Born in Levenshulme, Manchester, England, Trotman started his football career at Burnley and progressed through the club's youth system.

[8] By the time he joined Halifax Town on loan, Trotman made two appearances for the side and signed a new deal, keeping him until the end of the season.

[19] His good aerial ability matched by his athleticism, strength and sharpness attracted scouts from clubs in higher divisions.

[22] Trotman signed for Preston North End on 30 January 2008 for a fee of £500,000 (including "sell on" and "after appearances" clauses) on a three-year deal.

[23] After spending three months on the sidelines, he made his Preston North End debut, coming on as a substitute for Sean St Ledger midway through the first half, who suffered an injury, in a 2–2 draw against Plymouth Argyle on 19 April 2008.

[26] For the next two years, Trotman was put on the transfer list by Preston manager Darren Ferguson after returning from a loan spell at League One side Huddersfield Town.

[28] Trotman was ranked number five by local newspaper Lancashire Live as "the most bizarre signings in the history of Preston North End".

[29] In order to get first team football, he signed a one-month loan deal with Colchester United on 19 March 2009 to gain match fitness.

[32] During the match, he "dominated both boxes in the air, turning in a man-of-the-match display", resulting from praise by Manager Paul Lambert.

[47] It wasn't until on 3 January 2011 when he made his second debut for Oldham Athletic, setting up the club's only goal of the game, in a 1–0 loss against Rochdale.

[53] Trotman received his a red card after a second booking offence against his former Oldham Athletics (the club started his career) as Rochdale lost 2–0.

[57] At the end of the 2011–12 season, making twelve appearances for the club, local newspaper Manchester Evening News described Trotman time at Rochdale as "big disappointments".

[69] Trotman returned to the first team on 12 January 2013 after the club's injury crisis in defence and made an impressive performance in a 3–0 win over Northampton Town.

[80] He made his debut in a League Cup game at Birmingham City the next day, playing 120 minutes, as Plymouth Argyle lost 3–2.

[82] It wasn't until on 25 October 2013 when he scored his first goal for the club in a league match at Mansfield Town, which saw Plymouth Argyle won 1–0.

[86] At the end of the 2013–14 season, making forty–eight appearances and scoring two times for the side, Trotman was released by Plymouth Argyle upon expiry of his contract.

[87] On 7 August 2014, Neal agreed to a short-term deal to join Bristol Rovers in the Conference Premier following his release from Plymouth Argyle.

[95] After making 19 appearances and scoring once as the club won promotion, Trotman was released at the end of the 2014–15 season and subsequently retired from football aged 28 due to injury problems.

[96] After injury curtailed his career prematurely, Trotman decided to utilise his negative experiences to guide other professional sportsmen with the ups and downs of elite sport.

Alongside a football agency role, Trotman owns a sports psychotherapy[97] consultancy where he helps sportsmen with overcoming issues such as injuries, discrimination and career progression.