placed him second on the club's career appearance list behind
Keith Jobling. In 1994, Ford joined Grimsby's arch-rivals
Scunthorpe, where he played two seasons. After a short spell at non-league side
Barrow, he was asked by
Steve Parkin, a former teammate at Stoke and West Bromwich Albion, who had recently been appointed manager at
Mansfield, to become his assistant. This allowed Ford to continue his playing career, and in early 1999, he played his 825th career league game, breaking
Terry Paine's record for career appearances by an outfield player.
Coaching career In the summer of 1999, Parkin resigned as Mansfield manager to take a similar job at
Rochdale. He again appointed Ford as his assistant, and, aged 40, Ford continued to play regularly. The final goal of his career was the winner in a 1–0 win at Swansea City on 9 October 2001,{{cite web He retired from playing in November 2001 when he and Parkin took up the same positions at Barnsley. Both were sacked by the club eleven months later, but in August 2003 he returned to his former role at Rochdale under new manager
Alan Buckley. He kept his job when Buckley made way for Parkin on 31 December 2003, but was sacked along with the latter three years later. He went on to work for his former club
Grimsby Town as a scout, but was relieved of his duties in May 2011. == Career statistics ==