Charlie Nicklas

Life and career Nicklas was born in 1930 in Sunderland, which was then in County Durham. He began playing for Wearside League club Silksworth Colliery Welfare at the start of the 1950–51 season, but soon went on trial with Football League Second Division club Hull City, and turned professional with that club in December 1950.

He made his first-team debut a year later, on 27 October 1951, playing in the unaccustomed position of centre forward; although he had played a few reserve matches in that position, the Yorkshire Post doubted that "a home match against a team playing as strongly as Rotherham United are just now is the ideal occasion" for a youngster's debut. Rotherham took a three-goal lead, but Hull came back to draw, and Nicklas scored their opener: he "had his faults, but dash, speed and courage were not among them. He harassed [the goalkeeper] into a goal offering and accepted it with glee". He was known for his pace, having competed in professional sprint races.

Nicklas stayed with the club until the end of the following season, when he moved on to Darlington of the Third Division North.

Nicklas, a nephew of Sunderland and Fulham player Barney Travers,