Eric Nixon
Encyclopedia
Eric Walter Nixon is an English
former professional footballer who played as goalkeeper
. His career spanned 22 years, thirteen of which were spent at Tranmere Rovers
. He played for thirteen different clubs and made over 500 league appearances before his retirement in 2004. Until May 2011 he was goalkeeping coach at Fleetwood Town
.
, Nixon began his career in August 1982 at Non-League
club Curzon Ashton
from Ashton-under-Lyne
in Greater Manchester
. On 10 December 1983, he signed for Manchester City
for a transfer fee of £1,000. He made 84 appearances in five years at the club, and was sent out on loan five times. And it was with four of those loan spells in the 1986–87 season
that he achieved the rare distinction of playing for a club in all four divisions of the Football League in a single season. In August 1986 he went on loan to Wolverhampton Wanderers
, who were then in the Fourth Division
, making sixteen league appearances. This was followed by short spells on loan at Bradford City
, who were then in the Second Division
, in November 1986, and Southampton
, who were then in the First Division
, in December 1986. The following month he went out on loan again, this time to Carlisle United
, who were then in the Third Division
, where he made sixteen league appearances.
Nixon's final loan move while at Manchester City came in March 1988, when he was sent to Tranmere Rovers
, for whom he made eight league appearances.
Nixon made 432 appearances, including 333 league appearances, and was with the club during their rise from the Fourth Division to the First Division play-offs in 1992–93. In the 1988–89 season he kept 25 clean sheets, which still stands as a club record for the most clean sheets in a season.
He was also a part of the Tranmere team that won the Leyland DAF Cup
in 1989–90, beating Bristol Rovers
2–1 in the final at Wembley with goals by forwards Ian Muir
and Jim Steel
. In 1996, towards the end of his time at Tranmere, Nixon found himself again being sent out on loan three times. In January he joined Reading
; the following month he was loaned to Blackpool
, for whom he made 20 league appearances; and in September he spent a second loan spell at Bradford City, making twelve league appearances.
for £100,000. In 19 months at Edgeley Park
, he made 42 league appearances, and he was also sent on loan again, this time to Wigan Athletic
in August 1998, before signing for them permanently in March 1999 on a free transfer. However, his time at Wigan was short-lived, and on 4 July he was back at Tranmere Rovers for a third time, on another free transfer, where he stayed for a further four years, becoming a part-time goalkeeping coach. After focussing on coaching rather than playing, Nixon spent one short loan spell at Kidderminster Harriers
in October 2001, for whom he kept three clean sheets in three games. On his return, he signed non-contract terms with Tranmere. On 8 August 2002, he again signed as a non-contract player with the club to provide cover for Keith Welch
, who Tranmere had just signed. The 2002–03 season
was his testimonial season and his testimonial match was played at Prenton Park on 6 August against the club he supported as a youngster, and for whom he first played professionally — Manchester City.
When he played in goal against Crewe Alexandra
on 21 September 2002, Nixon, at 39 years and 352 days old, became the oldest player to ever play for the club.
Nixon's final club was Sheffield Wednesday
, for whom he signed on a free transfer on 1 July 2003, and where he was used as a goalkeeping coach, making one league appearance — on 27 September 2003 against Grimsby Town
. His spell with the club was spent coaching three days a week, and spending two days back at Tranmere Rovers coaching.
Nixon now holds both a UEFA goalkeeping coaching A license and a UEFA football coaching A licence. On 10 February 2006, Nixon gave up his coaching responsibilities with Tranmere Rovers because of knee problems and also to attend a personal-fitness coaching course before opening a health and fitness studio in Prenton
, before moving to Dubai
, where he worked as a personal fitness trainer.
On 5 February 2007, Nixon was honoured for his outstanding service to Tranmere Rovers as the winner of the Dave Russell
Award at the annual Sports Personality Awards in Liverpool
.
Nixon has also written a regular column for the Liverpool Echo
newspaper.
