 Redfearn managingLeeds United in 2014 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Neil David Redfearn[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1965-06-20)20 June 1965 (age 59)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Dewsbury, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –1982 | Nottingham Forest | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1982–1984 | Bolton Wanderers | 35 | (1) |
| 1984–1986 | Lincoln City | 100 | (13) |
| 1986–1987 | Doncaster Rovers | 46 | (14) |
| 1987–1988 | Crystal Palace | 57 | (10) |
| 1988–1989 | Watford | 24 | (3) |
| 1989–1991 | Oldham Athletic | 62 | (16) |
| 1991–1998 | Barnsley | 292 | (72) |
| 1998–1999 | Charlton Athletic | 30 | (3) |
| 1999–2000 | Bradford City | 17 | (1) |
| 2000–2001 | Wigan Athletic | 22 | (7) |
| 2001–2002 | Halifax Town | 42 | (6) |
| 2002–2004 | Boston United | 54 | (12) |
| 2004 | Rochdale | 9 | (0) |
| 2004–2006 | Scarborough | 61 | (18) |
| 2006–2007 | Bradford Park Avenue | ||
| 2007 | Stocksbridge Park Steels | ||
| 2007 | Frickley Athletic | ||
| 2007–2008 | Bridlington Town | ||
| 2008 | Emley | ||
| 2008 | Salford City | ||
| Total | 851 | (176) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2001 | Halifax Town (caretaker) | ||
| 2002 | Halifax Town (caretaker) | ||
| 2005–2006 | Scarborough | ||
| 2007 | Northwich Victoria | ||
| 2008 | York City (caretaker) | ||
| 2012 | Leeds United (caretaker) | ||
| 2013 | Leeds United (caretaker) | ||
| 2014 | Leeds United (caretaker) | ||
| 2014–2015 | Leeds United | ||
| 2015–2016 | Rotherham United | ||
| 2017–2018 | Doncaster Rovers Belles | ||
| 2018 | Liverpool Women | ||
| 2020–2022 | Sheffield United Women | ||
| 2025 | Farsley Celtic | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Neil David Redfearn (born 20 June 1965) is an Englishfootball coach and former player who was most recently the manager ofFarsley Celtic.
Redfearn, amidfielder, played 790 matches inthe Football League, the sixth highest total of all time, and more than a thousandfirst team games overall in a career that has spanned 24 years. He has had spells as caretaker manager ofHalifax Town andYork City and as manager ofScarborough,Northwich Victoria andLeeds United.
Born inDewsbury,West Riding of Yorkshire, Redfearn began his career atBolton Wanderers on 23 June 1982, having previously been on the books ofNottingham Forest'syouth team.[1] He later made his name as goalscoring midfielder at lower-division sidesLincoln City andDoncaster Rovers. In May 1985, 56 spectators were killed in astadium fire while he was playing for Lincoln against Bradford City. In 1987, he was signed byCrystal Palace for £100,000, and he later played forWatford, before moving again in 1989 toOldham Athletic.
Redfearn's last season with Oldham constituted a career highlight as he was an ever-present in the team that won theSecond Division title and returned the Latics to the top-flight of English football after a gap of 68 years. Redfearn converted the injury timepenalty kick in the final game of the season againstSheffield Wednesday that completed a 3–2 victory (after Oldham had trailed 2–0), and snatched the championship fromWest Ham United, who had prematurely been handed the trophy some 15 minutes earlier. Despite his contribution to Oldham's promotion, he became surplus to requirements with the re-signing of former club captainMike Milligan fromEverton in the off-season and Redfearn was transferred without playing for Oldham in the top flight.
In September 1991, Redfearn joinedBarnsley, and it was at this club he arguably spent his prime years. In his seven seasons at Oakwell, he rarely missed a single game, and was named club captain and penalty taker. In the1996–97 season, Redfearn scored 17 goals as Barnsley won promotion to theFA Premier League for the first time in the club's history. Redfearn missed only one game, and was Barnsley's top scorer with ten league goals in the1997–98 season. These included Barnsley's first ever top division goal on the opening day of the season, when he put them ahead in the ninth minute at home toWest Ham United, although they ended up losing the game 2–1.[2]
It was not enough to save them though, as Barnsley were relegated that season. However, despite being in his thirties, Redfearn's performances had made him a wanted man in the Premier League, and he was signed byCharlton Athletic for £1 million in the summer of 1998. He left Barnsley having played 338 first team games, scoring 83 goals.
