Simon Mills (footballer)

Simon Mills

Personal information
Full name	Simon Ashley Mills [1]
Date of birth	(1964-08-16) 16 August 1964 (age 59) [1]
Place of birth	Sheffield, England [1]
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) [2]
Position(s)	Right-back; midfielder
Youth career
	Sheffield Wednesday
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1982–1985	Sheffield Wednesday	5	(0)
1985–1987	York City	99	(4)
1987–1994	Port Vale	184	(8)
1994–1995	Boston United	42	(1)
	Matlock Town
Total		330+	(13+)
International career
1983	England Youth	3	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Simon Ashley Mills (born 16 August 1964) is an English former footballer who played as a defender; he was described by Jeff Kent as "skilful and adaptable". ^[1] He made 288 league appearances in a ten-year career in the Football League.

He began his career with local club Sheffield Wednesday in 1982, before moving on to York City three years later. Voted Clubman of the Year in 1986, he was sold on to Port Vale for £35,000 in December 1987. He helped the "Valiants" to win promotion out of the Third Division via the play-offs in 1989, before injuries forced him to leave the professional game in May 1994. He later attempted comebacks with Boston United and Matlock Town.

Career

Sheffield Wednesday

Born in Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire, Mills started his career with Sheffield Wednesday in 1982. He failed to earn a first-team spot at Hillsborough, particularly following the "Owls" ascent to the First Division in 1983–84 under Howard Wilkinson's stewardship. He felt that he did not suit Wilkinson's style of football. ^[3]

York City

Mills moved on to York City in June 1985 after manager Denis Smith spotted him playing reserve team football. ^[3] The "Minstermen" finished seventh in the Third Division in 1985–86, and Mills was voted Clubman of the Year. ^[3] However, a decline at Bootham Crescent saw the club slip to 20th in 1986–87, and Smith was replaced by Bobby Saxton. Mills was sold to John Rudge's Port Vale for £35,000 in December 1987. ^[1] York went on to finish in the relegation places in 1987–88.

Port Vale

Unable to fit him into the side due to the form of Ray Walker and others, Rudge converted Mills from a midfielder to a right-back. ^[4] He made 19 Third Division appearances in 1987–88, scoring five goals, including one in a 3–2 comeback win over former club York. ^{[1] [3]} He played 55 games in the 1988–89 promotion season, playing in partnership first with fellow centre-backs Phil Sproson and Bob Hazell (who both struggled with injuries) and later Gary West and Dean Glover (who were signed mid-season), alongside full-backs Alan Webb and Darren Hughes, in front of goalkeeper Mark Grew. ^[1] This proved to be the most successful defence in the division, conceding just 48 goals in 46 league games. ^[1] However, a third-place finish meant that they had to overcome Bristol Rovers 2–1 over two legs in the play-off final, with Robbie Earle hitting both goals. ^[1] Mills missed just one Second Division game in 1989–90, forming a formidable defensive partnership with Glover. ^[1]

He played 45 games in 1990–91, as Vale retained their second tier status. ^[1] He played 40 games in the 1991–92 relegation season, scoring twice, and helped the club to win the TNT Tournament in the summer. ^[1] However, in autumn 1992 he developed knee cartilage trouble and underwent a series of unsuccessful operations, limiting him to just three league appearances in 1992–93. ^[5] He commentated for BBC Radio Stoke at the 1993 Football League Trophy final. ^[5] He was given a free transfer in May 1994. ^[1]

Later career

After retiring as a professional, he later attempted a comeback with Northern Premier League Premier Division sides Boston United and Matlock Town. ^[1]

Style of play

Mills was a hard working player who played at both right-back and midfield. ^[6] He was an excellent set piece taker and part of Port Vale's "MBE" corner kick routine: Mills to Darren Beckford to Robbie Earle. ^{[7] [6]} In May 2019, he was voted into the "Ultimate Port Vale XI" as a right-back by members of the OneValeFan supporter website. ^[8]

Later life

Mills became a drayman at a Sheffield brewery after leaving football and attempted to start a business selling second hand fishing gear. ^{[9] [5]}

Career statistics

Source: ^{[10] [11] [12]}

Club	Season	Division	League		FA Cup		Other		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Sheffield Wednesday	1982–83	Second Division	1	0	1	0	0	0	2	0
	1983–84	Second Division	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
	1984–85	First Division	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
	Total		5	0	1	0	0	0	6	0
York City	1985–86	Third Division	36	1	6	0	4	0	46	1
	1986–87	Third Division	45	1	3	1	6	1	54	3
	1987–88	Third Division	18	2	4	1	4	1	26	4
	Total		99	4	13	2	14	2	126	8
Port Vale	1987–88	Third Division	19	5	0	0	0	0	19	5
	1988–89	Third Division	43	0	3	0	9	0	55	0
	1989–90	Second Division	45	1	3	0	6	0	54	1
	1990–91	Second Division	41	0	1	0	3	0	45	0
	1991–92	Second Division	33	2	1	0	6	0	40	2
	1992–93	Second Division	3	0	1	0	1	0	5	0
	Total		184	8	9	0	25	0	218	8
Boston United	1994–95	Northern Premier League Premier Division	36	1	3	0	4	0	43	1
	1995–96	Northern Premier League Premier Division	6	0	1	0	2	0	9	0
	Total		42	1	4	0	6	0	52	1
Career total			330	13	27	2	45	2	402	17

Honours

Port Vale

• Football League Third Division play-offs: 1989 ^[13]

Individual

• York City Clubman of the Year: 1985–86

References

1. Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 200. ISBN   0-9529152-0-0.
2. "Simon Mills". adrianbullock.com. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
3. "The Simon Mills Interview (Part 1)". The Vale Park Beano. 82.
4. Earle, Robbie (20 September 2012). "Micky Adams must take credit for building an attacking squad". The Sentinel . Retrieved 20 September 2012.
5. "The Simon Mills Interview (Part 2)". The Vale Park Beano. 83.
6. "Cult Hero 05: Simon Mills". onevalefan.co.uk. 29 January 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
7. Baggaley, Michael (5 October 2013). "Chris Lines in good company when it comes to taking free-kicks". The Sentinel . Retrieved 6 October 2013.
8. Fielding, Rob (26 May 2019). "This is the OVF viewers all-time Port Vale XI". onevalefan.co.uk. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
9. "Vale heroes completed mission thanks to MBE". The Sentinel. 30 October 2009. Retrieved 31 October 2009.
10. Simon Mills at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
11. "Statistics Season 1994/95". bufc.drfox.org.uk. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
12. "Statistics Season 1995/96". bufc.drfox.org.uk. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
13. Kent, Jeff (1989). Port Vale Promotion Chronicle 1988-1989: Back to Where We Once Belonged!. Witan Books. ISBN   0-9508981-3-9.