David Nelson (footballer)

{{for|the American footballers|David Nelson (running back)|David Nelson (wide receiver)}}

{{Infobox football biography

| name = David Nelson

| image =

| image_size =

| caption =

| fullname = David Nelson

| birth_date = 3 February 1918

| birth_place = Douglas Water, Scotland

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1988|9|27|1918|2|3|df=y}}

| death_place = West Haven, Connecticut, United States

| height =

| position = Wing half

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 =

| years1 = {{0|0000}}–1936

| clubs1 = Douglas Water Thistle

| caps1 =

| goals1 =

| years2 = 1936

| clubs2 = St Bernard's

| caps2 = 10

| goals2 = 7

| years3 = 1936–1946

| clubs3 = Arsenal

| caps3 = 27

| goals3 = 4

| years4 = 1940

| clubs4 = → Motherwell (guest)

| caps4 =

| goals4 =

| years5 = 1942

| clubs5 = → Celtic (guest)

| caps5 =

| goals5 =

| years6 =

| clubs6 = → Tottenham Hotspur (guest)

| caps6 =

| goals6 =

| years7 = 1945–1946

| clubs7 = → Colchester United (guest)

| caps7 =

| goals7 =

| years8 = 1946–1947

| clubs8 = Fulham

| caps8 = 23

| goals8 = 3

| years9 = 1947–1950

| clubs9 = Brentford

| caps9 = 106

| goals9 = 5

| years10 = 1950–1952

| clubs10 = Queens Park Rangers

| caps10 = 31

| goals10 = 0

| years11 = 1952–1953

| clubs11 = Crystal Palace

| caps11 = 12

| goals11 = 0

| years12 = 1953–1955

| clubs12 = Ashford Town

| caps12 = 44

| goals12 = 2

| totalcaps = 253

| totalgoals = 21

| manageryears1 = 1953–1955

| managerclubs1 = Ashford Town (player-manager)

}}

David Nelson (3 February 1918 – 27 September 1988) was a Scottish professional football player and manager, who played in the Football League for Brentford, Queens Park Rangers, Arsenal, Fulham and Crystal Palace as a wing half.

Career

A wing half, Nelson began his career with hometown junior club Douglas Water Thistle, before moving to Scottish League Second Division club St Bernard's in January 1936.{{Cite book |last=Litster |first=John |title=Record of Pre-War Scottish League Players |publisher=PM Publications |location=Norwich}} He scored seven goals in 12 appearances during the second half of the 1935–36 season and moved to England to sign for First Division club Arsenal for a £200 fee in May 1936.{{Cite web |title=David Nelson |url=https://www.arsenal.com/historic/players/david-nelson |access-date=6 September 2017 |website=www.arsenal.com |language=en}} Nelson made just 9 appearances before the Second World War broke out in September 1939,{{Cite web |title=David Nelson |url=http://www.11v11.com/players/david-nelson-27623/ |access-date=20 December 2016 |website=11v11.com}} but he had experienced some joy in the reserve team, winning the London Combination in 1936–37, 1937–38 and 1938–39. Nelson made 164 appearances for the Gunners during the war and also played as a guest for Motherwell, Celtic, Clapton Orient, Tottenham Hotspur, Brentford and Chesterfield during the Second World War.{{Cite book |last=Haynes |first=Graham |title=Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006 |last2=Coumbe |first2=Frank |publisher=Yore Publications |year=2006 |isbn=0955294916 |location=Harefield |page=115}} He made further competitive Arsenal appearances during the 1945–46 and 1946–47 seasons, before leaving Highbury in December 1946. Nelson made 29 competitive appearances and scored four goals in over a decade with Arsenal.

Nelson joined Second Division club Fulham in December 1946, as a makeweight in the deal that took Ronnie Rooke to Arsenal.{{Cite web |last=Kaufman |first=Neilson |title=VE Day WW2 players as at May 2020 |url=https://www.leytonorient.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/VE-DAY-WW2-players-as-at-May-2020.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200609183620/https://www.leytonorient.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/VE-DAY-WW2-players-as-at-May-2020.pdf |archive-date=9 June 2020 |access-date=18 July 2020 |pages=84–85}} He made 24 appearances and scored four goals before he and teammate Peter Buchanan transferred to newly relegated Second Division club Brentford for a £6,000 deal in August 1947.{{Cite web |title=David Nelson |url=http://www.fulhamweb.co.uk/player/434/david-nelson.aspx |access-date=5 December 2015 |website=Fulhamweb}} Nelson was a regular at wing half and made 113 appearances, scoring five goals, before transferring to Second Division club Queens Park Rangers in February 1950, in exchange for Bill Pointon. He remained at Loftus Road for just over two years and departed having made 31 appearances.

