Andrew Little

Name: Andrew Little
Born: 12 May 1989, Enniskillen
Height: 6.00 ft
Weight: 11.09 st
Position: Forward / Midfielder / Defender

Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: Full (2009-date), 6 Under-21 Caps / 3 Goals (2008-2010), 11 Under-19 Caps / 4 Goals, 6 Under-17 Caps / 2 Goals.
Club Honours: (with Rangers) Scottish League One Champion 2013/14; Scottish Third Division Champion 2012/13.

Club Career:
Teams......... --Seasons-- Signed -Fee- --League-- FA Cup FL Cup Others
Ballinamallard United ........... Youth
Rangers .......08/09-13/14 Jul-06 Youth .48(18)/34 4(7)/0 6(1)/2 3(0)/2

Port Vale .... 11/12 ..... Aug-11 .Loan ..2 (5)/ 0 
Preston N.E. . 14/15-15/16 Jun-14 .Free ..5 (7)/ 1 1(0)/0 1(1)/1 1(0)/0
Blackpool .... 15/16 ..... Nov-15 .Loan ..3 (2)/ 1 
Accrington St. 15/16 ..... Mar-16 .Loan ..0 (0)/ 0
Stirling Alb.. 16/17- date Feb-17 .Free 
Dumbarton


Biography:
Andrew Little is a versatile youngster called up for the first time for the World Cup Qualifiers against Poland and Slovenia in March/April 2009 as a replacement for injured Rangers teammate, Kyle Lafferty. Comfortable as a striker, attacking midfielder or anywhere in defence, Little previously played in Northern Ireland's successful Milk Cup team, scoring in the 2008 Elite Final win over Chile.

Little made his international debut as a last-minute sub for David Healy against Poland in March 2009, holding up the ball well as Northern Ireland held out for a 3-2 victory. His club debut came a month later, as a substitute forward in Rangers' 3-0 Scottish Cup semi-final win over St Mirren on 25 April. His first start was at right-back in an Old Firm derby in October but picked-up a hamstring injury after just 14 minutes. Little's first firstteam goal was a dramatic injury time equaliser against Hearts in January 2010.

Little continued to prove his versatility, starting on the right wing and at right back against Italy and Albania on the occasions of his second and third caps. He retained the number two shirt for the summer 2009 friendlies against Turkey and Chile.

In August 2011, having been ruled out for much of the 2010/11 season by a hip injury, Little joined Port Vale on loan through to the following January as he sought fitness and match experience. The loan deal was cut short in October after he suffered a knee ligament injury.

Little enjoyed an extended run in the Rangers team toward the end of the 2011/12 season, and found a rich vein of goalscoring form for a comparatively struggling side. With Rangers' parlous financial state and eventual demotion to Division Three in the summer of 2012, Little agreed to remain at Ibrox. He finished 2012/13 as the Scottish Third Division's top scorer.

A second successive promotion was claimed in 2013/14, with Little enjoying a five game goalscoring run early on in the season. His season was then interrupted by a broken cheekbone collected against Dunfermline in November and on his return he struggled for form and a starting place. With Rangers' financial status still uncertain come the summer of 2014 Little was not offered a new deal and he signed for Preston North End.

Little has continued to struggle with injuries after joining Preston, making just eight starts in a season-and-a-half before playing on loan with Blackpool and Accrington Stanley. At the end of the 2015/16 season he was released was without a club until signed by Stirling in February 2017. Things continued to go against him however and after just five appearances he suffered a fractured skull in a training ground accident. He was however offered a new deal for the 2017/18 season.

In parallel with his playing career, since May 2017 Little has coached part-time at Rangers' Academy.

IrishFA Bio
Soccerbase

Northern Ireland Cap Details:
28-03-2009 Poland.. H W 3-2 WCQ sub
06-06-2009 Italy... A L 0-3 FR
03-03-2010 Albania. A L 0-1 FR
26-05-2010 Turkey.. N L 0-2 FR
30-05-2010 Chile... A L 0-1 FR
Still active.