In the1998–99 season, his family did not settle in London, and at the end of the season, Redfearn jumped at the chance of returning to his nativeYorkshire, whenBradford City paid £250,000 for his services. Redfearn did not make much impact at Bradford, scoring just once againstLeicester City,[3] and joined his 10th team,Wigan Athletic after just nine months in Bradford. Despite a very good goalscoring record, Redfearn never became first-choice at Wigan either, and he dropped down two divisions to joinHalifax Town in 2001.
At Halifax, he also got his first taste of management, being appointedcaretaker manager alongsideTony Parks following the resignation ofPaul Bracewell on 30 August 2001.[4] His spell as caretaker manager came to an end on 12 October following the appointment ofAlan Little.[5] Redfearn started a second spell in caretaker charge on 4 March 2002 due to the enforced absence of Little.[6] However, his contract with the club was terminated on 25 April and having been snubbed for the permanent manager's job he joinedBoston United asplayer-coach.[7][8]
Redfearn spent the better part of two years at Boston, before finishing his Football League career atRochdale in the spring of 2004.[9] Rochdale did not offer him a new contract at the end of the season,[10] meaning he finished his Football League career with 790 appearances and so being fifth in the all-time list of most Football League appearances.[11] His last league appearance for Rochdale took his total to . after which Redfearn dropped down to theConference, where he became player-coach atScarborough, managed at the time by his former Oldham teammateNick Henry. He signed a new contract with Scarborough in April 2005.[12] When Henry was dismissed on 24 October 2005 Redfearn was named caretaker manager,[13] before being appointed permanently on 1 November while remaining registered as a player.[14][15] Redfearn resigned on 6 July 2006 afterMark Patterson was brought in as assistant manager.[16] He subsequently signed withNorthern Premier LeagueFirst Division sideBradford Park Avenue later that month.[17] He made his 1,000th competitive appearance on 4 November 2006, when Bradford Park Avenue facedSolihull Borough in the second qualifying round of theFA Trophy.[18]
Redfearn quit Bradford Park Avenue in March 2007, joining Northern Premier League First Division rivalsStocksbridge Park Steels,[19] but left on 19 June to become manager ofConference Premier sideNorthwich Victoria.[20] He resigned on 17 September 2007, after the club only managed one point from their first nine games, leaving them bottom of the Conference Premier.[21]
He joinedNorthern Premier League Premier Division clubFrickley Athletic as a player in September 2007.[22] He left the club over a month later to joinBridlington Town on 5 November.[23] He left them in January 2008 after the departure of manager Ash Berry.[24] He was appointed asYork City's youth team coach in February.[25] He joinedEmley in July, where he would play when his commitments with York's youth team allowed.[26] Redfearn moved ontoSalford City of theNorthern Premier LeagueDivision One North in October 2008.[27] He took over as caretaker manager at York on 21 November 2008, followingColin Walker's dismissal,[28] and was in charge for the team's 2–2 draw againstCrawley Town.[29] FollowingMartin Foyle's appointment as manager on 24 November, Redfearn took up the position of assistant manager at the club.[30]
Redfearn left York over a month later after being appointed coach of the under-18 academy team atLeeds United on 30 December 2008 and he assumed this role on 1 January 2009.[31][32] He took over as manager of the Leedsreserve team in December 2010 following the dismissal ofNeil Thompson.[33] He was appointedcaretaker manager at Leeds following the dismissal of managerSimon Grayson on 1 February 2012.[34] Three days later he won his first match in charge by beating Bristol City 3–0. It was later confirmed by club chairmanKen Bates that Redfearn would retain the managerial post for the following three games.[35] After two wins and two defeats in his four-game spell as manager, Redfearn was replaced as manager byNeil Warnock as permanent manager on 18 February 2012.[36] In April 2012, Redfearn guided Leeds' Under 18's side to a second-place finish in the Under-18s League, narrowly missing out on top spot to Newcastle's Under-18s team.[37]
Following the departure of Neil Warnock on 1 April 2013,[38] Redfearn again took charge of the first team for the game at for the 2–1 away defeat againstCharlton Athletic on 6 April.[39]
