Charles "Chippy" Simmons (9 September 1878 – 12 December 1937) was an English

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who played as a

centre-forward Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

. He played in

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

for

West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...

and Chesterfield Town.

Biography

Simmons was born in

West Bromwich West Bromwich ( ) is a market town in the borough of Sandwell, West Midlands, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is north-west of Birmingham. West Bromwich is part of the area known as the Black Country, in terms of geography, ...

and turned professional with

in April 1898. On 3 September 1900 Simmons became the first Albion player to score at

The Hawthorns The Hawthorns is an all-seater association football, football stadium in West Bromwich, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England, with a capacity of 26,688. It has been the home of EFL Championship, Championship club West Bromwich Albion F ...

, when he equalised Derby County player

Steve Bloomer Stephen Bloomer (20 January 1874 – 16 April 1938) was an England international footballer and manager who played for Derby County – becoming their record goalscorer – and Middlesbrough. The anthem " Steve Bloomer's Watchin'" is played at ...

's goal in a 1–1 draw. He moved to

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...

for £700 in July 1904 and made 34 league apps scoring 8 goals (1 FA cup app, 0 goals), but returned to Albion for £600 just ten months later. He joined Chesterfield Town in March 1907 and went on to play for

Wellington Town Telford United Football Club was an English football club based in Telford, Shropshire. The club existed under various names for a total of 132 years from its formation in 1872. The club was a founder member of the Alliance Premier League (la ...

and Canadian side Royal Rovers. He died in

Wednesbury Wednesbury () is a market town in Sandwell in the county of West Midlands, England. It is located near the source of the River Tame. Historically part of Staffordshire in the Hundred of Offlow, at the 2011 Census the town had a population of ...

in 1937. He became the top scorer in First Division 1901–02 by scoring 23 goals.

References

;General * ;Specific 1878 births 1937 deaths Sportspeople from West Bromwich English footballers Association football forwards Oldbury Town F.C. players Worcester City F.C. players West Bromwich Albion F.C. players West Ham United F.C. players Chesterfield F.C. players Telford United F.C. players English Football League players Footballers from the West Midlands (county) {{England-footy-forward-1870s-stub