Simon Rusk

Simon Rusk

200px Rusk after playing for York City in the 2009 FA Trophy Final
Personal information
Full name	Simon Edward Rusk
Date of birth	(1981-12-17) 17 December 1981
Place of birth	Peterborough, England
Height
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Brighton & Hove Albion (youth team coach)
Youth career
1995–2000	Peterborough United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2000–2001	Peterborough United	0	(0)
2000	→ Cambridge City (loan)
2001–2007	Boston United	140	(12)
2007–2008	Northwich Victoria	16	(2)
2007	→ Rushden & Diamonds (loan)	6	(0)
2008–2009	York City	51	(0)
2009–2011	Crawley Town	54	(0)
International career
	Scotland U18	3	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

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

File:Simon Rusk 25-10-2008 1.jpg

Rusk playing for York City in 2008

Club	Season	League		FA Cup		League Cup		Other		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

External links

• Simon Rusk career statistics at Soccerbase

• Appearances and goals for this season are taken from:
  
  
• Appearances and goals for this season are taken from: