Nigel Callaghan
Encyclopedia
Nigel Ian Callaghan is a former professional
footballer.
, Derby County
and Aston Villa
. Internationally, he represented England at Under-21 level
, and played one game for England B alongside fellow Watford player Luther Blissett
.
Whilst at Watford, he played in the 1984 FA Cup Final
where they lost to Everton. He had broken into their first team during the 1980–81 season
and helped them win promotion to the First Division a year later
. He also helped them finish second in the league in 1983. In total, he played 223 league games for the Hornets and scored 41 goals, before being transferred to Derby County in February 1987.
He scored four goals in 18 Second Division games for the Rams in the 1986–87 season
as they cruised to the division championship and a return to the First Division after seven years away.
Callaghan was ever present for Derby as they secured their top flight status in 1987–88
, and he began the 1988–89 season
well as Derby emerged as surprise title challengers (though they eventually had to settle for a fifth place finish). He scored twice in 18 league games before moving to Aston Villa
in February 1989 and making 16 league appearances for them (scoring once) as they secured their First Division survival a year after promotion. He played just eight games for Villa the following season, however, as they finished second and were beaten to the league title by Liverpool
.
He played just twice in the 1990–91 season
and was loaned back to Derby County. He also had loan spells with Huddersfield Town and Watford before new manager Ron Atkinson
finally gave him a free transfer at the end of the 1991–92
. Aged still only 29, his professional career was over, although he did continue playing for a while at non league level with Stafford Rangers.
http://www.sporting-heroes.net/football-heroes/displayhero_club.asp?HeroID=38799
. While working in a Greek night-club during the late-90's he was featured on a television documentary. He currently lives in Stafford
.
, due to start in late March 2010.
In September 2010 it was announced that a benefit match between former stars of two of Callaghan's old teams Derby County F.C. and Watford F.C. would take place at Pride Park Stadium during the close season.
|1980–81||rowspan="7"|Watford
||rowspan="2"|Second Division
||21||2||0||0||21||2
|-
|1981–82|||37||5||0||0||37||5
|-
|1982–83||rowspan="5"|First Division
||41||9||0||0||41||9
|-
|1983–84||41||10||0||0||41||10
|-
|1984–85||38||8||0||0||38||8
|-
|1985–86||23||4||0||0||23||4
|-
|1986–87||20||3||0||0||20||3
|-
|1986–87||rowspan="3"|Derby County
||Second Division
||18||4||0||0||18||4
|-
|1987–88||rowspan="2"|First Division
||40||4||0||0||40||4
|-
|1988–89||18||2||0||0||18||2
|-
|1988–89||rowspan="2"|Aston Villa
||rowspan="2"|First Division
||16||1||0||0||16||1
|-
|1990–91||8||0||0||0||8||0
|-
|1990–91||Derby County
(loan)||First Division
||12||1||0||0||12||1
|-
|1990–91||Watford
(loan)||Second Division
||12||1||0||0||12||1
|-
|1991–92||Aston Villa
||First Division
||2||0||0||0||2||0
|-
|1991–92||Huddersfield Town
(loan)||Third Division
||8||0||0||0||8||0
|-
|1992–93||Aston Villa
||Premier League||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
355||54||0||0||355||54
355||54||0||0||355||54
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
footballer.
Playing career
Callaghan played on the right-wing for a number of clubs including WatfordWatford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
, Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
and Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
. Internationally, he represented England at Under-21 level
England national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....
, and played one game for England B alongside fellow Watford player Luther Blissett
Luther Blissett (footballer)
Luther Loide Blissett is a former professional footballer and manager, who is currently a first-team coach at Hemel Hempstead Town. Blissett played as a striker, and is best known for his time at Watford, whom he helped win promotion from the Fourth Division to the First Division...
.
Whilst at Watford, he played in the 1984 FA Cup Final
1984 FA Cup Final
The 1984 FA Cup Final was contested by Everton and Watford at Wembley. Everton won 2–0, with one goal by Graeme Sharp and a particularly memorable goal from Andy Gray. He was adjudged by many to have fouled the Watford goalkeeper Steve Sherwood by heading the ball from Sherwood's hands....
where they lost to Everton. He had broken into their first team during the 1980–81 season
1980-81 in English football
The 1980–81 season was the 101st season of competitive football in England.-Overview:The Football League introduced a three points for a win system in place of the two points for a win system which had operated since the league's formation in 1889...
and helped them win promotion to the First Division a year later
1981-82 in English football
The 1981–82 season was the 102nd season of competitive football in England.It was also the first season that the Three points for a win system was introduced.- First Division :Three points for a win was introduced for the first time in England...
