Simon Jonathan Dawkins (born 1 December 1987) is a professional
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 ...
who plays as an
attacking midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
or
winger for
USL Championship
The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...
side
Monterey Bay FC
Monterey Bay Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in Monterey County, California. The club was established on February 21, 2021, and is a member of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer league system ...
. Born in England, he represented the
Jamaica national team.
Club career
Tottenham Hotspur
Dawkins joined the
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...
academy
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...
in 2004 and featured regularly in the reserves. He featured in the first team matchday squad once, as an unused sub under
Martin Jol for a
UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...
game against
Anorthosis Famagusta
Anorthosis Famagusta ( el, Ανόρθωση Αμμοχώστου, translit=Anorthosi Ammochostou), commonly known as Anorthosis in English or Anorthosi in Greek, is a Cypriot football club, part of the Anorthosis Famagusta multi-sport club fo ...
, but was unable to break through into the starting line ups. On 1 June 2009, Dawkins was released from his Tottenham Hotspur contract and then failed a medical at
RC Strasbourg.
Leyton Orient (loan)
He joined
Leyton Orient
Leyton Orient Football Club is a professional football club based in Leyton, East London, England, who compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are the second oldest football club in London to play at a profession ...
on loan before the start of the 2008–09 season. His first team debut was delayed after picking up an ankle injury in a friendly match, coincidentally, against parent club Tottenham. He made his first league appearance on 16 August 2008, coming on as a substitute against
Peterborough United
Peterborough United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Peterborough have a long-standing ...
, and made his cup debut in the
Football League Trophy
The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Le ...
on 2 September where they beat
Southend United
Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...
4–2. His loan period ended on 3 January 2009.
Return to Tottenham Hotspur
Dawkins later returned to Tottenham on a non-contract basis while recovering from injury. A contract was dependent upon his proven fitness at start of the 2010–11 season.
In August 2010, Dawkins went on trial with
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
* Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Fo ...
later deciding to continue to train with Tottenham, scoring in a training friendly against
Milton Keynes Dons
Milton Keynes Dons Football Club (), usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The ...
on 8 December.
On 14 March 2011, Dawkins was rewarded with a contract by Tottenham Hotspur after impressing back at the club on trial, with his contract set to run until June 2013.
San Jose Earthquakes (loan)
Dawkins then signed for the
San Jose Earthquakes on loan. He made his debut for the Earthquakes on 19 March in their first game of the 2011 MLS season, a 1–0 loss to
Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake, often shortened to RSL, is an American professional soccer franchise based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes as a member club of Major League Soccer (MLS) in the Western Conference. RSL began play in 2 ...
. He scored his first goal for his new club on 2 April in a 2–2 draw with
Seattle Sounders
Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began ...
. In January 2012 there was interest from Steve McClaren's
FC Twente
Football Club Twente () is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, sometimes known internationally as Twente Enschede. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Dutch champions Sportclub Enschede with Enschedese ...
but a loan deal could not be finalised. Dawkins appeared in a Spurs matchday squad for the first time in over four years when he was an unused substitute for an
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
tie against
Stevenage.
Aston Villa (loan)
On the final day of the January 2013 transfer window, Dawkins signed on loan with Premier League club
Aston Villa for the remainder of the 2012–13 season. On 10 February 2013, at the age of 25, he made his Premier League debut in a match against
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 ...
, which Villa won 2–1.
Derby County
On 14 October 2013, Dawkins joined
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
side
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 188 ...
. It was announced on 18 October 2013 that Dawkins would be extending his stay with the Rams by agreeing to a 93-day emergency loan. Dawkins made his first appearance for Derby on 19 October 2013, coming on as a replacement for
Mason Bennett
Mason Kane Bennett (born 15 July 1996) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for League One club Burton Albion.
He has also represented England Youth at U-16 and U-17 Level. He holds the record as Derby County's younges ...
at the beginning of the second half. After a series of impressive performances for Derby, Head Coach Steve McClaren expressed his interest in signing Dawkins permanently in the January transfer window. A deal was reached with Tottenham and they agreed a fee on 3 January 2014, with Dawkins agreeing to a -year deal. He thus became manager
Steve McClaren
Stephen McClaren (born 3 May 1961) is an English former professional footballer and coach who currently serves as an assistant coach for Premier League club Manchester United, in his second spell at the club.
