Carlo Nash

Carlo James Nash (born 13 September 1973) is an English former professional footballer and goalkeeper coach.

He joined North West Counties League side Rossendale United in 1993 and played for the club for two years.

He moved on to Clitheroe, with whom he played in the final of the FA Vase at Wembley Stadium, losing 3–0 to Brigg Town.

He later said that "it was a very unconventional way to get into professional football but I feel like I appreciated it more because of the way I did it rather than coming through the academy system".

Nash started his career at North West Counties League clubs Rossendale United and Clitheroe, playing for the latter in the FA Vase final in 1996, before being signed by Crystal Palace for a fee of £35,000.

In May 1996, Nash was signed by Crystal Palace manager Dave Bassett for an initial fee of £35,000 (rising to £45,000 after ten first-team games, and including a 10% sell-on fee), in what was a club record transfer for Clitheroe.

He made his professional debut in the First Division on 21 September, in a 6–1 victory at Reading.

He was a key player for Crystal Palace when they got promoted to the Premier League in the 1996–97 season, keeping a clean sheet in the play-off final victory over Sheffield United.

He later said that: "I played in the FA Vase final for Clitheroe in front of around 7,000 people so to return and play in front of 90,000 people was an unbelievable feeling".

He helped Palace to win promotion out of the First Division via the play-offs in 1997.

However, in June 1997 Palace manager Steve Coppell signed Kevin Miller from Watford and he was their first-choice for Crystal Palace's season in the Premier League, and as a result Nash didn't play at all in the 1997–98 relegation season and decided to leave Selhurst Park.

He spent 1998 to 2001 with Stockport County, before being sold to Manchester City for £100,000 in January 2001.

Nash joined Stockport County on a free transfer on 3 June 1998.

A Stockport-based Indian restaurant gave Nash a complimentary meal every time he kept a clean sheet during the 1998–99 campaign, which left him with four free meals in February after he kept four consecutive clean sheets throughout the month.

He featured 47 times in his debut season and then played 42 matches under Andy Kilner in the 1999–2000 season.

Stockport loaned Nash to Wolverhampton Wanderers in December 2000 to provide cover for Michael Oakes.

West Bromwich Albion agreed a fee of £100,000 for Nash but failed to agree personal terms after manager Gary Megson said that Nash made excessive wage demands and insisted on expensive agent fees.

Megson had originally signed him at Stockport before taking the West Brom job.

He played 15 Premier League games for the club either side of 25 appearances in the 2001–02 First Division title-winning campaign.

On 11 January 2001, Nash joined Manchester City on a four-and-a-half-year deal for a fee of £100,000; manager Joe Royle stated that "I think as a big club and as a Premiership club we need three goalkeepers".

City lost 4–0 to Arsenal on his Premier League debut at Maine Road on 11 April 2001; he described the experience as a "baptism of fire".

During Kevin Keegan's management of Manchester City, Nash and Nicky Weaver were rotated frequently as starting goalkeeper.

Nash started the 2001–02 season as the first-choice goalkeeper, but had to settle for a place on the bench after getting injured in the second league game of the season.

Nash later regained his first-team place after Weaver picked up an injury.

City secured an immediate promotion as champions of the First Division in 2001–02, with Nash playing 23 of the club's 46 league games.

The arrival of Peter Schmeichel in June 2002 saw Nash return to an understudy role, though he still featured ten times during the 2002–03 campaign, including in a 1–1 draw with Manchester derby rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford on 9 February.

He joined Middlesbrough for a nominal fee in August 2003, before moving on to Preston North End in March 2005.

He featured 94 times for the club, playing in two unsuccessful play-off campaigns.

Nash was sold on to Premier League club Middlesbrough for a nominal fee in August 2003, with the club in need of a replacement for the departing Mark Crossley.

Nash left Preston to join Wigan Athletic for a fee of £300,000 in June 2007.

However, he would play only 13 first-team games in the remaining seven years of his career after leaving Preston.

He spent time on loan at Stoke City in their Championship promotion-winning 2007–08 campaign, where he would play ten games.

He otherwise spent the rest of his career as a back-up goalkeeper in the Premier League at Wigan Athletic, Everton, Stoke City and Norwich City.

He picked up two FA Cup runners-up medals after being an unused substitute in the 2009 and 2011 finals, with Everton and Stoke City respectively.

He went on to work as a goalkeeping coach at Oldham Athletic, Salford City and Port Vale.

He is divorced, with two children.

Born in Bolton, Lancashire, Nash started his career at local youth club Moss Bank before he joined Manchester United's academy at the age of eleven.

However, he decided to spend some years out of the game after being involved in a car accident at the age of fourteen.

He completed his education and went on to work as a screen printer.

He returned to the sport with amateur side Waterworks after a six-year absence.