Nicholas Bignall played a handful of games for Exeter City in 2011 on what was the seventh of eight loans he had as a Reading player. After his eventual release by the Berkshire club he played non-league football for a variety of teams.    

Nicholas was a prolific scorer for Reading’s academy teams when at school and signed as a trainee in 2006 turning professional in 2008. His first loan was at Northampton in 2008/09 - where he made his debut against Leeds United in the FA Cup and later scored against the same club in the league - followed by Cheltenham later in the same season. Nicholas then appeared in a couple of League Cup games for Reading in August 2009 before, over the next two seasons, heading out on loan to Stockport, Southampton, Bournemouth and Brentford .  

Nicholas had appeared in around fifty professional games when he arrived on loan at Exeter City in August 2011 making his debut in the opening game of the season at Stevenage. Unfortunately he sustained a knee injury in his fourth game for the club and the loan arrangement was ended. 

Once recovered Nicholas was sent on loan to Wycombe Wanderers where he quickly suffered an injury which kept him out for the rest of the season. After his official release from Reading, and hardly playing for two years, he joined Basingstoke Town in March 2014 followed by Gainsborough Trinity in July 2015 and Hungerford Town in July 2016. After subsequent loan spells with Biggleswade Town and Gosport Borough, Nicholas left Hungerford to appear for Bracknell Town and Uxbridge. Around this time he had undertaken a coaching degree course at Oxford Brookes University and started to coach in Reading’s academy. .