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Fergus Neil

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Fergus Neil
Personal information
Date of birth (1992-02-12) 12 February 1992 (age 32)
Place of birth Queenstown, New Zealand
Position(s) Defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2009–2011 Hawke's Bay United 10 (0)
2011 Slough Town
2011 Alresford Town
2011–2014 Hawke's Bay United 39 (0)
2014 Kingston FC
2014–2015 WaiBOP United 16 (2)
2015–2016 Team Wellington 16 (1)
2016–2017 Hawke's Bay United 18 (0)
2017–2019 Napier City Rovers
2019–2021 Hawke's Bay United 26 (0)
2022– Napier City Rovers 37 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16 March 2024

Fergus Neil (born February 12, 1992) is a New Zealand footballer who plays as a defender for Napier City Rovers.

Club career

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Early career

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Neil was a product of the youth systems of Napier City Rovers and Hawke's Bay United.[1] In 2009, he was elevated to Hawke's Bay's senior team and competed in the New Zealand Football Championship for the 2009–10 season.[2] In his debut season in the country's top-tier league, he appeared in 6 matches.[3] In 2011, he ventured abroad where he had a brief stint in the lower English circuits with Slough Town and Alresford Town.[4] Following his stint abroad, he returned to Hawke's Bay for the 2011–10 season.[5] In 2013, he would miss the majority of the season, as he required surgery for a broken jaw.[6]

Canada

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In the summer of 2014, he played in the Canadian Soccer League with Kingston FC.[7][8][9] Neil would help Kingston secure a playoff berth by finishing third in the league's first division.[10] Ultimately, Kingston would reach the semifinal round where they were eliminated from the competition by Toronto Croatia.[11]

New Zealand

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After his spell abroad in the Canadian circuit, he returned to New Zealand to sign with league rivals WaiBOP United.[12][13][14] In his debut season with the club, he appeared in 16 matches and scored 2 goals.[3]

The next season he signed with another league rival Team Wellington.[15][16] In his debut season with the club, he helped the club defeat Auckland City for the championship title.[15] He also participated in the 2016 OFC Champions League, where he was featured in the tournament final against Auckland and was defeated.[17] In total, he would play in 5 matches in the continental tournament.[3]

Hawke's Bay

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Neil would return to his former club Hawke's Bay in 2016.[18] Following his stint in the country's top league, he left Hawke's Bay to play in the Central League with Napier City Rovers in 2017.[19] In early 2019, Napier Rovers named him the team's captain.[20] Throughout the 2019 season, he would help the Rovers claim the 2019 Chatham Cup.[21][22]

In late 2019, he returned to the New Zealand first division with his former club Hawke's Bay.[23] In his final season with Hawke's Bay, he served as the co-captain.[24] He would appear in 12 matches.[3] After the restructuring of the country's football system, he returned to the Central League in 2021 to his former club Napier City.[25]

References

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  1. ^ "Fergus is gutted - almost literally". NZ Herald. 19 October 2006. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  2. ^ "Co-captain excited about Bay United's depth". cdn.hbapp.co.nz. 13 November 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d "New Zealand - F. Neil - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". ca.soccerway.com. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  4. ^ "Tough lesson in northern exposure". NZ Herald. 18 February 2011. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  5. ^ Hurndell, Shane (6 November 2011). "Patchy United escape with draw". NZ Herald. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  6. ^ "Soccer: Fergus Neil has broken jaw". Hawkes Bay Today. 18 November 2013. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  7. ^ MacAlpine, Iain (14 March 2014). "Kingston FC eager to kick off a new season". Kingston Whig Standard.
  8. ^ Marciniak, Mandy (8 May 2014). "Kingston FC hoping for another successful season". The Frontenac Gazette.
  9. ^ Faris, Nick (22 May 2014). "Spanning the globe: Kingston FC will open the season with a roster that includes players from 21 countries". Kingston Whig Standard. pp. C1.
  10. ^ "Kingston FC moved into third place in the First Division of the Canadian Soccer League". The Kingston Heritage. 2 October 2014.
  11. ^ "North York Astros fall one game short of CSL final". North York Mirror. 20 October 2014.
  12. ^ "Football: Duo to bolster United defence". Rotorua Daily Post. 19 September 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  13. ^ "Football: WaiBOP build defensive line in new season". Bay of Plenty Times. 16 September 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  14. ^ "Football: Neil finds grass just as green at home". Hawkes Bay Today. 19 June 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Football: No begrudgery as Bay Utd miss out". Hawkes Bay Today. 11 March 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  16. ^ "Football: Striker's poised to set match alight". Hawkes Bay Today. 8 January 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  17. ^ "Auckland City FC defeat Team Wellington for the second year running to secure their eighth OFC Champions League crown and their sixth title in a row". www.oceaniafootball.com. 23 April 2016. Archived from the original on 11 August 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  18. ^ "Football: Suburbs fortress keeps United at Bay". Hawkes Bay Today. 30 October 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  19. ^ "Suburbs offer Blues gauge of worthiness". NZ Herald. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  20. ^ "Napier City Rovers wary of in-your-face Stop Out next". NZ Herald. 12 April 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  21. ^ Reid, Neil (30 May 2023). "Glory recalled ahead of Chatham Cup opener". NZ Herald. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  22. ^ Reid, Neil (15 May 2023). "Turf wars: Why cup-winning footballer won't play on artificial grass". NZ Herald. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  23. ^ "All the torque is about Bay United's Triple S action". Hawkes Bay Today. 30 October 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  24. ^ Fuller, Christian (15 November 2020). "Football: Hawke's Bay United suffer lacklustre 3-0 loss in season opener". NZ Herald. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  25. ^ Hurndell, Shane (14 May 2021). "Defender confident Rovers strikers will return to form". cdn.hbapp.co.nz. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
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