Words: Sam Attwood

Sunshine Coast FC have announced goalkeeper Sam Nickolls will return to the club for the PlayStation 4 NPL Queensland 2016 season.

The 22-year-old is the second addition to Fire’s line-up for the upcoming campaign as coach Paul Arnison continues to build his squad.

Nickolls previously served as back-up goalkeeper to 2013 Safe Hands winner Antony Hall at Fire in the first two seasons of PlayStation 4 NPL Queensland, but still amassed 18 appearances and kept eight clean sheets in that time.

He played the 2015 season with Noosa Lions and explained his return to Fire is due to the experience and confidence gained the Sunshine Coast Premier League club.

“Playing with Noosa and being able to play regularly, gave me a new-found confidence and I gained a lot of experience from that,” Nickolls said.

“I enjoyed playing for Fire, I’m excited to come back as a full-time player and compete in the NPL again,” he said

Sunshine Coast FC Coach Paul Arnison said Nickolls will be vital to Fire's fortunes over the course of the 2016 season.

“He’s only young but he was voted Player of the Season at Noosa and he’s going to be a big part of our team next year,” Arnison said.

He added that Nickolls’ kicking and handling ability speaks for itself and will stand out as a senior player in a young team.

“He’s strong all-round and doesn’t have many weaknesses in his game. He knows how to place himself and is always in the right place when he’s needed,” he concluded.