James Henry Nicholls (24 September 1908 – 20 August 1984) was an English professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper in the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

for

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...

and Port Vale.

Career

Early years

A goalkeeper, in his early career Nicholls played for Darlaston, Cradley Heath, Sunbeam Motor Works, Bloxwich Strollers, Bilston United,

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

and

. He made 16 First Division appearances for the latter club.

Brentford

Nicholls transferred to Second Division club

during the 1934 off-season. Unable to oust

James Mathieson James Adamson Mathieson (10 May 1904 – 13 April 1950) was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper in the Football League for Middlesbrough and Brentford. He made over 500 professional appearances in the English and Scot ...

from the team, Nicholls failed to make a first-team appearance during his first two seasons at

Griffin Park Griffin Park was a football ground in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow, England. It was the home ground of Brentford F.C. from its opening in September 1904 to August 2020. The ground is in a predominantly residential area and was ...

and instead played for the reserve team, with which he won the London Challenge Cup in 1934–35. With the Bees then in the First Division, Nicholls finally made his first-team debut in a 1–1 draw with Huddersfield Town on 12 September 1936. He made six further appearances during the 1936–37 season, before returning to the reserves and leaving the club at the end of the campaign.

Port Vale

Nicholls joined Third Division North club Port Vale in June 1937, as a replacement for

Allan Todd Allan Calderwood McKinstrey Todd (5 October 1910 – 1975) was a Scottish footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played for Scottish clubs Leith Athletic and Cowdenbeath, and represented English sides Port Vale, Nottingham Forest, and Da ...

. He made his debut in a 3–0 defeat to Oldham Athletic at Boundary Park on 28 August and played the first 16 games of the 1937–38 season, until suffering a knee injury in December 1937. Goalkeeper

George Heppell George Heppell (2 September 1916 – 20 July 1993) was an English football goalkeeper who made 213 league and cup appearances for Port Vale either side of World War II. His father-in-law, Albert Pearson, and great-grandson, Tom Conlon, both al ...

established himself in the position, which left Nicholls surplus to requirements and he departed The Old Recreation Ground at the end of 1937–38 season.

Career statistics

Honours

Brentford Reserves * London Challenge Cup: 1934–35

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholls, James 1908 births 1984 deaths Footballers from Bilston English men's footballers Men's association football goalkeepers Darlaston Town F.C. players Cradley Heath F.C. players Bloxwich Strollers F.C. players Bilston Town F.C. players Blackpool F.C. players Manchester City F.C. players Brentford F.C. players Port Vale F.C. players English Football League players