Nixon, Ernie – Forest youth became a Grantham star

Ernie Nixon (b1947)

BALDERTON-born Brian ‘Ernie’ Nixon became one of Grantham Town’s most popular forwards in the late 1960s to the mid-1970s.

He had previously spent time at Nottingham Forest, (captaining their Youth side in a tour of Holland), and briefly, Lincoln City.

Ernie made his Grantham debut in September 1968, a Midland League match at Long Eaton United, scoring his first goal for the club only three days later against Warley.

In his first season with Grantham he played in the FA Cup First Round against Chelmsford City, the next round at home to Swindon Town, scored four times in the league match at Lockheed Leamington and at the end of the campaign won a winner’s medal in the Midland League Cup.

Grantham’s final three seasons in the Midland League saw two Championship winner’s medals for Ernie, another in the League Cup, one in the Lincolnshire County Cup, appearances in the FA Cup Proper against Oldham Athletic, Stockport County and Rotherham United, where he netted the consolation goal, plus, finally, an FA Trophy Quarter-Final appearance in the match against Yeovil Town.

As for his scoring, the same time-scale had seen four more hat-tricks credited to him and even another instance where he managed to find the target four times, with the poor Stamford ‘keeper being the unfortunate victim in April 1972.

Grantham’s first season in the Southern League ended with another League Championship, the Merit Cup after the club’s 113 goals, 23 of which came from Ernie, (including four in the match at Bury Town), plus an appearance in the FA Cup First Round Proper at Bradford City.

The 1973/74 season will of course be best remembered for the FA Cup run and Ernie played in every round, including the ties against Rochdale and Middlesbrough. It was to be an early finish to the season though, as he played no further part in the matches after the start of February, but still finished as the club’s joint highest scorer along with Bob Norris.

Although Grantham finished as runners-up to Dartford in the Southern League Premier and eight points adrift, when faced with the fact that The Gingerbreads lost six of the games following Ernie’s departure from the side, one can only wonder whether the outcome would have been any different had he played.

He was back in the side the following season though, scoring another hat-trick in September at home to Telford United, although it was a comparatively indifferent year for the club, while November 1975 saw another appearance in the FA Cup First Round, this time against Port Vale. His career was cut tragically short in Grantham’s first home floodlit match against Maidstone United in 1976 when he broke a leg

He later became Prison Officer at Dartmoor Prison, in Devon, but has since returned to the Grantham area.

Compiled with assistance of Jon Barnes