Nicholas Robert Platnauer (born 10 June 1961) is an English former professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
and football
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities o ...
. A
left-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
, he made 473 league and cup appearances in a 16-year professional career.
He moved from
Bedford Town to
Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers Football Club are a professional football club in Bristol, England. They compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.
They play home matches at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, they have been c ...
in 1982, before being sold to
Coventry City
Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...
for a fee of £50,000 in August 1983. Voted
Player of the Year
Several sports leagues honour their best player with an award called Player of the Year (POY) . In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award.
Association football
In association football, this award is he ...
in 1983–84, he moved on to
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
in December 1984, and helped the club to win
promotion
Promotion may refer to:
Marketing
* Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...
out of the
Second Division
In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
in 1984–85.
Loan
In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that d ...
ed out to
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
in 1985–86, he helped the club to the
Third Division title. In September 1986 he joined
Cardiff City, and helped the Welsh club to win promotion out of the
Fourth Division in 1987–88. In August 1989 he was sold on to
Notts County
Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League (division), National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 2 ...
for a £50,000 fee, and helped the "Magpies" to win promotion out of the Third Division via the
play-offs
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
in
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
. He joined
Leicester City
Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
in July 1991, following a loan spell at
Port Vale
Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...
. He then saw his career 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 ...
out in 1996 following short spells at
Scunthorpe United
Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. The side currently competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The tea ...
,
Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they play in a blue and ...
and
Lincoln City.
He played for
non-League
Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to de ...
side
Hinckley United, before entering the non-League management circuit with
Rothwell Town
Rothwell Town F.C. was a football club based in Rothwell in the north of Northamptonshire. They were founding members of the Northamptonshire League in 1895, and played in the United Counties League Division One until 2011–12.
History
The c ...
in 2000. Three years later he spent some time as
caretaker manager
In association footballing terms, a caretaker manager or interim manager is somebody who takes temporary charge of the management of a football team, usually when the regular Manager (association football), manager is dismissed or leaves for a ...
of
Kettering Town
Kettering Town Football Club is a football club based in Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire, England. They are currently members of and play at Latimer Park in Burton Latimer. Kettering were the first club to wear sponsorship on their shirts in ...
, before he was appointed manager of Bedford Town in January 2004. He helped the club to win promotion out of the
Southern Football League
The Southern League is a men's football competition featuring semi-professional clubs from the South and Midlands of England. Together with the Isthmian League and the Northern Premier League it forms levels seven and eight of the English fo ...
via the play-offs in 2006, but resigned later that year following a poor run of results in the Conference South. He spent October 2007 to August 2011 as assistant manager at
Hinckley United, before returning to
Bedford Town as manager between 2011 and 2013.
Playing career
Platnauer was born in
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city l ...
but moved to
Bedford
Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...
as a youngster, where began his career with his local side
Bedford Town after previously been a
Northampton Town
Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team plays in , the fourth tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1897, the club competed in the Midland ...
apprentice.
He began the 1978–79 campaign in the
youth team
In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team in the future if t ...
and would make his first-team debut at the end of the season.
He scored 12 goals in 125 club appearances. He left his position at a bank to turn professional when he was signed by
Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers Football Club are a professional football club in Bristol, England. They compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.
They play home matches at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, they have been c ...
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities o ...
Bobby Gould
Robert Hewitt Gould (born 12 June 1946) is an English former footballer and manager.
Early life
Gould was born in Wyken, Coventry, Warwickshire on 12 June 1946. He is the son of Henry Gould and Helen McKellar Gould (née Morton). He spent h ...
in August 1982, who paid Bedford a
transfer
Transfer may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''Transfer'' (2010 film), a German science-fiction movie directed by Damir Lukacevic and starring Zana Marjanović
* ''Transfer'' (1966 film), a short film
* ''Transfer'' (journal), in management studies
...
fee of £5,000.
[ Having impressed in the 1982–83 season, with the "Gas" four places and seven points outside the Third Division ]promotion
Promotion may refer to:
Marketing
* Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...
places, he followed Bobby Gould to the First Division with Coventry City
Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...
for a fee of £35,000 in August 1983.
He played 53 games for the "Sky Blues", helping the Highfield Road
Highfield Road was a football stadium in the city of Coventry, England. It was the home ground for Coventry City F.C. for 106 years.
History
It was built in 1899 in the Hillfields district, close to the city centre, and staged its final game o ...
club to finish two points above the relegation
In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...
zone in 1983–84, and was voted as Player of the Year
Several sports leagues honour their best player with an award called Player of the Year (POY) . In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award.
Association football
In association football, this award is he ...
. He switched to Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
in December 1984, after Don Mackay
Donald Scrimgeour Mackay (born 19 March 1940) is a Scottish former professional football player and manager.
