Nicky Nicolau, who was released at the end of the 2008/09 season has joined Blue Square Bet South club, Dover. Nicolau spent maost of last season at Woking. He joins quitean ex Barnet contingent at the Crabble with Ross Flitney, Joe Tabiri, Elliott Charles and Adam Birchall already signed up for the Kent club.
Nicolau joined Barnet in the summer of 2006 after impressing in pre-season trial matches and friendlies. The previous season he was at Swindon Town, where he made 3 starts for the Robins and another 3 as a substitute. He also played on loan at Hereford United, making 10 appearances for the Bulls, scoring 1 goal. He was released at the end of the season by Swindon.
Nicolau started his career as a youngster at Arsenal, where he played in the youth teams and in the reserve teams. He was also in the Arsenal youth team that won the FA Youth Cup in 2003, playing alongside the likes of Steve Sidwell and David Bentley. However, he was unable to get a first team place and was sent on loan to Southend United in March 2004. He made 9 appearances for the club at the end of that season and he moved in the summer to Southend. The following season, Southend were promoted to League one. Nicolau made 15 league starts for the Shrimpers, with 7 as a substitute and scored 1 goal, but at the end of the season he was released on a free transfer and joined Swindon.
When Nicolau arrived at Barnet, many fans saw him as the successor to Simon Clist at left back. The fans seemed to take to him straight away, giving him the nickname of 'nic-nic'. Many fans were disappointed when Nicolau was left out of the side for the opening match of the 2005/06 season at home to Torquay United, with Adam Gross getting selected instead.
Nicolau did though make his debut the following Saturday at Accrington and then made his home debut a week later in the 3-0 win over Hereford United. However, he lost his place again soon after, but then regained the left back slot throughout October and November only to lose it to Gross again. Many fans on the East Terrace felt that he was worth a regular place in the side but he was in competition with Gross throughout the season for the left back position.
Nicolau played in the FA Cup matches against Colchester United and Plymouth Argyle, making him part of the side that won through to the 4th round of the FA Cup for the first time in the club's history. Adam Gross then returned to the team and Nicolau was consigned to, at best, the bench for most of rest of the season. However, he did score his first goal for the club, coming on as a substitute to drive home the equaliser from inside the penalty area in the 1-1 away draw with Torquay. He returned to the side in April playing in the last 5 matches, but Paul Fairclough informed him that he would be released at the end of the season. An excellent performance, playing in midfield, in the last game of the season, at home to Wycombe Wanderers, lead to a change of mind by Fairclough, who offered him a new one year contract instead of letting him go. He made 24 starts with another 5 as a substitute and scored 1 goal in his first season at Underhill.
With Adam Gross being released, Nicolau started the 2007/08 season as first choice and started in the first four matches before being displaced by Barnet's new French left back, Kenny Gillet. Nicolau returned to the side for the game at home to Rotherham, when Gillet was injured, but after 9 straight appearances for the first team he was dropped to the bench following Gillet's return. He returned for the 1st round FA Cup match at Burton Albion, in place of the suspended, Jason Puncheon, but was then sent off in that match for two bookable offences.
Nicolau returned to the side for the Boxing Day derby at home to Dagenham & Redbridge and then had a good run in the side as he looked to establish himself in the side on the left hand side of the midfield. He played in the 3rd round FA Cup win over Swindon Town that took the Bees through to the 4th round for the second year running and the defeat at home to Bristol Rovers in the 4th round. He also scored his first goal of the season, scoring the winner in the 2-1 away win at Hereford slotting the ball home following good work by Adam Birchall and Josh Wright.
However, during this spell, Barnet were playing with just Cliff Akurang up front and there was a desperate shortage of goals. When Adam Birchall was restored to the side and the team reverted to playing with two players up front, Nicolau was the player to be dropped. After the Peterborough home game, after Puncheon was sent off, Nicolau came back into the side as his replacement. With Barnet suffering a string of injuries, Nicolau played in all but one of the remaining games of the season and scored his second goal of the season in the home game with Wrexham, scoring the winner with a neat left foot drive into the far corner of the net.
Nicolau was playing mainly as a left sided midfield player, but returned to left back for the last two games of the season because of the injury problems that were keeping most of the club's defenders out of the side. Nicolau played his last game for the club at Rotherham United and his last home game was in the 2-1 victory over eventual play-off winners, Stockport County. He made 37 starts last season for the Bees and made another 8 appearances and scored 2 goals. In all he made 61 starts, in two seasons at the club with another 13 as substitute and scored 3 goals.
Nicky never quite established himself as a first choice member of the squad, but last season he became more of a first team player and even if he didn't make the starting XI, he was at least usually on the bench, something he was never sure of the previous season. He rejected the offer of a new contract at the end of last season, but then failed to find a new club. In September, he re-joined the club after being offered a contract by Paul Fairclough who saw Nicolau as an answer to the problem of not having a suitable left sided midfield player. He returned to the Barnet first team for the 1-1 home draw with Morecambe.
Nicolau was now largely a regular first team player and he even scored in the 3-3 away draw at Bradford City, firing home after a shot from Albert Adomah had been saved. However, with the team performing erratically and dropping down the table in the last weeks of Paul Fairclough's time at Barnet, it seemed only a matter of time before the manager's five year tenure at Underhill came to an end. Following Barnet's 3-0 home defeat at the hands of Aldershot on Boxing Day, Fairclough handed over to Ian Hendon as manager.
Nicolau made just two starts under Hendon, his last start being in the 2-1 away defeat at Exeter City at the end of January. His last appearance for Barnet was as a substitute in the final game of the season at home to Port Vale, which Barnet lost 2-1.
Nicolau made 60 league starts for the Bees plus another 21 appearances as a substitute and scored 4 goals in his time at Underhill. He was a popular figure with many sections of the crowd at Underhill and I'm sure that all Barnet fans will wish him all the best at Dover.
