Nigel Gleghorn
Encyclopedia
Nigel William Gleghorn is a former English
professional footballer
who played as a forward
or central midfielder
.
in the Northern League Division Two, until successful trials at Ipswich Town
led to the offer of a professional contract.
Reluctant to give up a steady job in the fire service to risk failing as a footballer, his wife convinced him to take the chance.
Within weeks the 23-year-old Gleghorn was making his debut in the First Division
away to Arsenal
.
One season at Manchester City
followed, in which City were promoted to the First Division, but after only a few games back in the top flight Gleghorn was sold to Birmingham City
, recently relegated to the Third Division
, for a relatively big fee of £
175,000.
He stayed for three seasons, helping the team to victory in the Leyland Daf Cup
final at Wembley in 1991 and promotion to the newly-designated Division One
in 1991–92
. In that season he was Birmingham's top scorer with 22 goals in all competitions
and scored the winner against Shrewsbury
in the last home game of the season when the club needed a win to be sure of automatic promotion.
In October 1992 Gleghorn moved to Stoke City
, where for the second season running he scored the goal which ensured his club's promotion to Division One. After four years at Stoke where he made over 200 appearances, he moved on to Burnley
in Division Two, and finished off his League career in 1997–98
with loan spells at fellow Division Two clubs Brentford
and Northampton Town
.
Once his full-time football career finished Gleghorn went to work full-time in the Sports Studies department of a further education
college. Meanwhile, he involved himself with coaching and management. Following an unsuccessful few months as player-coach at Altrincham
– though after he left the club went on to win the Northern Premier League
– he joined Witton Albion
in the Northern Premier League First Division
as player-manager. In his first season the club finished level on points with the top two teams, missing out on promotion only on goal difference. He then had three years at Nantwich Town
in the North West Counties League
, leaving when they wanted him to take the job full-time, followed by runners-up spot in the same league with Newcastle Town
, still as player-manager, from where he was sacked in 2006.
Though not currently managing a club, he runs his college football team who are on a successful run both girls and boys, runs courses for the Cheshire FA
and works in talent identification for the Football Association
.
In August 2007 he made his broadcasting debut as a summariser for BBC Radio Manchester
covering the matches of his former club Manchester City on Manchester Sports
.
Nigel now coaches NVQ level two and three at Trafford college in Manchester.
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...
professional footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
who played as a forward
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
or central midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
.
Biography
Gleghorn worked as a firefighter, playing part-time for his local club Seaham Red StarSeaham Red Star F.C.
Seaham Red Star F.C. is a football club based in Seaham, England. They joined the Wearside League in 1979 as Seaham Colliery Welfare Red Star. In the 1978–79 season, they reached the 5th round of the FA Vase. In 1984, they changed to their present name...
in the Northern League Division Two, until successful trials at Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
led to the offer of a professional contract.
Reluctant to give up a steady job in the fire service to risk failing as a footballer, his wife convinced him to take the chance.
Within weeks the 23-year-old Gleghorn was making his debut 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....
away to Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
.
One season at 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...
followed, in which City were promoted to the First Division, but after only a few games back in the top flight Gleghorn was sold to Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
, recently relegated to 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...
, for a relatively big fee of £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
175,000.
He stayed for three seasons, helping the team to victory in 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...
final at Wembley in 1991 and promotion to the newly-designated Division One
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 1991–92
1991-92 in English football
- First Division :The last-ever league championship before the creation of the Premier League was won by Leeds United who overhauled Manchester United thanks to the efforts of, among others, Gordon Strachan, Lee Chapman, David Batty, Gary Speed and Gary McAllister...
. In that season he was Birmingham's top scorer with 22 goals in all competitions
and scored the winner against Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury Town F.C.
Shrewsbury Town Football Club is an English Association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, who play in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club was formed in 1886 and has played in all the bottom three divisions in various guises since being elected into the Football...
in the last home game of the season when the club needed a win to be sure of automatic promotion.
In October 1992 Gleghorn moved to Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
, where for the second season running he scored the goal which ensured his club's promotion to Division One. After four years at Stoke where he made over 200 appearances, he moved on to Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
in Division Two, and finished off his League career in 1997–98
1997-98 in English football
The 1997-1998 season was the 118th season of competitive football in England.-Premier League:Arsenal overhauled Manchester United's lead during the final weeks of the season to win the Premiership title...
with loan spells at fellow Division Two clubs Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
and Northampton Town
Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
.
