Often Partisan

Where Are They Now? Pt XXX

With the close season being upon us and there being little to no news to speak of football-wise, I thought I would revisit a feature I’ve not done for a while. The subject of today’s article played for Blues in the late nineties, invariably at left back although he could do a job at left midfield at a push – Simon Charlton.

Simon Charlton

I only really became a regular at Blues during TF’s managerial reign, and Charlton is thus one of the first players I can remember seeing week in, week out. Unlike Gary Rowett (who remains one of my favourite ever players), Charlton never really stood out but he was one of those players who gave steady performances every week.

He made seventy-eight appearances for Blues (the first five on loan) after signing from Southampton for £200,000 in two and a half seasons without troubling the scoresheet.

He left in 2000 to join Bolton Wanderers on a free transfer, winning promotion to the top flight in his first season at the Reebok. He did even better on his return to the Premier League with the Trotters, winning their player of the season award for the 2001-02 season.

In all, he spent four seasons with Bolton Wanderers, making 120 league appearances and appeared in the 2004 League Cup final against Middlesbrough which Bolton lost 2-1.

Charlton then moved on to Norwich in 2004 for £250,000 but was unable to help the club avoid relegation to the Championship. His second season didn’t fare any better, and he left Carrow Road in unhappy circumstances having fallen out with the then-manager Nigel Worthington who Charlton felt had made him a scapegoat.

After a season with Oldham in League One, Charlton retired from playing and returned to Carrow Road as a youth coach in 2007. He took his first steps in management at East Anglian side Mildenhall Town of the Eastern Counties League as player manager between April 2009 and June 2010 before leaving due to “unforeseen circumstances and opportunities”.

Bizarrely, last season Charlton made his international debut some five years after retiring as a professional player, playing for the micronation of Sealand in a friendly against the Chagos Islands which was held at Godalming Town. Unfortunately for Charlton the game ended in a 3-1 defeat to the displaced islanders.

Charlton is now Director of Global Soccer Network, which is working on an app to help improve income streams for clubs, companies and individuals from their social media following.

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