Scott Neilson
Encyclopedia
Scott Steven Neilson is a footballer who plays for Crawley Town
as a right winger. He comes from a footballing family being the grandson of Cliff Jones and great-grandson of Ivor Jones, both former Welsh internationals
.
Neilson started his career alongside his brother, Tony, at first Hertford Town
and then Ware
, before he earned a move to Cambridge City
. He made his name in non-league
as a goal-scoring winger and he came to the attention of a number of league clubs. He had trials with three of them and eventually won a move to League Two
side Bradford City
. He scored a goal on his full debut but Bradford soon changed manager and Neilson dropped back into non-league, first out on loan to Cambridge United
and then signed by Crawley Town, having spent less than 12 months with Bradford.
, London
, to David and Amanda Neilson, the latter who was born in Swansea
. He has an older brother, Tony. His maternal grandfather was Cliff Jones, the former Tottenham Hotspur
and Welsh international
footballer, whose father Ivor and brother Bryn
were also professional footballers and Welsh internationals. Neilson has also worked as a plumber.
youth teams at the age of 11, went on to Charlton Athletic
and also won schoolboy honours for Wales. His senior career started at his brother Tony's club Hertford Town
of the Isthmian League
in 2005. He was top goalscorer for the reserves when he made his debut on 25 October in a Isthmian League Associate Members Trophy game against Clapton
, before going on to play 15 games in his first season and scoring one goal. In his second season, he played 24 games upping his goal tally by another nine, before he earned a move in December 2006 to Ware
– a second club where his brother also played. In one game in January 2008, Neilson came off the bench to score four goals for Ware against Tilbury
in a 5–2 victory. The goals went towards Neilson's total of 23 from 40 games for Ware in the Isthmian League First Division North, helping Ware towards the end-of-season play-offs. However, he left Ware before the end of the season to join Cambridge City
in March 2008 for the rest of the club's Conference South
campaign.
Neilson's debut at Cambridge City came three days later in a 3–1 defeat to Lewes
, when he came off the bench in the second half. He played seven games, starting all but his debut performance, with six games coming in the league. He scored three goals in his seven matches. He also scored in the Cambridge Invitational Cup final as Cambridge recorded a 3–0 victory against Histon reserves
to lift the cup for a record 12th time. Despite an enforced relegation, Neilson stayed at Cambridge for the following season and signed a new contract in first April and then October 2008. He played a total of 49 games in his first full season with the Lilywhites, 40 of which were in the league, scoring a total of 11 league goals and two cup goals. He also helped Cambridge defend their Cambridge Invitational Cup crown with a 1–0 defeat of CRC.
Neilson signed a new one-year contract with Cambridge City in July 2009. However, his form also attracted a number of league clubs and, at the start of the 2009–10 season he had trials with sides Norwich City, Derby County
and Bradford City
and was offered a trial with Hartlepool United
. Neilson scored twice in a reserve game for Bradford as part of his trial, prompting a bid to buy the winger. Bradford's first bid was turned down but they had an improved bid accepted later the same week. The fee remained undisclosed but included a 25 per cent sell-on fee entitling Cambridge City to a share of any fee Bradford received for selling Neilson on to another club – a year later, another manager Martin Ling
revealed the initial fee that Cambridge received to be £20,000. Neilson had played a further two league games for Cambridge before his departure.
side Bradford City in August 2009, and was given a place on the substitutes' bench for the club's next game with Torquay United
, which Bradford won 2–0 with Neilson coming on for Joe Colbeck
. Colbeck was sold three days later and so Neilson made his full debut in a Football League Trophy
game with Rochdale
. Neilson capped his debut with the winning goal in a 2–1 victory to send City through to the second round for the first time in four years. At the end of his full first full month with the club, Neilson scored his first league goal in professional football during a 3–0 win against Chesterfield
, which helped to extend Bradford's unbeaten run to seven games. The club's form did not last and following a run of poor results, manager Stuart McCall
left in February 2010 to be replaced by Peter Taylor. Neilson played in Taylor's first game in charge as City lost 2–0 to Accrington Stanley
.
