SOCCER SPORTRAIT – No. 22: Ernie Simpson.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 237, 7 October 1933, Page 5 (Supplement)

SOCCER SPORTRAIT - No. 22: Ernie Simpson.

It is fitting to ring down the curtain on Soccer Sportraits for tlic season with the object of this sketch, who is probably the senior player in Auckland to-day. Having been born in Sheffield settled the code that Ernie Simpson shonhl play, for the great stcelopolis knows a ball of only the orthodox shape, and it was one of those that he commenced to kick from the time of his earliest recollections. 110 graduated through the school stage and was playing junior grade when a change of scene was effected and Auckland became the city of his adoption. Brotherhood seconds was his first love here, and after a season or two lie "signed on" with the Auckland Mounted Rifles "for the duration" and played in Palestine in what later became the New Zealand brigade team. This led to contests with teams from Imperial units, and the men from "down under" acquitted them selves with much crcdit. When the scrap was over Ernie returned to the Dominion, and for a time played in tlie Waikato, but on returning to the citj he became identified with Shore, but

that was before I lie Tramways Club had a Soccer team, and when this was formed lie became a member, and is today the only member of the original team who is still wearing the colours in the senior grade. He has been one of the mainstays of the transporters' club for ten years now, and altogether has been figuring in Auckland Soccer for nearly two decades, lie captained Tramways for the fir r it six seasons of its ex i s tence, during which they • have won the local championship, the Chatham Cup, and the Falcon Cup several times. He has been a member of the Auckland rep. teams on several occasions, but his usefulness or success can hardly be gauged by these honours, for Auckland has had a surfeit of unusually outstanding players at left back, where j Simpson has always I 2 played. An immensely useful club man, I . he has also been of the utmost value to the code for his never-flagging enthusiasm for the game. His day should not 3 yet. be done, for there is an insatiable ? demand for such enthusiasts as player 7 coaches, and the code can ill spare such t as Ernie Simpson from active service.