Simon Daniel Roy King (born 11 April 1983) is an English retired footballer. He primarily played as a defender.
Career
Oxford United
King started his career with Oxford United and made his debut on 1 May 2001 against Port Vale in the last competitive match to be played at the Manor Ground.[2] He would leave the club having made just four appearances.
Barnet
King signed for Conference side Barnet in 2003.[3] While with the club he would win the league title in 2004–05.[4]
King was transfer listed by Barnet at the end of the 2006–07 season, for which he was named player of the year,[5] to avoid him leaving on a free transfer a year later.
Gillingham
He was signed by League Two side Gillingham for £200,000 on a three-year deal in June 2007. This fee could however rise to £250,000, depending on appearances and whether Gillingham were to achieve promotion to the Football League Championship.[6]
King made his debut as a 62nd minute substitute for Aaron Brown on the first day of the 2007–08 season against Cheltenham Town, but was on the wrong end of a 1–0 defeat.[7]
The following season King would achieve promotion with the Kent side, playing the full 90 minutes as they defeated Shrewsbury Town 1–0 in the 2009 League Two play-off final, a game in which he was named Man of the Match.[8] He was named Gillingham's Player of the Year for the season[9] as well as being voted into the Professional Footballers' Association League Two team of the year.[10]
On 3 July 2009, King signed a new three-year contract, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2012.[11] However, during a pre-season friendly against Bromley,[12] King suffered an ankle injury which kept him out of the entire 2009–10 season. The injury also carried over to the beginning of the 2010–11 season.[13] King finally returned to training in November 2010 after 18 months out, with the last professional game he played in having been the 2009 League Two play-off final.[14]
The return from injury for King was short lived however, after suffering a setback during training which caused the length on the sidelines to be extended for a few weeks. On 8 February 2011, King finally made his return to football after 18 months without playing after replacing Matt Lawrence in the 25th minute in the 3–1 home win against Rotherham United.[15]
Loan to Plymouth Argyle
He joined Plymouth Argyle on loan for one month on 31 August 2011,[16] and made his debut in a 2–1 defeat at Burton Albion on 3 September. He made two further appearances before the loan was extended until 7 November.[17]