Bainbridge: Simpson

1912-1919 (Leeds City Player Details) (Leeds City War-time Guest Player Details)

Outside Right/Left

Born: Silksworth, Co. Durham: 03-04-1895

Debut: v Bristol City (h): 07-12-1912

5’9” 11st 2lb (1921)

As a Schoolboy, he represented Sunderland Schools and then County Durham Schools before he was capped by the England Schools Football Association, against the Welsh schoolboys in Aberdare as an under fifteen in 1908 and scored two goals. He was only the second County Durham schoolboy to play for his country at that level. He first played for Seaton Delaval in Northumberland, a club which produced several fine players. He then had a trial with Leeds City in October 1912 and was duly signed by them a month later. It did not take him long before he made his Elland Road debut a couple of months later. Initially he featured as an Outside Right, after being signed to take over from the departed Hugh Roberts, but later in his career he played almost exclusively as an Outside Left. Like many players his career was interrupted by war service. Bainbridge served as a private in the Lincolnshire Regiment, the Durham Light Infantry and the Labour Corps during the First World War. He returned to Leeds City after the War and was a regular in their final season. A tricky winger, he also scored his fair share of goals. He was one of the players in the infamous Hotel Metropole auction and was sold to First Division Preston North End for £1,000, one of the highest bids at that auction. He made his Deepdale debut in a 2-3 defeat by Newcastle United on 25th October 1919 and went on to make fourteen League appearances at Deepdale and scored one goal, and scored once in three F.A.Cup ties, before moving to South Shields in 1920. There he scored three times in thirteen games, the first goal coming in a 3-0 win over the newly formed Leeds United on 8th September 1920, before moving to Scotland, where he joined Aberdeen on 6th October 1921. He made his debut for Aberdeen on 15th October 1921 in a 4-2 win over Clyde in the Scottish First Division before a crowd of 14,500. He played Twenty-Two games for them in the Scottish League and scored once and found the net once more in seven Scottish Cup games. He spent a season at Pittodrie and appeared in the 1922 Scottish Cup Semi-Final, which the Dons lost 3-1 to Morton. He later played Non-League football in the North Eastern League with Wheatley Hill Alliance, Shildon Athletic and Hylton Colliery, in his native County Durham. He died on 12th November 1988 in Sunderland.