Thomas Sampy (14 March 1899 – 1978) was an English footballer who played as a midfielder. Born in Backworth, Northumberland, he played for the majority of his career at Sheffield United, making nearly 400 appearances for the Blades.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Thomas Sampy[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 14 March 1899[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Backworth, England[1] | ||
| Date of death | 1978 (aged 78)[1] | ||
| Place of death | Sheffield, England[1] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 6+1⁄2 in (1.69 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Choppington | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Seaton Delaval | |||
| 1919–1920 | South Shields | ||
| 1920 | Chopwell Colliery | ||
| 1920–1934 | Sheffield United | 340 | (27) |
| 1934–1936 | Barnsley | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Playing career edit
Sampy played his early football in his native Tyneside in the north-east of England, turning out for Choppington, South Shields and Chopwell Colliery before being spotted by Sheffield United.[1] Turning professional and signing for the Blades in November 1920, Sampy was initially employed as an inside right, scoring on his debut against Blackburn Rovers in February 1921.[1] After playing regularly in that role for a number of seasons, Sampy was switched to right half in the autumn of 1925, where he played for the rest of his Blades career.[1]
Sampy was made club captain during the 1930–31 season but lost his place and the captaincy to Harry Gooney a year later.[1] Regaining his place in the first team during the 1932–33 season, Sampy remained a regular with United until 1934.[1]
After 14 seasons and 383 appearances for Sheffield United, Sampy was transferred to nearby rivals Barnsley in the summer of 1934, taking the role of player-coach.[1] His role was primarily focused on the coaching side however, and Sampy made only one league appearance for the Tykes.[1] In May 1936, Sampy accepted a coaching role at Sheffield Wednesday where he remained until the onset of World War II in 1938.[1]
Personal life edit
Born in Backworth, Tyne and Wear, Thomas Sampy was the elder brother of Bill who also represented Sheffield United.[1] Sampy was an engineer by trade and returned to his profession during World War II, working as a production manager.[1] While playing Sampy had also owned a gentlemen's outfitters on Abbeydale Road in Sheffield.[1]