Inverness Caley Thistle academy graduate Lewis Nicolson decides to step away from football after years of injury hell
Inverness Caledonian Thistle have announced that defender Lewis Nicolson has taken the decision to step away from football.
Nicolson, 21 years-old, has suffered two serious knee injuries during his time with the club and has now decided to pursue career opportunities elsewhere.
First joining the club at just nine years old, Lewis progressed through the Caley Thistle academy.
Lewis suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear in September 2020 during a pre-season match with the first team squad.
He recovered from surgery and earned his first professional contract in 2021 at 17 years old. He had been previously selected for Scotland Schoolboys at under-18s level, and was captain of ICT’s under-18s side that reached the Scottish Youth Cup semi final in 2022.
Nicolson made his first team debut in January 2022 against Kilmarnock, replacing Cameron Harper for the final stages of the match. He scored his first goal for the club two weeks later against Ayr United, while also spending time on loan with Clachnacuddin in the Highland League that same season.
During 2022/23, the full back spent the first half of the season on loan at Elgin City. He then returned to the Caledonian Stadium for the second half of the season and scored his second goal for the club during a 4-1 win against Arbroath in January 2023.
Nicolson remained with the first team squad during pre-season and the League Cup group stages for the start of season 2023/24, but picked up another serious knee injury against Airdrieonians in July 2023 which required surgery and also a follow up operation on the same knee in January this year.
While working hard on his recovery, the 21-year-old worked behind the scenes at the club in other areas, including commercial activities, writing and creating content for the club’s newsletter, and representing the club within the community.
Nicolson said: “I would just like to thank everyone involved with ICTFC for making the past 15 years so special.
“While I’m disappointed that it’s ending through injury, there have been so many amazing moments, from making my debut at Rugby Park to scoring my first professional goal in front of the home fans. I am so grateful to everyone that helped me to reach that point.”
“Over the past two years I have struggled to return from injury, but through this period everyone at the club, the fans and my sponsors have been incredibly supportive.
“It has been such a difficult decision to step away from football but with the scare of this second injury and after three knee operations, I have decided to prioritise long term health. I look forward to being a fan once again by supporting the players and management going into next season.”
