He joined Boro from Portsmouth in a £5m deal with just minutes to spare on transfer deadline day in August 2007.

Gary, who played 175 league games for Pompey and was their Player of the Year in 2005-06, signed a three-year contract after passing a medical at Rockliffe Park. The club exercised an option to extend for a further two years in December 2009.

The Bromley-born player has a reputation for scoring vital goals from midfield.

He was a thorn in Boro's flesh in 2005-06 when he scored in a 1-1 draw at the Riverside and then hit the decider in a 1-0 victory at Fratton Park.

Gary is very useful in central midfield but began life at Boro on the right-hand side, making his full debut with an eye-catching display in the 2-2 draw against Sunderland at the Riverside, following up with a Man of the Match performance in the defeat at Everton.

He established himself as Boro's regular right-midfielder in his debut season, although the goals which had been a feature of his earlier career at Pompey proved elusive.

However, Gary found the net four times in the 2008-09 season, scoring the final Boro goal of a disappointing campaign in the final game away to West Ham. He was shown the yellow card 11 times during the season.

Started the 2009/10 campaign in fine form but needed hernia surgery afer just a few games. But such was his determination to get back into the action he played just 13 days after having 38 staples in both groins!