Jimmy Nicholson

As a young attacking wing-half, Jimmy Nicholson was earmarked as the successor to two of the games greatest in that position, Duncan Edwards at Manchester United and Danny Blanchflower for Northern Ireland...

Name: James Joseph Nicholson
Born: 27 February 1943, Belfast
Height: 5.09 ft
Weight: 12.04 st
Position: Wing-Half

Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: 41 Full Caps / 6 Goals (1960-1971); 2 B Caps (1959-1960); 4 Under-23 Caps (1962-1965); Youth; 3 Schoolboy Caps (1957-1958).
Club Honours: (with Huddersfield) Football League Division Two Champion 1969/70; (with Bury) Football League Division Four Fourth 1973/74 (promoted).

Club Career:

Teams	Seasons	Signed	Fee	League	FA Cup	FL Cup	Other
Boyland YC	-	-	Youth	-	-	-	-
Manchester Utd	60/61-64/65	-58	Youth	58(0)/ 5	7(0)/1	3(0)/0	-
Huddersfield T.	64/65-73/74	Dec-64	£7,500	280(1)/26	14(0)/1	15(0)/2	-
Bury	73/74-75/76	Dec-73	Free	79(4)/ 0	7(1)/0	4(0)/2	-
Mossley	76/77	-	Free	-	-	-	-
Stalybridge Celtic	-	-	Free	-	-	-	-
TOTALS	-	£7,500		417(5)/31	28(1)/1	22(0)/4	-

Biography:
A creative, hard-working wing-half, Jimmy Nicholson was earmarked for greatness from a very young age. At just 16 he played for Northern Ireland in a B international against France, and within a year had made his senior club debut for Manchester United and senior international bow.

This rapid elevation put untold pressure on the youngster. United were still a club rebuilding following the Munich Disaster and Northern Ireland were entering their own lull following their successes at the 1958 World Cup finals in Sweden. Through the 1960/61 season the 17 year-old Nicholson was a regular at Old Trafford, weighing in with five goals, but from there it was all down hill for his career with the Reds, in the seasons that followed he suffered ill-luck with injuries and watched as a succession of players emerged to cement first-team places in his stead, notably Paddy Crerand and Nobby Stiles.

A fluid passer and strong tackler, Nicholson lacked pace and his comparatively heavy physique was often commented on. By the time he left United in December 1964, still aged just 21, he had not featured in the first team for two years. He was out of shape and low on confidence, but still the £7,500 fee that Huddersfield paid for him proved to be one of the bargains of the century.

While Nicholson's club career faltered, so too did his international standing. He had won ten games before his twentieth birthday, showing glimpses of the talent that saw him likened to a young Danny Blanchflower, with just the blot of a sending-off following a melee in a match against Greece to sully his reputation. But, with a lack of first-team chances at club level, Bertie Peacock felt unable to continue to select the youngster and there was a two-and-a-half year cap between caps ten and eleven, though Nicholson continued to feature in Under-23 internationals in this period.

Nicholson's new club were Huddersfield, a team a long-way short of their pre-World War Two heyday, but still among the strongest in the Second Division. He got of to an inglorious start at Leeds Road, scoring an own goal on his debut on Boxing Day 1964 in a 3-2 defeat by Ipswich at Portman Road. Manager Tom Johnston still recognised Nicholson's talent, and worked hard to whip the new-boy into shape. The club in general were pushing hard to claim promotion, and were spending big to make that push from nearly-men to champions, but still the sixties were to be a frustrating decade for the Terriers, though Nicholson's talents were obvious for all to see.

With his club career on the up, Nicholson returned to the international set-up. He was part of the Northern Ireland side, appearing in various defensive and attacking midfield roles, that came frustratingly close to qualifying for the 1966 World Cup. His dynamic midfield displays saw him become a regular goal threat too, and by the time of his final cap he was Huddersfield's most capped player with 31 international appearances.

In 1970 Nicholson, as captain, was an ever-present as Huddersfield finally clinched the Second Division title and promotion back to the top-flight after fourteen frustrating years. It was a stunning season for Town as they lost just one home game and finished seven points clear of runners-up, Blackpool. Sadly, injury frustrations were to return for Nicholson when he finally made it back to the First Division and he was seldom able to string together a run of appearances. It was these same injury problems that brought a premature close to his international career as he marked his 41st and final appearance for Northern Ireland with a goal in a 1-1 draw with the Soviet Union at the age of just 28.

