John Robert Simpson (25 December 1885 – 4 January 1959) was a
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 lea ...
who played as an
outside right in the 1900s and 1910s.
[
]
Club career
Simpson's footballing career began with Laurieston Villa, and after a trial with
Rangers, he signed for
Falkirk
Falkirk ( ; ; ) is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow.
Falkirk had a resident population of 32,422 at the ...
in 1905.
[ The club finished runners-up in the ]Scottish Football League
The Scottish Football League (SFL) is a defunct league featuring professional and semi-professional football clubs mostly from Scotland.One club, Berwick Rangers, is based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, which is located approximately 4&nbs ...
twice during his six-year spell ( 1907–08 and 1909–10), and he scored over 100 league goals, sometimes playing at centre forward
In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than midfielders and defenders. As with any attacking player, the role of the forward relies heavily on be ...
, including 32 from 33 appearances in 1907–08, the highest total in the country.
In January 1911, Simpson moved to Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
for a fee of £1800, a record fee received by a Scottish club.[ Whilst he was at ]Ewood Park
Ewood Park () is a Association football, football stadium in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, and the home of Blackburn Rovers F.C., founding members of the English Football League, Football League and Premier League, who have played there since ...
, they won the Football League First Division
The Football League First Division was the top division of the Football League in England from 1888 until the end of the 1991–92 season, when its teams broke away to form the Premier League. From 1992 to 2004, the name First Division was g ...
title in 1911–12 and 1913–14.[Profile at Spartacus Educational]
He made a total of 151 Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
appearances for Blackburn, scoring 16 goals.[
After a comeback to senior football with Falkirk during ]World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
(when all official English football was suspended but the Scottish League continued), this being fairly unsuccessful due to the enduring effects of kicks from opponents during his peak years, he finally saw out his final playing years with Falkirk Amateurs, then Falkirk Orient in the ''Falkirk Wednesday Shopkeepers League''.[Falkirk FC - 100 Club - John Simpson]
Falkirk Football Historian, 29 November 2010 At Falkirk he played a total of 269 Scottish League matches, including the wartime as a 'guest player', scoring 116 goals.[
]
International career
Simpson represented the Scottish League in 1910 while he was a Falkirk player.
He made his full international debut for England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
on 11 February 1911 against Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
, weeks after joining Blackburn (the Football Association
A football association, also known as a football federation, soccer federation, or soccer association, is a governing body for association football. Many of them are members of the sport's regional bodies such as UEFA and CONMEBOL and the world gov ...
had been aware of him at Falkirk but did not want to select a player based in Scotland, and only his birthplace came into consideration at that time, so he was ineligible for Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
despite his upbringing and parentage). Simpson made a total of eight appearances for England, participating in victorious British Home Championship tournaments of 1910–11 and 1912–13, with his last cap
A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...
coming on 16 March 1914 against Wales
Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...
.
He also appeared for the Football League XI, played for the ' Anglo-Scots' in a wartime fundraising match in 1917,[War Fund Match , Home Scots, 2; Anglo-Scots, 1.]
The Glasgow Herald, 4 January 1917 and featured for England against Scotland in a 1918 charity match.
England Football Online
Personal life
Simpson was born in Pendleton, Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
,[ to Scottish parents who returned to work in their home town of ]Falkirk
Falkirk ( ; ; ) is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow.
Falkirk had a resident population of 32,422 at the ...
within months of his birth.[ Several family members (including Harry Simpson) were also footballers at local teams, and he was related to the Australian international cricketer Bob Simpson.][
After his football career, he settled in Falkirk, running a public house in the town; he died in 1959 and is interred in Falkirk Cemetery.John Simpson's Gravestone]
Falkirk Football Historian, 15 March 2013
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Jock
1886 births
1959 deaths
English men's footballers
Men's association football wingers
Blackburn Rovers F.C. players
England men's international footballers
Falkirk F.C. players
Falkirk F.C. wartime guest players
Footballers from Greater Manchester
Scottish Junior Football Association players
Scottish Football League players
Scottish Football League representative players
English Football League players
English Football League representative players
Scottish league football top scorers
Footballers from Falkirk
Anglo-Scots