Sugrue played non-league football for Nuneaton Borough before a long career in the Football League. He then returned to non-league with Bridgend Town and played for Elo Kuopio in Finland, before returning to England to play a pivotal role in Barnet's 1991 Conference title-winning campaign. He had a spell as manager at Nuneaton Borough, and later became vice-chairman of Merthyr Tydfil, taking over managerial duties as well in February 2006.
