Everyone at Kenilworth Road has been saddened to learn of the passing of Chris Nicholl after a long illness at the age of 77.
Chris (third from the left on the middle row of the 1971/72 team photo above) was a mainstay at the heart of the Hatters defence, alongside John Moore, as the Town secured promotion to the old Division Two in 1970 before almost securing a place in the top flight a year later.
Discarded by Burnley as a youngster, Chris was plying his trade with Witton Albion when he was picked up by Halifax who he helped to promotion to Division Three (now League One) in 1969.
Early in the following campaign, the towering central defender was the first to subdue Luton’s Malcolm Macdonald leading to a £30,000 move to Kenilworth Road the following day where, after a fairly slow start, he became a rock in the centre of the Hatters defence as they nearly won back to back promotions.
Sadly, finances dictated Chris’s £90,000 move to Aston Villa in 1972 and from there he went to Southampton and finally Grimsby, picking up 51 caps for Northern Ireland during his travels.
Chris received his big managerial break at Southampton in 1985 and remained at the Dell until 1991. Since then he scouted for Wigan, was assistant manager of Northern Ireland and managed Walsall before becoming a local radio commentator at the Bescot Stadium.
Our condolences go out to all his family and friends.