 Neal withPort Vale in 2013 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Christopher Michael Neal[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1985-10-23)23 October 1985 (age 40)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | St Albans, England[2] | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[3] | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2004–2009 | Preston North End | 1 | (0) |
| 2005 | →Tamworth (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2006 | →Shrewsbury Town (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2007 | →Morecambe (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2009–2012 | Shrewsbury Town | 64 | (0) |
| 2012–2016 | Port Vale | 123 | (0) |
| 2016 | →Doncaster Rovers (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 2016 | →Bury (loan) | 10 | (0) |
| 2016–2018 | Fleetwood Town | 25 | (0) |
| 2018–2020 | Salford City | 61 | (0) |
| 2020–2025 | AFC Fylde | 91 | (0) |
| Total | 379 | (0) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2024 | AFC Fylde (joint-caretaker) | ||
| 2025 | AFC Fylde (joint-interim) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Christopher Michael Neal (born 23 October 1985) is an English former professionalfootballer who played as agoalkeeper and is now goalkeeping coach atNational League North clubAFC Fylde.
Neal began his career atPreston North End, making hisEnglish Football League debut in February 2005, having previously impressed in a briefloan spell at Conference clubTamworth. He had short loan spells atShrewsbury Town andMorecambe in the 2006–07 season as a covering player before he was signed by Shrewsbury Town permanently in July 2009. He was the club's regular custodian aspromotion toLeague One was achieved in 2011–12. He joinedPort Vale in July 2012 and helped the club to secure promotion out ofLeague Two in 2012–13. He joinedDoncaster Rovers on loan in February 2016 and thenBury the following month. He joinedFleetwood Town on afree transfer in May 2016 before joiningSalford City in May 2018. He dropped down to theNational League North to sign withAFC Fylde in August 2020 and helped the club to the league title at the end of the 2022–23 season.
He began coaching at AFC Fylde in July 2024 and became joint-caretaker manager two months later, and again in February 2025.
Neal began his career atPreston North End, signing professional forms underBilly Davies at the start of the2004–05 season.[4] He went onloan toConference National clubTamworth in January 2005.[5] He made his debut for the "Lambs" on 8 January, in a 4–3 defeat toAldershot Town at theRecreation Ground.[6] He kept aclean sheet on his debut atThe Lamb Ground 16 days later, as Tamworth recorded a 1–0 win overAccrington Stanley; during the game he was credited with making a "brilliant"save.[7] He played a total of six games forMark Cooper's team, before returning to Preston in February. He made his first and only appearance for the "Lilywhites" on 18 February, asGavin Ward was forced to leave the field 83 minutes into a 1–1 draw withIpswich Town in aChampionship fixture atDeepdale.[8] At the end of the seasonChester City and Tamworth attempted to sign him on loan,[9][10] but both clubs were unsuccessful. He was linked to a move toOldham Athletic in July 2006,[11] but again no move materialized.
Neal had to wait until September 2006 for another loan move, as he spent one month atGary Peters'League Two clubShrewsbury Town, providing cover forChris Mackenzie after an injury toRyan Esson.[12] Neal appeared on the Shrewsbury bench for six league matches but did not make it onto thepitch atGay Meadow. However, he did play the full 90 minutes of theFootball League Trophy match atHereford United. At the end of the season he was signed byMorecambe as an emergency loan after the club's regular custodianSteven Drenchdislocated anelbow, leavingmanagerSammy McIlroy to choose between Davies and Neal for the2007 Conference National play-off final atWembley.[13] Despite being awarded a winners medal he did not spend any time on the pitch for theLancashire club as the club's rookie goalkeeper,Scott Davies, proved up to the task of keeping goal in the club's successfulpromotion bid.[14] Neal did not make a senior appearance in2007–08 or2008–09 under eitherPaul Simpson orAlan Irvine. During this time he shook off a bout ofconjunctivitis.[15]
In July 2009, Neal moved permanently from Preston, rejoining Paul Simpson's Shrewsbury Town for a nominal fee.[16] He started the first four games of the2009–10 season, but lost his place to loaneeDavid Button due to agroin injury,[17] and played just six further games that season. He began the2010–11 campaign as the "Shrews" preferred keeper following an injury to rivalBen Smith,[18] but lost his first-team place in November after 20 appearances, and only played a handful of games thereafter as a fit again Smith was preferred by managerGraham Turner.[19] He made his first League Two appearance of the2011–12 season on 8 October, but remained between the sticks for the rest of the season, as Shrewsbury won promotion as the division's runners-up.[20]
