Nicholas Michael Spooner (born 5 June 1971) is an English football coach and former professional footballer who is the manager of Hyde United.

Nicky Spooner
Personal information
Full name Nicholas Michael Spooner[1]
Date of birth (1971-06-05) 5 June 1971 (age 52)[1]
Place of birth Manchester, England[1]
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2]
Position(s) Right-back[1]
Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Hyde United (manager)
Youth career
1987–1989 Bolton Wanderers
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1989–1999 Bolton Wanderers 23 (1)
1998Oldham Athletic (loan) 2 (0)
1999–2000 Charleston Battery 56 (1)
1999–2000Chester City (loan) 9 (0)
2000–2003 Leigh RMI 47 (0)
2003 Hyde United 11 (0)
Total 148 (2)
Managerial career
2022– Hyde United
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

As a player, he was a defender and midfielder who notably played in the Premier League for Bolton Wanderers. He also played in the Football League with Oldham Athletic and Chester City, in the United States with Charleston Battery and in non-league with Leigh RMI.

Playing career edit

Born in Manchester, Spooner played for Bolton Wanderers, Oldham Athletic, Charleston Battery, Chester City and Leigh RMI.[2][3]

He joined Bolton Wanderers in 1987 after signing YTS forms.[4] His senior career with the club was marred by injury.[4] In October 1994 he suffered a broken leg in a match against Burnley following a tackle by John Gayle, and he never played first-team football for the club again. He finally left Bolton in 1999 and moved to the United States, spending a year with Charleston Battery before returning to England to play non-league football for the final years of his playing career.[5] He played for Hyde United in 2003.[6]

Coaching career edit

Spooner returned to Bolton Wanderers as a youth coach and initially coached the under-8s' team.[7] In November 2011, Spooner was working as the under-16 coach,[4] and in January 2013 he was the club's Head of Youth Development.[8] In September 2016, he was promoted to under-18s' head coach.[7] He left Bolton on 29 January 2021 after 17 years in his coaching roles.[9]

On 8 June 2021, he was appointed as the new Youth Team Coach at FC Halifax Town.[10]

In February 2022, he was appointed as the new manager of Hyde United, replacing former Stockport County and Port Vale manager Jim Gannon.[11]

Managerial statistics edit

As of 2 March 2024
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team From To Record Ref.
G W D L Win %
Hyde United 18 February 2022 Present 104 50 22 32 048.08 [12]
Total 104 50 22 32 048.08

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d "Nicky Spooner". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  2. ^ a b Nicky Spooner at Soccerbase
  3. ^ "Profile". Charleston Battery. Archived from the original on 12 February 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  4. ^ a b c Iles, Marc (11 November 2011). "Riley bridges 20-year gap for Wanderers - Spooner". Bolton News. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  5. ^ Flanagan, Chris (16 September 2010). "Coyle history adds to Burnley-Bolton grudge match". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  6. ^ "Hyde United Football Club: Database". hydeunited.com.
  7. ^ a b Mann, Chris (8 September 2016). "David Lee & Nicky Spooner Receive Job Promotions". Burden Aces. Bolton Websites. Archived from the original on 13 November 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  8. ^ "Under-14s impress in London". Bolton Wanderers FC. 28 January 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  9. ^ "Bolton Wanderers finalises Academy restructure". bwfc.co.uk.
  10. ^ Gilchrist, Kelly (8 June 2021). "A new addition to Town's youth team". FC Halifax Town. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  11. ^ https://www.tamesidecorrespondent.co.uk/2022/02/19/former-player-nicky-spooner-named-new-hyde-united-manager/, Former player Nicky Spooner named Hyde United manager, Tameside Correspondent, 19 February 2022
  12. ^ "Hyde United FC: Matches". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 7 February 2024.

External links edit

Nicky Spooner at Soccerbase