Simon Royce

Simon Royce
Personal information
Full name Simon Ernest Royce[1]
Date of birth (1971-09-09) 9 September 1971
Place of birth Forest Gate, England
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Playing position Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1989–1991 Heybridge Swifts 70 (0)
1991–1998 Southend United 149 (0)
1998–2000 Charlton Athletic 8 (0)
2000–2003 Leicester City 19 (0)
2001–2002Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) 6 (0)
2002Manchester City (loan) 0 (0)
2002Queens Park Rangers (loan) 8 (0)
2002–2003Queens Park Rangers (loan) 8 (0)
2003–2005 Charlton Athletic 1 (0)
2004–2005Luton Town (loan) 2 (0)
2005Queens Park Rangers (loan) 13 (0)
2005–2007 Queens Park Rangers 50 (0)
2007Gillingham (loan) 3 (0)
2007–2010 Gillingham 92 (0)
2010–2011 Brentford 2 (0)
Total 431 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Simon Ernest Royce (born 9 September 1971) is an English retired footballer and current goalkeeping coach. Royce joined Gillingham in April 2007 as an emergency loan signing after the Kent team were left with no fit goalkeepers for their final three matches of the season and signed for the club on a permanent basis in August 2007.[2]

Career

Royce began his career with non-League Heybridge Swifts and after claiming the number one jersey off long standing Albie Bridge while still a teenager soon attracted the interest of many Football League sides. He joined Southend United for a £35,000 fee in October 1991 and became the first Heybridge player to be sold to a professional club.[3] He spent a few seasons as understudy to Paul Sansome before finally establishing himself as the Shrimpers' first choice and a fans' favourite – he played in the successful Southend side in the mid 90's under Barry Fry and later Peter Taylor before Charlton Athletic manager Alan Curbishley snapped him up on a free transfer.[3][4] Despite some strong performances in the Premier League, including many clean sheets resulting in setting a post-war club record, injury prevented Royce from establishing himself as regularly as he would have liked and, after the arrival of Dean Kiely, he rejoined former boss Peter Taylor at Leicester City.[5] Some good early form resulted with speculation about an England call-up for new manager Sven-Goran Eriksson's initial squad,[6] however this never materialised and further injuries prevented Royce from making as many first team appearances as he possibly could.

A second spell at Charlton followed before he moved into the lower tiers of the Football League with Queens Park Rangers, Manchester City (on loan), Luton Town (on loan) and Brighton & Hove Albion (on loan) again teaming up with Peter Taylor.[1] During a Stoke City vs QPR game, he was attacked by a Stoke fan.[7]

He made his debut for Gillingham in the 3–2 home win over Port Vale on 21 April 2007.[8]

In August 2007 he joined Gillingham on a free transfer,[9] saying that he intended to see out the rest of his career at Gillingham and his performances in goal won him the Supporters' Player of the Year award for the 2007–08 season.[10][11] He was first choice goalkeeper at Gillingham again in the promotion season of 2008–09 and at the beginning of the following season.[12][13] He was forced out of the team by injuries sustained in a car accident in December 2009 and never regained his place from Alan Julian.[12][14] His Gillingham contract expired at the end of that season and although he had been offered a goalkeeper/coach role at Gillingham,[12] he opted in June 2010 to take up the role at Brentford,[15] where he remained until the end of the 2017–18 season.[16]

