Nicky Bissett

Nicky Bisset

Personal information
Full name	Nicholas Bissett [1]
Date of birth	(1964-04-05) 5 April 1964 (age 61) [1]
Place of birth	Fulham, England
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) [2]
Position	Central defender
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
	Hornchurch
	Walthamstow Avenue
1987–1988	Dagenham [3]	71	(2)
1988	Barnet [4]	16	(0)
1988–1995	Brighton & Hove Albion	97	(8)
1995	Crawley Town	1	(0)
	Stamco
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Nicholas Bissett (born 5 April 1964) is an English former professional footballer who made 97 Football League appearances playing as a central defender for Brighton & Hove Albion. ^[1]

Life and career

Bissett was born in Fulham, London. ^[1] He worked as a gas service engineer and played football for Hornchurch and Walthamstow Avenue of the Isthmian League and Conference clubs Dagenham and Barnet, who set a record for a transfer between non-league clubs when they paid £20,000 for his services in March 1988. ^{[2] [5]} Six months later, Second Division club Brighton & Hove Albion broke the record for a non-league player when they paid Barnet £115,000 for Bissett. ^[6] He became a regular in the team over his first 18 months, but he suffered a badly broken leg in a match against Swindon Town that kept him out for nearly a year. ^{[2] [7]} He returned in time to help Albion reach the 1991 Second Division play-off final, which they lost to Notts County, but broke the leg again in 1993 and suffered a knee injury the following year which effectively finished his professional career. ^{[2] [8]} He made one substitute appearance for Crawley Town, ^[9] and then tried his luck in minor football with Stamco, but his knee prevented his playing even at that level. ^[2]

He and his family relocated to York, his wife's home town, and he worked as a postman. ^[2] As of 2020 ^[update] , their sons George and Harry were playing non-league football in Yorkshire. ^{[10] [11] [12]}

References

1. "Nicky Bissett". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
2. Carder, Tim; Harris, Roger (1997). Albion A–Z: A Who's Who of Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. Hove: Goldstone Books. p. 29. ISBN   978-0-9521337-1-1.
3. Harman, John, ed. (2005). Alliance to Conference 1979–2004: The first 25 years. Tony Williams. pp. 176, 179. ISBN   978-1-869833-52-7.
4. Harman (ed.). Alliance to Conference. pp. 61, 72.
5. Newman, Paul (11 March 1988). "Non-League Football: Wilkie betting on the boys at Barrow" . The Times. London – via PowerSearch.
6. Newman, Paul (2 September 1988). "Big pay day for Barnet; Transfer fees" . The Times. London – via PowerSearch.
7. White, Clive (11 April 1990). "Swindon suffer a setback" . The Times. London – via PowerSearch. Brighton's joy was offset by an injury to Bissett, their central defender, who suffered a double fracture of the leg when tackled recklessly by Shearer, the Swindon forward, in the thirtieth minute.
8. "Laughing physio gets his reward". The Argus. Brighton. 5 May 2001. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
9. "1995/96 – Southern League Premier Division". Crawley Town Football Club History. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
10. Grayson, James (28 August 2014). "Tadcaster stars Liam Ormsby and George Bissett hoping to create FA Cup memories of their own". Non League Yorkshire. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
11. "Players: George Bissett {defender)". Pickering Town F.C. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
12. "Harry Bissett". Selby Town F.C. Retrieved 14 February 2020.^{[ dead link ]}