Biography
Nicholas Lee “Nicky” Brown was born in Hull, attended Hull Grammar School, played for Hull Schoolboys and played for Hull City Boys from 1981 onwards. By the summer of 1983 he was signed on schoolboy terms for Hull City and playing right back in the Humber County League, representing the East Riding FA Youth team at centre back and turning for Humberside Under-19s at centre forward – he showed form that in December 1983 led to inclusion in an England Under-19s trial match played at Heanor in Derbyshire and by the end of the 1983/84 season Nicky was part of the Tigers’ Reserves squad. His goalscoring exploits for City’s Reserves, City’s Juniors, East Riding FA’s youth team and Humberside’s under-19s continued during the 1984/85 season, he netted 53 goals in all competitions and ended the season in May 1984 with a FA Youth Cup winners medal as East Riding FA defeated Middlesex 2-1 – Brown scored both East Riding goals after the Londoners scored within four seconds of the first kick-off.
Nicky signed his first professional contract for the Tigers in September 1985 and his debut came eight months later when he came off the bench during an April 1986 Second Division match at Fulham. However nearly two further years elapsed before he saw more first team action, starting at right back in a January 1988 FA Cup second replay against Watford. A handful of further starts followed over the next few weeks, but these coincided with a winless run for Brian Horton’s Tigers that led to the manager’s dismissal after a 1-4 defeat against Swindon, a match that Nicky started. When Tom Wilson took over as caretaker he gave Brown a start for the remaining four games of the season.
Brown had to wait until the second half of the 1988/89 season for more first team action under new manager Eddie Gray, replacing regular right back Charlie Palmer in January 1989 after he departed the Tigers for Notts County – Brown had sixteen starts over the next three months. When Gray left in the 1989 close season and Colin Appleton returned, Nicky was again used sparingly but when Appleton was quickly replaced by Stan Ternent Brown had his best run in the City team as a tall overlapping full back. Brown had scored his first City goal under Gray’s tenure, in a January 1989 FA Cup tie at Cardiff, and he scored again in Appleton’s penultimate match in charge, an October 1989 draw at West Bromwich Albion. When Brown scored his third goal for the Tigers in a tremendous Boxing Day victory at Wolverhampton Wanderers he had scored three goals for three different City managers.
During the 1990/91 season Ternent turned to experienced right back David Hockaday ahead of Nicky and his appearances were sporadic. In the 1991/92 season Ternent had been replaced by Terry Dolan and Brown received a run of starts at right back in September 1991, then a spell at centre forward in November and December 1991. It was during his return to the strike force that Brown scored his fourth and final City goal in a 2-2 draw against Preston North End. Nicky was used in the left back position for the closing weeks of the 1991/92 season but was released by the Tigers in May 1992. By now injuries had caught up with the big man and he was forced to retire from playing football at the age of 25.
Brown then began a second career in the Humberside Fire Service and later moved to the South Yorkshire Service.
Details
Nationality: England
Date/Place of Birth: 16 October 1966, Hull
Hull City First Game: 12 April 1986, Fulham A (Division Two), 19 years, 178 days old
Hull City Final Game: 29 April 1992, Bolton Wanderers H (Division Three), 25 years, 196 days old
Clubs
Hull City (1983-1992)
Hull City Record
Career: 98 apps, 4 goals
Nicky Brown| Season | LGE App | LGE Gls | FAC App | FAC Gls | FLC App | FLC Gls | EUR App | EUR Gls | OTH App | OTH Gls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983/84 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1984/85 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1985/86 | 0 (1) | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1986/87 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1987/88 | 9 (1) | 0 | 1 (0) | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1988/89 | 13 (0) | 0 | 3 (0) | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1989/90 | 31 (3) | 2 | 1 (0) | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | – | – | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 1990/91 | 2 (1) | 0 | – | – | 1 (0) | 0 | – | – | 1 (0) | 0 |
| 1991/92 | 25 (0) | 1 | 1 (0) | 0 | 1 (0) | 0 | – | – | – | – |