Ashleigh Neville will be familiar to many.
In fact her last appearance came at The Valley, coming off the bench for Leicester in THAT play off game. Remember that? Neville was unable to prevent Leicester from dropping out of the WSL but has made sure she doesn’t suffer the same fate, becoming Charlton’s third summer signing.
Fullback Neville started her career fifteen years ago, playing for Sporting Club Albion in what was then the Women’s Premier League. After a two year spell she moved onto Coventry City (now Rugby Borough) where she spent four years making 69 appearances. Karen Hills then signed Neville to play for Tottenham in the Championship. That move turned out to be a successful one spanning nearly a decade and encapsulating 184 appearances in all competitions. Game time at Tottenham was limited last season and Neville moved on to Leicester in January where she became a regular. Leicester were likely already doomed before Neville joined but she performed well.
It is no real surprise that Hills has recruited the 33 year old as her squad is lacking WSL experience and senior players. There is also a hole at fullback with Charlotte Newsham set to be out for the vast majority of the season although it was nice to see her sign a new deal. Neville spoke about knowing exactly what Hills wants from players and the same goes the other way, this is a signing that the manager knows she can rely on.
If you’re hoping Neville is going to bomb forward and get lots of goals and assists you’ll be disappointed. At 33 she is understandable less mobile but her reading of the game is good. Against Charlton in the play off final she played some nice passes but also made plenty of tackles and interceptions. In fact, Neville won the most duels and tackles per 90 in the WSL as well as ranking high for clearances, blocked shots and interceptions. Being able to play on either the left or right is a big bonus too. She could either play alongside the experienced N’Dow to lock down one side of the pitch or beside the less experienced Lobato or Skeels to talk them through the game.
Welcome to SE7, Ashleigh.