Sam Foley
Foley playing for Newport County in 2012.
Personal information
Full name Samuel Robert Foley[1]
Date of birth (1986-10-17) 17 October 1986[2]
Place of birth St Albans, England[2]
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[3]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Barrow
Number 16
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2008 Cheltenham Town 0 (0)
2008 → Bath City (loan) 6 (2)
2008–2009 Kidderminster Harriers 0 (0)
2008 → Redditch United (loan) 7 (2)
2009 → Newport County (loan) 14 (4)
2009–2012 Newport County 118 (32)
2012–2015 Yeovil Town 88 (7)
2014 → Shrewsbury Town (loan) 9 (0)
2015–2017 Port Vale 77 (7)
2017–2019 Northampton Town 60 (4)
2019–2021 St Mirren 38 (1)
2021 Motherwell 4 (1)
2021–2022 Tranmere Rovers 39 (1)
2022– Barrow 59 (3)
International career
Republic of Ireland U18
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 00:20, 21 December 2023 (UTC)

Samuel Robert Foley (born 17 October 1986) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL League Two club Barrow. Born in England, he has represented the Republic of Ireland at youth level.

A former Republic of Ireland youth international, he began his career at Cheltenham Town, and though he played on loan at Bath City he left Cheltenham in 2008 without making a first team appearance. He then spent a year with Kidderminster Harriers, who in turn loaned him on to Redditch United and Newport County. He joined Newport in June 2009, and helped them to win the Conference South title in 2009–10 and to the 2012 FA Trophy final. He returned to the English Football League with Yeovil Town in July 2012, and played in the club's 2013 League One play-off final victory that took them into the Championship. He lost his first team place in the 2013–14 season and joined Shrewsbury Town on loan, before winning Yeovil's Player of the Year award in the 2014–15 season as the club dropped into League Two. He joined Port Vale in June 2015, and left after two seasons to join Northampton Town in May 2017, where he would remain for another two seasons. He joined Scottish club St Mirren in August 2019 and was named as the club's Player of the Year for the 2019–20 season. He spent the second half of the 2020–21 season at Motherwell, before returning to England with Tranmere Rovers in July 2021. He joined Barrow in July 2022.

Career

Early career

Foley signed a two-year professional contract with Cheltenham Town in 2006. However, he spent much of time at Whaddon Road out injured with osteitis pubis and never made a first team appearance for the "Robins".[4] He spent part of the 2007–08 season on loan at Conference South Bath City, and scored two goals in seven appearances for the "Romans".

In August 2008 he signed a one-year contract with Kidderminster Harriers after impressing manager Mark Yates during a trial spell.[5] He was sent out on loan to Conference North side Redditch United in October 2008.[6] He scored two goals in seven games and "Reds" manager Gary Whild wanted an extended loan spell, but Foley was recalled to Kidderminster in December.[7] He went on to spend the second half of the 2008–09 season on loan at Conference South club Newport County, scoring four goals in 14 appearances. He left Aggborough without making a first team appearance for the Harriers after rejecting the offer of a new contract.[8]

Newport County

In June 2009, Foley was signed by Newport County manager Dean Holdsworth. Foley was immediately a regular in the team, filling all midfield and forward roles at various times but mostly played as a supporting striker alongside Craig Reid. In the 2009–10 season County were crowned Conference South champions with a record 103 points, 28 points ahead of second placed Dover Athletic. He remained a key player in the 2010–11 season, scoring five goals in 44 games as Newport posted a ninth-place finish in the Conference Premier. Three of his goals came on 11 October, in a 4–1 win over Fleetwood Town at Highbury Stadium, in what was new manager Justin Edinburgh's first win at the club.[9] On 12 May, Foley played at Wembley Stadium in the 2012 FA Trophy final, which Newport lost 2–0 to York City.[10] He scored 12 goals in 49 appearances during the 2011–12 season and rejected the offer of a new contract at the end of the season.

