By Chris Dunlavy
BY his own admission, Nikki Bull prematurely killed his playing career when he accepted an offer to manage Margate.
So determined was the 34-year-old to succeed in the dugout that he rejected a slew of Football League clubs and hung up his gloves to focus on leading the Gate to glory.
But even if Bull never makes another save, he can console himself with memories of a magnificent career that yielded four promotions, multiple player of the year awards and legendary status at Aldershot Town, the club he represented 313 times in seven trophy-laden years.
Here he tells us why leading the Shots to the Football League ranked alongside his wedding day, which former Shot should have a career in stand-up and how leaving the Rec was his biggest mistake.
First Club
QPR. I joined as an apprentice at 16. I found it extremely difficult – I’d grown up in rural Suffolk and was suddenly living in digs in the middle of London. It was a massive culture shock.
I always felt that boys who had to move away were at a massive disadvantage compared to those who could live with family. You just didn’t have any help or support.
Football-wise, I don’t think it did me much good. I spent a long-time as a No.2 but never really got an opportunity. I just drifted.
But, off the field, leaving home at 16 did instil a mental strength and resilience that I think has stayed with me.
Best Manager
This is a funny one. I’ve had a 17-year career and 16 of those years were under just two managers – Gary Waddock and Terry Brown.
Gary was my youth team coach at QPR for four years. I then spent eight years at Aldershot, six under Terry and two under Gary. After a year at Brentford, I had another three years with Gary at Wycombe and then two more with Terry at Margate!
They’re completely different characters but they’ve both won promotions and done incredible jobs.
Gary’s really calm, and a great tactician. I first came across Terry when I was 20. Coming back to work with him at Margate a decade later, it was amazing to see how much he’d changed.
At Aldershot, it was all about man-management and recruiting the right kind of players. Later, after he’d gone through the leagues with Wimbledon and got his A-licence, he developed into a very tactically astute coach. I’ve tried to take the best from both of them.
Best Team-mate
Ray Warburton at Aldershot. They don’t make them like that anymore. He came to us at the end of his career and had this intuitive ability to defend.
He had a real knack of being in the right place at the right time. It was uncanny how often he’d make goal-saving blocks or tackles. For a young goalie, having him in front of me was perfect.
Ray was an inspirational leader. I went on to captain Aldershot, Wycombe and Margate and I took so much from the way he conducted himself. He wasn’t always the most vocal, but he led by example and got so much respect as a result.
First Promotion
With Aldershot in 2002-03. We won the Ryman Premier and I’ve never forgotten how much trust and faith Terry Brown had in me.
He’d just been appointed manager and it was a massive job for him. He knew that if he didn’t win promotion he’d probably get the sack. So to make an inexperienced goalie with virtually no games to his name his No.1 was remarkably brave. It gave me so much confidence.
My greatest memory from that season was a couple of weeks before the end. We went away to Canvey Island on a Tuesday night, took 1,400 fans and clinched the title at the home of our nearest rivals.
Funniest Player
Ricky Newman, 100 per cent. That season when we won promotion in 2008, having Rick in the dressing room was probably worth 15 points. His sense of humour, his wit, his ability to relax everyone and take the pressure off – he was invaluable.
Whenever I talk to lads from that team – Scott Davies, Scott Donnelly – it always come back to Newmo. The only surprise is that he didn’t go into stand-up when he finished playing because he was funny enough.
Funniest Incident
This is more bizarre than funny, but I’d probably go back to Ray Warburton again. About five games into our first Conference season, he got a real nasty knock to his ankle – it was ridiculously swollen, completely black and blue.
We had Hereford 48 hours later and Terry said: ‘Look Ray, you’ve got no chance of being fit. Take the day off and we’ll see you at training next week.’
Anyway, the coach turns up for the Hereford game and there’s Ray with his bag over his shoulder. We just thought he was coming to cheer us on.
But when Terry announced the team, Ray stuck his hand up and said ‘What’s going on gaffer, you’ve left me out’.
We all started laughing, thinking it was a joke. But Terry and Ray had a little chat and then we all looked on in amazement as Ray took a pair of scissors to his football boots and shoved his swollen foot in.
That was Ray, though. He just wanted to play. He could hardly move in the warm-up but he took a few tablets, downed a few red bulls and was absolutely magnificent.
Biggest achievement
Winning promotion to the Football League in 2008. When I first signed for Aldershot, it was apparent how many people had dedicated their lives to rebuilding the club after the liquidation in 1992. Time, effort, money – so much had gone into the dream of getting the club back. I got immersed in it and it became my burning ambition to make it happen.
We’d lost in the play-off final to Shrewsbury, in the semis to Carlisle. We had a fantastic young squad with the likes of Adam Miller, Aaron McLean, John Nutter, Tim Sills. Slowly but surely they all moved on to bigger things and I started to think ‘Have we blown our big chance?’
I had opportunities to move too, but it never felt right. If Aldershot had got to the League, I’d always have looked back and regretted not being part of it.
So that night when we did win the league at Exeter – it was incredible, topped only by getting married and the birth of my children. I’d spent so long watching all these people talking about this distant dream and suddenly it was real. It’s very rare in life you can be part of something like that.
Lowest moment
On reflection, the day I left Aldershot to join Brentford in 2009. That first season in League Two, we’d started well but then had a horrific run. Personally, I was playing terribly.
Towards the end I got this feeling that maybe I’d achieved all I could at Aldershot and needed a fresh start. I didn’t want to outstay my welcome and jeopardise the relationship with the fans.
Neither myself nor the club handled the departure very well. We tried to kind of sneak me out the back door and not make a big deal of it. But I’d been there such a long time and people wanted answers. It was very messy.
Aldershot is my club and, looking back, I wish I’d never left. They turned me from a boy into a man. I met my wife through them, been through so many ups and downs. To this day, it’s still the first result I look for.
I don’t really do regrets in life but I genuinely believe that if I’d got through that bad spell and stuck with Aldershot, I’d still be playing in goal for them now.
Toughest place to go
Chesterfield. No doubt. My first season in the League with Aldershot, we went there and got beat 5-1. Then I went twice with Wycombe and lost 5-1 and 5-2. Even the ground was irrelevant. The first was at Saltergate and the other two at the new stadium. Nothing could stop us getting blitzed.
Toughest Opponent
Daryl Clare. He always used to score against me. That said, he always used to score against everyone.
He was a proper, prolific striker, probably one of the greatest Non-League will ever see. He got paid top dollar wherever he went but he was worth it because he always delivered.
Favourite place to go
The Rec. It’s not the best ground in the world, in fact it’s a bit run down in its current sorry state. But it will always feel like home to me. Whenever I drive through the gates, it puts a smile on my face. I’ll probably never play there again but you never know – if Margate draw Aldershot in the Cup this year, I might just get the gloves out one more time!
Ambition
I played over 500 games as a player, won numerous promotions. If I can replicate that as a manager, I’ll be more than satisfied.
Taking this job was a huge risk. I was a 34-year-old goalkeeper and felt easily capable of playing until 40. I actually had a few calls from League Two clubs. Now, I’m basically unemployable as a footballer. No manager will want me because he’ll think I’m after his job.
I’ve called time on my career but this is something I wanted to do and when the opportunity presents itself, you’d be stupid to turn it down.
I don’t fear failure. I believe that you get out what you put in so we’ve got every chance of having a great season.