Nelson dropped down to the Third Division South to join Crystal Palace in March 1952, but he made just 12 appearances before his departure the following year.{{Hugman|accessdate=18 October 2015|id=14474}}{{Cite web |title=Dave Nelson |url=https://www.holmesdale.net/page.php?id=111&player=510 |access-date=14 March 2022 |website=holmesdale.net The Palace Supporters' Website |language=en-gb}} Nelson ended his career as player-manager at Kent League club Ashford Town between March 1953 and May 1955.{{Cite web |title=David Nelson Player Profile |url=http://www.nutsandboltsarchive.co.uk/player-Profile.php?ID=1097 |access-date=14 March 2022 |website=The Nuts and Bolts Archive}}{{Cite web |title=Managers |url=https://www.nutsandboltsarchive.co.uk/managers.php |access-date=15 August 2023 |website=Nuts and Bolts Archive}}

Personal life

Nelson served as a sergeant in the British Army during the Second World War. He emigrated to the United States in the late 1950s and worked at a car plant in St. Louis. At the time of his death, he was living in Greenwich, Connecticut.

Career statistics

= Player =

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" \|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition ! rowspan="2" \|Club ! rowspan="2" \|Season ! colspan="3" \|League ! colspan="2" \|National cup{{efn\|Includes Scottish Cup, FA Cup}} ! colspan="2" \|Other ! colspan="2" \|Total
Division !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals !Apps !Goals
St Bernard's \|1935–36 \|Scottish Second Division \|10 \|7 \|2 \|0 \| colspan="2" \|— \|12 \|7
rowspan="5" \|Arsenal \|1936–37 \| rowspan="2" \|First Division \|8 \|3 \|0 \|0 \| colspan="2" \|— \|8 \|3
1938–39 \|9 \|1 \|0 \|0 \| colspan="2" \|— \|9 \|1
1945–46 \| colspan="3" \|— \|2 \|0 \| colspan="2" \|— \|2 \|0
1946–47 \|First Division \|10 \|0 \| colspan="2" \|— \| colspan="2" \|— \|10 \|0
colspan="2" \|Total !27 !4 !2 !0 ! colspan="2" \|— !29 !4
Colchester United (loan) \|1945–46{{Cite web \|title=Dave Nelson – Players – Colchester United \|url=https://www.coludata.co.uk/item.php?pg=player&it=66 \|access-date=18 July 2020 \|website=www.coludata.co.uk}} \|Southern League \|3 \|0 \| colspan="2" \|— \| colspan="2" \|— \|3 \|0
Fulham \|1946–47 \|Second Division \|23 \|3 \|1 \|0 \| colspan="2" \|— \|24 \|3
rowspan="4" \|Brentford \|1947–48{{Cite book \|title=100 Years Of Brentford \|publisher=Brentford FC \|year=1989 \|isbn=0951526200 \|editor-last=White \|editor-first=Eric \|pages=379–382}} \| rowspan="3" \|Second Division \|40 \|3 \|2 \|0 \| colspan="2" \|— \|42 \|3
1948–49 \|40 \|2 \|4 \|0 \| colspan="2" \|— \|44 \|2
1949–50 \|26 \|0 \|1 \|0 \| colspan="2" \|— \|27 \|0
colspan="2" \|Total !106 !5 !7 !0 ! colspan="2" \|— !113 !5
rowspan="3" \|Queens Park Rangers \|1949–50{{Cite web \|title=Seasonal Stats – 1949–50 \|url=http://www.qprnet.com/uploads/1/2/0/8/120823999/qpr1949.xls \|access-date=27 December 2018 \|website=QPRnet}} \| rowspan="2" \|Second Division \|13 \|0 \| colspan="2" \|— \| colspan="2" \|— \|13 \|0
1950–51{{Cite web \|title=Seasonal Stats – 1950–51 \|url=http://www.qprnet.com/uploads/1/2/0/8/120823999/qpr1950.xls \|access-date=27 December 2018 \|website=QPRnet}} \|18 \|0 \|0 \|0 \| colspan="2" \|— \|18 \|0
colspan="2" \|Total !31 !0 !0 !0 ! colspan="2" \|— !31 !0
rowspan="4" \|Ashford Town \|1952–53 \| rowspan="3" \|Kent League \|4 \|0 \| colspan="2" \|— \| colspan="2" \|— \|4 \|0
1953–54 \|24 \|2 \|3 \|0 \|32 appearances and 1 goal in Kent League Cup, 1 goal in Kent Senior Shield \|1 \|30 \|3
1954–55 \|16 \|0 \|1 \|0 \|3Appearances in Kent Senior Cup \|0 \|20 \|0
colspan="2" \|Total !44 !2 !4 !0 !6 !1 !54 !3
colspan="3" \|Career total !244 !21 !16 !0 !6 !1 !266 !22

