Neal Ardley

Last updated

Neal Ardley
Neal Ardley 07-09-2013 1.jpg
Ardley as manager of AFC Wimbledon in 2013
Personal information
Full name Neal Christopher Ardley [1]
Date of birth (1972-09-01) 1 September 1972 (age 52) [1]
Place of birth Epsom, England
Position(s) Right midfielder [1]
Team information
Current team
 Woking (manager)
Youth career
Wimbledon
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1991–2002 Wimbledon 245 (18)
2002–2005 Watford 111 (7)
2005–2006 Cardiff City 38 (1)
2006–2007 Millwall 21 (0)
Total415(26)
International career
1993–1994 England U21 10 (0)
Managerial career
2007–2012 Cardiff City Academy
2012–2018 AFC Wimbledon
2018–2021 Notts County
2021–2023 Solihull Moors
2023–2024 York City
2024– Woking
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Neal Christopher Ardley (born 1 September 1972) is an English professional football manager and former footballer who played as a right midfielder. He is currently the manager of Woking.

Contents

Ardley was capped at Under-21 level by England. He spent the majority of his playing career with Wimbledon, making his debut for them on 20 April 1991 at the age of 18 in a 2–1 away win over Aston Villa in the Football League First Division. He went on to make over 100 appearances for Watford before having spells at Cardiff City and Millwall. [2]

Ardley announced his retirement from professional football on 30 August 2007 after suffering a series of injuries. On the same day, Ardley announced that he would return to former club Cardiff City having been appointed manager of the Cardiff City Youth Academy. He was the manager of AFC Wimbledon from 10 October 2012 to 12 November 2018. He took over as manager of Notts County on 23 November 2018. He has been appointed as manager of Woking on 18 December 2024.

Playing career

Wimbledon

Ardley was born in Epsom, Surrey. [1] Signed by Wimbledon as a youngster, whilst at Carshalton Boys Sports College, he made his way through the youth set up until breaking into the first team. Ardley made eight league appearances for Wimbledon in the 1991–92 season, featuring more prominently in the 1992–93 campaign, in which he played in 26 games and scored four goals in the inaugural season of the FA Premier League as the Dons finished 12th. Wimbledon finished 6th in the FA Premier League in 1993–94, matching the record highest ranking achieved by the club during their first ever season in the top flight during 1986–87. Ardley's contribution was more limited during this season, however, as he was selected to play in just 16 games. He scored just once in a 2–1 win over Sheffield Wednesday on 15 January 1994. He was in and out of the side for nearly a decade afterwards, remaining with the Dons after their relegation at the end of 1999–2000. Two more seasons followed as he unsuccessfully tried to help them regain their Premier League place, before he signed for Division One rivals Watford on a free transfer on 9 August 2002.

By the time Ardley left the club in 2002 he had played a total of 245 league games for Wimbledon, scoring 18 goals. He was their longest serving player by the time of his departure. His best campaign was arguably the 1996–97 season, where he missed just four league games, helped the Dons reach the semi-finals of both the FA Cup and the Football League Cup, and oversaw an excellent season in the league where they were rarely out of the top five until having to settle for 8th place in the final table. [3]

Watford

Ardley played for the Hornets for three seasons, making appearances an FA Cup semi final in 2003 and a League Cup semi-final in 2005.

Cardiff City

Ardley joined Cardiff City in March 2005, a day before the sacking of Watford manager Ray Lewington. He scored his first and only goal for Cardiff against Leicester City on 19 April 2005. [4]

Millwall

Ardley joined Millwall for the 2006–07 season, his last professional season.

Managerial career

Cardiff City academy

Ardley announced his retirement from professional football on 30 August 2007 after a series of injuries. [5] The same day he was appointed as manager of the Cardiff City academy. [6] Ardley had started preparing for a manager's role at the early age of 24, when he took his first coaching badges before completing his training for the UEFA Pro coaching qualification in 2010. He impressed in the role by guiding several players through to the first-team squad, including highly rated pair Joe Ralls and Theo Wharton making the step-up. Ardley remained with the club for five years.

