Lee Nicholls
English footballer (born 1992)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lee Anthony Nicholls (born 5 October 1992) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for EFL League One club Huddersfield Town.
|
Nicholls lining up for Bristol Rovers in 2015 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Lee Anthony Nicholls[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 5 October 1992 | ||
| Place of birth | Huyton, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Huddersfield Town | ||
| Number | 22 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2009–2010 | Wigan Athletic | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2010–2016 | Wigan Athletic | 9 | (0) |
| 2010 | → Hartlepool United (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2011 | → Shrewsbury Town (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2011 | → Sheffield Wednesday (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2012 | → Accrington Stanley (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | → Northampton Town (loan) | 46 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | → Bristol Rovers (loan) | 15 | (0) |
| 2016–2021 | Milton Keynes Dons | 131 | (0) |
| 2021– | Huddersfield Town | 152 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2011 | England U19 | 1 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 31 January 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:59, 8 February 2011 (UTC) | |||
Early life
Lee Nicholls was born in Huyton, Merseyside.
Club career
Wigan Athletic
Nicholls signed scholarship forms with Wigan Athletic in the summer of 2009. After a series of impressive performances for the reserve team, he appeared for the first-team as a substitute for the first time on 2 January 2010 in a 4–1 FA Cup third round victory over Hull City.[3]
Later in the month, he signed a two-and-a-half-year professional contract with the club.[4] In January 2012, Nicholls extended his contract at Wigan until 2014.[5] In between loan spells, Nicholls made his league debut on 27 October 2013 in a goalless draw away to Charlton Athletic.[6]
Loan spells
Between November 2010 and May 2011, Nicholls was sent out on loan to Hartlepool United, Shrewsbury Town and Sheffield Wednesday, but failed to make a single appearance.[7] On 24 February 2012, he joined Accrington Stanley on an initial one-month loan deal. Nicholls later made nine appearances for the club.[8]
On 6 August 2012, Nicholls signed on loan for League Two side Northampton Town until the end of October 2012, and later re-signed on 6 November 2012 until the end of the 2012–13 season.[9]
On 5 May 2013, Nicholls competed for Northampton Town in the League Two play-off semi-final second leg against Cheltenham Town. In total, Nicholls made 51 appearances for Northampton Town, achieving 20 clean sheets before returning to Wigan.[10] On 11 September 2015, Nicholls joined League Two side Bristol Rovers on a three-month loan.[11][12]
Milton Keynes Dons F.C
On 3 August 2016, following the expiry of his contract with Wigan, Nicholls joined League One club Milton Keynes Dons, signing a two-year deal.[13] Nicholls made his debut for the club on 9 August 2016, featuring in a 2–3 EFL Cup first round victory over Newport County.[14] In his first season for the club, Nicholls' made a total of sixteen appearances in all competitions, achieving two clean sheets.[15]
Following the departure of first choice goalkeeper David Martin, Nicholls took over the number one shirt for the 2017–18 season.[16] On 29 December 2017, Nicholls signed a contract extension keeping him at the club until June 2020.[17] On 6 May 2021, the club announced Nicholls was one of four players to be released at the end of the 2020–21 season, ending his almost five-year association with MK Dons in which he made over 150 appearances.[18]
Huddersfield Town
On 26 May 2021, Nicholls signed for EFL Championship club Huddersfield Town on a two-year deal following the expiry of his contract with Milton Keynes Dons on 1 July 2021.[19] He made his debut on 1 August 2021, keeping a clean sheet in a goalless EFL Cup first round draw with Sheffield Wednesday, with Huddersfield progressing to the next round following Nicholls' two penalty shoot-out saves.[20]
He went on to have a successful debut season with the club, achieving 19 clean sheets and playing a key role in Huddersfield reaching the 2022 EFL Championship play-off final.[21] Nicholls was later named in both the EFL Championship Team of the Season[22] and Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year.[23]
International career
In 2010, Nicholls was named in the England U19 squad that reached the semi-finals of the UEFA European Under-19 Championships,[24] but did not make an appearance in the tournament. He made his debut for the team in February 2011 in a 1–0 defeat against Germany.[25]
Career statistics
- As of 1 November 2025
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Wigan Athletic | 2010–11[26] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12[27] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2012–13[28] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2013–14[29] | Championship | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2014–15[30] | Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16[31] | League One | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 | ||
| Hartlepool United (loan) | 2010–11[26] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| Shrewsbury Town (loan) | 2010–11[26] | League Two | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| Sheffield Wednesday (loan) | 2010–11[26] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| Accrington Stanley (loan) | 2011–12[27] | League Two | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | |
| Northampton Town (loan) | 2012–13[28] | League Two | 46 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5[b][c] | 0 | 51 | 0 |
| Bristol Rovers (loan) | 2015–16[31] | League Two | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Milton Keynes Dons | 2016–17[32] | League One | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4[b] | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| 2017–18[33] | League One | 41 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 0 | |
| 2018–19[34] | League Two | 40 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 0 | |
| 2019–20[35] | League One | 35 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 0 | |
| 2020–21[36] | League One | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 0 | |
| Total | 131 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 157 | 0 | ||
| Huddersfield Town | 2021–22[21] | Championship | 43 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3[d] | 0 | 48 | 0 |
| 2022–23[37] | Championship | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 29 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24[38] | Championship | 37 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 38 | 0 | ||
| 2024–25[39] | League One | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 | |
| 2025–26[40] | League One | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 | |
| Total | 139 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 151 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 349 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 398 | 0 | ||
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League.
- Appearances in Football League Trophy.
- Three appearances in Football League Two play-offs.
- Three appearances in EFL Championship play-offs.
Honours
Bristol Rovers
- Football League Two third-place promotion: 2015–16[41]
Milton Keynes Dons
- EFL League Two third-place promotion: 2018–19[42]
Individual
- Huddersfield Town: Hargreaves Memorial Trophy (Player of the Season) 2021–22
- Huddersfield Town: Blue & White Player of the Season 2021–22
- EFL Championship Team of the Season: 2021–22[22]
- PFA Team of the Year: 2021–22 Championship[23]