Without the regular services of Nicholson, Huddersfield suffered successive relegations in 1972 and 1973. He left for Fourth Division Bury in December 1973 and helped them to promotion that season and mid-table respectability in the third tier over the following few seasons. Nicholson brought his league career to a close in 1976, but he continued to pull on his boots at non-league level for as long as possible. With his days as a professional footballer behind him, he worked as a leisure centre manager in Manchester.

Wikipedia

Northern Ireland Cap Details:
09-11-1960 Scotland... A L 2-5 BC
12-04-1961 Wales...... H L 1-5 BC
17-10-1961 Greece..... H W 2-0 WCQ Sent-Off
22-11-1961 England.... A D 1-1 BC
11-04-1962 Wales...... A L 0-4 BC
09-05-1962 Netherlands A L 0-4 FR
10-10-1962 Poland..... A W 2-0 ENC
20-10-1962 England.... H L 1-3 BC
07-11-1962 Scotland... A L 1-5 BC
28-11-1962 Poland..... H W 2-0 ENC
17-03-1965 Netherlands H W 2-1 WCQ
31-03-1965 Wales...... H L 0-5 BC
07-04-1965 Netherlands A D 0-0 WCQ
07-05-1965 Albania.... H W 4-1 WCQ
02-10-1965 Scotland... H W 3-2 BC
10-11-1965 England.... A L 1-2 BC
24-11-1965 Albania.... A D 1-1 WCQ
30-03-1966 Wales...... A W 4-1 BC
22-06-1966 Mexico..... H W 4-1 FR. 1 Goal
16-11-1966 Scotland... A L 1-2 ECQ 1 Goal
12-04-1967 Wales...... H D 0-0 ECQ
21-10-1967 Scotland... H W 1-0 ECQ
22-11-1967 England.... A L 0-2 ECQ
28-02-1968 Wales...... A L 0-2 ECQ
23-10-1968 Turkey..... H W 4-1 WCQ
11-12-1968 Turkey..... A W 3-0 WCQ 1 Goal
03-05-1969 England.... H L 1-3 BC
06-05-1969 Scotland... A D 1-1 BC
10-05-1969 Wales...... H D 0-0 BC
10-09-1969 USSR....... H D 0-0 WCQ
22-10-1969 USSR....... A L 0-2 WCQ
18-04-1970 Scotland... H L 0-1 BC
21-04-1970 England.... A L 1-3 BC
25-04-1970 Wales...... A L 0-1 BC
03-02-1971 Cyprus..... A W 3-0 ECQ 1 Goal
21-04-1971 Cyprus..... H W 5-0 ECQ 1 Goal
15-05-1971 England.... H L 0-1 BC
18-05-1971 Scotland... A W 1-0 BC
22-05-1971 Wales...... H W 1-0 BC
22-09-1971 USSR....... A L 0-1 ECQ
13-10-1971 USSR....... H D 1-1 ECQ 1 Goal

Summary: 41/6. Won 15, Drew 8, Lost 18.

Nicholson celebrates scoring against the Soviet Union in his final appearance for Northern Ireland, October 1971

Northern Ireland B Cap Details:
11-11-1959 France..... H D 1-1 FR
16-03-1960 France..... A L 0-5 FR

Summary: 2/0. Won 0, Drew 1, Lost 1.

Northern Ireland Under-23 Cap Details:
07-02-1962 Wales...... H D 0-0 FR
27-02-1963 Wales...... A L 1-5 FR
05-02-1964 Wales...... H D 3-3 FR
10-02-1965 Wales...... A D 2-2 FR

Summary: 4/0. Won 0, Drew 3, Lost 1.

John Napier

Name: Robert John Napier
Born: 23 September 1946, Lurgan
Height: 6.02 ft
Weight: 12.12 st
Position: Centre-Half

Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: 1 Full Cap (1966), 2 Under-23 Caps (1967-1968), Youth, 3 School Caps (1962).
Club Honours: (with Brighton) Football League Division Three Runner-Up 1971/72 (promoted).