Managerial career
After a spell coaching the Bristol City youth team between 1974 and 1978, where he was part of the backroom staff th ...
replaced Gould as the boss at Coventry. Having helped relegate the "Blues" the previous season, Platnauer then helped Ron Saunders
Ronald Saunders (6 November 1932 – 7 December 2019) was an English football player and manager. He played for Everton, Tonbridge Angels, Gillingham, Portsmouth, Watford and Charlton Athletic during a 16-year playing career, before moving in ...
to bring top-flight football back to St Andrew's with promotion out of the Second Division
In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
in 1984–85. Finding the competition for first-team places greater in the 1985–86 season, Platnauer joined Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
on loan
In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations, etc. The recipient (i.e., the borrower) incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that d ...
in January 1986, after Saunders was sacked and replaced by John Bond. He made seven league appearances at Elm Park
Elm Park is a suburban planned community in East London within the London Borough of Havering. Located east-northeast of Charing Cross, it is identified as a district centre in the London Plan with several streets of shops and a priority for r ...
, as he helped Ian Branfoot
Ian Grant Branfoot (born Gateshead, 26 January 1947) is an English former footballer and manager.
He played as a defender, and after starting at Gateshead joined Sheffield Wednesday, making his Football League debut in 1965. After 42 senior ap ...
's "Royals" to top the Third Division table.
He joined newly relegated Cardiff City in the Fourth Division on a free transfer in September 1986, thereby completing the set of all four levels of 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 ...
. After making his debut in a 1–1 draw with Halifax Town
FC Halifax Town is a professional association football club based in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. They currently compete in and play at the Shay. They replaced Halifax Town A.F.C., which went into administration in the 2007–08 season. ...
he was a regular in the 1986–87 season. He also featured heavily in the 1987–88 promotion winning season before helping Frank Burrows
Frank Burrows (30 January 1944 – 24 November 2021) was a Scottish football player and manager who played as a central defender.
Life and career
Frank Burrows began his football career at Scottish club Raith Rovers. In 1965 he moved south to ...
's "Bluebirds" to consolidate their third tier status in 1988–89.
He left Ninian Park
Ninian Park was a football stadium in the Leckwith area of Cardiff, Wales, that was the home of Cardiff City F.C. for 99 years. Opened in 1910 with a single wooden stand, it underwent numerous renovations during its lifespan and hosted fixture ...
in August 1989, after he was picked up by Neil Warnock
Neil Warnock (born 1 December 1948) is an English former football manager and player. He is also a television and radio pundit. In a managerial career spanning five decades, Warnock has managed sixteen different clubs from the Premier League to ...
at league rivals Notts County
Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League (division), National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 2 ...
for a £50,000 fee. The "Magpies" missed out on automatic promotion by four points in 1989–90, but he played at Wembley
Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...
as County won promotion to the Second Division with a 2–0 victory over Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ado ...
in the play-off final. County would achieve promotion from the play-offs
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
for a second-successive season in 1990–91, though Platnauer would play little part in it. He was loaned out to league rivals Port Vale
Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...
in January 1991. He played fifteen games for the Burslem
Burslem ( ) is one of the six towns that along with Hanley, Tunstall, Fenton, Longton and Stoke-upon-Trent form part of the city of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England. It is often referred to as the "mother town" of Stoke on Trent.
T ...
club, helping John Rudge
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second E ...
to keep the "Valiants" in the Second Division, before returning to Meadow Lane
Meadow Lane Stadium is a football stadium in Nottingham, England. It is the home ground of Notts County, who have played there since it opened in 1910. The stadium was also home to Notts County Ladies F.C. from 2014 until 2017.
It currently h ...
in April. In July 1991 he joined another Second Division side in Leicester City
Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
on a free transfer. He enjoyed regular football in the 1991–92 season, helping Brian Little
Brian Little (born 25 November 1953) is an English football manager and former player.
As a player, Little was a striker who spent his entire career for Aston Villa in a career that spanned from 1971 to 1980. He made 247 league appearances, ...
's "Foxes" to an encounter with Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...
in the play-off final, though he would finally taste defeat at the national stadium, as Rovers won 1–0.
Leicester would have another crack at the play-off final the following year, though Platnauer would have little contribution to the season, as he lost his first-team place at Filbert Street
Filbert Street was a football stadium in Leicester, England, which served as the home of Leicester City F.C. from 1891 until 2002. Although officially titled the City Business Stadium in the early 1990s, it remained known almost exclusively b ...
, and moved to Scunthorpe United
Scunthorpe United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England. The side currently competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The tea ...
on a free transfer in March 1993. He scored two goals in 14 Third Division games for the "Iron", but did not win a longer stay at Glanford Park
Glanford Park is a football stadium in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, England, and is the current home of team Scunthorpe United.
Opened in 1988 at a construction cost of £2.5 million, it was the first new purpose-built Football League st ...
after Bill Green was sacked for failing to bring promotion. In August 1993, Platnauer signed with Football League newcomers Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they play in a blue and ...
. He made 32 appearances for the "Stags" in 1993–94, helping Andy King Andrew or Andy King may refer to:
* Andrew King (astrophysicist) (born 1947), British astrophysicist
* Andrew King (architect), Canadian architect and cross-disciplinary artist
* Andrew King (mayor) (born 1960 or 1961), former mayor of Hamilton, Ne ...
to establish the Field Mill
Field Mill, currently known as One Call Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a Football pitch, football ground in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England, and the home of Mansfield Town F.C., Mansfield Town Football Club.