AFC Wimbledon

Ardley was appointed as manager of Football League Two side AFC Wimbledon on 10 October 2012, with former Watford teammate Neil Cox being named as assistant manager on the same day. [7] The final two man shortlist for the job was Ardley and former Wales international Rob Page. [8]

On 2 December 2012, Ardley managed AFC Wimbledon in their first ever meeting with MK Dons, the football club formed via his former side Wimbledon's relocation to Milton Keynes. An injury-time goal saw AFC Wimbledon lose 2–1. [9]

Ardley made additions to his squad during the January transfer window with Alan Bennett being the most notable. In March 2013, Ardley was nominated for Football League Two Manager of the Month following Wimbledon's unbeaten run. Despite this, Wimbledon were in 23rd place going into the last match of the season with only Aldershot Town below them, however a 2–1 win at home to mid table Fleetwood Town saw Ardley lead Wimbledon to safety instead, sending Barnet down. Remarkably, Wimbledon jumped 3 places and finished in 20th (53 points; -22 GD), despite having the worst goal difference in the league. [10]

For the start of his first full season in charge he added a number of new faces which included the likes of Charlie Sheringham. The 2013–14 season started off very brightly for the Dons beating Wycombe Wanderers, Scunthorpe United, Fleetwood Town and Burton Albion in their first four home matches leaving AFC Wimbledon sat in a Play-Off position in September. Ardley saw his side slip further down the league in the coming months which included a run of one win in eight leading into the New Year, however it still saw the Dons in a remarkably more comfortable position then when Ardley first took charge. Once again, Wimbledon finished comfortably in 20th place (53 points; -8 GD), which could have been 16th place had it not been for fielding an ineligible player. [11]

Ardley strengthened his squad during June and into July with the signing of Matt Tubbs, Adebayo Akinfenwa and James Shea amongst others. AFC Wimbledon's first preseason friendly of 2014–15 was against Margate which saw Ardley come up against his predecessor Terry Brown. The match finished with a 3–0 defeat for Ardley's side.

As the season began, Ardley put faith in his summer signings with James Shea replacing last season's number one Ross Worner. AFC Wimbledon began the season brightly with a draw at home to Shrewsbury Town which was succeeded by fine wins over Luton Town and Southend United both of which came away from home. The club's first defeat in the league came after his side squandered a 1–0 lead at home to Hartlepool United to lose 2–1.

Ardley also managed AFC Wimbledon to their first ever victory against MK Dons on 7 October 2014. They met for the third time in the Football League Trophy with goals from Ade Azeez, Sean Rigg and Adebayo Akinfenwa securing a 3–2 win for the Dons. It would become the season of cup run after he led the club to the FA Cup third round after beating Wycombe Wanderers. The reward for reaching the Third Round for the first time in the newly formed club's history was a home game against Liverpool, which the Dons lost 2–1. Ardley underwent hip surgery in March 2015, leaving Neil Cox in charge for the 1–1 draw with Tranmere Rovers. Wimbledon finished in 15th place (58 points; -6 GD). [12]

The Dons steady progress over the previous 3 seasons was the base for an extremely successful 2015–16 season. Wimbledon finished in 7th place (75 points; +14 GD), [13] the final Play-off position, thanks to new signing Lyle Taylor's 20 League goals. After Ardley had navigated the Dons through the Play-off Semi Finals against Accrington Stanley, Ardley achieved his first managerial trophy by beating Plymouth Argyle 2–0 in the League Two Play-off Final, promoting AFC Wimbledon to League One for the first time in its history.