However, Taylor criticised Neilson for his lack of fitness, and as a result the winger did not feature in any of the following three games and was instead loaned out to Cambridge United
initially on a month-long loan to act as cover for Antonio Murray
and Robbie Willmott, who were suspended and injured respectively. He capped his debut for Cambridge United on 6 March 2010 against Barrow
by scoring the only goal of the game to give his new side a 1–0 victory. After scoring another two goals, Cambridge extended Neilson's loan with manager Martin Ling saying he would "assess the situation in the summer". He played in all 14 of Cambridge's games during his loan spell and scored three goals helping them finish in the top-half of the table before he returned to Bradford at the end of the Conference
season.
Neilson returned to the first-team squad at City ahead of their 2010–11 season
and received praise from his manager, who said: "He's obviously got very good talent, he can get goals and I think he'll do well. It's down to him really." Neilson played in City's first game of the League Two campaign
– only his second under Taylor – but City lost 3–1 to Shrewsbury Town
with Neilson replaced by debutant Louis Moult
in the second-half. Neilson was substituted at half-time in the club's next game and then dropped for the next league match, before he was sold to Conference side Crawley Town
for officially an undisclosed five-figure sum, although it was reported to be anywhere from £15,000 to £50,000. Neilson had played 30 games for Bradford in all competitions.
at the start of October to extend that lead over AFC Wimbledon
to three points. He followed it up by scoring four goals in the next seven games, including one in the FA Cup on his return to West Yorkshire in a 5–0 win against Guiseley
. In February, Neilson broke a toe in his left foot. Neilson missed three months of the season, including an FA Cup game against Manchester United
at Old Trafford
, but returned for the final five games of Crawley's promotion campaign. He finished with 27 league appearances and scored five goals.
, who likes to play on the right wing, but has also been used in a more central role. Despite playing in midfield, Neilson has been known for scoring goals. One of his former teammates Lee Bullock
said he was "a winger who looks like he's got some decent skills" while Paul Carden
, his assistant manager at Cambridge United, said: "You can see he's an intelligent player and very quick ... he catches the eye because he can go past people and is good with the ball at his feet." Neilson, however, was also told to improve his crossing
ability and criticised for his lack of fitness by former manager Peter Taylor.
|-
|Spartan South Midlands Premier Division
|2006–07
|15||4||1||0||–||–||8||5||24||9
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!26!!4!!1!!0!!–!!–!!12!!6!!39!!10
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="center"|Ware
|rowspan="2" valign="center"|Isthmian First Division North
|2006–07
|||||||||||||||||||
|-
|2007–08
|40||23||||||||||||||40||23
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!40!!23!!!!!!!!!!!!!!40!!23
|-
|rowspan="4" valign="center"|Cambridge City
|Conference South
|2007–08
|6||2||0||0||–||–||1||1||7||3
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="center"|Southern Premier Division
|2008–09
|40||11||3||1||–||–||6||1||49||13
|-
|2009–10
|2||0||0||0||–||–||0||0||2||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!48!!13!!3!!1!!–!!–!!7!!2!!58!!16
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="center"|Bradford City
|rowspan="2" valign="center"|League Two
|2009–10
|23||1||1||0||0||0||4||1||28||2
|-
|2010–11
|1||0||0||0||1||0||0||0||2||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!24!!1!!1!!0!!1!!0!!4!!1!!30!!2
|-
|Cambridge United
(loan)
|Conference National
|2009–10
|14||3||0||0||–||–||0||0||14||3
|-
|Crawley Town
|Conference National
|2010–11
|27||5||4||1||–||–||0||0||31||6
|-
!colspan="3"|Career totals
!179!!49!!9!!2!!0!!0!!23!!9!!211!!60
|}
Crawley Town F.C.
Crawley Town Football Club is an English football club based in Crawley, West Sussex. They won the title of the Football Conference, by a record 15 point margin on second place, and with it promotion to The Football League, in April 2011.-1896–2009:...
as a right winger. He comes from a footballing family being the grandson of Cliff Jones and great-grandson of Ivor Jones, both former Welsh internationals
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
.
Neilson started his career alongside his brother, Tony, at first Hertford Town
Hertford Town F.C.
Hertford Town F.C. is an English football club based in Hertford, Hertfordshire. The club are currently members of the Spartan South Midlands League and play at Hertingfordbury Park.-History:...
and then Ware
Ware F.C.
Ware F.C. is a football club established in 1892 and based at Wodson Park in Ware, Hertfordshire, England, currently members of Isthmian League Division One North.-History:...
