Simon Rusk
Footballer

Simon Rusk

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Gender:
Male
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Birth:
17 December 1981(Peterborough)
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Biography

Introduction

Simon Edward Rusk (born 17 December 1981) is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Born in England, he played for Scotland at under-18 level. He is currently youth team coach at Brighton & Hove Albion.

Club career

Boston United

Born in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, Rusk joined the Peterborough United youth system in 1995 and had a spell on loan in the Southern Football League Premier Division with Cambridge City during the 1999–2000 season. He was signed on a free transfer by Boston United in March 2001 after being released by Peterborough. His Boston debut came in March 2001 in a match at Doncaster Rovers. He was fined by manager Steve Evans for receiving a red card against Shrewsbury Town in December 2005. He had surgery on a knee injury in December 2006, which ruled him out until after Christmas.

Northwich Victoria

He left Boston to join Northwich Victoria on a free transfer on 2 July 2007, being signed by former Boston teammate Neil Redfearn. Rusk scored on his debut for Northwich, in the 2–1 loss against Ebbsfleet United, which was the first game for Ebbsfleet under this name, having previously been known as Gravesend & Northfleet. In September 2007, Rusk was placed on the club's transfer list and joined Rushden & Diamonds on a one-month loan later that month.

York City

Manager Dino Maamria confirmed in January 2008 he was to move, with Weymouth believed to be his next destination. However, he signed a one-and-a-half-year contract with York City on a free transfer on 8 January. He made his debut in the team's 2–0 win against Aldershot Town in January and finished the season with 14 appearances for the club. He suffered a medial knee ligament injury during York's 1–1 draw with Torquay United on 28 August, which saw him substituted for Niall Henderson in the 73rd minute. He made his return on 20 September in a 1–1 with Salisbury City. He scored the winning penalty for York in a 4–2 penalty shoot-out victory against Mansfield Town in the Conference League Cup third round on 4 November, which finished 1–1 after extra time. He started in the FA Trophy Final at Wembley Stadium on 9 May 2009, which York lost 2–0 to Stevenage Borough. He was released by York following the end of the 2008–09 season, during which he made 47 appearances and scored one goal.

Crawley Town

Rusk joined Conference Premier team Crawley Town on 27 May 2009. He made his debut as a 22nd-minute substitute in a 4–0 defeat against Mansfield Town. Rusk went on to feature regularly during his first season for the club, making 42 appearances, many of which were at right-back. He was offered a new one-year contract in April 2010, which he signed in May. He retired following the end of the 2010–11 to take a role with Crawley's Centre of Excellence ahead of their first season in the Football League. He was appointed a youth team coach at Brighton & Hove Albion on 6 March 2012, a role involving overseeing the development of the club's scholars and managing the under-18 team.

International career

Despite being born in England, Rusk was capped three times by the Scotland national under-18 team.

Career statistics

Rusk playing for York City in 2008
Club Season League[A] FA Cup League Cup Other[B] Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Boston United 2000–01 8 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 2
2001–02 27 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 29 2
2002–03 18 2 1 0 1 0 1 0 21 2
2003–04 19 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 20 0
2004–05 31 3 4 0 2 0 1 0 38 3
2005–06 34 3 2 1 1 0 1 0 38 4
2006–07 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 0
Total 140 12 8 1 5 0 5 0 158 13
Northwich Victoria 2007–08 16 2 2 0 0 0 1 0 19 2
Rushden & Diamonds (loan) 2007–08 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0
York City 2007–08 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14 0
2008–09 37 0 2 0 0 0 8 1 47 1
Total 51 0 2 0 0 0 8 1 61 1
Crawley Town 2009–10 38 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 42 0
2010–11 16 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 17 0
Total 54 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 59 0
Career total 267 14 15 1 5 0 16 1 303 16
A. ^ The "League" column constitutes appearances and goals in the Football League and Football Conference.
B. ^ The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals in the Conference League Cup, FA Trophy and Football League Trophy.

Honours

Boston United

  • Football Conference: 2001–02

Crawley Town

  • Conference Premier: 2010–11