The 2016–17 season had the Dons finish respectably in 15th place (57 points; -3 GD) in its first season in League One, in part to Lyle Taylor and Tom Elliott's 10 and 9 League goals respectively. [14]

The 2017–18 season saw Ardley unable to follow up and build on the previous season. The Dons disappointed and battled relegation all season but managed to stay up with an 18th-place finish (53 points; -11 GD), due to Lyle Taylor's 14 League goals and a 7-game unbeaten run over April and May. [15]

Ardley managed an overhaul of the Dons first team throughout the 2018 summer, as a number of players left the club. The most high-profile was Lyle Taylor, who went on to be AFC Wimbledon's record Football League goal scorer with 44 goals, and the Dons' highest scorer during their Football League era with 55 goals in all competitions. [16] The 2018 summer also saw Ardley become the 3rd longest serving manager in English League football. Ardley had more than six years in charge of the Dons. [17]

The 2018–19 season saw the Dons carry on its unbeaten run with an opening day win away (1-0) at Fleetwood Town and followed up with a home draw (0-0) against Coventry City. [18] Ardley oversaw a 10-game unbeaten run thanks to an away win (2-1) against Portsmouth in the First Round of the League Cup. This was the first time the Dons had made it to the Second Round since being back in English League football. [19] Following a run of 10 defeats in 12 Football League games, Ardley left AFC Wimbledon by mutual agreement on 12 November 2018. [20]

Notts County

Ardley was appointed as manager of Notts County on 23 November 2018, assisted by Neil Cox, with whom he worked with at AFC Wimbledon. [21] On his arrival, Ardley said "that the chance to manage Notts County is one I couldn't let pass." [22] The 2018–19 season ended in disappointment for Notts County and Ardley as it saw the club relegated to the National League on the final day of the season for the first time in their history. [23]

County looked to bounce straight back to the Football League and win an immediate promotion in a season that was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. [24] In June 2020, it was decided that the Play-Offs would go ahead with County finding themselves in third place when the table was determined on a points-per-game basis. [25] County reached the final however were beaten 3–1 by Harrogate Town who were promoted to the Football League for the first time in their history. [26] County also reached the semi-final of the FA Trophy, again falling to defeat to Harrogate Town in a delayed match that took place in September 2020. [27] Ardley was sacked on 24 March 2021 with the club 14 points behind the league leaders, Sutton United. [28]

Solihull Moors

On 14 June 2021, Ardley was appointed manager of National League side Solihull Moors. [29] After an impressive October that saw his side get four wins and two draws from six matches, Ardley was awarded the league's Manager of the Month award with his goalkeeper Ryan Boot getting the Player of the Month award, and the club conceding only one goal in these matches. [30] The 2021–22 campaign saw the second-highest finish in the club's history, as they finished third before losing to Grimsby Town in the play-off final. Following a mid-table finish in the 2022–23 season, Ardley left the club "by mutual consent" in June 2023. [31]

York City

On 6 September 2023, Ardley was announced as the new manager of York City. [32] On 26 February 2024, he was sacked with the club sitting one point above the relegation zone. [33]

Woking

On 18 December 2024, Ardley was appointed the manager of National League side, Woking. [34]

Managerial statistics

As of match played 25 January 2025 [35]
Managerial record by team and tenure
TeamFromToRecord
PWDLWin %
AFC Wimbledon 10 October 201212 November 201832610693127032.5
Notts County 23 November 201824 March 2021107462932043.0
Solihull Moors 14 June 202125 June 2023104472829045.2
York City 6 September 202326 February 202434101410029.4
Woking 18 December 2024Present8440050.0
Total579213168198036.8

Honours

AFC Wimbledon

Individual

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AFC Wimbledon</span> Association football club in London, England

AFC Wimbledon is an English professional association football club based in Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton, London. The team compete in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system.

