Born in Hackney but raised in South London, Alan Nelmes was an indispensable part of Brentford’s first-team squad for nearly a decade. A no-nonsense defender, he quietly went about his business, delivering consistently reliable performances, and ultimately earning himself a place in Brentford’s Hall of Fame.
PART ONE
Alan Nelmes attended Ingram High School, located near the imposing silhouette of Selhurst Park. Football was in his blood, and it wasn’t long before he caught the eye of one of the capital’s biggest clubs, Chelsea. Signing professional terms in October 1965, Nelmes must have believed he was on the cusp of something special.
However, Stamford Bridge can be an unforgiving place for an aspiring footballer, and despite his best efforts, he failed to break into the first team and was released at the end of the 1966-67 season.
Turning down offers from Aldershot and Colchester United, Nelmes opted for a fresh start at Fourth Division Brentford in July 1967. It was a decision that would define his career, though settling into the rigours of lower-league football was no easy task. Yet, he adapted quickly, showcasing an underrated turn of pace and a rugged determination that made him the perfect partner for the composed and assured Peter Gelson.
Versatility became one of Nelmes’ great strengths. Initially deployed as a right-back, he soon demonstrated an ability to play across the backline, and even as a sweeper. The 1967–68 campaign saw him feature in five different positions, an indication of his adaptability and the trust placed in him by the Brentford management. Moreover, he became a beacon of consistency, missing only three matches between 1968 and 1972—an astonishing run that included over 100 consecutive appearances for the side.
In an era when defenders were rarely expected to trouble the scoresheet, Nelmes still found a way to contribute. A rare but memorable goal came against Notts County on 2 March 1968, when he was thrust into an unfamiliar centre-forward role and duly obliged with one of his only two strikes for the club.
The other, perhaps even more remarkable, was a last-minute winner against Scunthorpe United at Griffin Park. As a certain Kevin Keegan ball-watched in blissful ignorance, none other than Alan Nelmes ghosted in at the back post to snatch a dramatic victory for the men in red and white stripes. It was one of those fleeting moments when a defender gets to play the hero, and he certainly made the most of it.
By 1970, Nelmes was a fixture in the team, and his contributions were formally recognised when he was awarded the Brentford Players’ Player of the Year award for the 1970–71 season. His nickname, ‘Spider,’ was a testament to his gangly but effective style of play, stretching to make crucial tackles, intercepting passes, and generally making life miserable for opposition forwards.
PART TWO
Alan Nelmes´ defensive prowess was instrumental in Brentford’s promotion to Division Three in the 1971–72 campaign. The season began on 4 August, when Brentford travelled north to face Bury at Gigg Lane, and what might have been a tricky curtain-raiser instead turned into an early statement. The visiting outfit grabbed a 2–0 victory, the kind of away performance that suggested composure, organisation and fitness. Consequently, supporters felt justified in believing something had changed over the summer.
However, just two weeks later, on 18 August, Brentford stumbled in the League Cup away at Colchester United, losing 3–1. The defeat introduced a theme that would linger throughout the campaign: Brentford were far from fragile, but they were not immune to lapses that could range from annoying to downright baffling.
Returning to league action, Brentford welcomed Aldershot to Griffin Park on 21 August, grinding out a 1–1 draw, and a week later came a long and goalless haul at Darlington. What’s more, the attack momentarily stalled, and fans hoped it was merely early-season rust rather than a sign of something worse.
Their concerns lifted sharply on 30 August, when Brentford thumped Barrow 4–0, and the momentum carried straight into 4 September, when Hartlepool United arrived and were duly dispatched 6–0.
Brentford’s good mood met a cold northeast wind on 11 September, when Grimsby Town beat them 3–1 at Blundell Park, reminding everyone that consistency is the truest mark of a promotion contender. Even so, Brentford responded superbly a week later, hammering Peterborough United 5–1 at Griffin Park on 18 September in yet another emphatic show of firepower.