In October 2008, Nixon was appointed goalkeeping coach at Conference North
club Fleetwood Town
by manager Micky Mellon
. The two were teammates at Tranmere Rovers and during Nixon's spell on loan at Blackpool in 1996. He left the club in May 2011 by mutual consent.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
former professional footballer who played as goalkeeper
Goalkeeper (football)
In association football, the goalkeeper occupies a position that represents the last line of defence between the opponent's offence and his own team's goal. The primary role of the goalkeeper is to defend his team's goal and prevent the opposition from scoring a goal...
. His career spanned 22 years, thirteen of which were spent at Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
. He played for thirteen different clubs and made over 500 league appearances before his retirement in 2004. Until May 2011 he was goalkeeping coach at Fleetwood Town
Fleetwood Town F.C.
Fleetwood Town F.C. is an English football club based in Fleetwood, Lancashire. They currently play in the Conference National having been defeated in the Conference National play-off semi-final by AFC Wimbledon in the 2010–11 season.-History:...
.
Early career, Manchester City and loans
Born in ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, Nixon began his career in August 1982 at Non-League
Non-league football
Non-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football...
club Curzon Ashton
Curzon Ashton F.C.
Curzon Ashton F.C. are a football club who currently play in the Northern Premier League Division One North. Nicknamed "The Blues", the club play their home games at the Tameside Stadium in Ashton-under-Lyne.-History:...
from Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it lies on the north bank of the River Tame, on undulating land at the foothills of the Pennines...
in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
. On 10 December 1983, he signed for Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
for a transfer fee of £1,000. He made 84 appearances in five years at the club, and was sent out on loan five times. And it was with four of those loan spells in the 1986–87 season
1986-87 in English football
The 1986–87 season was the 107th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :The First Division championship went to Everton in their final season under the management of Howard Kendall before his departure to Athletic Bilbao. His side overcame a spate of injuries to fight off...
that he achieved the rare distinction of playing for a club in all four divisions of the Football League in a single season. In August 1986 he went on loan to Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
, who were then in the Fourth Division
Football League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
, making sixteen league appearances. This was followed by short spells on loan at Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
, who were then in the Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
, in November 1986, and Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
, who were then in the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
, in December 1986. The following month he went out on loan again, this time to Carlisle United
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
, who were then in the Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
, where he made sixteen league appearances.
Nixon's final loan move while at Manchester City came in March 1988, when he was sent to Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
, for whom he made eight league appearances.
Tranmere Rovers
Nixon signed for Tranmere Rovers permanently for a fee of £60,000 on 26 July 1988. In nine years at Prenton ParkPrenton Park
Prenton Park is an association football stadium in Birkenhead, England. It is the home ground of Tranmere Rovers F.C. The club moved to the current Prenton Park in 1912. The ground has had several rebuilds, with the most recent occurring in 1995 in response to the requirement of the Taylor Report...
Nixon made 432 appearances, including 333 league appearances, and was with the club during their rise from the Fourth Division to the First Division play-offs in 1992–93. In the 1988–89 season he kept 25 clean sheets, which still stands as a club record for the most clean sheets in a season.
He was also a part of the Tranmere team that won the Leyland DAF Cup
Football League Trophy
The Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
in 1989–90, beating Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
2–1 in the final at Wembley with goals by forwards Ian Muir
Ian Muir
Ian James Muir is an English former professional football striker who scored 146 goals from 330 appearances in the Football League playing for Queens Park Rangers, Burnley, Birmingham City, Brighton & Hove Albion, Swindon Town, Tranmere Rovers and Darlington.He also played in the Hong Kong First...
and Jim Steel
Jim Steel (footballer)
William James "Jim" Steel is a Scottish former professional association footballer. A big, aggressive player, his position was centre forward....
. In 1996, towards the end of his time at Tranmere, Nixon found himself again being sent out on loan three times. In January he joined Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
; the following month he was loaned to Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
, for whom he made 20 league appearances; and in September he spent a second loan spell at Bradford City, making twelve league appearances.
Stockport County, Wigan Athletic and back to Tranmere Rovers
On 27 August 1997, Nixon was signed by Stockport CountyStockport County F.C.
Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport...
for £100,000. In 19 months at Edgeley Park
Edgeley Park
Edgeley Park is an association football and rugby union stadium in Stockport, England. The stadium was initially built for the rugby league club Stockport in 1901, but by 1902, the rugby club was defunct and in the same year, Stockport County Football Club, who were looking for a bigger ground,...
