Andrew Nicholas

Infobox Football biography


playername = Andrew Nicholas
fullname = Andrew Peter Nicholas
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1983|10|10
cityofbirth = Liverpool
countryofbirth = England
dateofdeath =
cityofdeath =
countryofdeath =
height = height|ft=6|in=2
nickname =
position = Defender
currentclub = Rotherham United
clubnumber = 24
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = 2002-2003
2003-2008 2005
2008-
clubs = Liverpool
Swindon Town → Chester City (loan)
Rotherham United
caps(goals) = 000 (0) 126 (4) 005 (0)
004 (0)
nationalyears =
nationalteam =
nationalcaps(goals) =
pcupdate = 11:11, 27 August 2007 (UTC)
ntupdate =

Andrew Peter Nicholas (born October 10 1983 in Liverpool, England) is an English footballer, currently playing for Rotherham United. A left sided defender, Nicholas was signed on a year's contract in July 2004 after being released by Liverpool F.C., where he was the under-19 club captain. He made his Swindon début on 15 October 2003, in a 2-1 defeat at Boston United in the LDV Vans Trophy.

The following Saturday, Nicholas was brought on as a substitute in a 3-0 defeat at Chesterfield. Two weeks later, Nicholas was handed his full league début, on the left side of a back three. Though it wasn't in his favoured position, Nicholas was impressive, and he remained a regular feature of the starting line-up for the rest of the season. Soon afterwards, the team switched to a 4-4-2 formation, and Nicholas reverted to his usual role, as a left back.

Nicholas is very quick - at Liverpool, he was timed as being quicker than Michael Owen - and also, he possesses a long throw. He signed a two year extension to his contract in February 2004, tying him to the club until 2006, and, at the end of the season, he picked up the Supporter's Trust Young Player of the Year award.

The 2004/05 season was not a successful one for Nicholas - a knee cartilage tear in July meant that he needed surgery prior to the start of the campaign, and though he returned to the side before the end of August, coming on as a substitute at [Bristol City F.C.|Bristol City an adverse reaction to the surgery in early September kept him out for another six weeks, and upon his return, he found himself mostly on the substitutes bench - the only highlight being his first goal for the club in a 2-1 LDV Vans Trophy win at Exeter City in November.

After starting just one match in December, Nicholas rejected a loan move to League Two club Mansfield at the end of the month, before an ankle injury in January prevented him from even being selected on the bench. After a month of reserve team football, Nicholas agreed to a month's loan at Chester before returning to play a part in the Swindon's last three games of the season.

Having missed all of the club's disastrous opening to season 2005/6, he returned to face Bradford City at the end of September - where a 3-2 defeat sealed Andy King's fate. After an injury to Smith in a 0-0 draw at Brentford in October, Nicholas regained his place in the side - and he was almost ever-present until the end of the season, missing just four matches in an oft-changing side. Onuora offered him a new one-year extension to his contract during May - a deal that made Nicholas the club's longest serving player at the age of just 22.

Release

Nicholas was released by new manager Maurice Malpas along with two other players, the club's longest serving player ended his 5-year career span with The Robins with 132 apps and 4 goals. Some fans still question why he was released.

He then signed for Rotherham United at the end of August 2008.

External links

*soccerbase|id=35643|name=Andrew Nicholas