3434 TheThe Official Official Fulham FC Matchday Programme Fulham FC Matchday ProgrammeThe EX-Files
AlanNeilsonBorn: 26.09.1972Nationality: WelshYears At SFC: 1995-1997League Apps: 55 | League Goals: 0Years At FFC: 1997-2001League Apps: 29 | League Goals: 2I
n the late 90s, Division TwoFulham were anything but‘plucky’. Mohamed Al Fayed wasbankrolling a flurry of seven-figurepurchases that tempted Premier League-calibre players to the Cottage. AlanNeilson was one of the players to dropdown the leagues to join the revolutionin SW6. And he was let in on the Whites’interest by a close pal.“I’m really good friends with MaikTaylor, who moved to Fulham a coupleof weeks before me,” Alan recalls. “Wehave a really good relationship; we wereat Southampton at the same time and wewere neighbours.”Our keeper wasn’t Alan’s only link tohis new club. “Kevin Keegan sold mefrom Newcastle to Southampton and wasdirector of operations at Fulham whenI came to the Club,” continues Alan. “Heknew what I was about and knew I’d bethe right fit. The players already herewere superb; Chris Coleman, Kit Symons,Maik. The Club’s plan worked - we wentfrom Division Two to the Premier Leaguein the four-and-a-half years I was there.”At the turn of 1999 Fulham were drawnaway at today’s visitors Southampton inthe FA Cup. The teams had already meta couple of months earlier, when DirkLehmann sent the Premier League sideDrew Heatley catches up with a former Whites player with a link totoday’s opponents. This afternoon, ex-Whites and Southampton defenderAlan Neilson remembers Fulham’s FA Cup giant-killing in 1999...were superb; Chris Coleman, Kit Symons,Maik. The Club’s plan worked - we wentfrom Division Two to the Premier Leaguein the four-and-a-half years I was there.”At the turn of 1999 Fulham were drawnaway at today’s visitors Southampton inthe FA Cup. The teams had already meta couple of months earlier, when DirkLehmann sent the Premier League sideFFC-034-Ex-File-Southampton.indd 34 04/01/2018 12:13