Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Gordon Simmonite[1] | ||
Date of birth | [1] | 25 April 1957||
Place of birth | Sheffield, England | ||
Position(s) | Full back | ||
Youth career | |||
– | Rotherham United | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
197?–1978 | Sheffield Wednesday | 1 | (0) |
1978–1980 | Boston United[a] | 33 | (1) |
1980–1982 | Blackpool | 63 | (1) |
1982–1988 | Lincoln City | 85 | (0) |
1988–19xx | Gainsborough Trinity | ||
19xx–199x | Matlock Town | ||
International career | |||
1979–1980 | England semi-pro | 5 | |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Gordon Simmonite (born 25 April 1957) is an English former professional footballer who made 136 appearances in the Football League playing for Sheffield Wednesday, Blackpool and Lincoln City.[4] He also played Non-League football for Boston United, Gainsborough Trinity and Matlock Town. He played as a full back.
Simmonite was born in Sheffield, Yorkshire,[1] and began his football career as an apprentice with Rotherham United. He then joined Sheffield Wednesday,[4] for whom he played just once in the Third Division – in a 2–0 defeat away to Chesterfield in February 1977[5] – before moving into Non-League football with Northern Premier League club Boston United the following year. He was voted the club's player of the year in his first season,[6] and won five caps for the England semi-professional national team.[7]
In 1980, Simmonite returned to the Football League with Third Division Blackpool for a £15,000 fee.[6] He made his debut in a 3–0 defeat at Brentford on 20 September, and went on to make a further 17 League appearances that season, under player-manager Alan Ball firstly, then Allan Brown.[8]
The following 1981–82 campaign saw Simmonite make 29 League appearances. He also scored one goal, in a 7–1 victory over Halifax Town at Bloomfield Road on 30 September.[8]
Under new manager Sam Ellis, he started the first sixteen League games of Blackpool's 1982–83 season,[8] before family reasons prompted a move to Lincoln City for a £6,000 fee.[9] He played regularly for the first couple of years, but then made no senior appearances until 1987,[1] after Lincoln suffered two consecutive relegations, becoming the first team to be automatically relegated to the Conference.[10] He acted as assistant manager in the early part of the 1987–88 Football Conference season,[11] and returned as a player in December, making 13 appearances as Lincoln returned to the Football League as champions.[12]
After leaving Lincoln, Simmonite appeared for Northern Premier League clubs Gainsborough Trinity and Matlock Town.[13]