He failed to agree fresh terms with Shrewsbury, having only been offered a one-year deal,[21] and instead signed a two-yearcontract withPort Vale in July 2012, having impressed managerMicky Adams in a match between the two clubs some months earlier.[22] He admitted that he had expected to stay at theNew Meadow, but that he was happy to switch clubs in an attempt to win promotion out of League Two for a second-successive season with the "Valiants".[23] He began the2012–13 season in excellent form, and was named asman of the match after saving elevenshots in a 1–0 win overBradford City atValley Parade on 29 September.[24] However, three days later he dropped a "clanger" atVale Park as a weak 25 yards (23 m) shot fromDagenham & Redbridge midfielderLuke Howell "somehow squirmed beneath the embarrassed keeper and trickled into the Vale net" in a disappointing 1–1 draw.[25] He began wearing protective face gear after bruising his cheekbone against Dagenham, and then continued to wear the gear as he superstitiously believed they were essential to the team's run of good results (however he stopped this practice after a run of defeats in December[26]).[27] He made "a string of flying stops during a man-of-the-match display" in anFA Cup defeat toSheffield United atBramall Lane on 1 December.[28] He remained a near ever-present, playing 51 games as Vale were promoted at the end of the season in third place, and was voted as both the Port Vale's players' Player of the Season and away fan's Player of the Season.[29]
Neal made a strong start to the2013–14 season before injuring hiswrist at the end of November.[30] After returning to fitness he displaced deputy goalkeeperSam Johnson and retained his first-team spot until he damaged his ankle ligaments in a challenge withTranmere Rovers defenderIan Goodison on 22 March; the resulting injury kept him out of action for the rest of the season.[31] Despite his injuries he was again voted as both the Port Vale's players' Player of the Season and away fan's Player of the Season,[32] and signed a new two-year contract in the summer.[33]
Neal started the2014–15 season on the bench, as Johnson was selected for the season opener.[34] After returning to the starting line-up in September he won praise for his performances.[35] He again earned praise in December for a series of consistent performances and impressive saves in close games.[36] He remain the first choice goalkeeper until he was suspending after beingsent off in a 3–1 defeat atLeyton Orient.[37] He returned to the first-team following his suspension. He was one of the most consistent performers of the season.[38]
He missed the start of the2015–16 season after picking up an ankle injury in pre-season and only returned to match fitness at the end of October.[39] He joined league rivalsDoncaster Rovers on a 28-day loan on 1 February as managerDarren Ferguson looked to provide competition forThorsten Stuckmann andMarko Maroši.[40] Neal stated that he joined "Donny" to play first-team football.[41] He played two games atKeepmoat Stadium before Port Vale ended his loan spell on 20 February as injury toJak Alnwick restored Neal to the Vale first-team.[42] He retained his first-team place at Vale until on 18 March, when he joinedBury on loan until the end of the season.[43] After making a good start to his time atGigg Lane, he told theBury Times that he hoped to join the club permanently on afree transfer.[44] Port Vale released him upon the expiry of his contract at the end of the season.[45] In December 2019, local newspaperThe Sentinel ran a poll of fans to debate Port Vale's best goalkeeper of the 2010s; Neal finished in second place with 30% of the vote, behindScott Brown (44%) and ahead of Jak Alnwick (26%).[46]
Neal signed a two-year contract with League One clubFleetwood Town in May 2016, and joined the club shortly after the departure ofChris Maxwell.[47] He was named in the EFL Team of the Week after keeping a second-successive clean sheet in a 2–0 win overCoventry City on 3 September.[48] However, he lost his first-team place toAlex Cairns in November; managerUwe Rösler admitted that the situation was a "little bit harsh on Chris Neal because Chris Neal did nothing wrong" and it was Cairns's strong form that made him undroppable.[49] On 6 January 2018, he kept a clean sheet in a 0–0 draw withLeicester City in the third round of theFA Cup, and was rewarded with a year's supply ofpizza from sponsorsPapa John's Pizza.[50] He was released by managerJohn Sheridan upon the expiry of his contract atHighbury Stadium at the end of the2017–18 season.[51]
On 17 May 2018, Neal signed a two-year contract with newly promotedNational League clubSalford City.[52] He was a former teammate of "Ammies" managerGraham Alexander as Preston.[53] He made his debut in the opening match of the2018–19 season as Salford recorded a 1–1 draw withLeyton Orient atMoor Lane on 4 August.[54] He made a total of 51 appearances throughout the campaign as Salford qualified for the play-off semi-finals with a third-place finish, and he saved two penalties in the shoot-out following a 1–1 draw withEastleigh to secure a place inthe final.[55] A 3–0 victory overAFC Fylde in the final won Salford a place in theEnglish Football League for the first time.[56] He shared the first-team goalkeeping spot with new signingKyle Letheren during the2019–20 season, though both players were released at the end of the campaign.[57][58]
