Background
Nelmes was born in Hackney, but moved to south London and attended Ingram High School, near Selhurst Park.
Nelmes was born in Hackney, but moved to south London and attended Ingram High School, near Selhurst Park.
Chelsea Nelmes began his career at Division One side Chelsea, signing his first professional contract in October 1965. He failed to make an appearance for the first team and was released in the summer of 1967. Brentford Nelmes turned down offers from Aldershot and Colchester United to sign for Division Four side Brentford in the summer of 1967.
Operating initially as a right back, he went on to be a vital cog in a threadbare Brentford side, missing only three games between 1968 and 1972 and is one of a few Bees players to make 100 consecutive appearances.
Manager Jimmy Sirrel assembled a small squad of versatile players and Nelmes was picked to play up front versus N ottinghamshire County on 2 March 1968, scoring one of his only two goals for the club He played in five different positions during the 1967-1968 season.
After a succession of injuries took a toll on his body, Nelmes left the Bees at the end of the 1975/76 season, having made 350 appearances for the club Despite being what he described as "quite a physical player", Nelmes was never sent off during his career.
He was given a testimonial versus former side Chelsea in 1978, which finished 8-2 to the Stamford Bridge club
Nelmes earned a then-club record £7000 from the match. In recognition of his performances for the club, Nelmes was inducted into the in November 2014. Non-league football After his release from Brentford, Nelmes saw out his career with spells at Southern League side Hillingdon Borough and Isthmian League sides Hayes (managed by former Brentford teammate Bobby Ross) and Southall, before retiring due to a cartilage injury.