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

Club career

Early career

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

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

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

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]

Honors

Team Wellington

Napier City Rovers

References

  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 c "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. ^ a b 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.
Allikas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fergus_Neil
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