| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nicholas Robert Platnauer[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1961-06-10)10 June 1961 (age 64)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Leicester, England[1] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | |||
| Youth career | |||
| 197?–1978 | Northampton Town | ||
| 1978–1979 | Bedford Town | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1979–1982 | Bedford Town | ||
| 1982–1983 | Bristol Rovers | 24 | (7) |
| 1983–1984 | Coventry City | 44 | (6) |
| 1984–1986 | Birmingham City | 28 | (2) |
| 1986 | →Reading (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 1986–1989 | Cardiff City | 115 | (6) |
| 1989–1991 | Notts County | 57 | (1) |
| 1991 | →Port Vale (loan) | 14 | (0) |
| 1991–1993 | Leicester City | 35 | (0) |
| 1993 | Scunthorpe United | 14 | (2) |
| 1993–1994 | Mansfield Town | 25 | (0) |
| 1994–1996 | Lincoln City | 27 | (0) |
| 1997–1998 | Hinckley United | ||
| Total | 390 | (24) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2000–2003 | Rothwell Town | ||
| 2003 | Kettering Town (caretaker) | ||
| 2004–2007 | Bedford Town | ||
| 2011–2013 | Bedford Town | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Nicholas Robert Platnauer (born 10 June 1961) is an English former professionalfootballer and footballmanager. Aleft-back, he made 473 league and cup appearances in a 16-year professional career.
He moved fromBedford Town toBristol Rovers in 1982 before being sold toCoventry City for a fee of £50,000 in August 1983. VotedPlayer of the Year in 1983–84, he moved on toBirmingham City in December 1984 and helped the club to winpromotion out of theSecond Division in 1984–85.Loaned out toReading in 1985–86, he helped the club to theThird Division title. In September 1986, he joinedCardiff City and helped the Welsh club to win promotion out of theFourth Division in 1987–88. In August 1989, he was sold on toNotts County for a £50,000 fee and helped the "Magpies" to win promotion out of the Third Division via theplay-offs in1990. He joinedLeicester City in July 1991, following a loan spell atPort Vale. He then saw his career in theFootball League out in 1996 following short spells atScunthorpe United,Mansfield Town andLincoln City.
He played fornon-League sideHinckley United before entering the non-League management circuit withRothwell Town in 2000. Three years later, he spent some time ascaretaker manager ofKettering Town before he was appointed manager of Bedford Town in January 2004. He helped the club to win promotion out of theSouthern Football League via the play-offs in 2006 but resigned later that year following a poor run of results in the Conference South. He spent October 2007 to August 2011 as assistant manager atHinckley United, before returning toBedford Town as manager between 2011 and 2013.
Platnauer was born inLeicester but moved toBedford as a youngster, where began his career with his local sideBedford Town after previously been aNorthampton Town apprentice.[3] He began the 1978–79 campaign in theyouth team and would make his first-team debut at the end of the season.[4] He scored 12 goals in 125 club appearances. He left his position at a bank to turn professional when he was signed byBristol RoversmanagerBobby Gould in August 1982, who paid Bedford atransfer fee of £5,000.[5][4] Having impressed in the1982–83 season, with the "Gas" four places and seven points outside theThird Divisionpromotion places, he followed Bobby Gould to theFirst Division withCoventry City for a fee of £35,000 in August 1983.[3]
He played 53 games for the "Sky Blues", helping theHighfield Road club to finish two points above therelegation zone in1983–84, and was voted asPlayer of the Year.[6] He switched toBirmingham City in December 1984, afterDon Mackay replaced Gould as the boss at Coventry. Having helped relegate the "Blues" the previous season, Platnauer then helpedRon Saunders to bring top-flight football back toSt Andrew's with promotion out of theSecond Division in1984–85. Finding the competition for first-team places greater in the1985–86 season, Platnauer joinedReading onloan in January 1986, after Saunders was sacked and replaced byJohn Bond. He made seven league appearances atElm Park, as he helpedIan Branfoot's "Royals" to top the Third Division table.
He joined newly relegatedCardiff City in theFourth Division on afree transfer in September 1986, thereby completing the set of all four levels of theFootball League. After making his debut in a 1–1 draw withHalifax Town, he was a regular in the1986–87 season. He also featured heavily in the1987–88 promotion-winning season before helpingFrank Burrows's "Bluebirds" to consolidate their third-tier status in1988–89.
