"He pulled me back at the start, and I still won," she enthused after beating the New Zealand football captain in a dribbling competition -- the first event of Nelsen's whistle stop tour of his earthquake-ravaged home town.
Nelsen arrived in Christchurch from Blackburn via London this week - a mercy dash facilitated by Atkinson after the English Premiership referee sent him off in stoppage time for a lunge on Aston Villa's Ashley Young last weekend - his second yellow card offence.
The 33-year-old was initially aggrieved by Atkinson's officiating at Villa Park but after a light-hearted kick about with 60 kids left on edge by last Tuesday's 6.3-magnitude earthquake, Nelsen was actually relieved to incur his latest suspension.
"It's worked out pretty well. Obviously it wasn't planned but maybe it's a bit of karma," he said.
Nelsen was swamped by awestruck admirers, aged between 4 and 9, when he arrived at the ground he used to train at when a junior player for Cashmere.
He spent an hour running training drills, signing autographs and posing for photographs - just trying to put a smile on those small, pensive faces.
"They're probably emotionally and physically shocked so you want them to think about other aspects of life that are more fun," Nelsen explained.
"You just want to distract them and keep them occupied - hopefully they've had a wee run around and say they kicked me in the ankle a few times.
"They're fantastic, really nice kids."
Nelsen's family emerged unscathed from the ordeal though there was an element of drama when his sister went into labour shortly after the jolt.
Stephanie Martin was scheduled to give birth to her second boy by caesarean section at Christchurch Womens' Hospital yesterday but the earthquake sped up the process.
"She took a bit of a tumble after the quake, fell a wee bit and things started happening," said her father Wayne Nelsen.
After regaining her footing inside her Sumner home, Stephanie embarked on a fraught three-hour journey through scenes of devastation to hospital - George Lawrence Martin arrived safe and well early on Wednesday morning.
Her brother was at Blackburn's training base as the twin dramas unfolded, a cellphone close at hand, and was grateful to be granted leave by manager Steve Kean and return home - a decision made easier by the central defender being ineligible to play Fulham in London this weekend.
"The images you see are a bit surreal. I played in the parks, I ran around all the monuments. To see all your memories destroyed is surreal," Nelsen said.
"Like most New Zealanders overseas I felt kind of helpless so if there's anything you can do, however minor, hopefully it helps."
Nelsen is bunking down in his old room, where he used to hang posters of Manchester United stars, and tomorrow revisits his student days when he joins the army of volunteers slaving away to clear the city of liquefaction.
"It's a pretty incredible story, what they're doing," said Nelsen, who expects to return to England this weekend with his hands dirty.