, before he earned a move to Cambridge City
Cambridge City F.C.
Cambridge City Football Club is an English football club currently playing in the Southern League Premier Division.-History:The club was founded in 1908 Cambridge Town F.C., as Cambridge had not been granted city status at that point, and were committed to amateur sport...
. He made his name in non-league
Non-league football
Non-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football...
as a goal-scoring winger and he came to the attention of a number of league clubs. He had trials with three of them and eventually won a move to League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
side Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
. He scored a goal on his full debut but Bradford soon changed manager and Neilson dropped back into non-league, first out on loan to Cambridge United
Cambridge United F.C.
Cambridge United Football Club is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. They are currently playing the 2011-2012 season in the Conference National, the fifth tier of the English league system, where they have competed since 2005 following their relegation from the Football League...
and then signed by Crawley Town, having spent less than 12 months with Bradford.
Early life
Neilson was born on 15 May 1987 in EnfieldLondon Borough of Enfield
The London Borough of Enfield is the most northerly London borough and forms part of Outer London. It borders the London Boroughs of Barnet, Haringey and Waltham Forest...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, to David and Amanda Neilson, the latter who was born in Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
. He has an older brother, Tony. His maternal grandfather was Cliff Jones, the former Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
and Welsh international
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
footballer, whose father Ivor and brother Bryn
Bryn Jones (footballer born 1931)
Bryn Jones was a Welsh professional footballer who played as a left back.-Career:Born in Swansea, Jones played in the Football League for Swansea Town, Newport County, Bournemouth, Northampton Town and Watford, making a total of 408 appearances.-Later life and death:After retiring as a...
were also professional footballers and Welsh internationals. Neilson has also worked as a plumber.
Non-league
Neilson was a member of Norwich City'sNorwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
youth teams at the age of 11, went on to Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
and also won schoolboy honours for Wales. His senior career started at his brother Tony's club Hertford Town
Hertford Town F.C.
Hertford Town F.C. is an English football club based in Hertford, Hertfordshire. The club are currently members of the Spartan South Midlands League and play at Hertingfordbury Park.-History:...
of the Isthmian League
Isthmian League
The Isthmian League is a regional football league covering London and South East England featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs. It is sponsored by Ryman, and therefore officially known as the Ryman League. It was founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area...
in 2005. He was top goalscorer for the reserves when he made his debut on 25 October in a Isthmian League Associate Members Trophy game against Clapton
Clapton F.C.
Clapton F.C. is an English association football club, who play in Forest Gate, in the London Borough of Newham, England.Founded by W.R. Davis at a meeting in his father's house at 11 Queensdown Road, Clapton in August 0f 1877. Downs F.C. started playing on Hackney Downs. They changed their name a...
, before going on to play 15 games in his first season and scoring one goal. In his second season, he played 24 games upping his goal tally by another nine, before he earned a move in December 2006 to Ware
Ware F.C.
Ware F.C. is a football club established in 1892 and based at Wodson Park in Ware, Hertfordshire, England, currently members of Isthmian League Division One North.-History:...
– a second club where his brother also played. In one game in January 2008, Neilson came off the bench to score four goals for Ware against Tilbury
Tilbury F.C.
Tilbury F.C. are a football club based in Tilbury, Essex, England, established in 1900. In 1976, they won the Isthmian League Second Division. In the 1977–78 season, they reached the Third Round of the FA Cup, their best performance in the competition. They currently play in Division One North of...
in a 5–2 victory. The goals went towards Neilson's total of 23 from 40 games for Ware in the Isthmian League First Division North, helping Ware towards the end-of-season play-offs. However, he left Ware before the end of the season to join Cambridge City
Cambridge City F.C.
Cambridge City Football Club is an English football club currently playing in the Southern League Premier Division.-History:The club was founded in 1908 Cambridge Town F.C., as Cambridge had not been granted city status at that point, and were committed to amateur sport...
in March 2008 for the rest of the club's Conference South
Conference South
Conference South is one of the second divisions of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National...
campaign.
Neilson's debut at Cambridge City came three days later in a 3–1 defeat to Lewes
Lewes F.C.
Lewes Football Club is an English football team based in Lewes, East Sussex. The club are currently members of the Isthmian League Premier Division and play at the Dripping Pan.-History:...
