| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nicholas Pickering | ||
| Date of birth | 4 August 1963 | ||
| Place of birth | South Shields, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1977–1981 | Sunderland | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1981–1986 | Sunderland | 179 | (18) |
| 1986–1988 | Coventry City | 78 | (9) |
| 1988–1991 | Derby County | 45 | (3) |
| 1991–1993 | Darlington | 57 | (7) |
| 1993–1994 | Burnley | 4 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 1982–1986 | England U21 | 15 | (1) |
| 1983 | England | 1 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
|||
Nicholas "Nick" Pickering[1] (born 4 August 1963 in South Shields)[2] is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder in the Football League for Sunderland, Coventry City, Derby County, Darlington and Burnley.[3] He was capped once for the England national team, against Australia in 1983,[4] and was part of the England U21 team that won the 1984 European under-21 championships[5] and reached the semi-final two years later.[6] As a Coventry City player he was on the winning side in the 1987 FA Cup Final.[7]
Since retiring as a player he has been involved in youth coaching, and working on the radio in the North East.[8]
In his first season in Sunderland's first team he had the honour of being voted both the club's young player of the year and player of the year by the fans.
He is married with two sons.