Stacy William Long is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhys Weston</span> Welsh footballer (born 1980)

Rhys David Weston is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a defender. He represented the Welsh national team seven times during his career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neil Cox</span> English footballer and manager

Neil James Cox is an English former professional footballer and manager who is currently the assistant manager of National League club York City. A defender capable of playing at centre or right-back, he made over 500 appearances in the Football League during his career and was capped at Under-21 level by England. He began his career at Scunthorpe United as a youth player and was eventually offered a professional contract by the club, breaking into the first-team soon after. In 1991, Cox joined First Division side Aston Villa for a fee of £400,000, going on to make over 50 appearances for the side in all competitions, including playing in the club's victory over Manchester United in the 1994 Football League Cup Final, but struggled to establish himself in the first-team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Webb (footballer)</span> English footballer (born 1983)

Daniel John Webb is an English former footballer who played as a defender and is employed as Assistant Manager at Chesterfield, having initially been appointed as First Team Coach. He previously served as Leyton Orient first-team manager in 2017.

Aaron John Morris is a Welsh professional footballer who last played as a midfielder for League One club Gillingham. He can also play as a defender and has represented the Wales national under-21 team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kwesi Appiah</span> Association football player

Kwesi Appiah is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for Boreham Wood. Born in England, he represents the Ghana national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wally Downes</span> English football player, coach and manager

Walter John Downes is an English professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He was most recently manager of AFC Wimbledon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Hussey</span> English footballer (born 1989)

Christopher Ian Hussey is an English former professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Northern Premier League Division One West club Hednesford Town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jake Reeves</span> English footballer

Jake Kenny Reeves is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL League Two club AFC Wimbledon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brendan Kiernan</span> English footballer

Brendan Jason Kiernan is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Ralls</span> English footballer

Joseph William Ralls is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for and captains EFL Championship club Cardiff City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deji Oshilaja</span> English footballer

Abdul-Yussuf Adedeji Adeniyi "Deji" Oshilaja is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for EFL League One club Mansfield Town.

Kevin Sainte-Luce is a professional footballer who plays as a winger. Born in Metropolitan France, he plays for the Guadeloupe national team at international level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Meades (footballer)</span> Welsh footballer (born 1992)

Jonathan Charles Meades is a retired Welsh footballer who last played for AFC Wimbledon in League One. He represented Wales at both under-17 and under-21 level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jesse Darko</span> Austrian footballer

Jesse Asieddu Darko is an Austrian footballer who plays as a striker for Chatham Town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Bassey</span> English footballer

Simon James Bassey is an English former footballer. During his playing career he played as a midfielder. He is currently assistant head coach at Woking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will Nightingale</span> English footballer

William John Robert Nightingale is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or right-back for Scottish Premiership side Ross County, on loan from EFL League Two club AFC Wimbledon.

The 2015–16 season was AFC Wimbledon's 14th season in their history and 5th consecutive season in League Two. Despite getting the season off to a mediocre start, good spells of form in the latter half of the season ensured that The Dons would confirm their highest ever League Two finish with 7th place and qualification to the 2016 Football League play-offs. AFC Wimbledon went on to beat 4th placed Accrington Stanley 3–2 on aggregate, earning them a place in the play-off Final at Wembley Stadium against Plymouth Argyle. The Dons went on to win the play-off final on 30 May 2016 in front of a crowd of 57,956, earning them promotion to Football League One for the first time in their history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Semi Ajayi</span> Nigerian footballer (born 1993)

