Fulham FC — Fulham v Southampton — 6 January 2018

The Official Fulham FC Matchday Programme 3535

The Ex-Files

Alan Neilson

tumbling out of the League Cup in a 1-0

Second Round Replay victory at The

Dell.

Neilson came on as an 88th-minute

substitute in that game and was excited

to have another crack at the club that

let him go. “Dave Jones told me I wasn’t

in his plans,” he explains. “When a new

manager comes in, they bring their own

players. Jones brought in a goalkeeper

and a left-back - that’s football.”

But Neilson’s chance to remind his

former employers what he could do

nearly never came. “Kit and Simon

Morgan were either injured or

suspended,” remembers Neilson. “We

were training on the Friday before the

first game in Southampton and I had

a really bad session - I was awful! I

wondered whether I’d still play on the

Saturday.

“Keegan used to name the team

about an hour before kick-off and

in the teamtalk he looked at me and

said, ‘Your performance was that bad

yesterday I considered leaving you

out. You’d better go out there and show

what a good player you are.’ He knew

my mentality and knew I’d take it in

the right way and prove him wrong. I

had quite a good game.”

A last-minute equaliser from Egil

Ostenstad ultimately spared Saints’

blushes after Steve Hayward had given

the Whites an early lead. But rather

than let their heads drop, Neilson says

Fulham relished the thought of another

match.

He said: “As a defender you obviously

don’t want to concede any goals, let

alone a late one, but the Replay was in

front of the TV cameras, so it gave us a

chance to show the quality of our squad

against top-flight opposition.”

And Southampton certainly arrived

determined to show their Premier

League credentials, playing the

strongest side possible that featured

future Whites boss Mark Hughes and a

returning Matt Le Tissier. Fulham held

what a good player you are.’ He knew

my mentality and knew I’d take it in

the right way and prove him wrong. I

had quite a good game.”

A last-minute equaliser from Egil

Ostenstad ultimately spared Saints’

blushes after Steve Hayward had given

the Whites an early lead. But rather

than let their heads drop, Neilson says

Fulham relished the thought of another

match.

He said: “As a defender you obviously

don’t want to concede any goals, let

alone a late one, but the Replay was in

front of the TV cameras, so it gave us a

chance to show the quality of our squad

against top-flight opposition.”

And Southampton certainly arrived

determined to show their Premier

League credentials, playing the

strongest side possible that featured

future Whites boss Mark Hughes and a

returning Matt Le Tissier. Fulham held

“Kevin Keegan knew what

l was about and knew

I’d be the right fit ”

FFC-034-Ex-File-Southampton.indd 35 04/01/2018 12:14