New Zealand beckoned not long after the 12-plus-week layoff and Neil trusted his instincts to find his mojo again with the Waikato/Bay of Plenty team in the ASB Premiership in summer before donning the Rovers shirt again in the Lotto Central League over winter.
The top-of-the-table Blues have lost just one game this winter and are also in the running for the Chatham Cup (national knockout) campaign, travelling across the Manawatu Gorge to play Palmerston North Marist on Saturday next week.
Neil is mindful his teammates won't be dropping their guard in the 2pm kickoff at Bluewater Stadium after a shock 1-0 loss to Petone FC at home on May 24.
"We'll show them the respect they deserve but we won't be taking them lightly."
The Wiremu Patrick-coached Miramar succumbed 4-0 to the Napier club side in Wellington in the second game of the league on April 6.
"They are always a strong team. They haven't go the best results so far but they are always tough to beat," he says of the seventh-placed traditional powerhouses in the 10-team league and their history against the Blues.
Neil says, akin to the Rovers, the Rangers have a good mix of youth and experience.
The Rovers will not have the experience of player/assistant coach Chris Greatholder tomorrow because of work commitments and livewire centre-mid Tom Biss also is out injured but no one is going to lose sleep over that because the hosts have enough depth and ability to make up for such absences.
Striker Fane Morgan and midfielder Daniel Ball come into the equation but are likely to warm the bench.
A speedy Neil, who isn't shy to run up the flanks to turn defence into attack, reflected on his time in Ontario, Canada.
"I was sightseeing, enjoying the Kingston lifestyle and met some good mates.
It [the knee injury] did set me back a little but you have to keep going, get your head up and get on with it."
It's the third time in his career Neil has injured that knee.
But the softly spoken player is no stranger to injuries. In November 2013 he came off second best in a tackle against a Southern United player in the national summer league in Napier.
An X-ray at the hospital confirmed his worst fears. The doctor wired his bottom two teeth to ensure the fractured jaw, with a hairline break riding up to the right side of his jawline, did not aggravate the break before they performed surgery.
Reduced to eating from a straw for weeks, Neil absolved tackler Tom McCormack of any blame or malicious intent.
He mentally blocks out his recurring knee injuries.
On returning from Ontario, he played for the Rovers in their 2-0 loss in the Chatham Cup semifinal last year to Central United before making a move to Waikato/BOP where he "made some contacts".
"The summer was enjoyable. We didn't make the top four but I'm glad I went up there," he says after many Bay-based players opted not to play for home franchise Hawke's Bay United who historically made the premiership final but lost to Auckland City.
His NBHS stint in helping out students with work individually or in groups of four has sparked his interest in becoming a primary schoolteacher.
ROUND 10 DETAILS
WHO: Napier City Rovers v Miramar Rangers.
WHEN: Tomorrow, 2pm kickoff.
WHERE: Bluewater Stadium, Park Island, Napier.
REFEREE: Mark Whitehead.
AR1/AR2: Gareth Sheehan/Gordon Harris.
ROVERS: Ruben Parker Hanks (GK), 2 Daniel Ball, 5 Finlay Milne, 6 Miles John, 7 Stephen Hoyle, 8 Ryan Tinsley, 9 Angus Kilkolly, 10 Saul Halpin, 14 Josh Stevenson, 15 James Hoyle, 16 Danny Wilson (c), 17 Fergus Neil, 19 Bill Robertson, 20 Fane Morgan, 23 Kyle Baxter (RGK).
Coach: Bill Robertson. Asst coach: Chris Greatholder.
RANGERS: Michael O'Keeffe (GK), 2 Tim Schaeffers, 3 Tom Probert, 4 Ash Crawford, 5 Jamie Farrington, 6 Tom O'Sullivan, 7 Henry Fa'arodo, 8 Jerram Tuck, 9 Finn Moore, 10 Michael Fifii, 11 Tapfuma Dimairo, 12 Gowan Stares, 13 Pat Fleming, 14 Daniel Bowkett, 15 Ben Thomas, 16 Michael Partikromo, 17 Dom Rowe, 18 Will McIntyre, 19 Niko Kirwan, 20 Peter Halstead, 21 Michael Durkin, Charlie Morris (RGK).
Coach: Wiremu Patrick.
OTHER GAMES
Today unless stated otherwise:
2.30pm: Tawa AFC v Western Suburbs at Redwood Park.
3pm: Lower Hutt City v Stop Out at Fraser Park Turf.
5.30pm: Wairarapa United v Palmerston North Marist at Masterton Memorial Turf.
5.45pm: Wellington Olympic v Petone FC at Wakefield Park No 2.
Standings (after 10 rounds): Rovers 27pts, Wairarapa 24, Suburbs 22, Marist 18, Petone 17, Stop Out 12, Olympic 12, Rangers 7, Lower Hutt 6, Tawa 3.
Golden boot: Angus Kilkolly (Rovers) 12; Ryan Tinsley (Rovers) 10; Josh Smith (Marist) 9=, Magno Viera (Wairarapa) 9=; Juan Chang Urrea (Suburbs) 8; Saul Halpin (Rovers) 7; Ahmad Mohammadi (Suburbs) 5=, Miralav Malivuk (Stop Out) 5=; Paul Ifill (Wairarapa) 5=, Samuel Mason-Smith (Wairarapa) 5=.
