It was in the ninth match of the campaign Simpson fashioned a record which seems unlikely to ever be beaten: a relentless six-goal haul, all six strikes arriving in succession, against Exeter City in a 7-2 win on this day in 1930.
The Glaziers had already put seven – and Simpson three – past Newport two weeks prior, but it was Simpson’s day against the Grecians which lives on in the record books in what the London Sunday Dispatch labelled a ‘wonderful’ display at Selhurst Park.
The striker notched his first of the game just nine minutes in, heading home Bert Harry’s cross, before dribbling past two Exeter players and rifling home his second soon after.
Exeter pulled one back through Percy Varco, but Simpson completed his hat-trick before the interval and – after an own-goal from Palace’s Bob Greener again reduced the deficit to 3-2 – the forward clicked into another gear after half-time.
Slipping between two Exeter defenders seven minutes into the second period, he registered his fourth goal of the afternoon with a left-footed strike, before bagging another effort which was ruled out for offside.
Not to matter, as Simpson was on the scoresheet for a fifth time on the 63-minute mark and, minutes later, was on target to score his sixth – the sensational achievement of a double hat-trick – before Herbert Butler added further gloss to the scoreline for Palace.
A simply sensational display – but one which prompted the London dispatch to warn: ‘It is as well to remind First Division managers that Simpson is a pearl of great price, and the Selhurst idol is not likely to leave yet awhile. Last season Sunderland were asked over £7,000 for Simpson, and the fee may have gone up since then.’
Simpson would have been worth every penny, completing the campaign with 46 goals to his name, and went on to top the club’s goalscoring charts for each of his first five seasons with the club, another Palace record.
A knee injury in 1934/35 began to see his goalscoring ratio slow, prompting an eventual departure to West Ham United in the close season, where he spent two sadly un-noteworthy seasons, retiring after further brief spells with Reading and Aldershot.
Simpson settled in West Croydon, taking over a newsagent and tobacconist’s shop. He passed away at the age of 69 in March 1974.
But Simpson’s records remain immortal: 153 goals in 180 League matches; 12 strikes in 15 FA Cup appearances; 19 hat-tricks; and the greatest individual goalscoring performance in Crystal Palace history.
Article produced with our thanks to Ian King.
https://www.cpfc.co.uk/news/club/on-this-day-peter-simpson-record-breaking-double-hattrick-exeter-city/