McClaren began his coaching caree ...
's first permanent signing for Derby.
San Jose Earthquakes
On 6 January 2016, Dawkins joined
Major League Soccer side
San Jose Earthquakes for an undisclosed fee.
On 16 February 2018, Dawkins and San Jose agreed to mutually terminate his contract with the club.
Minnesota United FC claimed Dawkins on waivers shortly after the termination of his contract with San Jose. However, Dawkins was released a week later before the start of the season.
Ipswich Town
Following a trial in December 2018, Dawkins signed for
Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.
The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...
in January 2019 on a short-term deal, with the option of an additional 12 months. He was released at the end of the 2018–19 season after making just 2 substitute appearances for the club.
Monterey Bay
After a nearly three year absence from club football, Dawkins was announced as a signing for
USL Championship
The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...
expansion side
Monterey Bay FC
Monterey Bay Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in Monterey County, California. The club was established on February 21, 2021, and is a member of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer league system ...
on 15 March 2022. Dawkins had previously played under manager
Frank Yallop
Frank Walter Yallop (born 4 April 1964) is a British-Canadian professional soccer coach. Yallop is currently the head coach and sporting director of USL Championship side Monterey Bay FC.
He played 13 years in England for Ipswich, including the ...
during his initial loan spell with the
San Jose Earthquakes, and assistant manager
Ramiro Corrales
Ramiro Corrales (born March 12, 1977) is an American former professional soccer player who is currently a technical advisor and assistant coach for USL Championship expansion side Monterey Bay FC. He spent most of his professional career with the ...
was also his teammate at the time. On 23 July 2022, Dawkins scored his first goal for Monterey Bay during a 2-0 victory over
New York Red Bulls II
New York Red Bulls II is an American professional soccer team based in Montclair, New Jersey. They are the reserve team of the New York Red Bulls and play in MLS Next Pro, the third tier in the American soccer pyramid.
History
Red Bull New Yor ...
.
International career
Dawkins made his international debut for Jamaica on 26 May 2014 against Serbia at the
Red Bull Arena in
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
.
He scored his first goal for Jamaica in a 2–2 draw with Egypt on 4 June 2014 at Leyton Orient. Dawkins scored a last minute winner to see Jamaica through to the next round of qualifying stages with a spectacular volley against Nicaragua.
Career statistics
Club
International
International goals
:''As of match played 8 September 2015. Scores and results list Jamaica's goal tally first, "score" column indicates score after each Dawkins goal.''
Honours
Club
San Jose Earthquakes
*
Major League Soccer Supporters' Shield:
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
*
Major League Soccer Western Conference Regular Season Championship:
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
International
Jamaica
*
Caribbean Cup
The Caribbean Cup was the championship tournament for national association football teams that are members of the Caribbean Football Union. The first competition, established by Shell and run by former England Cricket fast bowler Fred Rumsey, wa ...
:
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
*
CONCACAF Gold Cup
The CONCACAF Gold Cup ( es, Copa de Oro de la CONCACAF, french: Coupe D'or CONCACAF) is the main association football competition of the men's national football teams governed by CONCACAF, determining the continental champion of North Ameri ...
runner-up: 2015
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dawkins, Simon
1987 births
Living people
English footballers
English expatriate footballers
English people of Jamaican descent
Jamaican footballers
Jamaican expatriate footballers
Jamaica international footballers
Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players
Leyton Orient F.C. players
San Jose Earthquakes players
Aston Villa F.C. players
English Football League players
Derby County F.C. players
Ipswich Town F.C. players
Major League Soccer players
Premier League players
Expatriate soccer players in the United States
Footballers from Greater London
Black British sportsmen
2015 Copa América players
2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup players
Association football forwards
Association football midfielders
Designated Players (MLS)
English expatriate sportspeople in the United States
Monterey Bay FC players