Neil Smillie

Neil Smillie

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

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 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. In 1982 he was sold to Brighton & Hove Albion. During his time with the south coast 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.

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

Managerial career

In 1993, new Gillingham manager Mike Flanagan made Smillie his first signing, appointing him as player-coach. After Flanagan was dismissed as manager by the receivers while Gillingham were in administration in 1995, Smillie was appointed manager for the remainder of the season.

When new owners took over Gillingham in the summer of 1995, Smillie moved on to Wycombe Wanderers, where he served as youth team coach. He had a brief spell as caretaker manager in 1996, and later gained the job on a permanent basis in 1998. His stint in charge was a short one, however, as he was sacked the following year.