Gary Birch is said to have had a trial with Norwich in the summer of 2001. Gary had joined Walsall in 1998. He had two loan spells with Exeter in 2000 and 2001, and a similar stint at Nuneaton in 2001. He was loaned to Barnsley in 2003 before joining Kidderminster in 2004. Joining Lincoln City in the summer of 2005, he made 25 appearances for the Red Imps during 2005/6 and thus activated a clause in his contract that made Lincoln offer him a new contract which he signed in late July 2006. He was then loaned to Tamworth and Hucknall Town during the 2006/7 season before retuning to the West Midlands with AFC Telford United in January 2007.