. He also helped them finish second in the league in 1983. In total, he played 223 league games for the Hornets and scored 41 goals, before being transferred to Derby County in February 1987.
He scored four goals in 18 Second Division games for the Rams in the 1986–87 season
1986-87 in English football
The 1986–87 season was the 107th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :The First Division championship went to Everton in their final season under the management of Howard Kendall before his departure to Athletic Bilbao. His side overcame a spate of injuries to fight off...
as they cruised to the division championship and a return to the First Division after seven years away.
Callaghan was ever present for Derby as they secured their top flight status in 1987–88
1987-88 in English football
The 1987–88 season was the 120th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Liverpool won the league title with a comfortable nine-point margin and just two defeats all season....
, and he began the 1988–89 season
1988-89 in English football
The 1988–89 season was the 109th season of competitive football in England.-Hillsborough disaster:On 15 April, a crowd crush at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough killed 94 people and injured more than 300. A 95th Liverpool supporter died in hospital...
well as Derby emerged as surprise title challengers (though they eventually had to settle for a fifth place finish). He scored twice in 18 league games before moving to Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
in February 1989 and making 16 league appearances for them (scoring once) as they secured their First Division survival a year after promotion. He played just eight games for Villa the following season, however, as they finished second and were beaten to the league title by Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
.
He played just twice in the 1990–91 season
1990-91 in English football
The 1990–91 season was the 111th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Arsenal won the league. Runners-up spot was achieved by Liverpool, who had led the table for much of the first half of the season but had been shell-shocked in February by the sudden resignation of manager...
and was loaned back to Derby County. He also had loan spells with Huddersfield Town and Watford before new manager Ron Atkinson
Ron Atkinson
Ronald Ernest Atkinson, commonly known as "Big Ron" and "Bojangles" is an English former football player and manager. In recent years he has become one of Britain's best-known football pundits...
finally gave him a free transfer at the end of the 1991–92
1991-92 in English football
- First Division :The last-ever league championship before the creation of the Premier League was won by Leeds United who overhauled Manchester United thanks to the efforts of, among others, Gordon Strachan, Lee Chapman, David Batty, Gary Speed and Gary McAllister...
. Aged still only 29, his professional career was over, although he did continue playing for a while at non league level with Stafford Rangers.
http://www.sporting-heroes.net/football-heroes/displayhero_club.asp?HeroID=38799
Retirement
Callaghan retired from football to work as a DJDisc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
. While working in a Greek night-club during the late-90's he was featured on a television documentary. He currently lives in Stafford
Stafford
Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies approximately north of Wolverhampton and south of Stoke-on-Trent, adjacent to the M6 motorway Junction 13 to Junction 14...
.
Illness
In November 2009 Callaghan was diagnosed with bowel cancer. An operation to remove the main tumour was undertaken in January 2010, however, some traces of cancer have moved elsewhere into his body and he subsequently faces a course of chemotherapyChemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
, due to start in late March 2010.
In September 2010 it was announced that a benefit match between former stars of two of Callaghan's old teams Derby County F.C. and Watford F.C. would take place at Pride Park Stadium during the close season.
Career statistics
|-|1980–81||rowspan="7"|Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
||rowspan="2"|Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
||21||2||0||0||21||2
|-
|1981–82|||37||5||0||0||37||5
|-
|1982–83||rowspan="5"|First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||41||9||0||0||41||9
|-
|1983–84||41||10||0||0||41||10
|-
|1984–85||38||8||0||0||38||8
|-
|1985–86||23||4||0||0||23||4
|-
|1986–87||20||3||0||0||20||3
|-
|1986–87||rowspan="3"|Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
||Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
||18||4||0||0||18||4
|-
|1987–88||rowspan="2"|First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||40||4||0||0||40||4
|-
|1988–89||18||2||0||0||18||2
|-
|1988–89||rowspan="2"|Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
||rowspan="2"|First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||16||1||0||0||16||1
|-
|1990–91||8||0||0||0||8||0
|-
|1990–91||Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
(loan)||First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||12||1||0||0||12||1
|-
|1990–91||Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
(loan)||Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
||12||1||0||0||12||1
|-
|1991–92||Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
||First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||2||0||0||0||2||0
|-
|1991–92||Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
(loan)||Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
||8||0||0||0||8||0
|-
|1992–93||Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
||Premier League||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
355||54||0||0||355||54
355||54||0||0||355||54