Neil Finn (footballer)

Last updated

Neil Finn
Personal information
Date of birth (1978-12-29) 29 December 1978 (age 45)
Place of birth Rainham, Essex, England
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) [1]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
West Ham United
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1995–1998 West Ham United 1 (0)
1998 → Dorchester Town (loan)
1998 Aldershot Town 0 (0)
2004–2010 Romford 126 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:21, 29 July 2021 (UTC)

Neil Finn (born 29 December 1978) is a former professional footballer. He played one game for West Ham United in the Premier League during the 1995-96 season, aged 17, becoming at that time the youngest player to ever to appear in a Premier League match. He remains the youngest goalkeeper to play in the Premier League. [2]

Contents

Career

Finn was a product of the West Ham youth academy, [3] and began his professional career as a trainee in August 1995. [4] After just three reserve games, [3] he became the then youngest player to ever to appear in a Premiership match on New Year's Day 1996 against Manchester City, when first-choice goalkeeper Luděk Mikloško was suspended and Les Sealey was injured. [5] West Ham manager Harry Redknapp declared his anger with the league, saying they had lacked common sense in not allowing him to bring in a more experienced goalkeeper, and claimed he was told he must play an outfield player in goal. [5] Recalling the event in 2017, Finn remembered there was a lot of media attention, while the City fans chanted "who the fucking hell are you?", [6] and in an interview with a West Ham fansite praised Mikloško and Sealey for helping to settle his nerves before the match. [7]

He won a runners-up medal in the 1996 FA Youth Cup final with Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand. [3] He was offered a new contract in July 1997, but joined Dorchester Town on loan in March 1998 and was released by West Ham two months later. [4] After a period out of the game, he joined non-league side Romford in 2004. [8]

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References

  1. ↑ "Neil Finn". Premier League. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  2. ↑ "Premier League stats: Arsenal's progress, the youngest player and Spurs see red". BBC Sport. 6 May 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 Hogg, Tony (2005). Who's Who of West Ham United. Profile Sports Media. p. 82. ISBN   1-903135-50-8.
  4. 1 2 "Neil Finn". Soccerbase. Racing Post . Retrieved 15 March 2008.
  5. 1 2 Nixon, Alan (2 January 1996). "Redknapp is riled by goalkeeping controversy" . The Independent. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  6. ↑ Tudor, Stephen (6 March 2017). "Heroes just for one day: What is it like to play in the Premier League?". The Set Pieces. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  7. ↑ "Exclusive Interview with Neil Finn-at the time-the youngest person to play in the Premier League". The West Ham Way. 11 April 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  8. ↑ "Neil Finn". Romford F C Archive. Archived from the original on 23 July 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2008.
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