Jay Simpson

For the actor, see Jay Simpson (actor).

Jay Simpson

Simpson with Arsenal
Personal information
Full name	Jay-Alistaire Frederick Simpson
Date of birth	1 December 1988 (1988-12-01)
Place of birth	Enfield, London, England
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Hull City
Number	11
Youth career
1998–1999	Norwich City
1999–2007	Arsenal
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2007–2010	Arsenal	0	(0)
2007–2008	→ Millwall (loan)	41	(7)
2009	→ West Bromwich Albion (loan)	13	(1)
2009–2010	→ Queens Park Rangers (loan)	39	(12)
2010–	Hull City	34	(6)
2011–2012	→ Millwall (loan)	11	(4)
National team‡
2004–2005	England U17	9	(4)
2005–2006	England U18	11	(3)
2007–2008	England U19	17	(6)
2008–	England U21	4	(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:02, 20 November 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 23:57, 30 December 2009 (UTC)

Jay-Alistaire Frederick "Jay" Simpson (born 1 December 1988) is an English footballer who plays for Hull City as a striker or winger. He is a product of the Arsenal Academy.

Club career

Arsenal

Born in, Enfield, London, Simpson was with Norwich City before he joined Arsenal at the age of nine, and played in an under-18s game at just 13 years of age. He featured prominently for Arsenal's reserve team whilst at school at Islington Arts and Media School, and was on the bench for the first team's League Cup match against West Bromwich Albion on 24 October 2006, but did not play. On 19 February 2007, he made history by becoming the first player ever to score a hat-trick at the Emirates Stadium, for Arsenal's under-18 side in an FA Youth Cup match against Cardiff City, in a 3–2 win.

Millwall loan

In August 2007 he was loaned from Arsenal to Millwall, for whom he made his first team debut as a substitute in a League One match on 1 September 2007, a 2–1 defeat to Huddersfield Town. He scored his first goal in a 3–2 loss to Swansea City in the first round of the Southern Section of the Football League Trophy on 4 September 2007, and his first league goal in a 2–1 defeat to Swindon Town on 29 September 2007. His loan was due to expire on 1 January 2008, but was later extended to the end of the season. Simpson scored eight goals in 44 appearances for Millwall and won the PFA Fans' League One player of the year award for 2008.

Simpson thanked Millwall for giving him the chance to improve his game, stating "Going to Millwall was the best decision I have ever made. Playing regularly in the first team really developed my game. It helped me grow as a player and I made a lot of good friends. It did me the world of good. The Millwall fans were really good to me – and I appreciated their support." Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger stated that he believed Simpson had a future at Arsenal by stating "At the moment it is too early to say if he [Jay Simpson] has a future, but I think so yes. He has done extremely well and has scored goals. I always thought Jay was a very good player and the fact he can get good experience at Millwall makes us all happy, because he is not only a good player but a very nice boy."

Return to Arsenal

Simpson made his Arsenal first team debut in a 6–0 win over Sheffield United in the League Cup, coming on as a substitute for Nicklas Bendtner in the 71st minute. He scored his first two senior Arsenal goals in the League Cup home match against Wigan Athletic on 11 November 2008, in what was his first senior start for the club.

West Bromwich Albion loan

He signed a new contract with Arsenal on 29 December 2008, but was then loaned out to West Bromwich Albion for the remainder of the 2008–09 season. He made his Albion debut on 3 January 2009, coming on as a half-time substitute for Robert Koren in a 1–1 draw with Peterborough United in the FA Cup third round. He scored his first goal for West Bromwich Albion on 13 January 2009, in the FA Cup third round replay against Peterborough. His first Premier League goal was scored on 31 January 2009 in the 2–2 draw against Hull City.

Queens Park Rangers loan

In August 2009 he joined Queens Park Rangers on a season-long loan, making his debut in a 1–0 away win at Scunthorpe United. His third game for QPR was against Cardiff City, at the Cardiff City Stadium, and he went on to score a first-half brace. He scored his third QPR goal in a 5–2 win over Barnsley on 26 September 2009.

Hull City

Simpson playing for Hull City in 2011

On 19 August 2010, Simpson signed a three-year contract with Championship team Hull City. He made his debut after starting in a 0–0 with Watford on 21 August. His first goals for the club came on 18 December 2010 where he scored both goals against Bristol City which resulted in a 2–0 win for Hull. He was also named Man of the Match. After spending over a month as an unused sub, he made his return coming on as a replacement for Tijani Belaid, and scoring his 5th goal of the season in the 1–1 away draw at Ipswich Town.

Return to Millwall on loan

Simpson signed again for Millwall on loan, on transfer deadline day, 31 August 2011. playing for The Lions until January 2012.

International career

He has been capped for the England under-17, England under-18, England under-19 and England under-21.

Career statistics

As of 7 January 2012

Club	Season	League		FA Cup		Carling Cup		Europe		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Millwall (loan)	2007–08	41	7	4	1	0	0	0	0	45	8
Arsenal	2008–09	0	0	0	0	3	2	0	0	3	2
West Bromwich Albion (loan)	2008–09	13	1	4	1	0	0	0	0	17	2
Queens Park Rangers (loan)	2009–10	39	12	1	1	1	0	0	0	41	13
Hull City	2010–11	32	6	1	0	1	0	0	0	34	6
	2011–12	2	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	4	0
Total		127	26	11	3	6	2	0	0	144	31

External links

• Jay Simpson career stats at Soccerbase