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{{Short description|Irish footballer and manager}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{use Hiberno-English|date=January 2015}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Arthur Fitzsimons
| birth_date = {{birth date|1929|12|16|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Dublin]], Ireland
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|2018|05|09|1929|12|16}}
| death_place = 
| position = [[Inside forward]]
| years1 = 1946–1949
| clubs1 = [[Shelbourne F.C.|Shelbourne]]
| caps1 = 
| goals1 = 
| years2 = 1949–1959
| clubs2 = [[Middlesbrough F.C.|Middlesbrough]]
| caps2 = 223
| goals2 = 49
| years3 = 1958–1959
| clubs3 = [[Lincoln City F.C.|Lincoln City]]
| caps3 = 7
| goals3 = 0
| years4 = 1959–1961
| clubs4 = [[Mansfield Town F.C.|Mansfield Town]]
| caps4 = 62
| goals4 = 23
| years5 = 1961–1964
| clubs5 = [[Wisbech Town F.C.|Wisbech Town]]
| caps5 = 
| goals5 = 
| years6 = 1967–1969
| clubs6 = [[Drogheda United F.C.|Drogheda]]
| caps6 = 24
| goals6 = 5
| nationalyears1 = 1949–1959
| nationalteam1 = [[Republic of Ireland national football team|Republic of Ireland]]
| nationalcaps1 = 26
| nationalgoals1 = 7
| manageryears1 = 1967–1969
| managerclubs1 = [[Drogheda United F.C.|Drogheda]]
| manageryears2 = 1967
| managerclubs2 = [[League of Ireland XI]]
| manageryears3 = 1969
| managerclubs3 = [[Shamrock Rovers F.C.|Shamrock Rovers]]
}}
'''Arthur Fitzsimons''' (16 December 1929 – 9 May 2018) was an Irish professional [[association football|football]] player and manager. An [[inside forward]],<ref name="obit"/> he notably made over 200 appearances for [[Middlesbrough F.C.|Middlesbrough]].

==Career==
Originally from Penrose Street, in the shadow of [[Shelbourne Park]], the stadium named after [[Shelbourne F.C.|Shelbourne]], their then home ground, Arthur signed with 'the Shels' from the famous schoolboy nursery club, [[Johnville F.C. (Dublin)|Johnville]].

Already well known for his talent at junior level, the scouts were anxious to see how he would perform at this higher level. So well did he perform with 'the Reds', that it is almost forgotten he played for them only one season, 1948{{ndash}}49, before being [[Transfer (association football)|transferred]] over [[Irish Sea|the water]]. But it was no coincidence that that season was one of the best in the club's history, being in contention until the last match in all four available competitions, finally winning two of them, and finishing runner-up in the others. At the end of the season, he was part of a two-player deal when transferred (with [[Peter Desmond]]) to [[Middlesbrough F.C.]] in the English [[Football League First Division|First Division]]. He went on to play in 223 games, scoring 49 goals.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player1/arthurfitzsimons.html |title=Arthur Fitzsimons }}</ref> His teammates included [[Brian Clough]] and [[Wilf Mannion]].

In the 1960s, his coaching career took him to [[Libya]], where he spent five and a half years in [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]] until [[Muammar Gaddafi|Colonel Gaddafi]] came to power, when he was advised to leave.

In August 1967, he signed for [[Drogheda United F.C.|Drogheda]] as player-coach, a position he shared with Theo Dunne.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1967/0825/Pg003.html#Ar00302:A27738A5A7529826DBA126F8 |newspaper=The Irish Times |title=Unknown title and date |format=PDF }}</ref> In April 1969, his contract was terminated.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1969/0417/Pg003.html#Ar00303:0D61DB1011F00942EB0C03010995730BF58909A09A1430F214809E1620F615A0A22320FA10D1DD1531F20C728810D29D0D12ED1133020CE573111589 |newspaper=The Irish Times |title=Unknown title and date |format=PDF }}</ref>

In June 1969, he was appointed manager of [[Shamrock Rovers F.C.|Shamrock Rovers]], taking over from [[Liam Tuohy (footballer)|Liam Tuohy]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1969/0603/Pg003.html#Ar00307:3C38283F083D3F3A7040AA8640BA70422A86391B243A3B373A4B223ABB373ABB243B4B373B6B233CCB383CBB253D8B38 |title=Unknown title and date |newspaper=The Irish Times |format=PDF }}</ref> Despite beating [[FC Schalke 04]] in a [[1969-70 European Cup Winners' Cup]] first leg tie, he was fired two months later.
      
He also played 26 times for the [[Republic of Ireland national football team|Republic of Ireland national team]], scoring 7 goals.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.soccerscene.ie/sssenior/player.php?id=123 |title=Statistics: Republic of Ireland |website=soccerscene.ie }}</ref>

==Later life and death==
In 2009, Fitzsimons was inducted into the [[Football Association of Ireland]] Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2009/0208/eircomawards.html |title=Doyle named eircom Player of the Year |website=rte.ie }}</ref>

He died aged 88 on 9 May 2018.<ref name="obit">{{cite news |last1=Byrne |first1=Peter |title=Former Ireland international Arthur Fitzsimons (88) dies |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/international/former-ireland-international-arthur-fitzsimons-88-dies-1.3489291 |access-date=10 May 2021 |work=Irish Times |date=9 May 2018}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{NFT|35273}}

{{Drogheda United F.C. managers}}
{{Shamrock Rovers F C. managers}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzsimons, Arthur}}
[[Category:1929 births]]
[[Category:2018 deaths]]
[[Category:Association footballers from Dublin (city)]]
[[Category:Republic of Ireland men's association footballers]]
[[Category:Republic of Ireland men's international footballers]]
[[Category:Ireland (FAI) men's international footballers]]
[[Category:Men's association football forwards]]
[[Category:Shelbourne F.C. players]]
[[Category:Middlesbrough F.C. players]]
[[Category:Lincoln City F.C. players]]
[[Category:Mansfield Town F.C. players]]
[[Category:English Football League players]]
[[Category:League of Ireland managers]]
[[Category:Drogheda United F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Shamrock Rovers F.C. managers]]
[[Category:League of Ireland XI managers]]
[[Category:Dublin University A.F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Republic of Ireland association football managers]]
[[Category:Irish association football coaches]]
[[Category:Republic of Ireland expatriate association football managers]]
[[Category:Expatriate football managers in Libya]]
[[Category:Irish expatriate sportspeople in Libya]]
[[Category:20th-century Irish sportsmen]]