Career
He also played in the Southern League for Chelmsford City, Dartford, Cambridge United, Gravesend & Northfleet and Folkestone. After spending time on the club"s ground staff, Nicholas turned professional with First Division champions Chelsea in May 1955. He was capped by England at youth level: against a Denmark youth XI in October 1955, he scored three times in a 9–2 victory and, according to The Times" correspondent, "had a rare eye for the target and a left foot of great power".
While stationed at Royal Air Force High Wycombe during his National Service, Nicholas represented the Royal Air Force football team, and helped his station to victory in the Royal Air Force Cup Final.
He first played for Chelsea at 18, alongside Peter Brabrook, Ron Tindall, Les Allen and Frank Blunstone in a forward line with an average age of under 20. He played and scored in Chelsea"s first appearance in European competition, against a Copenhagen XI in the first round of the 1958-1960 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.
Although he scored regularly for Chelsea, he fell out with manager Ted Drake, and joined Brighton & Hove Albion in 1960 for a club record £15,000 fee. He was Brighton"s top scorer in the League in 1960-1961, with 13 goals from 27 appearances, and his four goals in the last two games of the season made sure the club avoided relegation.
He was Brighton"s joint-top scorer, alongside Johnny Goodchild and Bobby Laverick, with 10 goals in all competitions, as the team failed to avoid relegation the following year.
In Chris Westcott"s book Upfront with Chelsea, Nicholas recalled how his request for a wage increase, when the first-team players were on £20 a week, was turned down, and he went on to leave the Football League, aged just 24, for a wage of £28 a week at Southern League club Chelmsford City. He retired from professional football in 1973, but played for Great Baddow in the Essex Olympian League in the 1977-1978 season.