A goalless away draw at Chester on 25 September halted the flow, but 27 September restored the spark, with a 2–0 win over Stockport County. The mood inside Griffin Park was buoyant, and fans were beginning to believe the side had a resilience that previous campaigns had sorely lacked.
This belief reached new heights on 2 October, when Northampton Town were torn apart in a 6–1 Brentford victory—another display of attacking sharpness and swagger that raised eyebrows across the division. Correspondingly, talk of promotion no longer sounded reckless.
The next two matches hinted at a more grounded reality: a 0–0 draw at Southport on 8 October, followed by a hard-earned 2–0 win over Bury at home on 16 October. The pattern was becoming clear—the Bees were excellent at Griffin Park and competitive away from it, a combination that usually spells success.
Nevertheless, Reading away on 20 October offered the first warning shot of turbulence ahead, as Brentford fell 2–1, and four days later the wobble continued with a 2–1 home defeat to Southend United on 23 October, an unwelcome shock to the system and a reminder that promotion campaigns rely heavily on avoiding these little clusters of dropped points. However, Brentford steadied themselves with a 0–0 draw away at Scunthorpe United on 30 October, which wasn’t pretty, but it calmed nerves that had begun to fray.
November opened with a strong reminder that Brentford’s attack could still find its range, as they beat Newport County 3–1 at Griffin Park on 6 November, and although the trip to Colchester on 13 November ended in a 1–1 draw, the Bees remained in promotion contention with admirable persistence.
The FA Cup first round on 20 November saw Brentford face Swansea City away and emerge with a 1–1 draw, offering hope of a home replay victory; however, Swansea had other ideas and defeated the Bees 3–2 in the replay at Griffin Park on 22 November, ending Brentford’s cup participation earlier than they would have liked. The disappointment seeped into league form five days later when Gillingham visited on 27 November and left with a 3–1 win, a result that irritated both players and fans, and yet also served as a needed jolt.
December, however, offered steadier footing. Brentford went to Exeter on 4 December and earned a tight 1–0 win, followed by a similarly narrow 1–0 victory at home over Southport on 11 December. These weren’t beautiful matches, but winning ugly has its own charm when promotion is on the line.
On 18 December, Brentford continued their strong December run with a 2–1 triumph against Hartlepool United at Victoria Park, and the festive atmosphere brightened even more with a 1–0 win over Crewe Alexandra at Griffin Park on 27 December. Therefore, Brentford’s ability to gather points during the winter’s least glamorous fixtures strengthened their position.
PART THREE
Brentford opened the new year with a dramatic 2–2 draw to Peterborough United at London Road on 1 January 1972, and alongside the result came a sense that they were entering the second half of the season with a renewed determination. That belief exploded into life on 8 January, when the West London club crushed Darlington 6–2 at Griffin Park. It was their third six-goal haul of the season, and in addition, it showed they were capable of blowing teams apart when everything clicked.
Yet football seasons rarely flow smoothly, and a harsh correction struck on 15 January, when Lincoln City beat Brentford 4–1. The result stung, but the Bees recovered quickly on 21 January, beating Stockport County 1–0 away in a match that required discipline and patience.
The mood darkened again on 29 January, when Reading repeated their autumn trick and beat Brentford 2–1 at Griffin Park—a defeat that irritated supporters not merely because of the loss, but because Reading, for reasons known only to themselves, seemed able to find an extra gear every time Brentford appeared.
February opened differently, with a 1–1 draw at Cambridge United on 5 February, but nevertheless, the month soon brought a miserable run of results that left Brentford fans staring nervously at the league table.
The Bees lost 3–1 away at Southend United on 12 February, followed by one of their heaviest home defeats of the season—a 3–0 loss to Scunthorpe United on 19 February. Consequently, murmurs of worry began to spread among supporters, who questioned whether the promotion push was beginning to wilt under pressure. A goalless draw away at Newport County on 26 February brought a halt to the slide, but it did little to lift spirits, and the tension heading into March was palpable.
March began poorly, with Colchester United coming to Griffin Park on 4 March and leaving as 2–0 winners, another frustrating defeat at home and another dent in Brentford’s rising ambitions. But, as football seasons often prove, one match can flip a team’s fortunes.
