Jump to content

Billy Simpson (footballer, born 1929)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by BattyBot (talk | contribs) at 05:48, 5 January 2014 (Fixed links to www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com & General fixes using AWB (9832)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Billy Simpson
Personal information
Date of birth (1929-12-12) 12 December 1929 (age 94)
Place of birth Belfast, Northern Ireland
Position(s) Centre forward[1]
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1946–1950 Linfield 63 (41)
1950–1959 Rangers[1] 172 (112)
1959 Stirling Albion[2] 7 (1)
1959–1960 Partick Thistle[3] 6 (2)
1960–1961 Oxford United[3] 11 (3)
International career
1951–1958 Northern Ireland 12 (5)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

William "Billy" J. Simpson (born December 12, 1929 in Belfast) is a former Northern Ireland international footballer.

Simpson signed for Rangers from Linfield for a sum of £11,500 in 1950. He spent nine years (1950–59) at Rangers making 239 appearances and scoring 163 goals. He won three championship medals and a Scottish Cup winners medal with Rangers to add to the two Irish League and two Irish Cups he won with Linfield. He left Ibrox in 1959 and spent the last couple of years of his career with Stirling Albion, Partick Thistle and (then non-league) Oxford United.

Most notably, Billy Simpson scored twice in the "Ne'erday' Old Firm Derby at Ibrox, in a famous 3-1 victory, immortalised in the song 'A Trip to Ibrox'. In recognition of his service to that club, Simpson has been made a member of the Rangers F.C. Hall of Fame.

Simpson made his debut for Northern Ireland in 1951 against Wales, scoring in the process. He represented his country twelve times in total between 1951 and 1958, scoring 5 goals. He was selected in Northern Ireland's squad for the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden but a late injury ensured he did not play at all during the finals.

References

Template:Persondata