Lee Nicholls

For those of a similar name, see Lee Nichols (disambiguation).
Lee Nicholls

Nicholls lining up for Bristol Rovers in 2015
Personal information
Full name Lee Anthony Nicholls[1]
Date of birth (1992-10-05) 5 October 1992
Place of birth Huyton, England
Height 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Playing position Goalkeeper
Club information
Current team
 Milton Keynes Dons
Number 19
Youth career
2009–2010 Wigan Athletic
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2016 Wigan Athletic 9 (0)
2010 → Hartlepool United (loan) 0 (0)
2011 → Shrewsbury Town (loan) 0 (0)
2011 → Sheffield Wednesday (loan) 0 (0)
2012 → Accrington Stanley (loan) 9 (0)
2012–2013 → Northampton Town (loan) 46 (0)
2015–2016 → Bristol Rovers (loan) 15 (0)
2016– Milton Keynes Dons 0 (0)
National team
2011 England U19 1 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14:30, 3 August 2016 (UTC).


Lee Anthony Nicholls (born 5 October 1992) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for League One side Milton Keynes Dons.

Club career

Wigan

Early years and breakthrough

Born in Huyton, Merseyside, Nicholls signed scholarship forms with Wigan Athletic in the summer of 2009. After a series of impressive performances for the reserve team, he appeared for the first-team as a substitute for the first time in January 2010 in an FA Cup match against Hull City.[2] Later in the month he signed a two and a half-year professional contract with the club.[3]

In November 2010, Nicholls joined Hartlepool United on a one-month loan,[4] but failed to make a first-team appearance. He joined Shrewsbury Town on a similar loan deal in January 2011,[5] followed by a loan spell at Sheffield Wednesday.[6]

In January 2012, Nicholls extended his contract at Wigan until 2014.[7] On 24 February 2012, he signed for Accrington Stanley on loan until the end of the 2011–12 season,[8] making his debut against Swindon Town the following day.[9]

2012–13

On 6 August 2012, Nicholls signed for League Two side Northampton Town.[10]

On 5 May 2013, Nicholls competed in the League Two play-off semi-final second leg against Cheltenham Town, putting in a man-of-the-match performance, pulling off a string of outstanding saves – including a penalty save as his team progressed to the final.

In total, Nicholls made 51 appearances for Northampton Town, achieving 20 clean sheets.[11]

2013–14

On 27 October 2013, Nicholls made his League debut for Wigan Athletic in a 0-0 draw against Charlton Athletic. He then made his home debut the following Wednesday keeping a clean sheet again in another 0-0 draw against Queens Park Rangers.

2015–16

On 11 September 2015, Nicholls joined League Two side Bristol Rovers on a three-month loan.[12] Nicholls returned to his original club, after several first team performances whilst on loan to Rovers.

Milton Keynes Dons

2016–17

On 3 August 2016, following the expiry of his contract with Wigan Athletic, Nicholls joined League One side Milton Keynes Dons, signing a two-year deal.[13] Nicholls made his debut for the club on 9 August 2016, featuring in a 2–3 away EFL Cup first round win away to Newport County.[14]

On 4 October 2016, in his fourth start for the club, Nicholls achieved his first clean sheet in a 0–1 EFL Trophy group stage away win against Peterborough United.[15]

International career

In 2010, Nicholls was named in the England Under-19s squad that reached the semi-finals of the UEFA European Under-19 Championships,[16] but did not make an appearance in the tournament. He made his debut for the team in February 2011 in a 1–0 defeat against Germany.[17]

Club statistics

As of 4 October.[18]
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Wigan Athletic 2009–10 Premier League 000000— 00
2010–11 Premier League 000000— 00
2011–12 Premier League 000000— 00
2012–13 Premier League 000000— 00
2013–14 Championship 60001020 90
2014–15 Championship 100000— 10
2015–16 League One 200000— 20
Total 90001020 120
Hartlepool United (loan) 2010–11 League One 000000— 00
Shrewsbury Town (loan) 2010–11 League Two 000000— 00
Sheffield Wednesday (loan) 2010–11 League One 000000— 00
Accrington Stanley (loan) 2011–12 League Two 900000— 90
Northampton Town (loan) 2012–13 League Two 460000050 510
Bristol Rovers (loan) 2015–16 League Two 160000020 180
Total 620000070 690
Milton Keynes Dons 2016–17 League One 00002020 40
Total 00002020 40
Career totals 7100030110 850

References

  1. ↑ "The Football League Limited: Club list of registered players as at 16th May 2015" (PDF). The Football League. 16 May 2015. p. 36. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  2. ↑ "On the Bench ... With Lee Nicholls, a Keeper Tipped for the Top at Wigan". FanHouse UK. 28 July 2010. Retrieved 7 February 2011.
  3. ↑ "Keeper earns his stripes". 27 January 2010. Retrieved 7 February 2011.
  4. ↑ "Hartlepool United bring in Wigan keeper Lee Nicholls". BBC Sport. 9 November 2010. Retrieved 7 February 2011.
  5. ↑ "Nicholls off to Shrews for a month". 31 January 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2011.
  6. ↑ "Sheffield Wednesday sign Joey O'Brien and Lee Nicholls". BBC Sport. 24 March 2011. Retrieved 25 March 2011.
  7. ↑ "New Deal For Lee Nicholls". Wigan Athletic F.C. 23 January 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
  8. ↑ "Nicholls Joins Accrington on Loan". 24 February 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
  9. ↑ "Swindon vs Accrington". 25 February 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
  10. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/19154132
  11. ↑ http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=53114&season_id=142
  12. ↑ "Lee Nicholls: Bristol Rovers sign Wigan Athletic keeper on loan". 11 September 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  13. ↑ "Dons grab goalkeepr Nicholls". Milton Keynes Dons Official Site. 3 August 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  14. ↑ "Report: Newport County 2-3 Dons". Milton Keynes Dons Official Site. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  15. ↑ "Report: Peterborough United 0-1 MK Dons". Milton Keynes Dons Official Site. 4 October 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  16. ↑ "Nicholls makes England cut". 15 July 2010. Retrieved 7 February 2011.
  17. ↑ "Denis proves England's menace". The Football Association. 8 February 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
  18. ↑ "Statistics". Soccerbase. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/4/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.