Simon and Simon Together Again 1996

Ray Simpson / 30th May 2021

Remembering 1996 -- Simon Shaw

The defender who missed the 1996 final because of injury

In the latest of our serial celebrating our appearance at Wembley in 1996, Andrew Wilkinson spoke to Simon Shaw in this commodity that was starting time published on our website and in our matchday programme in 2016.

When Simon Shaw stepped into Feethams to sign for Darlington, he was a timid sixteen-yr-one-time directly out of schoolhouse.

Now, 26 years on, rather than receiving lessons he is delivering them, for he is a primary schoolhouse instructor on Teesside, at Whinney Banks School.

And fifty-fifty when abroad from work he is surrounded by children, for he is a male parent of iv. "When I remember some of the lads I played with at Darlington, I'm certain my young pupils are more mature," he smiled. "All these years on I still miss the dressing room banter."

And Simon's 'education' at Feethams was non what a immature footballer would expect these days. "As an apprentice now, the things we had to do would never exist on the agenda," he recalled. "Sean Gregan and I had to pigment the rusty Feethams railings and rotten wooden fencing. I tin can however remember the smell of the pots of bluish paint.

"Another task was doing the weeding in forepart of the Quaker Center. Some of the weeds were taller than me and Greegs!  Merely at that place was no escaping among the weeds; non with Tony McAndrew continuing behind the states cracking the whip."

Simon worked hard at the chores and fifty-fifty harder on the training basis, and made the grade, going on to play 199 games for the Quakers, scoring 14 goals. He was a midfielder who converted to full back, and while he was a handy defender, he relished getting forward to transport in pinpoint crosses and go in long range shots.

In the Farewell to Feethams book, he recalled his best ever goal, a 25-yarder at Scunthorpe that flashed into the net off his bootless foot.

"My kicking had flown off in a tackle seconds earlier, merely I was so confident I decided to whack the ball anyway and information technology few into the corner."

Information technology was a far weep from his starting time goal, which came in a 3-0 win at Colchester (Ian Juryeff  and Paul Dobson scored the others, each making their debut.) Simon prepare the ball rolling, literally, with ane of the tamest shots imaginable. A defensive mix up left him with an open goal, but he hit the brawl so tentatively that it only managed to trickle over the line.

His career blossomed when Billy McEwan took over as manager. The tough Scot was not a favourite of all the players simply he believed in Simon, who grew in confidence and became a fixture in the side.

His fine form continued under David Hodgson, and Simon, by then a right-dorsum, was a key figure in the side that stormed to Quakers' kickoff ever Wembley appearance, a play-off final against Plymouth.

Under Hodgson a rebuilt team underwent a transformation. From strugglers suddenly Darlington were winners, and the momentum continued afterward Hodgson left and Jim Platt took sole charge.

Quakers lost simply one abroad game in that season of 1995-6, and Simon said: "We didn't realise at the time how practiced that squad was. If nosotros were guilty of mistakes information technology was to settle for away draws when we could accept won. We went into every match feeling that we were not going to lose."

And in that location was some potent opposition in that flavor, including Preston, Cardiff, Wigan and Doncaster – all teams that went on to much bigger things. Sadly the flavour ended in defeat at Wembley, Simon being sidelined by a jaw injury sustained earlier the play-offs.

Merely missing out on playing at Wembley was not the simply bad retentiveness of the play-offs.

"The players were desperate to win, merely to this day I'm not sure that the club really wanted promotion. Some of the training was not ideal.

"We had to wear shabby tracksuits that didn't turn upwardly at the hotel until the night before the concluding. Plymouth were suited and booted and looked a 1000000 dollars. At that place were financial clouds hanging over Darlington and the lads got the impression that the gild could not afford the cost of going up a partition."

So Simon and his teammates didn't get a winners medal, though he all the same has a metallic reminder. The plate needed to stabilise his jaw remains to this day, and probably for life.

"It doesn't bother me," he said. "Simply every fourth dimension I wing I expect it to set up off the drome scanner, though so far it never has washed!"

Simon stayed at Darlington a couple more than seasons, but and so left for Doncaster, though Cardiff were also interested in him.

From there he went to Barrow, where the team was part-time but talented. "Kenny Lowe was manager – he'due south at Perth Glory now. Also in the Barrow side were my onetime Darlo mates, Steve Gaughan and Michael Oliver.

"After 3 years I moved to the Northern League to play for Billingham Synthonia,  then Thornaby, and Bishop Auckland. I went to Synners because the pitch was smashing and suited me. I didn't want to play on a ploughed field."

He still loves playing over 35s, these days in a pub team where information technology'south a express joy and a joke, and, he admits, a way of  keeping the flab at bay – though he'south still a winner. "We had a good over 35s team at Thornaby last year with ex-pros Willie Boland, Neil Campbell and Ian Clark (who too played for Quakers). Only the manager left because of family commitments."

Family unit commitments also proceed Simon busy these days, as does his new career. He studied for a degree at Teesside University, then worked with difficult children who had problems, many having been excluded from schoolhouse.

That gave him a sense of taste for teaching and he took a Post Graduate Document of Pedagogy earlier taking on his current office. Perhaps in time to come he volition coach the school football game team.

He still loves the game and follows the fortunes of the Quakers. "It's the first result I look for. I spent a lot of years at the gild and am still in regular impact with Marker Barnard, Steve Gaughan, Michael Oliver and Robbie Painter amongst others."

He is in contact with some Darlo fans via the Tin Shed Facebook, and recently Simon showed his dad (who always came to watch him play at Feethams, and throughout his career) some pictures of the ground now, equally a housing estate rises from the site of so many memories.

"It's a shame the club ever left for the White Elephant (The Arena)," said Simon. "The finances were non always sound at Feethams, just at The Arena information technology must have been impossible. I hope the lodge bounces dorsum, but it volition be hard to reach the Briefing without going total fourth dimension professional again. However I'thousand delighted with the 2 promotions and wish the club well.

"Just I don't feel they should have been relegated so far. I think they were treated very badly past the football authorities especially when you consider the club'southward long history and all those decades in the Football League."

But at least the society is on the up once again. When we return to Darlington if always a lick of paint is needed, then perhaps Simon and Sean Gregan tin can resurrect their decorating double act.

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Source: https://darlingtonfc.co.uk/news/remembering-1996-simon-shaw