Wayne Carlisle

Irish-born Wayne joined City during the summer of 2025 as assistant manager. He began his playing career with Crystal Palace during the late 1990s, making nearly 50 appearances. He spent a loan spell at Swindon Town during the 2001/02 season before joining Bristol Rovers in March 2002. He enjoyed over two years with Rovers then moved on to Leyton Orient in June 2004. In January 2006 Wayne switched to Exeter City and 18 months later he was instrumental in their return to the Football League, scoring in both legs of the play-off semi-final win against Torquay United. Despite being offered a new contract at Exeter he switched to their beaten Devon rivals and repeated the play-off success a year later with the Gulls. A knee injury disrupted the following season and in January 2011 he retired from professional football to pursue a career in player development at Ivybridge Community College. He finished his playing career with a couple of short spells at Truro City in March 2011 and the first half of the 2014/15 season. He moved into coaching in March 2017 with Exeter City before becoming assistant manager to Matt Taylor in the summer of 2019. The Grecians won promotion to League One in May 2022 and in October that year followed Taylor to Championship side Rotherham United. When Taylor was sacked just over a year later, Wayne was named joint manager before departing in December 2023. He returned to Bristol Rovers in February 2024, initially as coach then, once again, as assistant to Taylor. 

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