Garry Nelson


Garry Paul Nelson is an English former footballer who played in the Football League for Southend United, Swindon Town, Plymouth Argyle, Brighton & Hove Albion, Charlton Athletic and Torquay United between 1979 and 1997. He played as a striker or on the left wing. He was voted into Plymouth Argyle's Team of the Century.

Background and Writing

Nelson passed eight 'O' Levels and 3 'A' Levels and had the chance to attend Loughborough University but accepted the offer of a professional contract at Southend instead. Nelson also wrote two memoirs about his professional career, Left Foot Forward and Left Foot in the Grave. The books are written in diary form, chronicling a season with Charlton and Torquay respectively. The books have been generally well received, and noted as showing the real life of "ordinary" professional footballers, became best-sellers, and each was shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award.

Career after retirement

After retiring from the game in 1997, Nelson became commercial executive of the Professional Footballers' Association. In 2018, he was still playing football, regularly turning out for Chapel United in the Southend Borough Combination Veterans League and Charlton Athletic veterans.