Neal Trotman

Personal information
Full name	Neal Anthony Trotman
Date of birth	11 March 1987 (1987-03-11) (age 22)
Place of birth	Levenshulme, Manchester, England
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Playing position	Defender
Club information
Current club	Southampton (on loan from Preston North End)
Number	12
Youth career
2004–2005	Burnley
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2006–2008	Oldham Athletic	18	(1)
2007	→ Halifax Town (loan)	11	(2)
2008–	Preston North End	3	(0)
2009	→ Colchester United (loan)	6	(0)
2009–	→ Southampton (loan)	12	(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22:41, 13 November 2009 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals).

Neal Anthony Trotman (born 11 March 1987 in Levenshulme, Manchester) is an English footballer who currently plays for Southampton, having been signed on loan from Preston. He plays as a central defender. He has a twin brother named Leon.

[edit] Football career

[edit] Oldham Athletic

He was released by Burnley at the age of 18 and was soon picked up by Oldham Athletic. In his first season he made just two appearances scoring in a F.A Cup tie against Kettering. With his chances limited he was sent out on loan to Halifax Town A.F.C. for the remainder of the 2006–07 season. ^[1]

Trotman's chances at the beginning of the 2007–08 season were also limited until injuries hit the Latics' defence. Trotman then found himself in a string of first team matches impressing the manager and the fans in the process. He was quickly hailed a "hot prospect" by the fans and became a first team regular. Trotman scored his first goal of the campaign against Leeds United in Oldham's 3-1 win at Elland Road however he missed their historic 1-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park due to suspension after accumulating 5 yellow cards. His good aerial ability matched by his athleticism, strength and sharpness attracted scouts from clubs in higher divisions. With interest growing in Trotman, Oldham faced a tough fight to keep hold of him during the transfer window. On 29 January, it had been confirmed that Plymouth Argyle had made an undisclosed fee;^[2] however that bid alerted numerous clubs who were tracking his progress to make a move, among those clubs were Preston North End, Derby County, and Blackburn Rovers.

[edit] Preston North End

He signed for Preston North End on 30 January 2008 for a fee of £500,000 (including "sell on" and "after appearances" clauses) on a three year deal.^[3] Due to a long term injury which ruled him out for most of the 2008-2009 season he signed a one month loan deal with Colchester United on 19 March 2009 to gain match fitness.^[4]

On 20 August 2009, Trotman joined Southampton on loan until January 2010.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Neal Trotman player profile at pnefc.net
• Neal Trotman career stats at Soccerbase