Northern Ireland Under-21 Cap Details:
19-08-2008 Poland.... N L 0-1 MT
20-08-2008 Ukraine... A L 1-4 MT
05-09-2008 Germany... A L 0-3 ECQ
18-11-2008 Scotland.. A W 3-1 FR. 1 goal
03-09-2010 San Marino H W 4-0 ECQ 2 goals
07-09-2010 Germany... A L 0-3 ECQ

Summary: 6(0)/3. Won 2, Drew 0, Lost 4.

Pictures kindly supplied by Roy Cathcart and Chopper1.

Billy Simpson

Name: William Joseph Simpson

Born: 12 December 1929, Belfast
Died: 27 January 2017, Glasgow (Scotland)

Height: 5.11 ft

Weight: 11.06 st

Position: Forward

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Representative Honours: Ireland: 12 Full Caps/5 Goals (1951-1958); Irish League: 4 Caps / 1 Goal (1949-1951).

Club Honours: (with Linfield) Irish League Champion 1948/49, 1949/50; Irish Cup Winner 1947/48, 1949/50; Ulster Cup Winner 1948/49; Gold Cup Winner 1948/49, 1949/50, 1950/51; City Cup Winner 1949/50; County Antrim Shield Runner-Up 1947/48, 1949/50; (with Rangers) Scottish League Champion 1952/53, 1955/56, 1956/57; Scottish Cup Winner 1952/53.

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Club Career:

Clubs	Seasons	Signed	Fee	League	FA Cup	FL Cup	Europe	Other
Roosevelt Street BC		-	Youth	-	-	-	-	-
Linfield	46/47-50/51	Mar-46	Youth	63/ 38	7/ 6	-	-	59/31
Rangers	50/51-58/59	Nov-50	£11,500	172/113	23/14	38/34	6/2	26/ 9
Stirling Albion	58/59-59/60	Mar-59	-	8/  1	-	-	-	-
Partick Thistle	59/60	-	-	6/  2	/ 0	/ 0	-	-
Oxford United	60/61	c/s-60	-	9/  3	(Southern League)			2/ 0
TOTALS		£11,500		268/157	30/20	38/34	6/2	87/40

Biography:

Billy Simpson was above all a goalscorer, adept at picking up chances in the goal area. He would risk everything to reach the ball, capable of diving full length to head another goal.

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The younger brother of Belfast Celtic's Reggie Simpson, Donegall Road-born Billy made his debut for Linfield on 24th March 1947 and signed professional forms a week later. He gained a number of medals with the Blues, scoring many important goals. He claimed four in a 6-0 win over Glentoran in the 1949/50 Gold Cup and hattricks in a 5-0 Gold Cup Final win over Glenavon and in a 3-0 defeat of Ards in the final of the Ulster Cup.

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Simpson joined Rangers from Linfield on 19th October 1950 for the then substantial fee of £11,500, then an Irish League and Rangers club record. On his Rangers debut against East Fife on 23rd December he claimed another hattrick. On two occasions Simpson scored four goals in a match for the Gers - in a 5-1 win over Third lanark in April 1951 and against St Mirren who were defeated 4-0 in December 1952.

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At Ibrox Simpson scored a total of 163 goals in 239 appearances and collected 12 caps for Northern Ireland. He went to the 1958 World Cup Finals as part of a 16-man panel, but he picked up a muscle injury in training a few days before the opening game. Although the trainer, Gerry Morgan, felt Simpson had later reached fitness, he was over-ruled by the team medical advisor, Dr. Scarlett and Simpson missed the whole tournament. The Northern Ireland team could have used Simpson, particularly in the latter stages of the tournament as a ramshackle and injury-ridden side crashed out against France in the quarter-finals.

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Simpson played his final match for Rangers on 29th November 1958 and in March 1959 he was transferred to Stirling Albion. A cruciate ligament injury finished his career and he returned to Glasgow where he worked for the Remington Rand factory.

Simpson continued to reside near Ibrox until his death at the age of 87. A month earlier Rangers had hosted a tribute evening for Simpson, though he had been too frail to attend. Shortly before he died, Simpson looked back on the great Northern Ireland team of the 1950s: "we were more than a football team, we were all mates."