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"

|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

! rowspan="2" |Club

! rowspan="2" |Season

! colspan="3" |League

! colspan="2" |National cup{{efn|Includes Scottish Cup, FA Cup}}

! colspan="2" |Other

! colspan="2" |Total

Division

!Apps

!Goals

!Apps

!Goals

!Apps

!Goals

!Apps

!Goals

St Bernard's

|1935–36

|Scottish Second Division

|10

| colspan="2" |—

|12

rowspan="5" |Arsenal

|1936–37

| rowspan="2" |First Division

| colspan="2" |—

1938–39

| colspan="2" |—

1945–46

| colspan="3" |—

| colspan="2" |—

1946–47

|First Division

|10

| colspan="2" |—

|10

colspan="2" |Total

!27

! colspan="2" |—

!29

Colchester United (loan)

|1945–46{{Cite web |title=Dave Nelson – Players – Colchester United |url=https://www.coludata.co.uk/item.php?pg=player&it=66 |access-date=18 July 2020 |website=www.coludata.co.uk}}

| colspan="2" |—

|23

| colspan="2" |—

|24

rowspan="4" |Brentford

|1947–48{{Cite book |title=100 Years Of Brentford |publisher=Brentford FC |year=1989 |isbn=0951526200 |editor-last=White |editor-first=Eric |pages=379–382}}

| rowspan="3" |Second Division

|40

| colspan="2" |—

|42

1948–49

|40

| colspan="2" |—

|44

1949–50

|26

| colspan="2" |—

|27

colspan="2" |Total

!106

! colspan="2" |—

!113

rowspan="3" |Queens Park Rangers

|1949–50{{Cite web |title=Seasonal Stats – 1949–50 |url=http://www.qprnet.com/uploads/1/2/0/8/120823999/qpr1949.xls |access-date=27 December 2018 |website=QPRnet}}

| rowspan="2" |Second Division

|13

| colspan="2" |—

|13

1950–51{{Cite web |title=Seasonal Stats – 1950–51 |url=http://www.qprnet.com/uploads/1/2/0/8/120823999/qpr1950.xls |access-date=27 December 2018 |website=QPRnet}}

|18

| colspan="2" |—

|18

colspan="2" |Total

!31

! colspan="2" |—

!31

rowspan="4" |Ashford Town

|1952–53

| rowspan="3" |Kent League

| colspan="2" |—

1953–54

|24

|32 appearances and 1 goal in Kent League Cup, 1 goal in Kent Senior Shield

|30

1954–55

|16

|3Appearances in Kent Senior Cup

|20

colspan="2" |Total

!44

!54

colspan="3" |Career total

!244

!21

!16

!266

!22

= Manager =

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" \|+Managerial record by team and tenure{{Cite web \|title=David Nelson Manager Profile \|url=https://www.nutsandboltsarchive.co.uk/managerProfile.php?ID=35 \|access-date=15 August 2023 \|website=Nuts and Bolts Archive}} ! rowspan="2" \|Team ! rowspan="2" \|From ! rowspan="2" \|To ! colspan="5" \|Record
{{abbr\|P\|Matches played}} !{{abbr\|W\|Matches won}} !{{abbr\|D\|Matches drawn}} !{{abbr\|L\|Matches lost}} !{{abbr\|Win %\|Win percentage}}
align="left" \|Ashford Town \| align="left" \|21 March 1953 \| align="left" \|31 May 1955 {{WDL\|86\|24\|20\|42\|decimals=1}}
colspan=3\|Total {{WDLtot\|86\|24\|20\|42\|decimals=1}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"

|+Managerial record by team and tenure{{Cite web |title=David Nelson Manager Profile |url=https://www.nutsandboltsarchive.co.uk/managerProfile.php?ID=35 |access-date=15 August 2023 |website=Nuts and Bolts Archive}}

! rowspan="2" |Team

! rowspan="2" |From

! rowspan="2" |To

! colspan="5" |Record

!{{abbr|W|Matches won}}

!{{abbr|D|Matches drawn}}

!{{abbr|L|Matches lost}}

!{{abbr|Win %|Win percentage}}

align="left" |Ashford Town

| align="left" |21 March 1953

| align="left" |31 May 1955

colspan=3|Total