Neill Byrne

Biography

Neill Byrne (born 2 February 1993) is an Irish footballer who plays as a defender for EFL League One club Bradford City. Career Early career Byrne was born in Portmarnock, Ireland. He started his career with Irish sides Portmarnock and Belvedere before joining the Nottingham Forest Youth Academy at the age of 14. Despite interest from other clubs, two years later he signed apprentice terms with the club until 2011. Byrne was released by Forest in December 2011 and joined Rochdale on trial, scoring in a reserve game against Manchester City. After impressing on trial, Byrne signed an 18-month contract with the League One club on 1 January 2012. He made his debut for the Dale on 31 March 2012, in a 3–3 draw with relegation rivals Walsall. In November 2012, he joined Football Conference side Barrow on a one-month loan deal. AFC Telford United He joined AFC Telford United in June 2013 after being released by Rochdale. On 26 April 2014, he won promotion to the Conference Premier with Telford after they clinched the Conference North title on the final game of the season. Macclesfield Town After his impressive season with Telford, he signed for Macclesfield Town. During his 2 year spell, he made 59 National League appearances and 3 FA Cup appearances. He scored 4 goals in the National League and started the majority of games, helping Macclesfield to 10th in the 2015–16 season. In the 2016–17 season, Macclesfield finished 9th in the National League. They also reached the final of the FA Trophy in 2016–17, however they lost 3–2 against York City.