Madden: Simon Francis (Simon)

2004-2008 (Leeds Player Details) (Player Details)

Right Back

Born: Dublin, Republic of Ireland: 01-05-1988

Debut: v Bury (h): 13-11-2007

5’ 11” 12st (2007)

Dublin born, Madden began his career in football with his local club Tymon Bawn before moving to Kilnamanagh and then on to Cherry Orchard and Shelbourne. It was during his time with the latter that he was chosen for the Dublin & District Schoolboys’ League squad that competed in the Kennedy Cup. This exposure resulted in him being offered trials with a number of British clubs. In 2004, he had trials with Leeds United and was later offered terms at the age of sixteen. After an initial bout of homesickness he settled in. At the end of his two year in the Youth Training Scheme he was offered a two-year professional contract in July 2006. He progressed through the junior ranks and became a regular in the Reserves in the 2007-08 season. He made his first team debut at right back in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy Northen Area quarter-final at home to Bury. He was capped nine times for the Republic of Ireland Under-Nineteens. In April 2008 along with Gavin Rothery he had an unsuccessful trial with Cheltenham Town and days later he was released from his contract with United. He joined Shamrock Rovers and made his debut in the 1-1 away draw with St. Patrick's Athletic at Richmond Park on the 21st July 2008. Madden earned his first cap with team mate Padraig Amond for the Republic of Ireland Under-Twenty-one team against Austria on the 19th August 2008, when he came on as a substitute after seventy-threeminutes. This was quickly followed by his second cap in Bulgaria on 5th September 2008, but he was an unused substitute, his third cap came in Portugal four days later when he took the field in the seventy-ninth minute. He played twenty-six League games for Shamrock Rovers, two of which were as a substitute. He joined Darlington on 15th January 2010 and played fifteen games, including two from the bench, for them in the League before he was one of fourteen players sacked by the club after it was relegated from Division Two at the end of the 2009-10 season. He returned to Ireland and joined Dundalk on 22nd July 2010, but was ineligible to play in the club's UEFA Cup tie that day. However, three days later he made his debut in the 1-1 draw at Galway United at Left Back in the run-on side at Terryland Park. He soon reverted to his more accustomed Right Back role and made the position his own, after supplanting Shaun Kelly. He started fifteen League and one League Cup games in the rest of his first season with the club and signed a one year contract with the club on October 2010. He was appointed captain of the club and led them in every game in his ever-present season, when he took his total games for the club to sixty-six as he made starts in thirty-six League games, seven Setanta Sports Cup, five FAI Cup ties, one League Cup and one Leinster Cup game, playing in every minute of every game of the 2011 season. The club showed its thanks by not renewing his contract. However, before the start of the next season, in January 2012, Derry City signed him. After making his debut in the 1-0 home win over Bohemians on 2nd March 2012, he started Twenty-nine of thirty-two League matches and opened up his goalscoring account in the final game of the season in the 2-1 home win over St Patrick's Athletic on 19th October 2012. Derry resigned him for the 2013 season and he had started all nine League games to 19th April 2013.