Rage Online 
Rangers Interview
Linfield Career

Northern Ireland Cap Details:

07-03-1951 Wales... H L 1-2 BC. 1 Goal

12-05-1951 France.. H D 2-2 FR. 1 Goal

03-10-1953 Scotland H L 1-3 WCQ

11-11-1953 England. A L 1-3 WCQ

02-10-1954 England. H L 0-2 BC

25-04-1957 Italy... A L 0-1 WCQ

01-05-1957 Portugal H W 3-0 WCQ 1 Goal

05-10-1957 Scotland H D 1-1 BC

06-11-1957 England. A W 3-2 BC. 1 Goal

15-01-1958 Italy... H W 2-1 WCQ

16-04-1958 Wales... A D 1-1 BC. 1 Goal

05-11-1958 Scotland A D 2-2 BC

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Summary: 12/5. Won 3, Drew 4, Lost 5.

Ireland Representative Appearance Details:
11-08-1948 USA Olympic XI H W 5-0

Irish League Representative Appearance Details:

18-04-1949 League of Ireland H W 4-1 1 Goal
26-04-1950 Football League.. H L 1-3
27-09-1950 Scottish League.. H L 0-4
18-10-1950 Football League.. A L 3-6

Summary: 4. Won 1, Drew 0, Lost 3.

Additional information by George Glass.

Stuart Elliott

A modern footballing rarity, Stuart Elliott rose from the Irish League to establish himself in the international set-up and in the English and Scottish Leagues...
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Name: Stuart Elliott
Born: 23 July 1978, Belfast
Height: 5.10 ft
Weight: 11.09 st
Position: Winger/Forward

Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: 38 Full Caps / 4 Goals (2000-2008), 1 B Cap (2003), 3 Under-21 Caps (1998-1999); Under-18 Schoolboy Caps.
Club Honours: (with Glentoran) Irish League Champion 1998/99; Irish Cup Winner 1999/00; Irish League Cup Winner 1997/98, Runner-Up 1998/99; Gold Cup Winner 1998/99; Co. Antrim Shield Winner 1998/99, 1999/00; Irish League Floodlit Cup Runner-Up 1996/97; (with Hull City) Football League Division Three Runner-Up 2003/04 (promoted); Football League One Runner-Up 2004/05 (promoted).
Awards: Hull City Player of the Year 2003, 2005; PFA League One Team of the Year 2005; League One Player of the Month Dec-2004

Club Career: 

Teams	Seasons	Signed	Fee	League	FA Cup	FL Cup	Europe	Other
Dungoyne Boys	-	-	Youth	-	-	-	-	-
Glentoran	95/96-99/00	-	Youth	115 (41)/ 51	*	-	3(1)/0	-
Motherwell	00/01-01/02	Jul-00	£100,000	50 (20)/ 22	1(1)/1	2(1)/0	-	-
Hull City	02/03-07/08	Jul-02	£230,000	156 (37)/ 65	4(4)/1	6(3)/1	-	0(1)/1
Doncaster Rvrs	07/08	Jan-08	Loan	1  (9)/  0	-	-	-	-
Doncaster Rvrs	08/09	Aug-08	-	3  (6)/  0	-	0(1)/0	-	-
Grimsby Town	08/09	Jan-09	Loan	9  (2)/  2	-	-	-	-
Hamilton Acad.	09/10	Jan-10	Free	2  (3)/  0	1(1)/0	-	-	-
Stirling Albion	09/10	Feb-10	Loan	5  (2)/  1	-	-	-	-
Glentoran	12/13	Aug-12	Free	3  (2)/  0	-	1(0)/1	-	-
TOTALS	-	£330,000		344(122)/141	6(6)/2	9(5)/2	3(1)/0	0(1)/1

* all domestic games.

