Neil Smillie
Neil Smillie (born 19 July 1958 in Barnsley) is a former English footballer and manager. He was a midfielder who played for Crystal Palace, Brighton & Hove Albion, Watford, Reading, Brentford, and Gillingham.
He started his career at Crystal Palace (1975–1982), with loan spells at Brentford and in the North American Soccer League with Memphis Rogues. He joined Brighton & Hove Albion in 1982 and played in the 1983 FA Cup final, which Brighton drew 2–2 with Manchester United before losing the replay. He then spent a season at Watford (1985–1986), moved to Reading (1986–1988), and went to Brentford (1988–1993). In 1993 he joined Gillingham (1993–1995), where he also served as player-coach and then manager for the rest of the season after the club went into administration.
Smillie later joined Wycombe Wanderers as a youth coach, had a short spell as caretaker manager in 1996, and then was full manager from 1998 to 1999 before being dismissed. Across his career he made 489 league appearances and scored 40 goals. He is the son of former player Ron Smillie.
After football, he worked as Nike UK's Sports Marketing Manager and led the company's talent ID scheme.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 02:24 (CET).