Simon Ashley Mills (born 16 August 1964) is an English former

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 played as a defender; he was described by

Jeff Kent Jeffrey Franklin Kent (born March 7, 1968) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1992–2008 for the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, Cleveland Indians, San Francis ...

as "skilful and adaptable". He made 288 league appearances in a ten-year career in the Football League. He began his career with local club

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot ...

in 1982, before moving on to

York City York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team compete in the National League, at the fifth tier of the English football league sys ...

three years later. Voted Clubman of the Year in 1986, he was sold on to

Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...

for £35,000 in December 1987. He helped the "Valiants" to win

promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...

out of the Third Division via the

play-offs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...

, before injuries forced him to leave the professional game in May 1994. He later attempted comebacks with

Boston United Boston United Football Club is a semi-professional association football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. The club participates in the National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. The club is known ...

and

Matlock Town Matlock Town Football Club is a football club based in Matlock, Derbyshire, England. Nicknamed 'the Gladiators', they are currently members of the and play at Causeway Lane. History The club was established in 1878 as Matlock Football Club.< ...

Career

Sheffield Wednesday

Born in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...

, Mills started his career with

in 1982. He failed to earn a first-team spot at Hillsborough, particularly following the "Owls" ascent to the First Division in 1983–84 under

Howard Wilkinson Howard Wilkinson (born 13 November 1943) is an English former footballer and manager. Despite having a low-profile playing career, Wilkinson embarked on a successful managerial career. He won the First Division championship in 1992 with Leeds ...

's stewardship. He felt that he did not suit Wilkinson's style of football.

York City

Mills moved on to

in June 1985 after

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

Denis Smith spotted him playing

reserve team In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players under contract to a club but who do not normally play in matches for the first team. Reserve teams often include back-up players from the first team, young players who need playing time to i ...

football. The "Minstermen" finished seventh in the Third Division in 1985–86, and Mills was voted Clubman of the Year. However, a decline at

Bootham Crescent Bootham Crescent in York, England, was the home of York City football club and York City Knights rugby league club. With a capacity of 8,256, it is near the city centre, just over a mile from York railway station. York City leased land at B ...

saw the club slip to 20th in 1986–87, and Smith was replaced by

Bobby Saxton Robert Saxton (born 6 September 1943) is an English former professional footballer, manager and coach. Career Born in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, Saxton managed Blackburn Rovers for five seasons after a playing career as a utility defender wit ...

. Mills was sold to

John Rudge John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

for £35,000 in December 1987. York went on to finish in the

relegation In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...

places in 1987–88.

Port Vale

Unable to fit him into the side due to the form of Ray Walker and others, Rudge converted Mills from a midfielder to a right-back. He made 19 Third Division appearances in 1987–88, scoring five goals, including one in a 3–2 comeback win over former club York. He played 55 games in the 1988–89

season, playing in partnership first with fellow centre-backs Phil Sproson and Bob Hazell (who both struggled with injuries) and later Gary West and

Dean Glover Dean Victor Glover (born 29 December 1963) is an English former football player and manager. A cultured and stylish defender, he had the ball control skills of a midfielder. He played 457 league games in a seventeen-year career in the English ...

(who were signed mid-season), alongside full-backs Alan Webb and

Darren Hughes Darren Colyn Hughes (born 3 April 1978) is a New Zealand former Member of Parliament between 2002 and 2011, first elected at the age of 24. He represented the Labour Party and was a Minister outside Cabinet in the Fifth Labour Government of Ne ...

, in front of goalkeeper

Mark Grew Mark Stuart Grew (born 15 February 1958) is an English former football player and coach who played as a goalkeeper. His career started in 1976 with West Bromwich Albion, where he spent seven seasons as a back-up keeper before moving on to Lei ...

. This proved to be the most successful defence in the division, conceding just 48 goals in 46 league games. However, a third-place finish meant that they had to overcome

Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers Football Club are a professional football club in Bristol, England. They compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play home matches at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, they have been ...

2–1 over two legs in the play-off final, with

Robbie Earle Robert Fitzgerald Earle MBE (born 27 January 1965) is an English-born Jamaican former international footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He played 578 league games in senior club football, scoring 136 goals. A former youth playe ...

hitting both goals. Mills missed just one

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

game in 1989–90, forming a formidable defensive partnership with Glover. He played 45 games in

1990–91 Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 '' Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since t ...

, as Vale retained their second tier status. He played 40 games in the 1991–92 relegation season, scoring twice, and helped the club to win the TNT Tournament in the summer. However, in autumn 1992 he developed knee cartilage trouble and underwent a series of unsuccessful operations, limiting him to just three league appearances in

1992–93 Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 '' Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since t ...

. He commentated for BBC Radio Stoke at the 1993 Football League Trophy final. He was given a free transfer in May 1994.

Later career

After retiring as a professional, he later attempted a comeback with Northern Premier League Premier Division sides

and

Style of play

Mills was a hard working player who played at both

right-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

and

midfield Midfield is the part of a sports field that lies approximately in the center. In American football, association football (soccer) and field hockey, it is the area in and around the center circle, as well as the players who occupy that region. In ...

. He was an excellent

set piece In film production, a set piece is a scene or sequence of scenes whose execution requires complex logistical planning and considerable expenditure of money. The term is often also used more broadly to describe a sequence in which the film-maker's ...

taker and part of Port Vale's "MBE"

corner kick A corner kick is the method of restarting play in a game of association football when the ball goes out of play over the goal line, without a goal being scored and having last been touched by a member of the defending team. The kick is take ...

routine: Mills to

Darren Beckford Darren Richard Lorenzo Beckford (born 12 May 1967) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward. His younger brother Jason also played professional football. In fourteen years as a professional footballer he scored a ...

to Robbie Earle. In May 2019, he was voted into the "Ultimate Port Vale XI" as a right-back by members of the ''OneValeFan'' supporter website.

Later life

Mills became a

drayman A drayman was historically the driver of a dray, a low, flat-bed wagon without sides, pulled generally by horses or mules that were used to transport all kinds of goods. Modern use The word "drayman" is used in U.S. ports as the over the road ...

at a Sheffield brewery after leaving football and attempted to start a business selling second hand

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

gear.

Career statistics

Source:

Honours

Port Vale *

Football League Third Division The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 and again from 1958 until 1992. When the FA Premier League was formed, the division become the fourth tier level. In 2004, following th ...

Individual *

Clubman of the Year: 1985–86

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mills, Simon 1964 births Living people Footballers from Sheffield English men's footballers Men's association football fullbacks Men's association football midfielders Sheffield Wednesday F.C. players York City F.C. players Port Vale F.C. players Boston United F.C. players Matlock Town F.C. players English Football League players Northern Premier League players English association football commentators