Born: Dungannon, 19 August 1974
Nationality: Northern Irish
Position: Midfielder
Signed: 29 December 1995 from Bristol City (free)
Fulham debut: Mansfield Town 1-0 Fulham, 20 January 1996
Fulham appearances: 36
Fulham goals: 3
Fulham honours: Division Three runners-up (1996-97)
Sold: 1 August 1998 (released)
Dungannon-born Rodney McAree endured four injury-ravaged seasons at Craven Cottage that would have been unremarkable were it not for the day he wrote himself into Fulham folkore by scoring a wonderful winner at Brunton Park to beat promotion rivals Carlisle United in the season that Micky Adams masterminded a magnificent promotion from Division Three on a shoestring budget. McAree, who had come through the Liverpool youth set-up, joined the Whites from Bristol City in December 1995 and only made ten appearances in the memorable 1996/97 season. He was surprised to starting at Carlisle but delivered a stunning second-half strike that the Fulham faithful still sing about today.
The likeable midfielder, who left Fulham at the start of the 1998 season, went on to play for Woking, Stevenage Borough, Chesham United and Crawley Town before playing a crucial role in the revival of his hometown club Dungannon Swifts, where he is currently in his second spell as manager. You may enjoy reading Lydia’s lovely interview with the man who put the ball in the Carlisle net.
