Ian Sampson needs no introduction. A legend of Northampton Town Football Club, Sammo will be remembered as one of the greatest and most loyal men ever to play for the Cobblers. Sammo spent over ten years as a player with the Town and the highlight was his partnership with Ray Warburton in the centre of defence. In his fourth season here, Sammo helped to take the Cobblers to Wembley.
Joining the club from Sunderland for £30,000 in 1994 following an initial loan spell, Sampson went on to make 449 appearances for the club. Had we made the League Two playoff final in his final season before retirement back in 2005, Sammo would have made that magic number of 450 appearances but nothing can be said against what a great servant he was, and still is, to the Cobblers.
Sammo and Razor were part of the backbone of the playoff winning side in 1997, conceding just 44 goals on the road to Wembley. One of the most honest and solid players of that side, Sampson was a real player of the “Atkins” generation of winning ugly. He was a battler, a rock at the back and also chipped in with his fair share of goals himself.
Who was to know back in 1997 that Sammo would go on to become such a mainstay in the Cobblers line-up? Sammo spent ten glorious years at the club and I grew up watching him in a Cobblers shirt. Upon his retirement in 2004 and his well-deserved testimonial season, it was such a shock to see the Cobblers playing with Sammo in the line-up.
The pull of his beloved Cobblers was too much for him to resist though and Sampson stayed on, firstly as youth team coach and now as Assistant manager at the club where he grew and thousands watched him develop from the early days into the most loyal player of the last decade.
Forever a legend at Northampton Town, Ian Sampson will never be forgotten and it is only right that he was part of the greatest day in the club’s history.
Joining the club from Sunderland for £30,000 in 1994 following an initial loan spell, Sampson went on to make 449 appearances for the club. Had we made the League Two playoff final in his final season before retirement back in 2005, Sammo would have made that magic number of 450 appearances but nothing can be said against what a great servant he was, and still is, to the Cobblers.
Sammo and Razor were part of the backbone of the playoff winning side in 1997, conceding just 44 goals on the road to Wembley. One of the most honest and solid players of that side, Sampson was a real player of the “Atkins” generation of winning ugly. He was a battler, a rock at the back and also chipped in with his fair share of goals himself.
Who was to know back in 1997 that Sammo would go on to become such a mainstay in the Cobblers line-up? Sammo spent ten glorious years at the club and I grew up watching him in a Cobblers shirt. Upon his retirement in 2004 and his well-deserved testimonial season, it was such a shock to see the Cobblers playing with Sammo in the line-up.
The pull of his beloved Cobblers was too much for him to resist though and Sampson stayed on, firstly as youth team coach and now as Assistant manager at the club where he grew and thousands watched him develop from the early days into the most loyal player of the last decade.
Forever a legend at Northampton Town, Ian Sampson will never be forgotten and it is only right that he was part of the greatest day in the club’s history.
No comments:
Post a Comment