Ciaran Gilligan
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.jpg) Ciaran Gilligan in 2024. | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ciaran Patrick Gilligan[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 5 February 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | Derby, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Burton Albion | ||
| Number | 25 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2020 | Burton Albion | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020– | Burton Albion | 60 | (1) |
| 2025–2026 | → Aldershot Town (loan) | 4 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 13:50, 16 January 2026 (UTC) | |||
Ciaran Patrick Gilligan (born 5 February 2002) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL League One club Burton Albion. Born in England, he has represented the Republic of Ireland as a youth international.
Born in Derby,[2] Gilligan signed his first professional contract with Burton in June 2020.[3] Gilligan joined Burton Albion's academy at under-8 level.[4] He broke into the club's first team in the 2020–21 season, and made his full debut for the club in a 3–3 EFL Trophy draw against Peterborough United on 8 September 2020.[5][6] He made his first League One start on 17 October 2020 against Bristol Rovers.[5][4] In doing so, he became the first Burton player to progress through every age group of Burton's youth system before appearing in the first team.[7] In November 2020, Gilligan signed a new contract with the club, valid until summer 2022, with the option for a further year.[4] Over the course of the season, he made 22 appearances, 18 of which were in the league.[5] He missed a number of games during the second half of the 2021–22 season through a hamstring injury.[8] In April 2022, he signed a new contract until summer 2024.[9] He made 10 appearances over the 2021–22 season in total.[10] Gilligan picked up a further hamstring injury in September 2022.[11]
On 10 February 2024, he scored his first senior goal with a "looping shot" in a 2–1 win away at Bristol Rovers.[12]
On 17 October 2025, Gilligan joined National League club Aldershot Town on loan for the remainder of the season.[13] On 16 January 2026, it was announced that Gilligan had returned to Burton Albion following the early conclusion of his loan.[14]
International career
Gilligan was called up to a training camp for the Republic of Ireland under-19 team in May 2021.[15] In March 2022, he was called up to the under-20 team for a fixture against an Ireland Amateurs team.[16][17]