Career statistics

Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Southend United 1996–97[17] First Division 43 0 1 0 1 0 45 0
1997–98[18] Second Division 37 0 2 0 4 0 1[lower-alpha 1] 0 44 0
Total 149 0 5 0 9 0 6 0 169 0
Charlton Athletic 1998–99[19] Premier League 8 0 0 0 0 0 8 0
1999–00[20] First Division 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 8 0 0 0 0 0 8 0
Leicester City 2000–01[21] Premier League 19 0 4 0 1 0 24 0
2001–02[21] 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2002–03[22] 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 19 0 4 0 1 0 24 0
Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) 2001–02[21] Second Division 6 0 0 0 6 0
Manchester City (loan) 2001–02[21] First Division 0 0 0 0
Queens Park Rangers (loan) 2002–03[22] Second Division 16 0 0 0 0 0 1[lower-alpha 1] 0 17 0
Charlton Athletic 2003–04[23] Premier League 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
2004–05[24] 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Charlton Athletic total 9 0 0 0 0 0 9 0
Luton Town (loan) 2004–05[24] League One 2 0 0 0 2 0
Queens Park Rangers (loan) 2004–05[24] Championship 13 0 13 0
Queens Park Rangers 2005–06[25] Championship 30 0 1 0 1 0 32 0
2006–07[8] 20 0 2 0 0 0 22 0
Queens Park Rangers total 79 0 3 0 1 0 83 0
Gillingham (loan) 2006–07[8] League One 3 0 3 0
Gillingham 2007–08[26] League One 33 0 1 0 1 0 1[lower-alpha 1] 0 36 0
2008–09[13] League Two 42 0 3 0 0 0 4[lower-alpha 2] 0 49 0
2009–10[27] League One 17 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 21 0
Gillingham total 95 0 6 0 3 0 5 0 109 0
Brentford 2010–11[28] League One 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
2011–12[29] 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Career Total 363 0 18 0 14 0 9 0 404 0

Honours

As a player

Gillingham

As an individual

References

  1. 1 2 "Barry Hugman's Footballers – Simon Royce". hugmansfootballers.com. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  2. "Royce plugs Gills goalkeeping gap". BBC Sport. 19 April 2007. Retrieved 20 April 2007.
  3. 1 2 "Keeper looks a good catch". The Argus. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  4. "Royce ready for main role at Charlton". Gazette. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  5. "BBC SPORT | LEICESTER CITY | Taylor's new start". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  6. Lacey, David (15 January 2001). "Ipswich find the pressure points". the Guardian. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  7. Appearance in Full Members Cup.
  8. 1 2 3 "Simon Royce | Football Stats | No Club | Season 2006/2007 | 1990–2011 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  9. "Royce signs on the dotted line". www.gillinghamfootballclub.co.uk. Retrieved 1 August 2007.
  10. "ROYCE PUTS PEN TO PAPER | Gillingham | News | Latest News | Latest News". Archived from the original on 23 July 2008. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  11. 1 2 "Gillingham | News | Latest News | Latest News | Royce Wins Player Of The Year". www.gillinghamfootballclub.com.p.preprod.performgroup.com. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  12. 1 2 3 "Gillingham | News | Latest News | Latest News | ROYCE BECOMES BEES COACH". www.gillinghamfootballclub.com.p.preprod.performgroup.com. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  13. 1 2 3 "Simon Royce | Football Stats | No Club | Season 2008/2009 | 1990–2011 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  14. "Gills' Royce injured in car crash". 14 December 2009. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  15. "Brentford | News | Latest News | Latest News | BEES SIGN GOALKEEPING COACH". world.brentfordfc.co.uk. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  16. "Goalkeeper Coaching staff changes". Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  17. "Simon Royce | Football Stats | No Club | Season 1996/1997 | 1990–2011 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  18. "Simon Royce | Football Stats | No Club | Season 1997/1998 | 1990–2011 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  19. "Simon Royce | Football Stats | No Club | Season 1998/1999 | 1990–2011 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  20. "Simon Royce | Football Stats | No Club | Season 1999/2000 | 1990–2011 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  21. 1 2 3 4 "Simon Royce | Football Stats | No Club | Season 2000/2001 | 1990–2011 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  22. 1 2 "Simon Royce | Football Stats | No Club | Season 2002/2003 | 1990–2011 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  23. "Simon Royce | Football Stats | No Club | Season 2003/2004 | 1990–2011 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  24. 1 2 3 "Simon Royce | Football Stats | No Club | Season 2004/2005 | 1990–2011 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  25. "Simon Royce | Football Stats | No Club | Season 2005/2006 | 1990–2011 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  26. "Simon Royce | Football Stats | No Club | Season 2007/2008 | 1990–2011 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  27. "Simon Royce | Football Stats | No Club | Season 2009/2010 | 1990–2011 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  28. "Simon Royce | Football Stats | No Club | Season 2010/2011 | 1990–2011 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  29. "Simon Royce | Football Stats | No Club | Season 2011/2012 | 1990–2011 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
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