Date / Year of birth: 19th January 1972

Position: Midfielder

Season of first appearance: 2012/13

Season of last appearance: 2012/13

Also played for: Crystal Palace (61+11,6), Reading (38+1,5), Queens Park Rangers (9+3,1), Wolverhampton Wanderers (173+12,14), Tranmere Rovers (9,1), Port Vale (8,0), Gillingham (40+9,5), Walsall (108+15,5), Hereford United (0+1,0), Bromley, Croydon Athletic, Cray Wanderers and Erith & Belvedere

5' 10" tall midfielder born in Croydon who started his career as a trainee with Crystal Palace. Simon was given his first professional contract for the 1989/90 campaign and at that time the club were in the old First Division. He won the Eagles supporters' 'Young Player of the Year' award for the season.

Simon made his first team debut for Palace aged 19 on 17.4.91 when he came on as a substitute in a 1-0 win over Tottenham at Selhurst Park and over the course of the next three seasons he featured regularly in the senior side. Simon played in the inaugural Premier League campaign during 1992/93 and although the Eagles were relegated he helped them to bounce back by winning the First Division (later Championship) title during the 1993/94 season. In all Simon made 72 first team appearances for Palace (11 as sub) and scored six times.

In the summer of 1994 he joined Reading for a fee of £90,000 and Simon helped them to a second place finish in the First Division during 1994/95. He then took part in an epic Play-Off Final at Wembley on 29.5.95 which saw the Royals lose 4-3 to Bolton at Wembley after extra time having been 2-0 up at one stage. Simon had scored five times in 39 outings (one as sub) for Reading when Premier League club Queens Park Rangers splashed out £1.1 million for his services in July 1995. Former England midfielder Ray Wilkins was QPR's manager at the time.

Simon made his debut for the R's as a substitute in a 1-0 defeat at Blackburn on 19.8.95 and then started for the first time in a 1-0 defeat at Liverpool on 30.8.95. He scored his first goal in a 2-1 win over Bolton at Loftus Road on 16.12.95 but that turned out to be Simon's last outing for QPR and having made a total of 12 appearances (three as sub) he was sold to Division One club Wolverhampton for £1 million in December 1995.

Simon became a key player for Wolves over the course of the next five years and the club were in the second tier of English football throughout his time there. He made 185 appearances (12 as sub) and scored 14 goals before being loaned to Tranmere in March 2001.

Simon made his debut for Tranmere as they lost 2-1 in a Division One game at West Bromwich on 25.3.01 and scored in his next outing - a 4-1 home defeat against Fulham on 30.3.01. He made a total of nine appearances without adding to his goal tally before his loan deal expired at the end of the 2000/01 campaign.

Simon was then released by Wolves and in September 2001 he signed for Second Division (later League One) club Port Vale. He made his debut in a 1-1 draw at Bristol City on 8.9.01 and made a total of eight appearances without scoring before moving on to Gillingham in October 2001, only four weeks after he'd joined the Valiants.

Simon made his debut for the Gills as a substitute in a 2-0 home defeat against Norwich in the First Division on 13.10.01 and then started for the first time in a 2-1 defeat at Birmingham on 23.10.01. He got his first goal for the club in a 2-2 draw with Burnley at Priestfield on 30.10.01 and Simon went on to score five goals from a total of 49 outings (nine as sub) for Gillingham over the course of the next 18 months.

In July 2003 he joined Walsall and Simon's first game for the club was a 4-1 home win over West Bromwich in the First Division on 9.8.03. He scored his first goal for the Saddlers in a 1-1 draw at Watford on 14.10.03 and Simon was a regular in the side throughout 2003/04 as Walsall were relegated. He continued to be a mainstay of the side during the next two seasons and Simon had a short spell as player-assistant manager to former Arsenal and England star Paul Merson. Walsall were relegated to League Two at the end of the 2005/06 campaign and having scored five times in 123 appearances (15 as sub) for the club Simon was released.

