Sid Kimpton - Playing Career

Playing Career

Kimpton was born in Leavesden, near Watford and, after playing for his local village team, had an unsuccessful trial with Watford in 1909.

He joined Southern League Southampton in September 1910; after one match for the reserves, he made his first-team debut on 22 October, taking over the centre-forward's role from Percy Prince, in a 3–0 defeat by Crystal Palace. Kimpton scored in his next match a week later, in a 3–2 defeat at Brentford. By the end of the season, Kimpton had made 29 appearances, scoring seven goals, as the "Saints" finished one point above the relegation places.

According to Holley & Chalk, Kimpton's "main value was his reliability and versatility"; he was "never thought of as a great player (but) had plenty of pluck and bustle which made him hugely popular."

For the 1911–12 season, Southampton's new manager George Swift recruited eleven new players, including centre-forward Henry Hamilton from Huddersfield Town. Kimpton retained his place in the side, but moved back to right-half where he played for the first half of the season, before being replaced by John Denby in December. Kimpton returned to the side in March, when he took over the outside-right berth from Jack Wilcox for the rest of the season, at the end of which Southampton were once again just above the relegation zone.

George Swift resigned in the summer of 1912 and Jimmy McIntyre was recruited as "trainer" with Ernest Arnfield returning as "secretary" (manager). The Saints started the 1912–13 season badly, only winning one match by the end of October. As the managerial team tried to improve performances by recruiting new players, Kimpton managed to retain his place in the side, either at centre-forward or on the right-wing, until February when he was dropped.

He returned to the side the following November and continued at outside-right for the rest of the 1913–14 season. He started the 1914–15 season on the wing, before reverting to centre-forward at the end of October, where he remained for the rest of the season, scoring ten goals as the Saints finished in sixth place, their best Southern League finish for five years.

During the First World War, Kimpton worked for Thornycroft but continued to turn out for Southampton in wartime leagues and friendlies.

On the resumption of football in 1919, Kimpton was one of only three pre-war players who were re-signed by Southampton, but he was now in his thirties and only made two appearances in Southampton's final Southern League season. Before he left the Saints, he was rewarded with a benefit match. In his Southampton career, he made 149 appearances in peace-time matches, scoring 30 goals.