Redfearn's spell as the Head of academy was praised due to the influx of Leeds academy players breaking through into the first team such asDominic Poleon,Chris Dawson,Sam Byram,Alex Mowatt,Lewis Cook andKalvin Phillips.[citation needed]
On 28 August 2014, Redfearn was appointed caretaker head coach after head coachDave Hockaday and his assistantJunior Lewis were dismissed by ownerMassimo Cellino, having been in the job for only 70 days. This was the third time Redfearn had been appointed as a caretaker manager/head coach of Leeds.[40][41] Redfearn picked up a victory in his first game back in charge with a 1–0 win on 30 August against Bolton Wanderers.[42] On 20 September, Redfearn's Leeds picked up a 3–0 win over local rivalsHuddersfield Town.[43] After recording a record of three wins and one draw in his latest stint as caretaker, Leeds announced that Redfearn would be stepping back down into a role described as "Academy manager and head of coaching."[44] withDarko Milanič appointed the new head coach of Leeds on a two-year deal replacing previous head coachDave Hockaday, he was joined at Leeds by hisSK Sturm Graz AssistantNovica Nikčević.[45]
On 25 October 2014, Milanič was dismissed by the club after only 32 days in charge. Cellino confirmed that Redfearn would be appointed as Leeds' new head coach.[46][47] On 27 October 2014 Redfearn confirmed that he verbally agreed to become head coach of Leeds after receiving reassurances that if it does not work out, he will revert to his previous job back in the academy.[48][49] On 1 November 2014, Redfearn was confirmed as the club's new head coach, on an initial 12-month contract with the option of a further 12 months, the contract also had a clause that would see Redfearn return to the academy if he was to leave his role as head coach.[50] On 18 December 2014,Steve Thompson was hired as Redfearn's new assistant manager.[citation needed]
On 2 April 2015, Redfearn's assistantSteve Thompson was suspended by Leeds for an 'internal matter' by Leeds Sporting DirectorNicola Salerno, with Redfearn saying that he was kept in the dark about the cause.[51]
Also on 2 April 2015, a story emerged that Redfearn had been put under pressure to 'not select' top scorerMirco Antenucci, because Antenucci's contract featured a clause of an extra year on his contract, should he score 12 goals in his first season. Antenucci's agent Silvio Pagliari confirmed the clause was correct.[52] Despite this, Redfearn started Antenucci, with Antenucci making a relatively rare start againstWolverhampton Wanderers on 6 April in a 4–3 defeat.[53] On 24 June 2015, former Sporting DirectorNicola Salerno proclaimed the decision to not play Antenucci prior was Redfearn's decision.[54]
On 9 April, after rumoured Premier League interest inAlex Mowatt and teammatesLewis Cook,Charlie Taylor andSam Byram, Redfearn challenged Leeds United's owners to keep a hold of their home grown talents.[55]
On 18 April 2015, six of ownerMassimo Cellino's signings (Mirco Antenucci,Giuseppe Bellusci,Souleymane Doukara,Dario Del Fabro,Marco Silvestri andEdgar Cani) controversially pulled out of the squad with an 'injury' the day before a 2–1 loss againstCharlton Athletic.[56]
On 14 May 2015, Cellino gave a press conference announcingAdam Pearson as the club's executive director to work directly alongside Cellino. The press conference included Cellino leaving halfway through for a cigarette break only to return, and for the press conference to run for over an hour, with Cellino refusing to reveal the future of Redfearn.[57]
On 16 May, with speculation increasing about his future as Leeds United Head Coach, Cellino in an interview with theSunday Mirror said that Redfearn was "weak" and "a baby".[58]
On 20 May 2015, Leeds announcedUwe Rösler as the new head coach, ending Redfearn's leadership at the club, with no announcement made of Redfearn's departure as head coach. Leeds executive directorAdam Pearson said in the Rosler press conference that Redfearn had been offered back his previous role as Academy Director.[59]
On 9 October 2015, Redfearn was appointed manager of Championship clubRotherham United on a two-and-a-half-year deal.[60] He was dismissed as manager on 8 February 2016, with Rotherham 22nd in the table.[61]
On 29 December 2017,Doncaster Rovers Belles announced the appointment of Redfearn as their new manager.[62] On 13 May 2018, the Belles won the FA WSL 2 title, their first trophy since 1994.[63]
On 12 June 2018, he was appointed as the new manager ofLiverpool Women (then Liverpool Ladies).[64] His first and ultimately only match in charge ended in a sobering 5–0 loss toArsenal Women.[65] He resigned on 14 September 2018 after just one game in charge.