In the summer of 2006 he signed for League Two newcomers Hereford but Simon only played once - as a substitute in a 3-0 defeat at Barnet on 19.8.06 - before dropping into non-league football to join Bromley aged 34 in September 2006. He'd played 498 times during his professional career.

Simon helped Bromley to a second place finish in the Isthmian League Premier Division during 2006/07 and they won promotion to the Conference South via the play-offs. He stayed with the club for the 2007/08 campaign and in January 2008 Simon was appointed as player-manager but he resigned from the post at the end of the season. He then left Bromley having scored three times in a total of 72 appearances for the club.

In the summer of 2008 Simon joined his hometown club Croydon Athletic and he scored three times in 20 outings in all competitions for the Isthmian League Division 1 South outfit before moving on to Cray in February 2009.

Simon made his debut for Cray as they won 1-0 at Walton & Hersham in Division 1 South on 3.3.09 and he went on to make a total of 14 appearances before the end of the 2008/09 campaign. On 2.5.09 Simon scored the winner as Cray beat Metropolitan Police 1-0 in the Isthmian League Division One South Play-Off Final to secure promotion to the Premier Division and it was his only goal for the club. He then announced his retirement.

In March 2010 Simon came out of retirement to rejoin Cray and he made five substitute appearances in the Premier Division during the remainder of the 2009/10 season. Simon scored once - in a 1-1 draw with Horsham at Bromley on 24.4.10 - and that was his last outing for Cray.

In the summer of 2010 Simon became player-coach at Kent League club Erith & Belvedere but he left the club towards the end of 2010.

After a spell out of football Simon briefly rejoined Erith & Belvedere as a player in January 2013 but before the end of that month he linked up with Margate.

Simon joined the club as coach / assistant manager under caretaker boss Craig Holloway and on 16.3.13 he made a surprise debut as a first half substitute in an Isthmian League Premier Division game at Enfield Town. Simon came on as a replacement for the injured Jermaine Brown and he was 41 at the time, quite probably making him the club's oldest ever debutant. Margate won 3-0 and Craig Holloway said "Obviously Ossie has played at a decent level; from the Prem all the way down to non-league and he's still technically a very good player. He came on, got on the ball and kept our shape in midfield." It was Simon's only appearance of the 2012/13 season and at the start of April 2013 he was named as Margate's permanent joint manager along with Holloway on a contract running until the end of the 2013/14 campaign.

During the early part of the 2013/14 season Simon was named as a substitute a few times but wasn't required to play and after Craig Holloway stepped down following a 3-0 defeat at Lowestoft on 23.11.13 he became Margate's manager in his own right. Simon's spell in charge only lasted for four games and two days after a 5-3 defeat at Bognor Regis on 7.12.13 he left the club. Margate's official announcement said that he'd been "released from his management duties" and Simon told the club's website "Following Saturday's defeat and after a conversation with the chairman it was felt that with the club sitting 11th in the table but with the team under performing that we should part company. Ultimately the players perform under my directive and the buck stops with me. I'm disappointed as I know that the results will change but respect the clubs decision and will move on. I would like to thank all those involved at the club and the supporters for their help and support and hope the team start producing performances that Margate FC and the fans deserve. Good luck for the rest of season. Ossie."

In July 2014 Simon made a comeback as a player when he scored for Southern Counties East Football League outfit Sevenoaks in a 6-1 friendly win at Lewisham Borough. His strike was described as being " a brilliant 35-yard chip" by the Kentish Football website and Sevenoaks' manager Micky Collins told the site "Mercurial, is the word. He's got every trick in the book and he's a tremendous professional. His career is just unbelievable. Everyone who watched the game tonight will just say he absolutely bossed it second half. He pulls players into position and he's a true professional. He's still got it. Maybe he can't make 30-40 yard runs anymore but he doesn't need to - his brain does it ! He loves it and he plays with a smile on his face and it's great to have him around me. He's a good friend and he's a good player and I'm sure he'll be an asset to us." Collins added "We haven't signed him yet, not yet. It's whether he wants to play or not, that's the big question. If he's got the buzz to play and he wants to then he will."