Yeovil Town

Foley signed for League One club Yeovil Town on a one-year contract in July 2012.[11] On 14 August, Foley made his Yeovil debut in the League Cup in a 3–0 victory over Colchester United,[12] and scored his first competitive goal for the side on 4 September in a 3–0 Football League Trophy win at Bristol Rovers.[13] On 19 May, Foley played in the 2013 League One play-off final as Yeovil beat Brentford 2–1 to secure promotion to the Championship.[14] In total he scored seven goals in 51 appearances in the 2012–13 campaign, mostly from left-wing.[15] He signed a new two-year contract in June 2013.[16]

He played just nine times in the 2013–14 season as the "Glovers" were relegated out of the Championship. On 7 March 2014, Foley joined League One side Shrewsbury Town on an initial one-month loan.[17] After making nine appearances for the "Shrews", Foley was recalled to Huish Park on 16 April.[18] With Yeovil back in League One Foley was restored to the first team for the 2014–15 campaign and featured 45 times, mainly in central midfield, as the club suffered a second-successive relegation.[15] Though the season was a poor one for the club Foley managed to find success on an individual level, winning the Western Gazette's Player of the Year award.[19] He rejected the offer of a new contract in the summer in favour of a move to remain in League One.[20]

Port Vale

In June 2015, Foley signed a two-year contract with League One club Port Vale.[20] He said his aim was to secure a regular first team place in central midfield.[21] He went on to score six goals in 50 appearances throughout the 2015–16 season, and was also the club's penalty-taker, converting two of four penalty kicks.[22] Manager Rob Page played him both in central midfield and on the left-side of midfield throughout the campaign, and told the media that Foley was "outstanding" in both roles.[23]

He remained a key player under new manager Bruno Ribeiro, and missed just two of the opening 15 league games of the 2016–17 season, being named on the EFL Team of the Week after providing two assists in a 3–1 win over Scunthorpe United at Vale Park on 27 August.[24] However, he was forced to undergo surgery on a long-standing ankle injury in October.[25] He returned to training after a three-month recovery spell.[26] In February 2017, he was praised by caretaker manager Michael Brown for playing despite being below full fitness during a difficult period for the club.[27] He scored his first goal of the season in a crucial 2–1 home win against relegation rivals Shrewsbury Town on 17 March.[28]

Northampton Town

In May 2017, Foley rejected the offer of a new contract at Port Vale to remain in League One on a two-year contract with Northampton Town; the move reunited him with former Newport manager Justin Edinburgh.[29] Port Vale manager Michael Brown said that Port Vale had offered a better wage than Northampton, but Foley had wanted to play at as high a level as possible.[30] He lost his first-team place under new manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and scored three goals in 28 appearances for the "Cobblers" as the club were relegated at the end of the 2017–18 season. He scored two goals in 40 appearances in the 2018–19 campaign, maintaining his first-team place under first Dean Austin and then Keith Curle, before he was released on 6 May.[31]

St Mirren

On 1 August 2019, Foley signed a two-year deal with Scottish Premiership side St Mirren.[32] He stepped in as the "Saints" team captain during the absence of Stephen McGinn and Kyle Magennis in January.[33] He went on to win the vote for the PDE St Mirren Player of the Year award for the 2019–20 season; he said that "I’ve won a few awards throughout my career though and I see them as a reward for hard work on and off the pitch. When you get to my age it’s about a love of the job and football is my trade. You need to have a willingness and desire to work hard."[34] He played 15 games in the first half of the 2020–21 season before being benched.[35]

Motherwell

On 29 January 2021, Foley signed for Motherwell on a contract until the end of the 2020–21 season.[36] A back injury meant that he featured just five times for the "Steelmen", feeling that due to the team's form that he "wasn't in a position to knock on the manager's (Graham Alexander) door".[37][38] After spending a long time on the sidelines he admitted to thinking "god I hope I remember how to play this game!"[39] He was released by Motherwell at the end of the season.[40]

Tranmere Rovers

Foley signed a one-year contract with League Two club Tranmere Rovers on 22 July 2021, with manager Micky Mellon citing his "experience, leg power and he is a great athlete".[41] In October, he was described as "an instrumental figure for Rovers" as the team put together a run of form to reach the top six.[42] He ended the 2021–22 season with four goals in 45 appearances, though Tranmere missed out on the play-offs on the final day.[43][44]

Barrow

Foley signed a one-year contract with fellow League Two club Barrow on 21 June 2022, with the player joining the club on expiration of his Tranmere contract in July.[45] He featured 44 times throughout the 2022–23 campaign.[46]

