Nicholas Leslie "Nicky" Smith (born 28 January 1969) is a former professional footballer. After his professional career ended, he played for several non-League teams whilst serving as a policeman and has captained, coached and managed the England police team,[1][2] as well as managing AFC Sudbury.
Born in Berkeley, Gloucestershire, Smith started his career at Southend United in the mid-1980s, before moving to Colchester United in 1990. He signed for Northampton Town in 1994, but made only six appearances before dropping into non-League with Sudbury Town in 1995, where he played alongside several other ex-Colchester players in a team that reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time in the club's history.[3]
After leaving Sudbury, he played for several non-League clubs in East Anglia, including Cambridge City, Braintree Town, Maldon Town and Witham Town, before returning to Sudbury in 2006. In 2007, he became player-assistant manager, and on 17 May 2008 he was appointed manager of AFC Sudbury following the departure of Mark Morsley.[4] He resigned from the position in September 2011.[5] In 2012, he was appointed to the management team of Saffron Walden Town,[6][7] but resigned later the same year.[8]