FORMER FINN HARPS winger Paul Simpson this afternoon guided England to the final of the Under-20 World Cup.
Simpson was loaned to the Ballybofey club in the 1984/85 season from Manchester City and managed to hit the net three times in nine appearances.
A native of Carlisle, Simpson was in fine form on his return to Maine Road at the end of that same campaign, scoring six times in 10 outings as Billy McNeill’s team won promotion to the old First Division.
He stayed at City until 1988 before a four-year stint at Oxford United and played Premier League football for a time with Derby County, from whom he represented between 1992 and 1997 – with a brief loan move to Sheffield Wednesday in 1996.
Simpson went onto play for Wolves, Walsall, Blackpool, Rochdale and Carlisle United, lining out as player-manager with the latter two. Further managerial spells followed at Preston North End, Shrewsbury Town, Stockport County and Northwich Victoria.
Having spent a time with Newcastle United as an assistant coach in 2015, Simpson took over the England Under-20 squad this year.
This afternoon in the semi-finals of the Under-20 World Cup at the Jeonju World Cup Stadium in South Korea, England won the semi-final thanks to a come from behind 3-1 win over Italy.
It took only two minutes for the Italians to hit the front, with Juventus winger Riccardo Orsolini on the mark. However, new Liverpool singing Dominic Solanke scored twice for England, either side of a goal from Everton’s Ademola Lookman.
England play Venezuela in Sunday’s final at 11am BST.
