Simon Francis (footballer)
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| Simon Francis | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Simon Charles Francis | |
| Date of birth | 16 February 1985 | |
| Place of birth | Nottingham, England | |
| Playing position | Defender | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Southend United | |
| Number | 2 | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 2002–2004 2004–2006 2005 2005–2006 2006– |
Bradford City Sheffield United → Grimsby Town (loan) → Tranmere Rovers (loan) Southend United |
55 (1) 12 (0) 5 (0) 17 (1) 67 (3) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Simon Charles Francis (born 16 February 1985 in Nottingham, England) is a football player playing for Southend United. A former England Under-21 international,[citation needed] he is a powerful player who can fill numerous defensive and midfield slots.
[edit] Playing career
Francis was rejected as a youngster by both hometown clubs Notts County[1] and Nottingham Forest.[2] Instead he joined Bradford City as a trainee in 2002 after being spotted playing for South Nottingham College.[3] He made his debut for City on 16 November 2002 against Nottingham Forest days after he came on as substitute for England under 18s against France.[4][2] He made more than 50 starts for the Bantams before he being sold for £200,000 by the administrators in 2004. City received offers from Sunderland and Sheffield United, with Francis choosing the latter to be nearer his home in Nottingham and link up with manager Neil Warnock.[5]
Competition for places meant that Francis was never quite able to hold down a regular place at Bramall Lane, restricting him to just 15 appearances for the Blades during his two-year sojourn. He spent most of season 2005–06 on loan with Grimsby Town and then Tranmere Rovers. His final appearance in a Blades shirt was as a late substitute at Luton in the penultimate game of the season.
Despite featuring in the League One's Team of the Season, Francis was made available for transfer in May 2006. Southend's manager Steve Tilson, who had worked with the young player at England U-21 level, secured the services of the talented defender. Francis signed for an undisclosed fee from the Blades on 13 June 2006, agreeing a three-year deal with the Shrimpers as they prepared for a return to the Football League Championship.
He made his Southend debut in a 1–0 victory over Chelmsford City.
He scored his first goal for Southend in the 3-1 defeat to Ipswich at Roots Hall, controlling a pass, cutting inside the defender, and sliding the ball home with his left foot.
Table includes all league and cup appearances
| Season | Club | Apps (Sub) | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–2003 | Bradford City | 25 (1) | 1 |
| 2003–2004 | Bradford City | 26 (5) | 0 |
| 2003–2004 | Sheffield United | 4 (1) | 0 |
| 2004–2005 | Sheffield United | 2 (5) | 0 |
| 2005–2006 | Tranmere Rovers | 16 (1) | 1 |
| 2005–2006 | Grimsby Town | 5 (1) | 0 |
| 2005–2006 | Sheffield United | 2 (1) | 0 |
| 2006–2007 | Southend United | 35 (10) | 1 |
[edit] References
- ^ Walker, Alex. "The ones that got away", BBC Nottingham, 10 February 2005. Retrieved on 2008-01-24.
- ^ a b "Bantams hit 'crisis level'", Telegraph & Argus, 14 November 2002. Retrieved on 2008-01-24.
- ^ "Francis in at the deep end", Telegraph & Argus, 15 November 2002. Retrieved on 2008-01-24.
- ^ "Francis making a big impression", Telegraph & Argus, 3 December 2002. Retrieved on 2008-01-24.
- ^ "Simon says: I choose United", Telegraph & Argus, 13 March 2004. Retrieved on 2008-01-24.
[edit] External links
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