, when he came off the bench in the second half. He played seven games, starting all but his debut performance, with six games coming in the league. He scored three goals in his seven matches. He also scored in the Cambridge Invitational Cup final as Cambridge recorded a 3–0 victory against Histon reserves
Histon F.C.
Histon Football Club is an English football club based in the twin villages of Histon and Impington, approximately north of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire. From the 2007–08 season they competed in the Conference National, the highest level that the club has ever reached in the English football league...
to lift the cup for a record 12th time. Despite an enforced relegation, Neilson stayed at Cambridge for the following season and signed a new contract in first April and then October 2008. He played a total of 49 games in his first full season with the Lilywhites, 40 of which were in the league, scoring a total of 11 league goals and two cup goals. He also helped Cambridge defend their Cambridge Invitational Cup crown with a 1–0 defeat of CRC.
Neilson signed a new one-year contract with Cambridge City in July 2009. However, his form also attracted a number of league clubs and, at the start of the 2009–10 season he had trials with sides Norwich City, Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
and Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
and was offered a trial with Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United F.C.
Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season...
. Neilson scored twice in a reserve game for Bradford as part of his trial, prompting a bid to buy the winger. Bradford's first bid was turned down but they had an improved bid accepted later the same week. The fee remained undisclosed but included a 25 per cent sell-on fee entitling Cambridge City to a share of any fee Bradford received for selling Neilson on to another club – a year later, another manager Martin Ling
Martin Ling
Martin Ling is an English football manager and former player, who is currently manager of Torquay United in League Two. He played in over 100 Football League matches for Exeter City, Southend United, Swindon Town and Leyton Orient, before moving into management where he led Orient for over five...
revealed the initial fee that Cambridge received to be £20,000. Neilson had played a further two league games for Cambridge before his departure.
Bradford City
Neilson signed a three-year deal with League TwoFootball League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
side Bradford City in August 2009, and was given a place on the substitutes' bench for the club's next game with Torquay United
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
, which Bradford won 2–0 with Neilson coming on for Joe Colbeck
Joe Colbeck
Joe Colbeck is an English professional footballer who plays as a right winger for League Two side Hereford United.Born in Bradford, England, he joined his hometown club, Bradford City, as a youth team player in 2002, making his debut two years later. He played more than 100 league games for...
. Colbeck was sold three days later and so Neilson made his full debut in a Football League Trophy
Football League Trophy
The Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
game with Rochdale
Rochdale A.F.C.
Rochdale Association Football Club is an English professional football club based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. They play their home matches at Spotland Stadium. Formed in 1907, they were accepted into the Football League in 1921...
. Neilson capped his debut with the winning goal in a 2–1 victory to send City through to the second round for the first time in four years. At the end of his full first full month with the club, Neilson scored his first league goal in professional football during a 3–0 win against Chesterfield
Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...
, which helped to extend Bradford's unbeaten run to seven games. The club's form did not last and following a run of poor results, manager Stuart McCall
Stuart McCall
Andrew Stuart Murray McCall , usually known as Stuart McCall, is a former footballer who played in central midfield. He played a total of 763 league games during his career, the 13th highest of all British footballers...
left in February 2010 to be replaced by Peter Taylor. Neilson played in Taylor's first game in charge as City lost 2–0 to Accrington Stanley
Accrington Stanley F.C.
Accrington Stanley is an English association football club from Accrington in Lancashire, in the North West of England, who play in Football League Two, the fourth-highest division in the English football league system....
.
However, Taylor criticised Neilson for his lack of fitness, and as a result the winger did not feature in any of the following three games and was instead loaned out to Cambridge United
Cambridge United F.C.
Cambridge United Football Club is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. They are currently playing the 2011-2012 season in the Conference National, the fifth tier of the English league system, where they have competed since 2005 following their relegation from the Football League...
initially on a month-long loan to act as cover for Antonio Murray
Antonio Murray
Antonio James Murray is a professional football player who is currently playing for Brisbane. He formerly played professionally for Ipswich Town and in Scotland for Hibernian....
and Robbie Willmott, who were suspended and injured respectively. He capped his debut for Cambridge United on 6 March 2010 against Barrow
Barrow A.F.C.
