Keith Gillespie began his career at Manchester United but after all his efforts he struggled to make it as a first team player. In 1992 he was a member of the famous Machester United Youth Cup winning in a team that included Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, David Beckham, Gary Neville and Robbie Savage. He moved to Newcastle in 1995 after a loan spell at Wigan Athletic. In his time at the club he played 143 games and scored 13 times and in both seasons of '95/69 and '96/97 he helped Newcastle make it to the Premiership. However after not being selected to play in the FA Cup final he moved to Blackburn Rovers ready for the next season. While he was at Blackburn he had a second loan spell at Wigan Athletic before moving to Leicester City on a free transfer in 2003.