Manchester City manager Frank Clark made City fan Vaughan a pre season signing in 1997 for £1.35 million. He left for Nottingham Forest in 1999, where he scored once against Wimbledon in 43 league games. After loan spells at Scunthorpe United and Mansfield Town he moved to Scotland to play for Motherwell on loan in January 2003. At Motherwell he scored one goal against Dundee United in 12 games. Vaughan rejoined Mansfield, this time on a permanent basis, in the Summer of 2003, before ending his professional career at Barnsley, where he also had a loan spell at Stockport County (scoring once against Leyton Orient).