Chris Nicholl

Chris Nicholl Date of Birth: Oct 12, 1946

Discarded by Burnley as a youngster, Chris was plying his trade with Witton Albion when he was picked up by Halifax who he helped to promotion to Division Three in 1969.

Early in the following campaign, the towering central defender was the first to subdue Luton’s Malcolm Macdonald leading to a £30,000 move to Kenilworth Road where, after a fairly slow start, he became a rock at the heart of the Hatters defence as they almost won back to back promotions.

Sadly finances dictated Chris’s £90,000 move to Aston Villa in 1972 and from there he went to Southampton and finally Grimsby, picking up 51 caps for Northern Ireland during his travels.

Chris received his big managerial break at Southampton in 1985 and remained at the Dell until 1991. Subsequently he scouted for Wigan, was assistant manager of Northern Ireland and managed Walsall, where he also became a local radio commentator. Sadly Chris suffered from dementia in later life and he passed away in February 2024.