Nicky Marker, from Budleigh Salterton, joined Exeter City as an apprentice in 1981 and made just over 200 league appearances before signing for Plymouth Argyle in 1987 where he played a similar number of games. Moving to Blackburn Rovers for £500,000 in 1992 he later played for Sheffield United before returning to Devon. He was injured when Blackburn won the Premier League in 1995. 

The classy defender immediately impressed with his unflappable style and versatility as a teenager with Exeter City, signing a full professional contract in May 1983 after being an apprentice and already totting up more than thirty league appearances.

Having followed in the footsteps of his older brother Robin (briefly a youth and A team player at club), Nicky soon took a step further by making his debut for the Grecians as a 16-year-old against Burnley at Turf Moor on 17 October 1981. He made a total of fourteen league whilst still a first-year apprentice followed by another eighteen when a 17-year-old in 1982/83.

With thirty-one league appearances during 1983/84, he followed up with 45, 40 and 43 league outings over the next three seasons. Having started the first eleven games of the 1987/88 campaign, the 22-year-old was emerging as something of a 'hot property' and he duly moved to rivals Plymouth Argyle in October 1987 with the deal taking Darran Rowbotham in the opposite direction.

Within two years, Nicky was club captain and player of the year as he went on to appear in 202 league matches (the same tally as with City) and scoring 13 goals. A fee of £200,000 plus two players, Keith Hill and Craig Skinner in part exchange, took him to Blackburn Rovers in September 1992. However he only started 41 league matches for the Ewood Park club, plus a further 13 as substitute. Nicky was transferred to Sheffield United in July 1997 where he featured in 61 league games and netted five goals. On his release from there he signed for Cheltenham Town, but didn't play a league game for them and an injury finally forced him to retire from top level football.

Nicky did make a fleeting comeback in 2000-01 when he played once for Tiverton Town, but suffering from arthritic hips, he retired from the game once again and worked as a wood machinist with Princess Yachts in Plymouth. He then became involved with Plymouth club Tamarside when his son was playing for the club and was soon to run the club’s adult team as well as serving as chairman.

Later from 2010, when living in Ivybridge, Nicky had a spell of several seasons helping the town’s SW Peninsula League club working at times alongside former Exeter defender Graeme Kirkup.

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