A midfielder, Pead began his career in the youth system at Premier League club Coventry City in 1997 and signed his first professional contract in September 1998.
[4][5][6] After returning to fitness and being moved from left back to his preferred central midfield position,[6] Pead finally made his senior debut when he played the opening 82 minutes of a 1–0 defeat to Burnley on 21 April 2002.
[26][27] He was voted into the League Two PFA Team of the Year,[28] but despite the accolade, Pead was not offered a new contract by manager Richard Money and was released in June 2007.
[29] On the recommendation of his former Walsall captain Michael Dobson, Pead joined newly relegated League Two club Brentford on a two-year contract on 2 July 2007.
[30] Less than three weeks later, he suffered an ankle ligament injury during a pre-season friendly and had to wait until 1 September to make his competitive debut for the Bees,[31] which came in a 2–1 victory over Bury.
[36][37][38][39] He began the season as a regular starter,[40] but dropped to the bench in September 2008 and underwent exploratory surgery on his long-standing knee problem late in the year.
[48] On 14 August 2021, Pead joined Southern League Premier Division Central club Banbury United as first team coach under manager Andy Whing.