Simon Osborn
Encyclopedia
Simon Osborn is an English
footballer who played as a midfielder
.
, Osborn started his career as a trainee at Crystal Palace
in 1988, turning professional for the 1989-90 season
, when his performances for a newly promoted Palace side secured their First Division
survival with a 15th place finish and saw him voted Young Player of the Year by the club's fans, though he missed out on a place in the squad for the final
of the FA Cup
that season, which Palace lost to Manchester United
in a replay.
After over 50 games for Palace, Reading
handed over £90,000 for his services at the start of the 1994–95 season. He formed a vital part of the team that finished second in the First Division
that season, losing 4-3 to Bolton Wanderers
in the play-off final
that was necessary due to the Premier League's reduction in size only allowing one automatic promotion
place.
As a result of Reading's failure to secure promotion, Osborn decided to move elsewhere in order to gain Premier League experience, and was sold to Queens Park Rangers
in July 1995 for £1.1 million. He lasted just six months at QPR (scoring once in nine Premier League games for a side who ended the season relegated) before moving back down a division and signing for Wolverhampton Wanderers
for a £1 million transfer fee.
It was at Wolves where he had his longest spell with a club, staying for close to six years he played close to 200 games. In March 2001 he was released from his contract to enable him to join fellow Championship
side Tranmere Rovers
for three months. He left Tranmere in September 2001 on a free transfer to Port Vale
in League One
. He played eight games in four weeks for the Vale before moving back up to the Championship with Gillingham
.
After close to 50 appearances at the Priestfield Stadium
, Osborn signed for Walsall
in July 2003, where he was assistant to manager Paul Merson
for a short time. In three seasons with the Midlands
club he played over 100 games.
Osborn started the 2006–07 with Hereford United
, who had just won promotion back to the Football League
after nine years in the Conference
, before moving to Bromley
in September 2006. He was appointed player-manager of Bromley in January 2008, but resigned three months later.
Osborn signed for Cray Wanderers
in February 2009, appearing on the bench against Ashford Town
and making his debut for in March against Walton & Hersham
. He scored the only goal for Wanderers in their 1-0 victory in the play-off final against Metropolitan Police
. This also proved to be his only goal for the club, as he left the club at the end of the season and retired from playing football, opting to look for a coaching role elsewhere. Osborn came out of retirement in March 2010 to resign for Cray Wanderers
. For the second successive season Osborn scored in the final game of the season against Horsham F.C.
.
with Reading
with Cray Wanderers
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
footballer who played as a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
.
Playing career
A central midfielderMidfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
, Osborn started his career as a trainee at Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
in 1988, turning professional for the 1989-90 season
1989-90 in English football
-European competitions:English clubs were still banned from competing in European competitions following the Heysel Stadium disaster.- First Division :...
, when his performances for a newly promoted Palace side secured their First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
survival with a 15th place finish and saw him voted Young Player of the Year by the club's fans, though he missed out on a place in the squad for the final
1990 FA Cup Final
The 1990 FA Cup Final was a football match contested by Manchester United and Crystal Palace at Wembley Stadium, London, England. The match finished 3–3 after extra time. Bryan Robson and Mark Hughes scored for United; Gary O'Reilly and Ian Wright for Palace...
of the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
that season, which Palace lost to Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
in a replay.
After over 50 games for Palace, Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
handed over £90,000 for his services at the start of the 1994–95 season. He formed a vital part of the team that finished second in the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
that season, losing 4-3 to Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
in the play-off final
1995 Football League First Division play-off Final
The 1995 Football League Division One play-off Final was an epic contest between Bolton Wanderers and Reading at Wembley Stadium, London. Bolton Wanderers won the match 4-3, after extra time.-Background:...
that was necessary due to the Premier League's reduction in size only allowing one automatic promotion
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
place.
As a result of Reading's failure to secure promotion, Osborn decided to move elsewhere in order to gain Premier League experience, and was sold to Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
in July 1995 for £1.1 million. He lasted just six months at QPR (scoring once in nine Premier League games for a side who ended the season relegated) before moving back down a division and signing for Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
for a £1 million transfer fee.
It was at Wolves where he had his longest spell with a club, staying for close to six years he played close to 200 games. In March 2001 he was released from his contract to enable him to join fellow Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
side Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
for three months. He left Tranmere in September 2001 on a free transfer to Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
in League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
. He played eight games in four weeks for the Vale before moving back up to the Championship with Gillingham
Gillingham F.C.
Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium...
.
After close to 50 appearances at the Priestfield Stadium
Priestfield Stadium
Priestfield Stadium is a football stadium in Gillingham, Kent...
, Osborn signed for Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
in July 2003, where he was assistant to manager Paul Merson
Paul Merson
Paul Charles Merson is a retired English football player, and former player-manager of Walsall. His playing career has included spells at Arsenal, Middlesbrough, Aston Villa, Portsmouth and finishing his playing career at Tamworth. He also played for England 21 times...
for a short time. In three seasons with the Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
club he played over 100 games.
Osborn started the 2006–07 with Hereford United
Hereford United F.C.
Hereford United Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Hereford. Founded in 1924, they are competing in Football League Two in the 2011–12 season. Hereford have played at Edgar Street for their entire history and are nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites',...
, who had just won promotion back to the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
after nine years in the Conference
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
, before moving to Bromley
Bromley F.C.
Bromley Football Club are an English football club based in Bromley, in Greater London, England. They currently play in the Conference South, and play their home matches at Hayes Lane.-Early years:...
in September 2006. He was appointed player-manager of Bromley in January 2008, but resigned three months later.
Osborn signed for Cray Wanderers
Cray Wanderers F.C.
Cray Wanderers F.C. is an English semi-professional football club based in Bromley, London. It is one of the oldest football clubs in the world. The club was established in 1860 in the twin villages of St. Mary Cray and St Paul's Cray, near Orpington, then in the county of Kent.They currently play...
in February 2009, appearing on the bench against Ashford Town
Ashford Town F.C. (Kent)
Ashford United F.C. are an English football club based in Ashford, Kent. The 'new' United was formed in 2011 . Between 1930 and 2010 the town was represented by Ashford Town FC, before it ultimately went into administration...
and making his debut for in March against Walton & Hersham
Walton & Hersham F.C.
Walton & Hersham F.C. is an English football club located in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, currently playing in the Isthmian League Division One South. They play in a red and white home kit at Stompond Lane....
. He scored the only goal for Wanderers in their 1-0 victory in the play-off final against Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan Police F.C.
Metropolitan Police F.C. is the football club of the Metropolitan Police Service, although in recent years there has been a relaxation in the rule that players had to be serving members of the police force...
. This also proved to be his only goal for the club, as he left the club at the end of the season and retired from playing football, opting to look for a coaching role elsewhere. Osborn came out of retirement in March 2010 to resign for Cray Wanderers
Cray Wanderers F.C.
Cray Wanderers F.C. is an English semi-professional football club based in Bromley, London. It is one of the oldest football clubs in the world. The club was established in 1860 in the twin villages of St. Mary Cray and St Paul's Cray, near Orpington, then in the county of Kent.They currently play...
. For the second successive season Osborn scored in the final game of the season against Horsham F.C.
Horsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
.
Managerial statistics
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | L | D | Win % | |||
| Bromley | January 2008 | April 2008 |
|||||
Honours
with Crystal Palace- Football League Second DivisionFootball League Second DivisionFrom 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
champion: 1993–94
with Reading
- Football League First DivisionFootball League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
runner-up: 1994–95
with Cray Wanderers
- Isthmian League Division One South play-off winner: 2009