On 13 March, Brentford beat Lincoln City 2–0 at home, a win that may have looked modest on the scoreboard but carried enormous symbolic value. It steadied the ship, rebuilt confidence and reminded the squad that promotion would be won through resilience rather than fireworks.
The revival continued brilliantly with a 2–1 win away at Aldershot on 18 March, and three days later came one of the season’s defining performances—a 3–0 away victory over Doncaster Rovers on 21 March, an aggressive, efficient and surprisingly stylish display that lit up the promotion chase.
This surge of momentum carried through the end of the month. On 25 March, Brentford defeated Grimsby Town 2–0, a particularly satisfying result given the heavy defeat earlier in the season. And, as if to underline their transformation from a wobbling side into a promotion machine, they beat Workington 2–0 two days later. The month closed on 31 March with a 1–1 draw at home against Chester, and although two points were dropped, the unbeaten run had rekindled belief and pushed Brentford firmly back into the promotion places.
April always tests teams in the lower leagues with fixture congestion, long journeys and tired legs, and Brentford began the month with a 2–1 defeat to Crewe Alexandra at Gresty Road on 1 April, which threatened to undo much of March’s good work. However, the Bees responded with stubborn resolve as they managed a 0-0 draw against Northampton Town at the County Ground two days later.
Then came the moment when grit began turning into results again. Brentford beat Cambridge United 2–1 at Griffin Park on 8 April, a crucial victory that kept them in the promotion race. Moreover, they backed it up with a tremendous 1–0 over Gillingham at Priestfield Stadium on 15 April, a match where discipline and drive mattered far more than artistic merit.
The run continued on 17 April, when Doncaster Rovers visited Griffin Park and lost 2–1, followed by a tight 1–0 home win over Exeter City on 22 April, the type of grinding result that defines promotion seasons. What’s more, Brentford’s momentum looked unstoppable after 24 April, when they stormed into Barrow and came away 3–0 winners, a commanding performance that virtually sealed their rise up the table.
At last, Brentford reached the season finale on 29 April, travelling to Workington, where the hosts unexpectedly won 3–0. Nevertheless, their hard work over the previous months meant the result did not alter the outcome—they still finished third and earned the promotion they had fought so relentlessly for.
PART FOUR
Unfortunately, Brentford´s stay in the Third Division was rather short-lived, and Frank Blunstone´s troops were relegated back to the Fourth Division the following season.
Nevertheless, Alan Nelmes remained loyal to the cause, even as injuries began to take their toll. The relentless nature of lower-league football, played on boggy pitches against battle-hardened opponents, eventually wore him down. Consequently, at the end of the 1975–76 campaign, Brentford made the tough decision to release the seasoned stalwart. It was the end of an era, but he left Griffin Park with his head held high, having amassed 350 appearances for the club.
Curiously, despite being a physically imposing player who relished the defensive side of the game, Nelmes was never sent off during his professional career—a remarkable statistic considering the rough-and-tumble nature of 1970s football.
His services to Brentford did not go unnoticed, and in 1978, he was granted a testimonial against his former club Chelsea. The match ended in a rather humbling 8–2 defeat, but at least Nelmes walked away with £7,000—a significant sum in those days and a just reward for years of dedication.
Following his departure from Brentford, Alan Nelmes continued to ply his trade in non-league football, turning out for Hillingdon Borough, Hayes—managed by former teammate Bobby Ross—and finally Southall. However, a cartilage injury ultimately curtailed his playing days, forcing him into retirement. While many former players struggle to find a new direction post-football, he carved out a varied and interesting path.
In his playing days, he had lived in Isleworth and worked at the Watneys brewery in Mortlake—a classic case of a footballer supplementing his income in an era when wages were much lower than today. Later, he ran a business in Bognor Regis before moving into security work at Gatwick Airport. By 2015, he had settled in Middleton-on-Sea, enjoying a well-earned retirement away from the razzmatazz of professional soccer.