Former Luton Town, Aston Villa and Southampton defender Chris Nicholl passes away

Former Luton Town defender Chris Nicholl has sadly passed away at the age of 77 following a long illness.

Born in Wilmslow, Cheshire, the defender was on the books of Burnley as a youngster, before leaving Turf Moor and moving to Witton Albion. He was soon picked up by Halifax, helping the Shaymen to promotion to the old Division Three in 1969, before signing for the Hatters later that year for a fee of £30,000 after impressing against Town’s Malcolm Macdonald. Nicholl went on to become a rock in the Luton defence as they reached Division Two and nearly went straight up to the top flight a year later, playing 106 times in total and scoring six goals.

He was sold to Aston Villa for a fee of £90,000 in 1972, where he played over 200 games in five years, winning the League Cup in 1975 and 1977, before a move to Southampton in the summer of 1977, where he played another 200 matches, finishing as a League Cup runner up in 1979. Nicholl ended his playing days at Grimsby Town, finishing a career that saw him win 51 caps for Northern Ireland, scoring three times, also featuring in the 1982 World Cup Finals.

On retiring, Nicholl was to manage Southampton for six years from 1985 and was then in charge of Walsall from 1994-97, winning promotion from Division Three, also serving as assistant to the Northern Ireland national team as well. A statement on his time from the Hatters said: “Everyone at Kenilworth Road has been saddened to learn of the passing of Chris Nicholl after a long illness at the age of 77. Chris was a mainstay at the heart of the Hatters defence, alongside John Moore, as the Town secured promotion to the old Division Two in 1970 before almost securing a place in the top flight a year later.

“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 (now League One) 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 the following day where, after a fairly slow start, he became a rock in the centre of the Hatters defence as they nearly 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. Since then he scouted for Wigan, was assistant manager of Northern Ireland and managed Walsall before becoming a local radio commentator at the Bescot Stadium. Our condolences go out to all his family and friends.”

Also speaking about Nicholl, who had suffered with dementia in his later years, former Southampton and England striker Alan Shearer tweeted: “RIP Chris Nicholl. You believed in me and gave me my chance. Thank you.” Meanwhile, ex-Saints midfielder Matthew Le Tissier added: “The thoughts and prayers of my family go out to the family of my first manager Chris Nicholl who has sadly passed away. I’ll always be eternally grateful to Chris for having the faith in me as a 17 year old boy to give me my opportunity to prove I was good enough to be a professional footballer. Gone but never forgotten #RIPChris.”