Peter Simpson (Scottish footballer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Peter Simpson | ||
| Date of birth | 13 November 1904 | ||
| Place of birth | Leith, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | March 1974 (aged 69) | ||
| Place of death | Croydon, Surrey | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| ?–1925 | Leith Amateurs | 20 | (15) |
| 1925–1927 | St Bernard's | 58 | (78) |
| 1927–1929 | Kettering Town | 60 | (100) |
| 1929–1935 | Crystal Palace | 195 | (165) |
| 1935–1937 | West Ham United | ? | (?) |
| 1937–? | Reading | ? | (?) |
| Aldershot | ? | (?) | |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
|||
Peter Simpson (13 November 1904 — March 1974) was a Scottish footballer of the 1920s and 1930s who set many scoring records.
Simpson was born in Leith and began his career with local side Leith Amateurs, before joining Division Two side St Bernard's for the start of the 1925-26 season. He scored 12 times in his first seven games for "Saints" and eventually totalled 33 goals for the season. However, the 1926 General Strike had severe financial ramifications for Scottish lower-league sides, and part way into the 1926-27 season Simpson left St Bernards for English non-league side Kettering Town.
At Kettering, Simpson did well, and his break came, strangely, in a game for Kettering, playing against Crystal Palace in an FA Cup First Round tie, in 1928. Though he failed to find the net, Simpson impressed Palace manager Fred Mavin who signed him the following summer.
Simpson made his Crystal Palace debut in the fifth game of the 1929-30 season against Norwich City and scored a hat-trick, and by March of that season, had scored 27 goals in 27 league and cup games. This alerted the big clubs of the time to his talent, and a transfer away from Selhurst Park seemed certain. However, the Palace directors put a huge price-tag on his contract, and no move came. He finished the season, and improved on his record up until March, finally having netted 36 times in 34 games.
In the 1930-31 season, he achieved a Palace record, scoring six goals in a 7-2 win over Exeter City, in a Division Three South fixture. He would go on to score 46 goals that season, a Palace record that still stands.
...
Wikipedia