Seasonal League Statistics:
Glentoran
95/96 .0 (2)/ 0* (Irish Premier League)
96/97 .9 (9)/ 3*
97/98 26(11)/11*
98/99 32(18)/14*
99/00 48 (3)/23*
Motherwell
00/01 22(13)/12 (Scottish Premier League)
01/02 30 (7)/10
Hull City
02/03 30 (6)/12 (Football League Division Two)
03/04 42 (0)/14
04/05 35 (1)/27 (Football League One)
05/06 26(14)/ 7 (Football League Championship)
06/07 20(12)/ 5
07/08 .3 (4)/ 0
Doncaster Rovers
07/08 .1 (9)/ 0 (Football League One)
08/09 .3 (6)/ 0 (Football League Championship)
Grimsby Town
08/09 .9 (2)/ 2 (Football League Two)
Hamilton Academical
09/10 .2 (3)/ 0 (Scottish Premier League)
Stirling Albion
09/10 .5 (2)/ 1 (Scottish League Division Two)

Biography:
In August 2010 Stuart Elliott, a long-time Christian, quit football to devote his life to God. He was ordained as a pastor at the Living Hope Church in Hull in January 2011.

Amber Nectar Hull City Fan's Tribute



IFA Premiership

Northern Ireland Cap Details:
02-09-2000 Malta............ H W 1-0 WCQ 
07-10-2000 Denmark.......... H D 1-1 WCQ 
11-10-2000 Iceland.......... A L 0-1 WCQ 
28-02-2001 Norway........... H L 0-4 FR. sub 
24-03-2001 Czech Republic... H L 0-1 WCQ 
28-03-2001 Bulgaria......... A L 3-4 WCQ 1 goal 
02-06-2001 Bulgaria......... H L 0-1 WCQ 
06-06-2001 Czech Republic... A L 1-3 WCQ 
01-09-2001 Denmark.......... A D 1-1 WCQ sub 
06-10-2001 Malta............ A W 1-0 WCQ 
13-02-2002 Poland........... N L 1-4 FR. sub 
27-03-2002 Liechtenstein.... A D 0-0 FR. sub 
17-04-2002 Spain............ H L 0-5 FR 
12-02-2003 Finland.......... H L 0-1 FR. sub 
29-03-2003 Armenia.......... A L 0-1 ECQ sub 
03-06-2003 Italy............ A L 0-2 FR. sub 
11-10-2003 Greece........... A L 0-1 ECQ 
02-06-2004 St Kitts & Nevis. A W 2-0 FR 
06-06-2004 Trinidad & Tobago A W 3-0 FR. 1 goal 
18-08-2004 Switzerland...... A D 0-0 FR 
04-09-2004 Poland........... H L 0-3 WCQ 
09-10-2004 Azerbaijan....... A D 0-0 WCQ 
13-10-2004 Austria.......... H D 3-3 WCQ sub 1 goal 
26-03-2005 England.......... A L 0-4 WCQ 
30-03-2005 Poland........... A L 0-1 WCQ sub 
04-06-2005 Germany.......... H L 1-4 FR 
17-08-2005 Malta............ A D 1-1 FR 
03-09-2005 Azerbaijan....... H W 2-0 WCQ 1 goal 
07-09-2005 England.......... H W 1-0 WCQ 
08-10-2005 Wales............ H L 2-3 WCQ 
12-10-2005 Austria.......... A L 0-2 WCQ sub 
15-11-2005 Portugal......... H D 1-1 FR 
01-03-2006 Estonia.......... H W 1-0 FR. sub 
16-08-2006 Finland.......... A W 2-1 FR 
02-09-2006 Iceland.......... H L 0-3 ECQ 
22-08-2007 Liechtenstein.... H W 3-1 ECQ sub 
08-09-2007 Latvia........... A L 0-1 ECQ 
26-03-2008 Georgia.......... H W 4-1 FR 

Summary: 26(12)/4. Won 10, Drew 8, Lost 20.

Northern Ireland B Cap Details:
20-05-2003 Scotland ........ A L 1-2 FR

Summary: 1/0. Won 0, Drew 0, Lost 1.

Northern Ireland Under-21 Cap Details:
09-10-1998 Finland.......... H D 1-1 ECQ
02-06-1999 Rep. of Ireland.. N L 0-1 PT sub
04-06-1999 Scotland ........ A D 1-1 PT 

Summary: 2(1)/0. Won 0, Drew 2, Lost 1.