, he made 42 league appearances, and he was also sent on loan again, this time to Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
in August 1998, before signing for them permanently in March 1999 on a free transfer. However, his time at Wigan was short-lived, and on 4 July he was back at Tranmere Rovers for a third time, on another free transfer, where he stayed for a further four years, becoming a part-time goalkeeping coach. After focussing on coaching rather than playing, Nixon spent one short loan spell at Kidderminster Harriers
Kidderminster Harriers F.C.
Kidderminster Harriers F.C. are an English football club based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire formed in 1886 They currently play in the Conference National and have played at Aggborough Stadium since they were formed...
in October 2001, for whom he kept three clean sheets in three games. On his return, he signed non-contract terms with Tranmere. On 8 August 2002, he again signed as a non-contract player with the club to provide cover for Keith Welch
Keith Welch
Keith Welch is an English-born footballer who played as a goalkeeper in the Football League between 1987 and 2003, notably with Rochdale and Bristol City....
, who Tranmere had just signed. The 2002–03 season
2002-03 in English football
The 2002-03 season was the 123rd season of competitive football in England.-Most Memorable rise:*Wigan Athletic marked their 25th season of Football League membership by winning the Division Two championship and reaching the league's second tier for the very first time.-Most Memorable...
was his testimonial season and his testimonial match was played at Prenton Park on 6 August against the club he supported as a youngster, and for whom he first played professionally — Manchester City.
When he played in goal against Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
on 21 September 2002, Nixon, at 39 years and 352 days old, became the oldest player to ever play for the club.
Nixon's final club was Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
, for whom he signed on a free transfer on 1 July 2003, and where he was used as a goalkeeping coach, making one league appearance — on 27 September 2003 against Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
. His spell with the club was spent coaching three days a week, and spending two days back at Tranmere Rovers coaching.
Coaching
While he was still playing, Nixon had started working towards gaining his goalkeeping coach licence, and in August 2004 he became a full-time goalkeeping coach with Tranmere Rovers.Nixon now holds both a UEFA goalkeeping coaching A license and a UEFA football coaching A licence. On 10 February 2006, Nixon gave up his coaching responsibilities with Tranmere Rovers because of knee problems and also to attend a personal-fitness coaching course before opening a health and fitness studio in Prenton
Prenton
Prenton is a suburb of Birkenhead on the Wirral Peninsula, England and a 'post town' in the CH postcode area. Administratively, it is also a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. Before local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974, it was part of the County Borough of Birkenhead, within...
, before moving to Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, where he worked as a personal fitness trainer.
On 5 February 2007, Nixon was honoured for his outstanding service to Tranmere Rovers as the winner of the Dave Russell
Dave Russell (footballer)
Dave Russell was a Scottish football player and manager. He won the Scottish Cup with East Fife in 1938, and was manager of both Bury and Tranmere Rovers for eight years.-Playing career:...
Award at the annual Sports Personality Awards in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
.
Nixon has also written a regular column for the Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
The Liverpool Echo is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is published Monday to Saturday, and is Liverpool's evening newspaper while its sister paper, the Liverpool Daily Post, is the morning paper...
newspaper.
In October 2008, Nixon was appointed goalkeeping coach at Conference North
Conference North
The Conference North also known as Blue Square Bet North for sponsorship reasons, is a division of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National. Along with Conference South it is at Step 2 of the National League System and the sixth overall tier of...
club Fleetwood Town
Fleetwood Town F.C.
Fleetwood Town F.C. is an English football club based in Fleetwood, Lancashire. They currently play in the Conference National having been defeated in the Conference National play-off semi-final by AFC Wimbledon in the 2010–11 season.-History:...
by manager Micky Mellon
Micky Mellon
Michael Joseph "Micky" Mellon is a Scottish former professional footballer, though he never played professionally in his native land. He is currently manager of Fleetwood Town.-Playing career:...
. The two were teammates at Tranmere Rovers and during Nixon's spell on loan at Blackpool in 1996. He left the club in May 2011 by mutual consent.
Honours
Tranmere Rovers- Division Three play-off winner (1): 1990–91
- Leyland DAF Cup winner (1): 1989–90