Sullivan: Neil

2004-2007 (Player Details)

Goalkeeper

Born: Sutton: 24-02-1970

Debut v Derby County (h): 07-08-2004

6’3” 13st (2003)

Although born and brought up in England, Sullivan had Scottish ancestry enabling him to play for the Scottish national side. He was capped on twenty-eight occasions. He was named in the Scotland squad for the 1998 World Cup in France, but was an unused substitute in all of their three matches. He began his career with Wimbledon signing professional forms on 27th July 1988, amassing a total of two hundred and twenty-four appearances of which one hundred and eighty were in the League together with one appearance from the bench and the other thirty-three were in the Cup competitions.He also played one game on loan for Crystal Palace in May 1992. On 28th May 2000, Sullivan moved to Tottenham Hotspurs on a free transfer, where he made sixty-four League appearances and another seventeen in Cup matches. He then moved to Chelsea on 1st September 2003 again on a free transfer, only playing four League games and three starts and one game from the bench in Cup-ties for them. On 1st August 2004, he was signed on a free transfer by CCCL team Leeds United. In his first season with the club in 2004-05, he was voted as the club's Player of the Year. Due to an injury picked up in the pre-season match against Nottingham Forest, he made very few appearances in the 2006-07 campaign for Leeds. On 23rd November 2006 he moved on loan to Doncaster Rovers. He only played three games, however, before his loan was cut short and he returned to Elland Road on 21st December 2006. He re-signed on loan for Doncaster Rovers on 19th February 2007 and played a further thirteen League games and one other. After the end of his loan at Doncaster he returned to Leeds but was released at the end of his contract on 15th May 2007, returning to Doncaster shortly afterwards. He arrived at the Keepmoat Stadium permanently in the summer of 2007 again on a free transfer, after impressing manager Sean O'Driscoll during his two spells on loan with the club. Sullivan's commanding presence between the sticks made him a firm fan-favourite and he established himself early to be first choice goalkeeper for the side. A veteran of almost twenty years experience, mostly spent in the top flight, but despite his long and illustrious career, he had yet to win a medal in any competition. His incredible performances in goal throughout the 2006/2007 Johnstone's Paint Trophy resulted in the Scottish 'keeper reaching the final at the Millennium Stadium, where Doncaster won their first trophy and Sullivan his first ever medal. 2007-08 saw him as an ever-present with forty-six League appearances and eight more in Cup Competitions as he approached the five hundred mark for career appearances. He continued as the first team keeper and his consistent performances throughout the 2007/8 season helped Doncaster to promotion. He made an error in the 2-1 loss to Yeovil Town on 31st March 2008, miscontrolling a backpass which led to a Yeovil goal. But the disappointment of this mistake was overshadowed by a very successful season between the sticks, in which Sullivan kept an impressive twenty clean sheets. He was an integral part of Doncaster winning promotion to the CCCL with a Play-off Final win over his former club Leeds United. He maintain his form throughout the 2009-10 season, the highlight being when he was credited with a superb man-of-the-match performance against Aston Villa on 24th January 2009 which gave Doncaster a 0-0 draw that helped keep them in the FA Cup. By the end of the 2009-10 season he had played one hundred and thirty-seven League games, eight F.A. Cup games, three League Cup games,three League One Play-off Finals and two Johnstone's Paint Trophy games since signing permanently for Rovers.