Ian Nolan

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Ian Nolan

| image =

| caption =

| fullname = Ian Robert Nolan

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1970|7|9|df=y}}

| birth_place = Liverpool, England

| height = {{height|ft=6|in=0}}

| position = Full back

| youthyears1 = 1986–1988

| youthclubs1 = Preston North End

| years1 = 1988–1990

| clubs1 = Northwich Victoria

| caps1 = 49

| goals1 = 2

| years2 = 1990–1991

| clubs2 = Marine

| caps2 =

| goals2 =

| years3 = 1991–1994

| clubs3 = Tranmere Rovers

| caps3 = 88

| goals3 = 1

| years4 = 1994–2000

| clubs4 = Sheffield Wednesday

| caps4 = 167

| goals4 = 4

| years5 = 2000–2001

| clubs5 = Bradford City

| caps5 = 21

| goals5 = 0

| years6 = 2001–2002

| clubs6 = Wigan Athletic

| caps6 = 8

| goals6 = 0

| years7 = 2002–2003

| clubs7 = Southport

| caps7 = 9

| goals7 = 1

| totalcaps = 342

| totalgoals = 8

| nationalyears1 = 1996–2002

| nationalteam1 = Northern Ireland

| nationalcaps1 = 17

| nationalgoals1 = 0

}}

Ian Robert Nolan (born 9 July 1970) is a former professional footballer who played as a full back.

He notably played in the Premier League for Sheffield Wednesday and Bradford City, as well as in the Football League for Tranmere Rovers and Wigan Athletic as well as non-league sides Marine and Southport.

Born in England, he won 17 caps for Northern Ireland.

Club career

Born in Liverpool, Nolan began his career as a trainee with Preston North End, but left in 1988 without making a first team appearance. He played non-league football with Northwich Victoria and Marine, before beginning his Football League career in 1991 with Tranmere Rovers. He helped Tranmere to the semi-finals of the 1993–94 League Cup, where they faced Aston Villa. Nolan scored in the first leg to give them a 3–1 lead at the halfway point in the tie.{{cite web

|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football--cocacola-cup-nolan-opens-tranmeres-path-to-final-1394761.html

|title=Football / Coca-Cola Cup: Nolan opens Tranmere's path to final

|work=The Independent|location=London

|date=17 February 1994 |access-date=1 October 2012}} However Villa won the second leg 3–1 and sent the game to a penalty shootout. In sudden death, Mark Bosnich saved Nolan's penalty to send the Premier League side to Wembley.{{cite web

|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/villa-ride-bosnichs-luck-to-wembley-1397080.html

|title=Villa ride Bosnich's luck to Wembley

|work=The Independent|location=London

|date=28 February 1994 |access-date=1 October 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/sportbcfc/10173274.Former_Bantams_player_Nolan_shares_his_horrible_history_of_League_Cup_semi_final_at_Villa_Park/|title=Former Bantams player Ian Nolan shares his horrible history of League Cup semi-final at Villa Park|date=21 January 2013|author=Simon Parker|work=Telegraph & Argus}} Nolan moved to Sheffield Wednesday in 1994, and it was while playing for Wednesday in February 1998 that he suffered a broken leg in a challenge with Tottenham Hotspur's Justin Edinburgh; in 2001 (by which time he had joined Bradford City), he attempted to sue both Edinburgh and Hotspur in a legal case similar to that of another ex-Bradford City player, Gordon Watson.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/northern_ireland/1185867.stm|title=Nolan sues over Edinburgh tackle|date=23 February 2001|access-date=30 September 2009|publisher=BBC Sport}}(also an ex-Sheffield Wednesday player). After his season at Bradford (in which he scored once against Newcastle United in the League Cup){{cite web

|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/worthington_cup/1000616.stm

|title=Newcastle 4–3 Bradford

|publisher=BBC News

|date=2 November 2000 |access-date=12 August 2012}} he then spent one season with Wigan Athletic, before dropping out of the league system to join Southport in October 2002. After a failed trial with Halifax Town in July 2003,{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/h/halifax_town/3071761.stm|title=Nolan trains with Halifax|date=16 July 2003|access-date=30 September 2009|publisher=BBC Sport}} Nolan retired from professional football that same year.