Simon King (footballer)

Simon Daniel Roy King (born 11 April 1983) is an English retired footballer. He primarily played as a defender.

Simon King
Personal information
Full name Simon Daniel Roy King[1]
Date of birth (1983-04-11) 11 April 1983
Place of birth Oxford, England
Position(s) Defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2000–2003 Oxford United 4 (0)
2003–2007 Barnet 151 (6)
2007–2012 Gillingham 101 (3)
2011 → Plymouth Argyle (loan) 6 (0)
2012–2013 Inverness Caledonian Thistle 4 (0)
2013–2015 Thurrock 48 (1)
Total 314 (10)
National team
2005–200? England C 3 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

King started his career with Oxford United making his debut on, 1 May 2001 against Port Vale in the last competitive match to be played at The Manor Ground. Overall, he only played four games for Oxford United before he signed for Barnet in 2003.

He has won three caps for the England non-league team, scoring the winning goal on his debut against Italy in 2005.

King was transfer listed by Barnet at the end of the 2006–07 season, for which he was named player of the year, to avoid him leaving on a free transfer a year later. He was signed by Gillingham for £200,000 on a three-year deal in June 2007. This fee could however rise to £250,000, depending on appearances and whether Gillingham achieve promotion to the Football League Championship.[2] He made his debut on the first day of the season against Cheltenham Town, but was on the wrong end of a 1–0 defeat. He was named Gillingham's Player of the Year for the 2008–09 season[3] as well as being voted into the Professional Footballers' Association League Two team of the year.[4]

On 3 July 2009, King signed a new three-year contract, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2012. However, during a pre-season friendly against Bromley, King suffered an ankle injury which kept him out of the entire 2009–10 season. The injury also carried over to the beginning of the 2010–11 season.[5] King finally returned to training on 1 November 2010 after 18 months out, with the last professional game he played in having been the 2009 Football League Two play-off Final.[6]

The return from injury for King was short lived however, after suffering a setback during training which caused the length on the sidelines to be extended for a few weeks. On 8 February 2011, King finally made his return to football after 18 months without playing after replacing Matthew Lawrence in the 25th minute in the 3–1 home win against Rotherham United.[7] He joined Plymouth Argyle on loan for one month on 31 August 2011,[8] and made his debut in a 2–1 defeat at Burton Albion on 3 September. He made two further appearances before the loan was extended until 7 November.[9]

King was released by Gillingham in May 2012, along with two other teammates.[10] He agreed to sign for Inverness Caledonian Thistle in July.[11]

King was forced to retire from professional football after failing to recover from an injury sustained playing for Inverness,[12] but signed for Isthmian League Division One North club Thurrock on 23 August 2013.[13]

Honours

References
  1. "Simon King". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  2. "Gillingham complete King signing". Gillingham F.C. 10 June 2007. Retrieved 10 June 2007.
  3. "King voted Player of the Year". Archived from the original on 29 April 2009. Retrieved 26 April 2009.
  4. "King Named in PFA Team of the Year". Gillingham F.C. 27 April 2009. Retrieved 27 April 2009.
  5. "Gillingham Defender Simon King to miss entire season". BBC Sport. 1 April 2010. Retrieved 1 April 2010.
  6. "Gillingham Boss Andy Hessenthaler wants squad shake-up". BBC Sport. 1 November 2010. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
  7. "Garry Richards & Simon King return for Gillingham". BBC Sport. 8 February 2011. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
  8. Cawdell, Luke (31 August 2011). "Simon King makes loan switch from Gillingham to Plymouth Argyle". Kent Online. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  9. "Plymouth Argyle extend Simon King's loan until November". BBC Sport. 22 September 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  10. "Gillingham release Simon King, Jo Kuffour & Garry Richards". BBC Sport. BBC. 21 May 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  11. "Inverness Caledonian Thistle to sign Simon King". BBC Sport. BBC. 30 July 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  12. "Foundations in place for future success at ICT". Inverness Courier. Scottish Provincial Press. 21 May 2013. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  13. "Ship Lane fit for a King". 23 August 2013. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
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