Alan Nicholls

Who was Alan Nicholls?

Alan Nicholls was an English football goalkeeper.

Alan started his career as a trainee at Wolverhampton Wanderers but never made the first team. He later played for non-league clubs Cradley Town and Cheltenham Town, before returning to the professional ranks when he was signed by Peter Shilton, who was then manager of Plymouth Argyle, for £15,000 before the start of the 1993/94 season. During his time at Plymouth, Alan's form was so impressive that Shilton was forced to play him - even though Shilton was himself chasing the 1,000 league appearances record. After his first season in professional football, Alan was called up to the England Under-21 team and played in the Toulon Tournament in the summer of 1994.

In his two years at Plymouth, Nicholls played 79 games for the club, gaining a reputation as a brilliant but larger-than-life footballer who was often in trouble off the pitch. After Shilton left Plymouth, Nicholls struggled with injuries and clashed with new manager Neil Warnock - who was keen to bring his own players into the club. In 1995, Nicholls was released by Warnock after a series of off-the-pitch indiscretions. He subsequently moved to Gillingham, and was technically still on trial at Priestfield Stadium when Stalybridge Celtic contacted the club to ask if they could borrow him to cover a suspension.