Barrow A.F.C. are an English football club founded in 1901 based in the town of Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria. Following promotion at the end of the 2007–08 season, they currently play in the Conference National. The club spent over fifty years in the Football League between 1921 and 1972, and have...
by scoring the only goal of the game to give his new side a 1–0 victory. After scoring another two goals, Cambridge extended Neilson's loan with manager Martin Ling saying he would "assess the situation in the summer". He played in all 14 of Cambridge's games during his loan spell and scored three goals helping them finish in the top-half of the table before he returned to Bradford at the end of the Conference
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
season.
Neilson returned to the first-team squad at City ahead of their 2010–11 season
2010–11 Bradford City A.F.C. season
The 2010–11 season is the 108th season in Bradford City A.F.C.'s history, their 96th in the Football League and 98th in the league system of English football...
and received praise from his manager, who said: "He's obviously got very good talent, he can get goals and I think he'll do well. It's down to him really." Neilson played in City's first game of the League Two campaign
2010–11 Football League Two
The 2010–11 Football League Two season, , was the lowest division of the Football League for that season...
– only his second under Taylor – but City lost 3–1 to Shrewsbury Town
Shrewsbury Town F.C.
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is an English Association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1886 and has played in all the bottom three divisions in various guises since being elected into the Football...
with Neilson replaced by debutant Louis Moult
Louis Moult
Louis Elliott Moult is an English football player. He is a Striker who currently plays for Mansfield Town on loan from Premier League side Stoke City...
in the second-half. Neilson was substituted at half-time in the club's next game and then dropped for the next league match, before he was sold to Conference side Crawley Town
Crawley Town F.C.
Crawley Town Football Club is an English football club based in Crawley, West Sussex. They won the title of the Football Conference, by a record 15 point margin on second place, and with it promotion to The Football League, in April 2011.-1896–2009:...
for officially an undisclosed five-figure sum, although it was reported to be anywhere from £15,000 to £50,000. Neilson had played 30 games for Bradford in all competitions.
Crawley Town
Neilson said he was "delighted to have joined such an ambitious club" and his new manager Steve Evans revealed the club had been interested in him for some time and Crawley had made several previous bids for the winger, which were all rejected. Neilson made his debut the following day against Cambridge United, the club where he had spent the latter part of the previous season on loan. The game finished 2–2, but Neilson's mistake allowed Cambridge to begin their fightback from an early two-goal deficit. Crawley soon went on a good run of form to go top of the table – Neilson's first goal for the club came in a 2–0 win at home to Kidderminster HarriersKidderminster Harriers F.C.
Kidderminster Harriers F.C. are an English football club based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire formed in 1886 They currently play in the Conference National and have played at Aggborough Stadium since they were formed...
at the start of October to extend that lead over AFC Wimbledon
AFC Wimbledon
AFC Wimbledon is a professional English football club that traces its origins to Wimbledon in the London Borough of Merton. Based at Kingsmeadow, Kingston upon Thames, the club are members of Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football....
to three points. He followed it up by scoring four goals in the next seven games, including one in the FA Cup on his return to West Yorkshire in a 5–0 win against Guiseley
Guiseley A.F.C.
Guiseley A.F.C. are an English football club from Guiseley, West Yorkshire, England.-History:Founded in 1909 by a local group of enthusiasts, the club’s first success came in 1913 when they won the local Wharfedale League...
. In February, Neilson broke a toe in his left foot. Neilson missed three months of the season, including an FA Cup game against Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
at Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
, but returned for the final five games of Crawley's promotion campaign. He finished with 27 league appearances and scored five goals.
Playing style
Neilson is a midfielderMidfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
, who likes to play on the right wing, but has also been used in a more central role. Despite playing in midfield, Neilson has been known for scoring goals. One of his former teammates Lee Bullock
Lee Bullock
Lee Bullock is an English footballer who plays for Bradford City as a midfielder.He started his career with York City, with whom he played 171 league games and scored 24 goals, before he moved to First Division side Cardiff City in 2004 after a loan spell. He spent just one season with Cardiff...
said he was "a winger who looks like he's got some decent skills" while Paul Carden
Paul Carden
Paul Andrew Carden is an English footballer who plays in midfield as a player/coach for Luton Town. While at Cambridge United, Carden was the club's assistant manager. He has previously played for Blackpool, Rochdale, Chester City, Doncaster Rovers, Peterborough United, Accrington Stanley, Burton...