Club Career:

Clubs	Seasons	Signed	Fee	League	FA Cup	FL Cup	Other
Bolton Wand'rs	64/65-66/67	Sep-63	Youth	69(0)/ 2	3(0)/0	2(0)/0	-
Brighton.&.H.A.	67/68-72/73	Aug-67	-	218(1)/ 5	16(0)/0	12(0)/0	-
Bradford City	72/73-74/75	Oct-72	-	106(0)/ 3	9(0)/0	2(0)/0	-
Baltimore Comets	1975	Apr-75	-	22(-)/ 1	(NASL)	-	-
Mossley	75/76	-	Free	24(-)/ 1	(Northern Premier League)
San Diego Jaws	1976	Mar-76	-	22(-)/ 1	(NASL)	-	-
Bradford City	76/77	Aug-76	-	0(1)/ 0	-	-	-
TOTALS		-		461(2)/13	28(0)/0	16(0)/0	-

Biography:
John Napier was a strapping centre-half who starred at Youth international level alongside the likes of Jennings, Best and Clements. He starred in Northern Ireland's march to the European Youth Championship (Little World Cup) Final in 1963, only to have the misfortune to head an own goal in a 4-0 defeat by England at Wembley.

Still, Napier went on to represent Northern Ireland at Full international while still a teenager, given a chance due to the unavailability of Jim Nicholson for a pre-World Cup match against Germany in 1966. He came in at centre-half, with Terry Neill switching to Nicholson’s left-half position. The match, at Windsor Park, resulted in a 2-0 win for the eventual World Cup finalists, and proved Napier’s only outing in a senior international. Over the following two seasons he did twice play in Under-23 matches against Wales, but his international career ended at the age of 21.

At club level Napier signed apprentice forms with Bolton Wanderers in September 1963. He made his Football League debut at the tail-end of the 1964/65 season, as the Trotters’ pushed, ultimately unsuccessfully, for promotion back to the top-flight at the first attempt. Established in the Bolton line-up from the start of the following campaign, a season in which he was named as the club’s Player of the Year, Napier never got to play in Division One as Bolton continued to disappoint over the following seasons.

Transferred to Division Three Brighton & Hove Albion in August 1967, Napier was seen as the rock on which a promotion push could be built. Named Brighton Player of the Year in 1969, at the Goldstone Ground Napier briefly played in the same side as other Northern Ireland internationals, Willie Irvine and Bertie Lutton. The Irish trio were regulars in the Brighton side which clinched promotion to Division Two in 1972 as runners-up to Aston Villa. Still regarded as a Brighton legend, Napier lasted only a few months in Division Two before being allowed to sign with Bradford City in Division Four.

Napier and the Bantams never finished above mid-table in the Fourth Division. After almost three seasons as a regular he decided to try his luck in the NASL with Baltimore Comets in the summer of 1975. He spent the winter with non-league Mossley before returning to US. He re-joined the same “franchise”, which had left Baltimore to become the San Diego Jaws.

In August 1976 Napier returned to Bradford as player-coach, playing his final professional match in a 2-1 defeat by Aldershot in the opening match of the season. In February 1978 he was appointed Bradford manager in succession to Bobby Kennedy. Kennedy had been harshly sacked as the team struggled to come to terms with life in Division Three after promotion the previous season. Napier couldn’t stop the rot and following relegation and continued struggles back in Division Four, he too was sacked in October 1978.

Napier returned to the USA in 1979 to take a coaching position at Pepperdine University in California. He has remained actively involved in US soccer at various levels for almost thirty years now.

Coaching Career
Career Pictures

Northern Ireland Cap Details:
07-05-1966 West Germany H L 0-2 FR

Summary: 1/0. Won 0, Drew 0, Lost 1.

Northern Ireland Under-23 Cap Details:
22-02-1967 Wales ...... H W 2-1 FR
20-03-1968 Wales ...... A W 1-0 FR

Summary: 2/0. Won 2, Drew 0, Lost 0.

Pat Nelis

Name: Patrick Nelis
Born: 5 October 1898, Londonderry
Died: 22 April 1970, Londonderry
Position: Centre-Forward

Representative Honours: Ireland: 1 Full Cap (1922); Irish League: 1 Cap (1927).
Club Honours: (with Forest) Football League Division Two Champion 1921/22.