He leftNinian Park in August 1989, after he was picked up byNeil Warnock at league rivalsNotts County for a £50,000 fee. The "Magpies" missed out on automatic promotion by four points in1989–90, but he played atWembley as County won promotion to the Second Division with a2–0 victory overTranmere Rovers in the play-off final. The county would achieve promotion from theplay-offs for a second successive season in1990–91, though Platnauer would play little part in it.a He was loaned out to league rivalsPort Vale in January 1991.[1] He played 15 games for theBurslem club, helpingJohn Rudge to keep the "Valiants" in the Second Division, before returning toMeadow Lane in April.[1] In July 1991 he joined another Second Division side inLeicester City on a free transfer. He enjoyed regular football in the1991–92 season, helpingBrian Little's "Foxes" to an encounter withBlackburn Rovers inthe play-off final, though he would finally taste defeat at the national stadium, as Rovers won 1–0.
Leicester would have another crack at the play-off finalthe following year, though Platnauer would have little contribution tothe season, as he lost his first-team place atFilbert Street, and moved toScunthorpe United on a free transfer in March 1993. He scored two goals in 14 Third Division games for the "Iron" but did not win a longer stay atGlanford Park afterBill Green was sacked for failing to bring promotion. In August 1993, Platnauer signed with Football League newcomersMansfield Town. He made 32 appearances for the "Stags" in1993–94, helpingAndy King to establish theField Mill club in mid-table. In February 1994, he joinedKeith Alexander atLincoln City, and they spent the 1993–94 near the foot of the Third Division. There was a managerial merry-go-ground in1994–95, as Alexander was replaced byJohn Beck between short spells withSam Ellis and thenSteve Wicks in the hot-seat. On leavingSincil Bank, Platnauer became a player-coach atBedworth United, under former Notts County teammateDean Thomas. He joined the newly amalgamatedHinckley United in 1997. The "Knitters" were then competing in the Division One Midlands of theSouthern League, and Platnauer played 51 games despite being in his late 30s.
Platnauer was appointed as manager ofRothwell Town in 2000 and remained in this post until October 2003.[7] In charge for2000–01,2001–02 and2002–03, the "Bones" posted mid-table finishes in theSouthern League Eastern Division. The following month he becamecaretaker manager ofKettering Town,[8] after the sacking of Dominic Genovese. He remained in charge until December 2003 whenKevin Wilson was installed as manager, Platnauer having ruled himself out of the running.[9]
He took over as manager of his hometown clubBedford Town (where Wilson had previously been manager) in January 2004. He guided Bedford to the play-offs in2004–05. In2005–06, he took the club out of the play-offs from theSouthern Football League Premier Division to theConference South. However, Bedford struggledthe following season. Platnauer resigned in January 2007 with his side bottom of the table,[10] at the season's end the club had failed to improve their position and were relegated.
In October 2007, Dean Thomas appointed him as assistant manager atHinckley United. Platnauer left Hinckley United in August 2011,[11] and returned to Bedford Town as assistant manager.[12] He took charge as manager again in 2011 and led the "Eagles" to a tenth-place finish in the Southern League in2011–12 and2012–13, before he was forced to resign as part of the club's cost-cutting measures in May 2013.[13]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Bristol Rovers | 1982–83 | Third Division | 24 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 26 | 8 |
| Coventry City | 1983–84 | First Division | 34 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 41 | 6 |
| 1984–85 | First Division | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 | |
| Total | 44 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 53 | 6 | ||
| Birmingham City | 1984–85 | Second Division | 11 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 |
| 1985–86 | First Division | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 1 | |
| Total | 28 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 36 | 2 | ||
| Reading (loan) | 1985–86 | Third Division | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Cardiff City | 1986–87 | Fourth Division | 38 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 48 | 5 |
| 1987–88 | Fourth Division | 38 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 43 | 1 | |
| 1988–89 | Third Division | 39 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 51 | 2 | |
| Total | 115 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 142 | 8 | ||
| Notts County | 1989–90 | Third Division | 44 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 57 | 0 |
| 1990–91 | Second Division | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 17 | 1 | |
| Total | 57 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 74 | 1 | ||
| Port Vale (loan) | 1990–91 | Second Division | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Leicester City | 1991–92 | Second Division | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 35 | 0 |
| 1992–93 | First Division | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 42 | 0 | ||
| Scunthorpe United | 1992–93 | Third Division | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 2 |
| Mansfield Town | 1993–94 | Third Division | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 32 | 0 |
| Lincoln City | 1993–94 | Third Division | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| 1994–95 | Third Division | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 17 | 0 | |
| 1995–96 | Third Division | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 31 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 390 | 24 | 22 | 0 | 61 | 3 | 473 | 27 | ||
Birmingham City[16]
Reading[17]
Cardiff City[18]
Notts County[19]
Leicester City[20]
Coventry City[21]
Bedford Town[13]
