allow Nicholls to return to Luton unless the original fee of £700,000 was to be paid back to Leeds. It was also stated that Nicholls had been stripped of the captaincy. He has since become somewhat of a hate figure amongst Leeds fans. He ended the season having made just 15 appearances in all competitions, with his last game for the club coming in late February. Preston North End On 29 June 2007, Nicholls left Leeds and agreed to sign a contract to move to Preston North End for a fee of £750,000. He officially moved to Preston on 5 July 2007, due to Leeds' administration status forcing them to delay all trading until that date. Nicholls' spell at Preston was initially successful. He was a regular fixture in the starting line-up under manager Paul Simpson in the first few months of the season, but featured little following the arrival of new manager Alan Irvine, falling behind Paul McKenna, Darren Carter and new signing Richard Chaplow. On 2 August 2008, it was announced that Preston North End and Nicholls had come to an agreement to release him from his contract. Luton Town return On 2 August 2008, Nicholls signed a three-year contract with former club Luton Town, stating that he will always support Luton and loves the club. He returned as club captain, taking over from Keith Keane. Nicholls missed much of the 2008–09 season as a result of recurring injury problems, but returned fully fit in the final run-in of games. On 24 March 2009, he was given a five-game ban and £1,000 fine for supposedly applauding Luton fans for throwing missiles at the referee after a controversial 3–3 draw with Bradford City. On 5 April 2009, Nicholls captained Luton to a 3–2 victory over Scunthorpe United at Wembley Stadium in the Football League Trophy final, picking up the man-of-the-match award for his performance in the heart of midfield. He played for Luton in their 0–0 draw with Chesterfield on 13 April, which saw them lose their Football League status and suffer relegation to the Conference Premier. Despite a recurrence of his knee problem, Nicholls played in 23 league games during the 2009–10 season. It was later revealed by Luton director Gary Sweet that Nicholls had deliberately downplayed the seriousness of this injury to lead the team, "playing through excruciating pain and ultimately risking his long term health". Surgery