Club Career:

Clubs	Seasons	Signed	Fee	League	FA Cup	Other
Londonderry Distillery		-	-	-	-
Accrington Stanley	21/22	Oct-21	-	11/14	1/0	-
Nottingham Forest	21/22-24/25	Mar-22	£2,000	59/13	1/0	-
Wigan Borough	25/26	1925	-	16/ 1	-	-
Coleraine	-	Sep-27	-	-	-	-
TOTALS		£-		86/18	2/0	-

Biography:
A product of Junior football in the Derry area, Pat Nelis took the bold decision to try his luck with Football League new-boys Accrington Stanley in 1921. His impact on Division Three (North) was immediate, and he scored fourteen times in just eleven games. Consequently, after just six months as a professional footballer he was the subject of a £2,000 bid from Nottingham Forest.

That fee, a then record for a third-tier player, took Nelis to a Forest side on the brink of promotion to the First Division. His six goals, including two against Bradford Park Avenue on his début  helped confirm the Division Two title, and after just a season in England Nelis was about to appear at the highest level.

An intelligent forward with good pace and a strong right-foot shot, Nelis was rewarded with an international call-up in October 1922. He led the line as Ireland lost 2-0 to England at the Hawthorns in what proved to be his only international appearance. In the First Division he was finding the going tougher than before and in three seasons he scored just seven times, usually from centre-forward or inside-left.

Forest were relegated back to the Second Division in 1925 and Nelis was cleared out, back to Division Three (North), with Wigan Borough. He spent an unhappy season at Springfield Park, scoring just once, before returning to Ireland.

Nelis was a member of the Coleraine side that first appeared in the Irish League for the 1927/28 season.. He quickly made his mark and represented the Irish League at inside-left against the Scottish League at Solitude in October 1927 and he finished the season as the club's topscorer with 16 goals. He remained with Coleraine until 1932.

Ireland Cap Details:
21-10-1922 England A L 0-2 BC

Summary: 1/0. Won 0, Drew 0, Lost 1.

Ian Nolan

Name: Ian Robert Nolan
Born: 9 July 1970, Liverpool
Height: 6.00 ft
Weight: 12.01 st
Position: Full-Back

Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: 17 Full Caps (1996-2002).

Club Career:

Clubs	Seasons	Signed	Fee	League	FA Cup	FL Cup	Others
Preston N.R.	-	Aug-88	Youth	0 (0)/0	-	-	-
Northwich Vic.	88/89-89/90	-	Free	40 (9)/2	(Football Conference)
Marine	-	-	-	-	(Northern Premier League)
Tranmere Rvrs	91/92-93/94	Sep-91	£10,000	87 (1)/1	7(0)/0	10(0)/1	9(0)/0
Sheffield Wed.	94/95-99/00	Aug-94	£1,500,000	166 (1)/4	15(0)/0	15(1)/0	-
Bradford City	00/01	Jul-00	Free	17 (4)/0	-	2(0)/1	4(0)/0
Wigan Athletic	00/01-01/02	Aug-01	Free	5 (3)/0	-	-	-
Southport	02/03	Oct-02	Free	8 (1)/0	(Football Conference)
Halifax Town	-	Jul-03	Trial	0 (0)/0	(Football Conference)
TOTALS		£1,510,000		323(19)/8	22(0)/0	27(1)/2	13(0)/0

Biography:
To follow.

Northern Ireland Cap Details:
05-10-1996 Armenia....... H D 1-1 WCQ
09-11-1996 Germany....... A D 1-1 WCQ
14-12-1996 Albania....... H W 2-0 WCQ
29-03-1997 Portugal...... H D 0-0 WCQ
02-04-1997 Ukraine....... A L 1-2 WCQ
20-08-1997 Germany....... H L 1-3 WCQ
11-10-1997 Portugal...... A L 0-1 WCQ
09-09-1999 Germany....... A L 0-4 ECQ
10-10-1999 Finland....... A L 1-4 ECQ
23-02-2000 Luxemburg..... A W 3-1 FR
28-03-2000 Malta......... A W 3-0 FR
26-04-2000 Hungary....... H L 0-1 FR
16-08-2000 Yugoslavia.... H L 1-2 FR
02-09-2000 Malta......... H W 1-0 WCQ
28-03-2001 Bulgaria...... A L 3-4 WCQ
02-06-2001 Bulgaria...... H L 0-1 WCQ
06-06-2001 Czech Republic A L 1-3 WCQ
17-04-2002 Spain......... H L 0-5 FR

Summary: 18/0. Won 4, Drew 3, Lost 11.