Place of birth Glasgow, Scotland 1968–1972 Brentford 1964–1966 Arsenal Name Gordon Neilson | Years Team Role Footballer 1966–1968 Arsenal | |
Date of birth (1947-05-28) 28 May 1947 (age 68) | ||
Gordon Neilson (born 28 May 1947) is a retired Scottish professional football right winger who played in the Football League for Arsenal and Brentford.
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Arsenal
A winger, Neilson joined Division One side Arsenal from amateur side Glasgow United in April 1964. He signed a professional contract in June 1964 and initially appeared for the youth team, featuring in the side which lost to Everton in the 1965 FA Youth Cup Final. He also played for the reserve and 'A' teams, chalking up 14 goals in 40 appearances. Neilson had to wait until 12 March 1966 to make his first team debut, which came in a 1–0 league defeat to Everton. He made just one further appearance during the 1965–66 season, in a 1–0 victory over Leicester City on the final day. Neilson had to wait until 19 November 1966 to make his next appearance, which came in a 1–0 victory over Fulham. He scored his first goal for the club in the following game, netting in a 2–1 defeat to Nottingham Forest. He made a breakthrough into the first team and was a regular pick, scoring his second goal for the club in a 3–0 victory over Blackpool on 21 January 1967 and finding the net again in the following game, a 3–0 FA Cup third round victory over Bristol Rovers. Neilson's run in the team came to an end in late February 1967 and he was never to appear again. He departed Highbury in October 1968, having made 17 appearances and scored three goals for the Gunners.
Brentford
Neilson dropped down the leagues to sign for Division Four side Brentford for a £10,000 fee in October 1968. In a time of financial uncertainty for the Griffin Park club, Neilson's £10,000 fee represented a major gamble. After making 29 appearances during the 1968–69 season, he hit the ground running during the 1969–70 season, making 39 appearances and helping the Bees to a fifth-place finish. His appearances tailed away in the early 1970s and he made just 13 appearances during the 1971–72 season, in which Brentford finally secured promotion back to Division Three. Neilson was released in the summer of 1972, having made 104 appearances and scored 15 goals during his time with the Bees.
Hillingdon Borough
Neilson saw out his career with a spell at Southern League Premier Division side Hillingdon Borough during the 1972–73 season.
Personal life
After his retirement from football, Neilson moved into banking.