Once his full-time football career finished Gleghorn went to work full-time in the Sports Studies department of a further education
Further education
Further education is a term mainly used in connection with education in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is post-compulsory education , that is distinct from the education offered in universities...
college. Meanwhile, he involved himself with coaching and management. Following an unsuccessful few months as player-coach at Altrincham
Altrincham F.C.
Altrincham Football Club is an English association football club from Altrincham, Greater Manchester. They currently play in the Conference North, having been relegated from the Conference National at the end of the 2010–11 season.-History:...
– though after he left the club went on to win the Northern Premier League
Northern Premier League
The Northern Premier League, is one of the regional English football leagues which sits directly below the Football Conference featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs. Geographically, the league covers all of Northern England, and the northern areas of the Midlands. Originally just one...
– he joined Witton Albion
Witton Albion F.C.
Witton Albion F.C. are a football club based in Northwich, England. They were founded in 1887. They have won the Cheshire Senior Cup 11 times since 1902. Their most recent success in this competition was in 2006, when they defeated Stalybridge Celtic in the final. They have also reached the FA Cup...
in the Northern Premier League First Division
Northern Premier League First Division
The Northern Premier League First Division was a football league covering the north of England. After the creation of Conference North/South in the 2004-05 season it sat at level 8 of the English football league system....
as player-manager. In his first season the club finished level on points with the top two teams, missing out on promotion only on goal difference. He then had three years at Nantwich Town
Nantwich Town F.C.
Nantwich Town Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Nantwich, Cheshire, England. The club was founded in 1884 and is nicknamed The Dabbers. The club is currently a member of the Northern Premier League Premier Division, with home matches played at the Weaver Stadium.Nantwich...
in the North West Counties League
North West Counties Football League
The North West Counties Football League is a football league in North west of England. As of 2011, the league covers Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Southern Cumbria, Northern Staffordshire, the High Peak area of Derbyshire, and the far west of West Yorkshire. In the past, the...
, leaving when they wanted him to take the job full-time, followed by runners-up spot in the same league with Newcastle Town
Newcastle Town F.C.
Newcastle Town F.C. are an English football club based in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire. They play in the Northern Premier League First Division South. They are full members of the Staffordshire Football Association.-History:...
, still as player-manager, from where he was sacked in 2006.
Though not currently managing a club, he runs his college football team who are on a successful run both girls and boys, runs courses for the Cheshire FA
Cheshire County Football Association
The Cheshire County Football Association, also simply known as the Cheshire FA, is the governing body of football in the county of Cheshire, England...
and works in talent identification for the Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
.
In August 2007 he made his broadcasting debut as a summariser for BBC Radio Manchester
BBC Radio Manchester
BBC Radio Manchester is a BBC Local Radio station broadcasting to Greater Manchester in North West England. It broadcasts 24 hours a day from studios at MediaCityUK in Salford Quays via a transmitter at Holme Moss, with a small repeater at Saddleworth covering Tameside and Saddleworth...
covering the matches of his former club Manchester City on Manchester Sports
Manchester Sports
Manchester Sports is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio Manchester whenever a major sport event involving a local team takes place. They are branded as the largest sports programme in the North West...
.
Nigel now coaches NVQ level two and three at Trafford college in Manchester.
Honours
- with Manchester City
- Second DivisionFootball League Second DivisionFrom 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...
promotion 1989.
- Second Division
- with Birmingham City
- Leyland Daf TrophyFootball League TrophyThe 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...
winners 1991. - Third DivisionFootball League Third DivisionThe 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...
promotion 1992.
- Leyland Daf Trophy
- with Stoke City
- Division TwoFootball League Second DivisionFrom 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...
champions 1993.
- Division Two
- with Newcastle Town
- North West Counties LeagueNorth West Counties Football LeagueThe North West Counties Football League is a football league in North west of England. As of 2011, the league covers Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Southern Cumbria, Northern Staffordshire, the High Peak area of Derbyshire, and the far west of West Yorkshire. In the past, the...
runners-up 2005.
- North West Counties League