‘It made me think, It humbled me’: Leicester defender Danny Simpson discusses eye-opening community service experience

Danny Simpson, 29, was convicted of assaulting Stephanie Ward in June
Judge handed him 300 hours unpaid work at court in Manchester
Leicester defender says the experience has helped him to grow as a person
He is loving the Foxes title challenge and believes most want them to win it

Published:
11:08 GMT, 19 March 2016

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Updated:
11:31 GMT, 19 March 2016

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Danny Simpson’s Leicester team-mates may have their focus solely set on securing a sensational Premier League title but the same cannot be said for the 29-year-old.

The defender had his football bubble burst last year when he was found guilty of assaulting his now ex-girlfriend Stephanie Ward and sentenced to 300 hours community service.

And the Englishman has finally come out to discuss just how the experience has affected his outlook on life.

Leicester defender Danny Simpson turns up for community service at an Age UK charity shop in November

Danny Simpson leaves court in June after being convicted of assaulting his former girlfriend Stephanie Ward

In an interview with The Times, Simpson described how he was ‘scared’ and ‘frightened’ as he awaited the judge’s verdict back in June, 2015.

He narrowly avoided a potential six-month prison sentence, receiving 300 hours of unpaid work, and insists he’s tried ‘to pay society back’.

‘It helped me grow. I was in this football bubble — wake up, go training, go home — and it broke that. It made me think. It humbled me,’ he added.

‘On my day off, I’m used to being free, shopping, being lazy, playing Fifa. I’m now in a charity shop eight hours a day, getting bags of clothes, steaming the clothes, putting them on coat-hangers. People who came in were shocked and then just wanted to talk football.’

‘Then I moved to another location which was a massive eye-opener. I was working twice a week with people with mental health problems. We’d look after them, play bingo, do jigsaws, get them cups of tea, help them to the toilet.’

Having got his life back on track the former Newcastle and QPR man is relishing the chance to shock the football world and help see the Foxes over the line in the title race.

Former Newcastle man relishing chance to shock the football world and see Foxes over the line in the title race

Kasper Schmeichel and Danny Simpson of Leicester City celebrate after beating Newcastle 1-0

And he believes there is a real sense of ‘wanting’ not only from within the squad but from around the country as well.

‘Wherever we go in the country, we get the vibe from everyone that people are wanting us to go on and do it,’ Simpson said.

‘It’s a nice story. Nobody’s had it easy. We’ve grown together, bonded together. We look at each other in the dressing room after games and everyone’s completely knackered because we give everything.

‘We train the same way we play. We’re ‘at it’ in training, on each other’s case. Everyone wants to win the round robin: four teams of five once a week. People are flying in, not to hurt anybody, just wanting to win.

‘Our team spirit’s amazing. We love defending, making blocks, tackling, booting it into Row Z, keeping the door shut. The whole team defends.’