From an early age Terry Simpson shone at football, winning trophies with Merry Oak School, then reaching the English Schools Final in 1954 with Saints (see John Sydenham scrapbook page for photo) and finally he was at inside-right in the side that reached the semi-finals of the 1957 Youth Cup. When the lads walloped Tottenham 6-0 in the quarter-final Simpson was considered by the manager, Ernie Jones to be their “leg-merchant” and first team manager, Ted Bates immediately gave him and his right-wing partner, Terry Paine their Reserves debuts.

While Paine stepped up to the first team the following week, Simpson had to wait another season and a half before joining him and in the interim, not under contract, had come close to joining Wolves, before Ted Bates offered terms. By the time he made his debut in 1958 he had converted to wing-half,

but an extended run was interrupted when Bates brought back the experienced Ken Birch for the FA Cup Third Round visit of Blackpool, a decision that still rankles with Terry: “everybody wants to play against Matthews and I sat in the stand”.

The next season, reinstated and having scored a brace against Coventry in the Cup Bates described him as a “big strong fit lad who combines well with the club’s playing pattern” but that was his last ever cup-tie for the club and in 1962, with Saints now back in Division II, he dropped a division to join Peterborough. But then manager Jimmy Hagan was sacked only to quickly resurface at West Brom and he wasted no time in transferring Simpson to the top-flight, some three years before his pals in the youth team, Paine and John Sydenham made it.

His first season, in which he was ever-present, would be his best at The Hawthorns and by 1967 he was back in Division III with Walsall. After breaking a leg at Gillingham he moved into coaching before returning to Southampton to work at the Ford Transit plant in Swaythling.