Biography
Powerful defender Neil James Allison came through the ranks at his home town club while attending Greatfield and Malet Lambert High Schools and playing for Hull Boys representative teams, often playing alongside Nicky Barmby. He began his YTS apprenticeship with the Tigers in May 1990 and quickly rose into the Reserves before making his first team debut a year later aged 17 in City’s final Division Two match of the 1990s.
For the next two seasons he was an irregular presence in the City first team, filling in at centre back in the early weeks of the 1991/92 season in the absence of another City youngster Neil Buckley. At the start of the 1993/94 season Allison won a regular first team start as the Tigers’ youth resources were given their chance under Terry Dolan’s management – Neil scored his first senior goal at Port Vale in October 1993. A nasty ankle injury robbed City of Allison’s services for much of the 1994/95 season, but he roared back in the 1995/96 season, starting the majority of matches and notching three goals as the Tigers slid to relegation.
Despite refusing a new contract during the 1996 close season and playing on a week-to-week contract, Allison played regularly for the first two months of the 1996/97 season as City found their feet in League Division 3. He was released in early November 1996 with Dolan preferring the defensive talents of Tony Brien, Ian Wright, Rob Dewhurst and Antonio Doncel, and within a week he was snapped up by League Division 1 side Swindon Town on trial but didn’t manage to break into the Robins’ first team. By Christmas 1996 Allison was playing for North Ferriby United. In January 1997 he joined League of Ireland side Sligo Rovers but returned to Ferriby a few weeks later. In March 1997 Allison signed for League Division 2 side Chesterfield where he made two senior appearances during the following month, his final Football League matches.
After a short spell at Northern Premier League side Guiseley at the start of the 1997/98 season, Allison then spent the 1998 season playing in Singapore before he returned to blighty in December 1998 and joined Northern Premier League side Gainsborough Trinity after a trial with Scunthorpe United. Neil stayed at the Lincolnshire side for six years before his career drew to a close with half a season at Ossett Town and nearly two seasons back at North Ferriby United.
Allison was assistant manager for much of his time at Gainsborough and between 2007 and 2010 he managed North Ferriby United, having previously played for the Church Road side. Outside of football, Neil worked in sales and marketing from 2003, firstly at ARCO in Hull and from 2010 onwards in Perth, Western Australia. In 2018 he became owner of Briskleen Supplies and Hygiene based in Malaga, Western Australia.
Details
Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 20 October 1973, Hull
Hull City First Game: 11 May 1991, Newcastle United A (Division Two), 17 years, 203 days old
Hull City Final Game: 29 October 1996, Cardiff City H (League Division Three), 23 years, 9 days old
Clubs
Hull City (1990-1996), Swindon Town (1996), North Ferriby United (1996-1997), Sligo Rovers (1997), North Ferriby United (1997), Chesterfield (1997), Guiseley (1997-1998), Geyland United Singapore (1998), Gainsborough Trinity (1998-2005), Ossett Town (2005-2006), North Ferriby United (2006-2007)
Hull City Record
Career: 124 apps, 4 goals
Neil Allison| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990/91 | 1 (0) | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1991/92 | 5 (2) | 0 | – | – | 2 (0) | 0 | – | – | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 1992/93 | 7 (4) | 0 | – | – | 2 (0) | 0 | – | – | – | – |
| 1993/94 | 27 (1) | 1 | 2 (0) | 0 | 2 (0) | 0 | – | – | 1 (1) | 0 |
| 1994/95 | 11 (2) | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 1995/96 | 33 (2) | 2 | 1 (0) | 0 | 1 (0) | 1 | – | – | 3 (0) | 0 |
| 1996/97 | 11 (0) | 0 | – | – | 0 (1) | 0 | – | – | – | – |