Nick Daws (footballer)

Nick Daws

Personal information
Full name	Nicholas Daws
Date of birth	15 March 1970 (1970-03-15) (age 41)
Place of birth	Salford, England
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Barnsley (Coach)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1986-1988	Flixton
1988-1992	Altrincham	189	(16)
1992-2001	Bury	435	(23)
2001-2005	Rotherham United	81	(2)
2003	→ Grimsby Town (loan)	7	(0)
2004	→ Grimsby Town (loan)	10	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Nicholas "Nick" Daws (born March 15, 1970 in Salford, Lancashire, England) is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder from 1986 until 2004 notably in the Football League for Bury, Rotherham United and Grimsby Town. He is currently in the position of first team coach at Barnsley.

Playing career

Altrincham

Nick Daws is arguably one of the more successful players to come from Altrincham, having made the transition from Non-League football to carve out a successful career in the Football League. He joined Altrincham from Flixton in October, 1987 as a 17-year-old and impressed the management with his performances in the reserves. These performances meant that he made his first-team debut in the Cheshire Senior Cup semi-final defeat against Runcorn,which ended in a 1-4 defeat. Nicky ended his first season by scoring his first goal for the club in the last game of the season. Over the next two seasons he worked at establishing himself in the first team. For Altrincham he was ever-present during the 90/91 season when Altrincham came so close to regaining the Conference National title.

Bury

In August 1992, Daws joined the professional ranks with a move to Bury Initially playing as a part time professional he enjoyed a successful first season which included a man of the match performance against Manchester United in the English League Cup at Old Trafford. The season ended in disappointment, when ankle surgery forced him to miss the Play-Off semi-final defeat to York City. Following an injury effected 93/94 campaign, Daws signed a full-time contract with the Shakers and became an integral part of the clubs rise to the 2nd flight of English football. As one of the sides most consistent performers, the 94/95 season ended with Play-Off Final defeat to Chesterfield at Wembley Stadium. However success was to follow over the following two seasons with consecutive promotions that included a Division 2 Champions Medal and promotion to the 1st Division. Despite being one of the leagues minnows, Bury sustained their status for the next two years and it was during this time that Daws enhanced his reputation as an all action midfielder. Following relegation to Division 2, Daws was appointed Captain, but due to financial problems at Bury, they struggled to maintain a promotion challenge. On 26 February 2000 and following 223 consecutive appearances suspension ended Daws' run which encompassed two promotions over 4 and a half years. The 00/01 season proved to the last of his 9 years at Gigg Lane and in July, a move to the newly promoted Rotherham United gave Nick the chance to return to the Championship, signing a 3 year contract.

Rotherham United

Daws signed for The Millers on a free transfer at the start of the 2001-2002 campaign and slotted straight into his usual position, playing under his new manager Ronnie Moore. Daws wast to remain at United for the next four seasons for the club, and just over 70 league appearances in his three seasons with United, scoring twice. In September 2003 and January 2004, Daws was loaned out to Grimsby Town where he made a total of 18 appearances combining both spells. Daws returned from Blundell Park at the end of the 2003-2004 season, but failed to save Grimsby from relegation. He remained with Rotherham for the 2004-2005 season, but failed to make a single appearance. He would eventually retire in the summer of 2005, his final professional game was a 3-0 away defeat against Wrexham on March 6, 2004 whilst playing for Grimsby.

Coaching career

Following his retirement from playing in 2005, Daws joined the coaching staff at Rotherham United. Having graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University with a BSc in Sport Science, he became Fitness Coach under Ronnie Moore, remaining in the same position under Mick Harford. The 2005/06 season saw him complete the prestigious FA Fitness Trainers Award. Following the appointment of Alan Knill, Daws became First Team Coach and remained at the club following Knill's departure to assist Mark Robins. Having gained his UEFA A Licence and following 2 successful campaigns, Daws joined Barnsley in the same role, when Rotherham manager Mark Robins was appointed the same position at Oakwell. In accordance to this happening, Robins took his entire coaching staff including Daws, to his new club. In March 2010, Daws began studying for his UEFA Pro Licence.

External links

• Nick Daws career stats at Soccerbase

Persondata
Name	Daws, Nick
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	15 March 1970
Place of birth	Salford, England
Date of death
Place of death