Oluwasemilogo Adesewo Ibidapo "Semi" Ajayi is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for EFL Championship club West Bromwich Albion. Born in England, he represents the Nigeria national team.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Neal Ardley". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  2. ↑ "Neal Ardley". Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Database. Neil Brown. Archived from the original on 13 August 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  3. ↑ "Sporting-Heroes". sporting-heroes.net. Archived from the original on 9 June 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  4. ↑ "Leicester 1–1 Cardiff". BBC. 19 April 2005. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
  5. ↑ "Veteran midfielder Ardley retires". BBC Sport. 30 August 2007. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2007.
  6. ↑ "New Appointment". Cardiff City. 30 August 2007. Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  7. ↑ "Former Dons player is back as our new boss". AFC Wimbledon. Archived from the original on 17 November 2012. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  8. ↑ "Cardiff City youth boss Neal Ardley takes AFC Wimbledon job". WalesOnline. 10 October 2012. Archived from the original on 16 June 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  9. ↑ "MK Dons 2–1 AFC Wimbledon". BBC Sport. 2 December 2012. Archived from the original on 15 January 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  10. ↑ "League Two (Sky Sports)". SkySports. Archived from the original on 14 August 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  11. ↑ "League Two (Sky Sports)". SkySports. Archived from the original on 30 August 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  12. ↑ "League Two (Sky Sports)". SkySports. Archived from the original on 23 August 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  13. ↑ "League Two (Sky Sports)". SkySports. Archived from the original on 14 July 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  14. ↑ "League One (Sky Sports)". SkySports. Archived from the original on 14 August 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  15. ↑ "League One (Sky Sports)". SkySports. Archived from the original on 29 August 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  16. ↑ "Games played by Neal Ardley in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  17. ↑ "The longest serving managers in England include Pochettino, Dyche and Howe". 1 June 2018. Archived from the original on 14 August 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  18. ↑ "League One (Sky Sports)". SkySports. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  19. ↑ "Dons fight back to march into second round of cup". Archived from the original on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  20. ↑ "Neal Ardley: AFC Wimbledon boss leaves after more than six years in charge". BBC Sport. 12 November 2018. Archived from the original on 28 November 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
  21. ↑ "Neal Ardley: Notts County appoint former AFC Wimbledon boss as manager". BBC Sport. 23 November 2018. Archived from the original on 24 November 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  22. ↑ "Ardley appointed manager". Archived from the original on 5 August 2021. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  23. ↑ "Swindon Town 3–1 Notts County". BBC Sport. 4 May 2019. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  24. ↑ "National League Statement | National League Competition Suspended". www.thenationalleague.org.uk. 16 March 2020. Archived from the original on 3 March 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  25. ↑ "Barrow promoted back to English Football League after National League vote". BBC Sport. 17 June 2020. Archived from the original on 19 June 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  26. ↑ "Harrogate Town 3–1 Notts County". BBC Sport. 2 August 2020. Archived from the original on 2 August 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  27. ↑ "Notts 0–1 Harrogate". www.nottscountyfc.co.uk. 22 September 2020. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  28. ↑ Turner, Andy (24 March 2021). "Notts County fans react to Neal Ardley departure". NottinghamshireLive. Archived from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  29. ↑ "Neal Ardley appointed as new Moors boss". www.solihullmoorsfc.co.uk. 14 June 2021. Archived from the original on 14 June 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  30. 1 2 "Moors scoop double Manager and Player of the Month awards for October!". solihullmoorsfc.co.uk. 8 November 2021. Archived from the original on 8 November 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  31. ↑ "Neal Ardley: Solihull Moors manager leaves by mutual consent". BBC Sport. 25 June 2023. Archived from the original on 25 June 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  32. ↑ "Neal Ardley appointed as Minstermen's new first team manager". York City. Archived from the original on 6 September 2023. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  33. ↑ "Club Statement | Neal Ardley". yorkcityfootballclub.co.uk. 26 February 2024. Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  34. ↑ Green, Jonnie (18 December 2024). "Neal Ardley Appointed First Team Manager". Woking FC. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
  35. ↑ "Managers: Neal Ardley". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Archived from the original on 3 June 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  36. ↑ "AFC Wimbledon 2–0 Plymouth Argyle". BBC Sport. 30 May 2016. Archived from the original on 24 October 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  37. ↑ "Neal Ardley named Sky Bet League 2 Manager of the Month". www.efl.com. 9 January 2015. Archived from the original on 12 April 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  38. ↑ "Neal Ardley named Sky Bet League 2 Manager of the Month". www.efl.com. 6 May 2016. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  39. ↑ "Neal's Notts Back On Promotion Path After Great End To 2019". www.thenationalleague.org.uk. 10 January 2020. Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  40. ↑ "National League's January Monthly Award Winners Revealed!". www.thenationalleague.org.uk. 8 February 2021. Archived from the original on 8 February 2021. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.