Billy Simpson 1929 - 2017
Posted : 27th January 2017 at 12:53:10
Billy Simpson sadly passed away in Scotland this morning. The following details of his career with Linfield, Rangers and Northern Ireland are provided by way of tribute.
Billy Simpson was born on December 12, 1929 and grew up in the Donegall Rd area close to Windsor Park.
He signed for Linfield for season 1946/47 and scored twice on his debut in a 5-0 win against Cliftonville on March 24, 1947.
With Linfield he made 143 appearances and scored 93 goals.
He won Irish League winners medals in 1948/49 and 1949/50
He picked up Irish Cup winners medals in 1947/48 scoring in a 3-0 win against Coleraine at Celtic Park and again in 1949/50 after a 2-1 win against Distillery at Windsor Park.
He won 3 Gold cup winners medals as follows
1948/49 - scoring 3 goals in a 5-0 win against Glenavon at Solitude
1949/50 - 3-2 win against Portadown at the Oval
1950/51 - 5-1 win against Glentoran at Solitude
In 1948/49 he picked up an Ulster cup winners medal and he won a City cup winners medal in 1949/50.
In his final game for Linfield he scored in a 5-1 City cup home win against Ballymena on October 14, 1950.
He was transferred to Rangers on October 19, 1950 in a £11,500 deal.
With Rangers he made 262 appearances and scored 174 goals.
He won Scottish League winners medals in 1952/53, 1955/56 and 1956/57 and also won a Scottish cup winners medal in 1952/53.
He earned 12 senior caps scoring 5 goals for Northern Ireland between 1951 and 1959 and was included in the 1958 World Cup squad for Sweden.
He left Rangers in 1959 for Stirling Albion and then had short spells with Partick and Oxford prior to retirement in 1961. He was also a joiner in Govan shipyard in Glasgow.
Billy passed away in Scotland on January 27, 2017.