 However he lost his first team place to Alex Cairns in November; manager Uwe Rösler admitted that the situation was a "little bit harsh on Chris Neal because Chris Neal did nothing wrong" and it was Cairns's strong form that made him undroppable.On 6 January 2018, he kept a clean sheet in a 0–0 draw with Leicester City in the Third Round of the FA Cup, and was rewarded with a year's supply of pizza from sponsors Papa John's Pizza.He was released by manager John Sheridan upon the expiry of his contract at Highbury Stadium at the end of the 2017–18 season.