On 2 October 2018, Redfearn was appointed as the new assistant coach of Ben Dawson atNewcastle United U23.[66]
On 21 June 2019, Redfearn was promoted to the role of Newcastle United U23 head coach.[67]
On 4 July 2019, Redfearn was announced as the caretaker head coach, assisted by Ben Dawson after the departure of managerRafael Benítez on 30 June.[68][69] He took charge of first team training for the 2019/20 pre-season.[70] On 5 November 2019, Redfearn stepped down from this position.[71]
On 28 August 2020, Redfearn was announced as the new head coach of Sheffield United Women.[72]
In November 2022, he announced his immediate resignation from the Blades.[73]
On 22 September 2023, Redfearn returned to former club Oldham Athletic in the role of caretaker assistant manager, assistingSteve Thompson.[74] With the appointment of a permanent manager imminent, both Redfearn and Thompson departed the club on 12 October.[75]
In November 2023 he became the lead professional development phase coach ofBradford City.[76]
On 17 January 2025, Redfearn was appointed manager of National League North sideFarsley Celtic.[77] However after less than 3 weeks in the post, Redfearn resigned after 4 matches in charge.[78]
Redfearn's father,Brian, is a former professional footballer.[79] He is a lifelong Leeds fan.[80] Redfearn married Susan Roberts in Dewsbury in the auspicious month of June 1985.[81]
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Halifax Town (caretaker) | 30 August 2001 | 12 October 2001 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 025.0 | [4][82] |
| Halifax Town (caretaker) | 4 March 2002 | 25 April 2002 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 030.0 | [6][7][83] |
| Scarborough | 24 October 2005 | 6 July 2006 | 29 | 6 | 7 | 16 | 020.7 | [13][16][84] |
| Northwich Victoria | 19 June 2007 | 17 September 2007 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 000.0 | [20][21][85] |
| York City (caretaker) | 21 November 2008 | 24 November 2008 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 000.0 | [28][82] |
| Leeds United (caretaker) | 1 February 2012 | 20 February 2012 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 050.0 | [34][82] |
| Leeds United (caretaker) | 1 April 2013 | 12 April 2013 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 000.0 | [38][82] |
| Leeds United (caretaker) | 28 August 2014 | 23 September 2014 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 075.0 | [40][44][86] |
| Leeds United | 1 November 2014 | 20 May 2015 | 33 | 11 | 7 | 15 | 033.3 | [50][82] |
| Rotherham United | 9 October 2015 | 8 February 2016 | 21 | 5 | 2 | 14 | 023.8 | [82] |
| Doncaster Rovers Belles | 29 December 2017 | 12 June 2018 | 14 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 085.7 | [87] |
| Liverpool Women | 12 June 2018 | 14 September 2018 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 000.0 | |
| Sheffield United Women | 1 August 2020 | 2022 | 59 | 26 | 16 | 17 | 044.1 | |
| Total | 195 | 70 | 39 | 86 | 035.9 | |||
Oldham Athletic
Individual
Doncaster Rovers Belles
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |