On This Day (11 October 1980): Fans’ favourite Nyron Nosworthy is born in Brixton

They tried to get the ball past Nyron, but he said no, no, no!

As Sunderland prepare to take on Gillingham this weekend, both sets of fans can claim defender Nyron Nosworthy as one of their own.

Nyron Paul Henry Nosworthy was born in Brixton, South London, in 1980 and made his debut as an 18-year-old for the Medway club, going on to make over 170 appearances. This included gaining a historic promotion to the second tier through the playoffs in 2000, and playing for five seasons with them at the highest level that club has ever played.

Photo by Craig Prentis/Getty Images

When they eventually dropped back down to tier three at the end of the 2004-5 season, 24-year-old Nosworthy’s contract expired and as a free agent he attracted the attention of Mick McCarthy, who saw him as an adaptable and experienced player, with the potential to provide back-up across the defence. McCarthy told the press:

He joins the club as an experienced defender despite his relatively young age. I am sure he will provide Stephen Wright with strong competition for the right-back berth next season.

Nyron himself was delighted to be stepping up to the top flight:

It feels very nice to be here and means a lot. I am quite calm at the moment - it has not sunk in yet that I am a Premier League player. When I’m introduced to the rest of the lads next month, it will be different, but I am looking forward to it.

Photo by Jamie McDonald/Getty Images

The rest, as they say, is history... he made 113 first-class starts for the Lads over a five-year stint at the club, during which time he suffered relegation, achieved promotion, and scored against Sporting Lisbon and lifted a (pre-season) trophy as Sunderland captain. He would later go on to play for Watford and Blackpool, and play international football for Jamaica, winning 14 caps and scoring 1 goal.

You can hear all about it in our 2019 podcast interview.

Happy birthday Nyron!