, his assistant manager at Cambridge United, said: "You can see he's an intelligent player and very quick ... he catches the eye because he can go past people and is good with the ball at his feet." Neilson, however, was also told to improve his crossing
Cross (football)
In football, a cross is a delivery of a ball from either side of the field across to the front of the goal by applying various kicking techniques. A cross is there to provide a goal-scoring opportunity...
ability and criticised for his lack of fitness by former manager Peter Taylor.
Career statistics
- Updated to 4 June 2011.
}||1||15||1Club Division Season League FA Cup FA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...League Cup Football League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...Other Total Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Hertford Town Hertford Town F.C.Hertford Town F.C. is an English football club based in Hertford, Hertfordshire. The club are currently members of the Spartan South Midlands League and play at Hertingfordbury Park.-History:...Isthmian Second Division Isthmian LeagueThe Isthmian League is a regional football league covering London and South East England featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs. It is sponsored by Ryman, and therefore officially known as the Ryman League. It was founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area...2005–06 11 0 0 0 – –
|-
|Spartan South Midlands Premier Division
Spartan South Midlands Football League
The Spartan South Midlands Football League is an English football league covering Hertfordshire, northwestern Greater London, central Buckinghamshire and southern Bedfordshire...
|2006–07
|15||4||1||0||–||–||8||5||24||9
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!26!!4!!1!!0!!–!!–!!12!!6!!39!!10
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="center"|Ware
Ware F.C.
Ware F.C. is a football club established in 1892 and based at Wodson Park in Ware, Hertfordshire, England, currently members of Isthmian League Division One North.-History:...
|rowspan="2" valign="center"|Isthmian First Division North
|2006–07
|||||||||||||||||||
|-
|2007–08
|40||23||||||||||||||40||23
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!40!!23!!!!!!!!!!!!!!40!!23
|-
|rowspan="4" valign="center"|Cambridge City
Cambridge City F.C.
Cambridge City Football Club is an English football club currently playing in the Southern League Premier Division.-History:The club was founded in 1908 Cambridge Town F.C., as Cambridge had not been granted city status at that point, and were committed to amateur sport...
|Conference South
Conference South
Conference South is one of the second divisions of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National...
|2007–08
|6||2||0||0||–||–||1||1||7||3
|-
|rowspan="2" valign="center"|Southern Premier Division
|2008–09
|40||11||3||1||–||–||6||1||49||13
|-
|2009–10
|2||0||0||0||–||–||0||0||2||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!48!!13!!3!!1!!–!!–!!7!!2!!58!!16
|-
|rowspan="3" valign="center"|Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
|rowspan="2" valign="center"|League Two
Football League Two
Football League Two is the third-highest division of The Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English football league system....
|2009–10
Bradford City A.F.C. season 2009–10
The 2009–10 season was the 107th season in Bradford City A.F.C.'s history, their 95th in The Football League and 97th in the league system of English football...
|23||1||1||0||0||0||4||1||28||2
|-
|2010–11
2010–11 Bradford City A.F.C. season
The 2010–11 season is the 108th season in Bradford City A.F.C.'s history, their 96th in the Football League and 98th in the league system of English football...
|1||0||0||0||1||0||0||0||2||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!24!!1!!1!!0!!1!!0!!4!!1!!30!!2
|-
|Cambridge United
Cambridge United F.C.
Cambridge United Football Club is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. They are currently playing the 2011-2012 season in the Conference National, the fifth tier of the English league system, where they have competed since 2005 following their relegation from the Football League...
(loan)
|Conference National
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
|2009–10
Cambridge United F.C. season 2009–10
The 2009–10 season was the 98th season in the history of Cambridge United F.C., and the club's fifth consecutive season in the Conference National...
|14||3||0||0||–||–||0||0||14||3
|-
|Crawley Town
Crawley Town F.C.
Crawley Town Football Club is an English football club based in Crawley, West Sussex. They won the title of the Football Conference, by a record 15 point margin on second place, and with it promotion to The Football League, in April 2011.-1896–2009:...
|Conference National
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
|2010–11
2010–11 Crawley Town F.C. season
The 2010–11 season will be the 61st season in which Crawley Town have played senior football, and their seventh in the Football Conference. On 1 July 2010, following a number of signings, the club held a press conference to declare their intentions for the coming season...
|27||5||4||1||–||–||0||0||31||6
|-
!colspan="3"|Career totals
!179!!49!!9!!2!!0!!0!!23!!9!!211!!60
|}