| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Lionel Simpson | ||
| Date of birth | 5 October 1933 | ||
| Place of birth | Appleby, England | ||
| Date of death | 7 December 1993 (aged 60) | ||
| Place of death | Gillingham, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1954-1957 | Netherfield | ? | (?) |
| 1957 | Lincoln City[1] | 5 | (0) |
| 1957-72 | Gillingham[2] | 571 | (0) |
| 1972 | → Margate (loan) | ? | (?) |
| 1972 | Maidstone United | ? | (?) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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John Lionel Simpson (born Appleby, 5 October 1933, died Gillingham, 7 December 1993) was an English football goalkeeper. He spent fifteen years playing for Gillingham, for whom he holds the all-time record for the most matches played in the Football League.
Simpson began his professional career with Lincoln City, having been spotted playing for Netherfield in the Lancashire Combination but only managed five first-team appearances for the Sincil Bank club before Gillingham snapped him up in the summer of 1957 for just £750. For the next fifteen years he was the Gills' first-choice goalkeeper, helping them win the Fourth Division championship in the 1963–64 season, during which he let in just 30 goals, a club record which stood until 1995–96. In 1972, after a club record 571 Football League appearances, he left the professional game to see out his career with non-league Maidstone United, but in 1975 he returned to Priestfield Stadium to play for Gillingham's reserves due to an injury crisis.[2]
After his retirement he ran a newsagent's close to Priestfield Stadium. He died in 1993, aged 60.[2] His record tally of 571 league appearances for Gillingham remains intact to this day, fellow goalkeeper Ron Hillyard's career having been ended by injury just 8 matches short of the record.