Dave Simmons (footballer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | David John Simmons | ||
| Date of birth | 24 October 1948 | ||
| Place of birth | Ryde, Isle of Wight, England | ||
| Date of death | 3 July 2007 (aged 58) | ||
| Place of death | Ely, Cambridgeshire, England | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1966-1969 | Arsenal | 0 | (0) |
| 1968 | → Bournemouth (loan) | 7 | (3) |
| 1969-1970 | Aston Villa | 17 | (7) |
| 1970 | → Walsall (loan) | 5 | (2) |
| 1970-1973 | Colchester United | 62 | (11) |
| 1973-1974 | Cambridge United | 24 | (3) |
| 1974-1975 | Brentford | 52 | (17) |
| 1975-1976 | Cambridge United | 17 | (5) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
David John Simmons (24 October 1948 – 3 July 2007) was an English footballer who played for a number of Football League teams in the 1970s. He is perhaps best known for scoring the decisive goal in Colchester United's shock win against Leeds in the 1971 FA Cup.[1]
Career
A native of Ryde on the Isle of Wight, Simmons began his professional football career at Arsenal, but never played any first team competitive matches for the Gunners. Although a prolific goalscorer in the youth and reserve teams, he only played friendlies for the first team and spent a period of time out on loan at Bournemouth.[2] In February 1969, he was transferred to Aston Villa, where he only played sporadically despite a good goal rate. In December 1970, he moved to Colchester. On 13 February 1971, Simmons scored one of the goals as the Fourth Division side won 3-2 against Don Revie's Leeds to qualify for the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.[3]
In March 1973, Simmons moved to Cambridge United, and a year later he moved to Brentford, before returning for a second spell at Cambridge in November 1975. In total, Simmons played 184 league games, scoring 48 goals. He left Cambridge at the end of the 1975-76 season, and retired from the professional game due to injury. He later played for several non-league clubs in Cambridgeshire, including Cambridge City, Newmarket Town, Ely City and Soham Town Rangers.[1]
Simmons died in July 2007, following a long battle with cancer, aged 58.
Honours
Club
- FA Youth Cup Winner (1): 1965–66
- Watney Cup Winner (1): 1971
References
- 1 2 Cambridge News: Warm tributes to giantkiller Dave
- ↑ Harris, Jeff (1995). Hogg, Tony, ed. Arsenal Who's Who. Independent UK Sports. ISBN 1-899429-03-4.
- ↑ Football: On this day - 13 February 1971, The Independent
- ↑ "FA Youth Cup Honours". Coludaybyday.co.uk.
- ↑ "Watney Cup Honours". Coludaybyday.co.uk.