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Born: 23 March 1981, Larne
Height: 6.03 ft
Weight: 12.03 st
Position: Central Defender
Representative Honours: Northern Ireland: 14 Under-21 Caps (2001-2003), Under-18, Under-16, 4 Schoolboy Caps (1997).
Club Honours:
Club Career:
Clubs
|
Seasons
|
Signed
|
Fee
|
League
|
FA Cup
|
FL Cup
|
Europe
|
Other
|
|
Larne
|
96/97
|
-
|
Youth
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Wolverhampton Wanderers
|
97/98-00/01
|
Aug-97
|
£40,000
|
0 (0)/0
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Hartlepool United
|
00/01-02/03
|
Mar-01
|
Free
|
6 (5)/0
|
1(0)/0
|
-
|
-
|
1(0)/0
|
|
Derry City
|
2003
|
-
|
Free
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Ballymena United
|
03/04
|
Feb-03
|
Loan
|
10 (0)/2
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Ballymena United
|
04/05-06/07
|
May-04
|
Free
|
36 (4)/3
|
4(0)/0
|
13(2)/0
|
2(0)/0
|
3(0)/0
|
|
Finn Harps
|
2007
|
Jan-07
|
Free
|
8 (-)/1
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Hednesford Town
|
07/08
|
Aug-07
|
Free
|
15 (4)/0
|
3(1)/0
|
2(0)/0
|
-
|
3(0)/0
|
|
TOTALS
|
£10,000
|
75(13)/6
|
8(1)/0
|
15(2)/0
|
2(0)/0
|
7(0)/0
|
|||
Biography:
Gordon Simms made his Irish League debut as a fifteen year-old for his hometown club, Larne. The young centre-back soon established himself in the first eleven, earning rave reviews and the attentions of several cross-channel clubs - among them Everton, Leicester, Liverpool, Newcastle and Sunderland. He spent a trial period with Ipswich Town in early in 1997 but it was Wolves who claimed his signature that summerfor a fee of around £40,000.
Simms spent four years on Wolves' books, during which time he was a regular in Northern Ireland's Youth teams. He was allowed to leave Molineaux in March 2001, without having made a firstteam appearance, and joined Hartlepool United. He made his Football League debut in a Division Three 0-0 draw at Southend in September 2001, but after initial good progress some minor injuries saw him fall from the reckoning. He made just two appearances in the 2002/03 season and in his absense Hartlepool claimed promotion and was released that summer.
A regular in the Northern Ireland Under-21 team throughout his time at Hartlepool, Simms' career at this level coincided with a poor run of results and he tasted victory just once in fourteen appearances.
Simms returned to Northern Ireland to sign for Derry City but soon moved even closer to home when signed on loan by Ballymena in early 2004. He made his Braidmen debut in a 0-0 draw at Crusaders in February 2004 and scored on his next appearance against Limavady. When his loan spell expired he was signed on a permanent deal and that summer he put in a firstclass display in an Intertoto Cup match against Odense. Thereafter his form was erratic and he made his final Sky Blues appearance in November 2006 and was transfer-listed the following January.
Simms never hid his desire to return to English football, but when he left The Showgrounds it was for a short-term deal with Finn harps in the League of Ireland First Division. He did finally get his return to England in the summer of 2007 when he joined Northern Premier League side, Hednesford Town.
Northern Ireland Under-21 Cap Details:
27-03-2001 Bulgaria...... A L 0-2 ECQ
01-06-2001 Bulgaria...... H D 1-1 ECQ
05-06-2001 Czech Republic A L 0-4 ECQ
31-08-2001 Denmark....... A L 0-2 ECQ
04-09-2001 Iceland....... H L 1-3 ECQ
05-10-2001 Malta......... A D 2-2 ECQ
12-02-2002 Germany....... H L 0-1 FR
06-09-2002 Scotland...... A D 1-1 FR
11-10-2002 Spain......... A L 0-1 ECQ
15-10-2002 Ukraine....... H D 1-1 ECQ
11-02-2003 Finland....... H W 3-1 FR
28-03-2003 Armenia....... A L 0-2 ECQ
01-04-2003 Greece........ H L 2-6 ECQ
10-06-2003 Spain......... H L 1-4 ECQ
Summary: 14/0. Won 1, Drew 4, Lost 9.
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