Neil Smillie

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Neil Smillie
Personal information
Full name Neil Smillie[1]
Date of birth (1958-07-19) 19 July 1958 (age 63)
Place of birth Barnsley, England
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
1974–1975 Crystal Palace
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1975–1982 Crystal Palace[2] 83 (7)
1977 → Brentford (loan)[3] 3 (0)
1978 → Memphis Rogues (loan) 28 (2)
1979 → Memphis Rogues (loan) 20 (5)
1982–1985 Brighton & Hove Albion[4] 75 (2)
1985–1988 Watford[5] 16 (3)
1986–1988 Reading[6] 39 (0)
1988–1993 Brentford[3] 172 (18)
1993–1995 Gillingham[7] 53 (3)
Teams managed
1995 Gillingham
1996 Wycombe Wanderers
1998–1999 Wycombe Wanderers
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Neil Smillie (born Barnsley, 19 July 1958) is an English former professional football player and manager. He played for a number of clubs, with the high point of his career being an appearance in the 1983 FA Cup Final for Brighton & Hove Albion.

Playing career[]

The son of the former Barnsley and Lincoln City player Ron Smillie, Neil Smillie began his career with Crystal Palace, where he spent seven years, during which he had a spell on loan at Brentford and also spent two summers playing for Memphis Rogues in the North American Soccer League.[8] In 1982, he was sold to Brighton & Hove Albion. During his time with that club, he played in the 1983 FA Cup Final, in which Brighton held Manchester United to a 2–2 draw before losing in a replay.[9]

In 1985, Smillie moved to Watford for a fee of £100,000 but his spell at Vicarage Road was unsuccessful, with only 16 first-team appearances in three years. In 1988, he moved on to Reading. A year later, he moved again to Brentford, where he was a first-team regular for five years with over 170 appearances.[10]

Managerial career[]

In 1993, the new Gillingham manager Mike Flanagan made Smillie his first signing, appointing him as player-coach.[10] Gillingham went into administration in 1995 and the receivers dismissed Flanagan as manager, appointing Smillie as manager for the remainder of the season.[9]

When new owners took over Gillingham in summer 1995, Smillie moved to Wycombe Wanderers, where he served as youth team coach.[10] He had a brief spell as caretaker manager in 1996 and, in 1998, gained the job on a permanent basis.[10] He was sacked the following year.[9]

Personal life[]

As of July 2010, Smillie was working as Sports Marketing Manager for Nike UK and headed the company's talent ID scheme.[10]

References[]

  1. ^ "Neil Smillie". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  2. ^ "CRYSTAL PALACE : 1946/47 – 2005/06". Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Database. Retrieved 20 August 2007.
  3. ^ a b "BRENTFORD : 1946/47 – 2005/06". Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Database. Retrieved 20 August 2007.
  4. ^ "BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION : 1946/47 – 2005/06". Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Database. Retrieved 20 August 2007.
  5. ^ "WATFORD : 1946/47 – 2005/06". Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Database. Retrieved 20 August 2007.
  6. ^ "READING : 1946/47 – 2006/07". Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Database. Retrieved 20 August 2007.
  7. ^ "GILLINGHAM : 1950/51 – 2005/06". Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Database. Retrieved 20 August 2007.
  8. ^ "Brentford | News | Where Are They Now? | Where Are They Now? | WHERE ARE THEY NOW? NEIL SMILLIE - PART 2". Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  9. ^ a b c Triggs, Roger (2001). The Men Who Made Gillingham Football Club. Tempus Publishing Ltd. p. 298. ISBN 0-7524-2243-X.
  10. ^ a b c d e "Brentford | News | Where Are They Now? | Where Are They Now? | WHERE ARE THEY NOW? NEIL SMILLIE - PART 1". Retrieved 27 March 2017.
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