John Lionel Simpson (5 October 1933 – 7 December 1993) was an English

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

. He spent fifteen years playing for Gillingham, for whom he holds the all-time record for the most matches 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 ...

Career

Simpson began his professional career with Lincoln City, having been spotted playing for Netherfield in the

Lancashire Combination The Lancashire Combination was a football league founded in the North West of England in 1891–92. It absorbed the Lancashire League in 1903. In 1968 the Combination lost five of its clubs to the newly formed Northern Premier League. In 1982 it ...

but only managed five first-team appearances for the

Sincil Bank Sincil Bank Stadium, known for sponsorship reasons as LNER Stadium, is a football stadium in Lincoln, England which has been the home of Lincoln City since 1895. Previously, Lincoln City had played at the nearby John O'Gaunts ground since th ...

club before Gillingham snapped him up in the summer of 1957 for just £750. For the next fifteen years he was the Gills' first-choice goalkeeper, helping them win the

Fourth Division Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

championship in the 1963–64 season, during which he let in just 30 goals, a club record which stood until 1995–96. He won the Kent side's Player of the Year award in consecutive seasons (1969–70, 1970–71). Such was his standing at the club Chairman

Clifford Grossmark Clifford Sydney Grossmark, MB, BS, MRCS, LRCP (27 December 1914 – 12 November 1983) was an English doctor and association football administrator, best known for his 22-year spell as chairman of Kent-based club Gillingham F.C. Medical car ...

was reported to have commented regarding interest from other clubs that "John Simpson’s value to Gillingham Football Club far exceeded all offers". In 1972, after a club record 571

appearances, he left the professional game to see out his career with non-league

Maidstone United Maidstone United Football Club is a professional football club based in Maidstone, Kent, England. The team compete in the National League, at the fifth tier of the English football league system. The current club filled the void left by the ol ...

, but in 1975 he returned to

Priestfield Stadium Priestfield Stadium (popularly known simply as Priestfield and officially known from 2007 to 2010 as KRBS Priestfield Stadium and from 2011 as MEMS Priestfield Stadium for sponsorship purposes) is a football stadium in Gillingham, Kent. It has ...

to play for Gillingham's reserves due to an injury crisis. After his retirement he ran a

newsagent A newsagent's shop or simply newsagent's or paper shop (British English), newsagency (Australian English) or newsstand (American and Canadian English) is a business that sells newspapers, magazines, cigarettes, snacks and often items of local ...

's close to Priestfield Stadium. He died in 1993, aged 60. His record tally of 571 league appearances for Gillingham remains intact to this day, fellow goalkeeper

Ron Hillyard Ronald William Hillyard (born 31 March 1952) is an English former football goalkeeper. He spent seventeen years playing for Gillingham, for whom he holds the record for the most matches played in all competitions. Career Born in Brinsworth, Hi ...

's career having been ended by injury just 8 matches short of the record, although Hillyard made more appearances than Simpson in all competitions.

Honours

Gillingham *

Football League Fourth Division The Football League Fourth Division was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season. Whilst the division disappeared in name ...

: 1963–64 Individual * Gillingham Player of the Season: 1969–70, 1970–71

References

External links

Lincoln City F.C. official archive profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, John 1933 births 1993 deaths Men's association football goalkeepers Kendal Town F.C. players Gillingham F.C. players Lincoln City F.C. players Maidstone United F.C. (1897) players Margate F.C. players English Football League players English men's footballers Footballers from Lincolnshire People from the Borough of North Lincolnshire