ANDY NELSON

Full Name: Andrew Nesbitt Nelson

Born: 05 July 1935

Came from: Leyton Orient   Went to: Retired

First game: 23 October 1965   Last game: 04 May 1968

Appearances: 99 (99/0)   Goals: 1

A centre-half, Nelson was born in Custom House, East London, in what is now the London Borough of Newham and was formerly part of the County Borough of West Ham.

He began his career with West Ham United, spending almost six years at Upton Park. First-team opportunities, however, were limited and he made just 15 appearances, scoring once.

Seeking more regular football, Nelson joined Ipswich Town in 1959 and went on to make 193 appearances over the next five years. He helped the club win the Second Division title in 1960-61 before playing a key role in Ipswich's remarkable First Division championship success under Alf Ramsey the following season.

He returned to East London with Clapton Orient (now Leyton Orient) in 1964. He spent two seasons at Brisbane Road, making 43 appearances before arriving at Home Park during the early part of the 1965-66 season as one of Derek Ufton's first signings.

A dependable presence in defence, he made 99 appearances and scored once during three seasons with Argyle, playing under Ufton, the briefly appointed Frank Lord and Billy Bingham.

Nelson retired from playing at the age of 32 and immediately moved into coaching with Millwall before embarking on a successful managerial career.

He was appointed manager of Gillingham in 1971, leading the club to a series of respectable mid-table finishes. He also guided the Gills to the 1973-74 Kent Senior Cup before resigning in May 1974.

The move paved the way for his appointment as Charlton Athletic manager the following month, where he enjoyed the most successful spell of his managerial career. In his first full season, he led the Addicks to the Third Division title in 1974-75 and promotion to the Second Division. Charlton established themselves comfortably at the higher level, finishing in the top half in each of the next two seasons. However, the following two campaigns proved more difficult and the club escaped relegation on the final day on both occasions before Nelson departed in March 1978 with Charlton in the relegation places.

Following his departure from The Valley, Nelson returned to coaching, working within the England youth set-up before taking roles in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. After retiring from full-time football, he settled back in Ipswich. In March 2011, he was inducted into the Ipswich Town Hall of Fame and, now in his 90s, continues to enjoy retirement in Suffolk.