Nicholas Bignall

A forward or left winger, Bignall began his career in the academy at Reading and scored 20 goals for the U18 during the course of his two-year scholarship.[3] He signed a two-year professional contract ahead of the 2008–09 season and spent much of the campaign away on loan,[4][5] impressing enough to sign a new two-year contract in April 2009.[6] Bignall made his debut for the Royals with a start in a League Cup first round match versus Burton Albion on 11 August 2009 and scored two goals in the 5–1 victory.[7] He also started in the following round versus Barnsley, before leaving the club on loan and returning early through injury on 21 December 2009.[8] He returned to fitness in January 2010 and made one further appearance during the 2009–10 season, as a substitute for Simon Church after 74 minutes of a 1–0 victory over Barnsley on 30 January.[7]

Bignall made what would be his final Reading appearance early in the 2010–11 season, with a start in a 1–0 League Cup first round extra time victory over Torquay United on 11 August 2010.[9] He signed a new contract in October 2010, which would keep him at the club until the end of the 2011–12 season.[10] He subsequently spent much of the remainder of the 2010–11 season away on loan.[11][12] Bignall failed to receive a call into the first team squad during the early months of the 2011–12 season and suffered a season-ending injury while away on loan in October 2011.[13][14] Bignall's contract expired in June 2012, but remained with the club on a non-contract basis in a bid to return to fitness and he finally departed in 2014.[3][15][16]

Between 2008 and 2011, Bignall spent much of his Reading career away on loan from the Madejski Stadium and made 53 appearances and scored five goals for League One clubs Northampton Town, Cheltenham Town, Stockport County, Southampton, Bournemouth, Brentford, Exeter City and Wycombe Wanderers.[11]

In March 2014, Bignall dropped into non-league football to join Conference South club Basingstoke Town and he was a part of the squad which won the 2013–14 Hampshire Senior Cup.[17][18] He departed the club early in the 2014–15 season and had short spells with National League South clubs Sutton United and Hayes & Yeading United, before returning to The Camrose late in the campaign.[19] He departed for the final time in the summer of 2015 and had short spells with Lincoln City and Gainsborough Trinity,[19] before joining National League South club Hungerford Town in 2016.[20] He remained at Bulpit Lane until his departure at the end of the 2017–18 season.[21] After a year out of football,[22] Bignall played for Isthmian League South Central Division clubs Bracknell Town and Uxbridge during the 2019–20 season.[19][23]