On 15 August 2020, Neal signed withNational League North club AFC Fylde; he said that after speaking with managerJim Bentley that "what happened last year withrelegation we are hoping was just a blip, for some reason it was a bit of an off-season but hopefully we can rectify that this season".[59] He made 17 appearances before the2020–21 season was curtailed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in England.[60][61] Fylde exercised an option to extend his contract beyond the summer.[62] He played 29 games in the2021–22 season, missing November through February due to family reasons.[60][63] ManagerJames Rowe described him as an "outstanding individual".[64] Fylde were beaten 2–0 byBoston United in the play-off semi-finals atMill Farm.[65] Neal signed a new one-year contract in May 2022.[66] He was an ever-present throughout the2022–23 campaign as managerAdam Murray led Fylde to promotion as champions of the National League North.[60] He then became the back-up goalkeeper to new signing Theo Richardson and departed the club at the end of the2023–24 season.[60][67]
Neal returned to his former club AFC Fylde as a goalkeeping coach in July 2024.[68] Following the sacking ofChris Beech in September 2024, Neal was appointed joint-caretaker manager, alongsideNathan Delfouneso.[69]Kevin Phillips was appointed as the club's new manager on 8 October.[70] On 25 February 2025, following Phillips' departure, Neal was appointed joint-interim manager, alongside David Longwell, until the end of the2024–25 season.[71] Fylde were relegated on 18 April, and a permanent manager inCraig Mahon was named on 22 June.[72][73]
His partner, Emma, gave birth to a baby boy, Zachary Christopher Neal, on 5 December 2021, atArrowe Park Hospital; Zach wasborn prematurely and placed in intensive care and died on 15 April 2022.[63] Neal raised money for the hospital later in the year.[74]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Preston North End | 2004–05[75] | Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2005–06[76] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2006–07[77] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2007–08[78] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2008–09[79] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Tamworth (loan) | 2004–05[75] | Conference National | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[a] | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| Shrewsbury Town (loan) | 2006–07[77] | League Two | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Morecambe (loan) | 2006–07[77] | Conference National | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Shrewsbury Town | 2009–10[80] | League Two | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| 2010–11[81] | League Two | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 25 | 0 | |
| 2011–12[82] | League Two | 35 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 39 | 0 | |
| Total | 64 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 74 | 0 | ||
| Port Vale | 2012–13[83] | League Two | 46 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | 51 | 0 |
| 2013–14[84] | League One | 31 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | 38 | 0 | |
| 2014–15[85] | League One | 40 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 43 | 0 | |
| 2015–16[86] | League One | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 128 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 143 | 0 | ||
| Doncaster Rovers (loan) | 2015–16[86] | League One | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Bury (loan) | 2015–16[86] | League One | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Fleetwood Town | 2016–17[87] | League One | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| 2017–18[88] | League One | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4[c] | 0 | 15 | 0 | |
| Total | 25 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 36 | 0 | ||
| Salford City | 2018–19[60] | National League | 46 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 2[d] | 0 | 51 | 0 | |
| 2019–20[89] | League Two | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3[c] | 0 | 21 | 0 | |
| Total | 61 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 72 | 0 | ||
| AFC Fylde | 2020–21[60] | National League North | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | |
| 2021–22[60] | National League North | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 29 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23[60] | National League North | 46 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 2[a] | 0 | 52 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24[60] | National League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[a] | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2024–25[60] | National League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 93 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 101 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 379 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 441 | 0 | ||
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| AFC Fylde (caretaker) | 15 September 2024 | 8 October 2024 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 040.0 | |
| AFC Fylde (interim) | 25 February 2025 | 22 June 2025 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 014.3 | |
| Total | 19 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 021.1 | |||
Morecambe
Shrewsbury Town
Port Vale
Salford City
AFC Fylde