AFC Bournemouth are saddened to learn of the death of Tony Nelson, aged 92, a man who gave the club loyal service in various capacities during 19 years at Dean Court.
He played 195 league games before assisting boss Freddie Cox and then became chief scout and caretaker manager for a short period in 1975.
The son of former Scottish international Jimmy Nelson, he joined Newport County as a centre-forward in August 1950 and gained Welsh Amateur international honours.
He moved to Bristol City in May 1954 before joining the Cherries in June 1956, with Cox converting him to a central defender.
Nelson starred in the club’s 1961/62 promotion near-miss under Bill McGarry before going on to serve the Cherries in a number of other roles.
He went on to manage Poole Town, Bournemouth Poppies and the Dorset FA representative side and was a season ticket holder at Vitality Stadium, watching games alongside his son-in-law Graham Curtis and twin granddaughters, Alice and Sophie.
To celebrate his 80th birthday in 2010, Nelson was a guest of the club at the Cherries’ 2-1 win over Hereford United in the League Two promotion season.
And in an interview with the Daily Echo at the time, he said: “I shall be there today in my usual seat – try stopping me! I’ve got a season ticket and I don’t miss a game. I look forward to it every week.
“It’s funny really that, after all these years, I’ve got a bond with the club. I was there for 19 years and you don’t just walk away from something like that.
“It’s always been a happy club. I’ll always be associated with the club. It was my life for 19 years and you don’t throw that away.”
AFC Bournemouth would like to pass on their condolences to Tony's daughters Julie and Sally, his son-in-laws Graham and Richard, granddaughters Alice and Sophie and the rest of his family and friends.