It is the oldest ground in ...
club in mid-table. In February 1994 he joined Keith Alexander at Lincoln City, as they spent the 1993–94 near the foot of the Third Division. There was a managerial merry-go-ground in 1994–95, as Alexander was replaced by John Beck between short spells with Sam Ellis and then Steve Wicks in the hot-seat. On leaving Sincil Bank
Sincil Bank Stadium, known for sponsorship reasons as LNER Stadium, is a football stadium in Lincoln, England which has been the home of Lincoln City since 1895. Previously, Lincoln City had played at the nearby John O'Gaunts ground since th ...
, Platnauer became player-coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
at Bedworth United
Bedworth United Football Club is a football club based in Bedworth, Warwickshire, England. They are currently members of the and play at the Oval.
History
The first club from which the modern Bedworth United traces its lineage was Bedworth ...
, under former Notts County teammate Dean Thomas. He joined the newly amalgamated Hinckley United in 1997. The "Knitters" were then competing in the Division One Midlands of the Southern League, and Platnauer played 51 games despite being in his late 30s.
Management career
Platnauer was appointed as manager of Rothwell Town
Rothwell Town F.C. was a football club based in Rothwell in the north of Northamptonshire. They were founding members of the Northamptonshire League in 1895, and played in the United Counties League Division One until 2011–12.
History
The c ...
in 2000 and remained in this post until October 2003. In charge for 2000–01, 2001–02 and 2002–03, the "Bones" posted mid-table finishes in the Southern League Eastern Division. The following month he became caretaker manager
In association footballing terms, a caretaker manager or interim manager is somebody who takes temporary charge of the management of a football team, usually when the regular Manager (association football), manager is dismissed or leaves for a ...
of Kettering Town
Kettering Town Football Club is a football club based in Burton Latimer, Northamptonshire, England. They are currently members of and play at Latimer Park in Burton Latimer. Kettering were the first club to wear sponsorship on their shirts in ...
, after the sacking of Dominic Genovese. He remained in charge until December 2003 when Kevin Wilson was installed as manager, Platnauer having ruled himself out of the running.
He took over as manager of his hometown club Bedford Town (where Wilson had previously been manager) in January 2004, and guided Bedford to the play-offs in 2004–05. In 2005–06, he took the club all the way out of the play-offs from the Southern Football League
The Southern League is a men's football competition featuring semi-professional clubs from the South and Midlands of England. Together with the Isthmian League and the Northern Premier League it forms levels seven and eight of the English fo ...
Premier Division to the Conference South
The National League South, formerly Conference South, is one of the second divisions of the National League in England, immediately below the top division National League. Along with National League North, it is in the second level of the N ...
. However, Bedford struggled the following season and Platnauer resigned in January 2007 with his side bottom of the table, at the season's end the club had failed to improve their position and were relegated.
In October 2007, Dean Thomas appointed him as assistant manager at Hinckley United. Platnauer left Hinckley United in August 2011, and returned to Bedford Town as assistant manager. He took charge as manager again in 2011, and led the "Eagles" to a tenth-place finish in the Southern League in 2011–12 and 2012–13, before he was forced to resign as part of the club's cost-cutting measures in May 2013.
Career statistics
Source:
Honours
Player
Birmingham City
*Football League Second Division
The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third ti ...
second-place promotion: 1984–85
Reading
*Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 and again from 1958 until 1992. When the FA Premier League was formed, the division become the fourth tier level. In 2004, following the f ...
: 1985–86 Football League, 1985–86
Cardiff City
*Welsh Cup: 1987–88 Welsh Cup, 1987–88
*Football League Fourth Division second-place promotion: 1987–88
Notts County
*Football League Third Division play-offs: 1990 Football League play-offs#Third Division, 1989–90
Leicester City
*Football League Second Division play-offs runner-up: 1993 Football League First Division play-off final, 1992–93
Coventry City
*Player of the Year
Several sports leagues honour their best player with an award called Player of the Year (POY) . In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award.
Association football
In association football, this award is he ...
: 1983–84
Manager
Bedford Town[
*]Southern Football League
The Southern League is a men's football competition featuring semi-professional clubs from the South and Midlands of England. Together with the Isthmian League and the Northern Premier League it forms levels seven and eight of the English fo ...
Premier Division play-offs: 2005–06
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Platnauer, Nick
1961 births
Living people
Footballers from Bedford
People educated at Mark Rutherford School
English men's footballers
Men's association football defenders
Men's association football midfielders
Northampton Town F.C. players
Bedford Town F.C. players
Bristol Rovers F.C. players
Coventry City F.C. players
Birmingham City F.C. players
Reading F.C. players
Cardiff City F.C. players
Notts County F.C. players
Port Vale F.C. players
Leicester City F.C. players
Scunthorpe United F.C. players
Mansfield Town F.C. players
Lincoln City F.C. players
Hinckley United F.C. players
English Football League players
English football managers
Rothwell Town F.C. managers
Kettering Town F.C. managers
Bedford Town F.C. managers
National League (English football) managers
Association football coaches