Style of play

Foley can operate on the left or centre of midfield, and has good dribbling, passing and ball control skills.[23] He is an intelligent player with a good work rate, but lacks natural pace.[23]

Career statistics

As of match played 16 December 2023
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Cheltenham Town 2006–07[47] League One 0000000000
2007–08[48] League One 0000000000
Total 0000000000
Bath City (loan) 2007–08 Conference South 6200—1[lower-alpha 1]072
Kidderminster Harriers 2008–09 Conference Premier 0000—0000
Redditch United (loan) 2008–09 Conference North 7200—0072
Newport County (loan) 2008–09 Conference South 14400—00144
Newport County 2009–10 Conference South 381720—4[lower-alpha 2]04417
2010–11[49] Conference Premier 40510—3[lower-alpha 2]0445
2011–12[49][50] Conference Premier 401021—7[lower-alpha 2]14912
Total 1323651—14115138
Yeovil Town 2012–13[51] League One 41510207[lower-alpha 3]2517
2013–14[52] Championship 702000—90
2014–15[53] League One 40240001[lower-alpha 4]0452
Total 8877020821059
Shrewsbury Town (loan) 2013–14[52] League One 9000000090
Port Vale 2015–16[54] League One 456302000506
2016–17[55] League One 321001000331
Total 777303000837
Northampton Town 2017–18[56] League One 24210003[lower-alpha 5]1283
2018–19[57] League Two 36200103[lower-alpha 5]0402
Total 604101061685
St Mirren 2019–20[58] Scottish Premiership 2714100—312
2020–21[37] Scottish Premiership 1100040—150
Total 381414000462
Motherwell 2020–21[37] Scottish Premiership 4110——51
Tranmere Rovers 2021–22[43] League Two 39120113[lower-alpha 5]2454
Barrow 2022–23[46] League Two 39010103[lower-alpha 5]1441
2023–24[59] League Two 203201020253
Total 593302051694
Career total 5196426213137759574
  1. ↑ Appearance in Somerset Premier Cup
  2. 1 2 3 Appearances in FA Trophy
  3. ↑ Four appearances and two goals in Football League Trophy, three appearances in League One play-offs
  4. ↑ Appearance in Football League Trophy
  5. 1 2 3 4 Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy

Honours

Newport County

Yeovil Town

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Sam Foley". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  2. 1 2 "FootballSquads - Port Vale - 2016/2017". www.footballsquads.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  3. ↑ "FootballSquads - Port Vale - 2016/17". www.footballsquads.co.uk. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  4. ↑ "'Keep believing and an opportunity will come'". Gloucestershire Echo. 18 April 2013. Archived from the original on 20 June 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  5. ↑ "Harriers sign on four trialists". BBC Sport. 5 August 2008. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  6. ↑ "Foley joins United on loan". The Shuttle. 3 October 2008. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  7. ↑ "Sam Foley's chance to impress at Harriers". Birmingham Mail. 2 December 2008. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  8. ↑ "Foley tipped for bright future". Express and Star. 19 May 2009. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  9. ↑ "Fleetwood 1-4 Newport". BBC Sport. 11 October 2011. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  10. 1 2 Woodcock, Ian (12 May 2012). "FA Trophy: Newport County 0-2 York City". Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  11. ↑ "Yeovil Town sign Marsh-Brown, Foley and Hinds". BBC Sport. 29 May 2012.
  12. ↑ "Yeovil 3–0 Colchester". BBC Sport. 14 August 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  13. ↑ "Bristol Rovers 0–3 Yeovil". BBC Sport. 4 September 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  14. 1 2 "Brentford 1–2 Yeovil". BBC Sport. 19 May 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  15. 1 2 "New signing Sam Foley targets central midfield spot". The Sentinel. 18 June 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  16. ↑ "Yeovil: Kevin Dawson & Sam Foley re-sign as Sam Hoskins arrives". BBC Sport. 26 June 2013. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  17. ↑ "Shrewsbury Town: Andy Morell and Yeovil's Sam Foley join". BBC Sport. 7 March 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  18. ↑ "Shrewsbury Town: Sam Foley recalled and Dave McAllister out". BBC Sport. 16 April 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  19. 1 2 "Sam Foley wins Player of the Season award after impressive year with Yeovil Town". Western Gazette. 25 April 2015. Archived from the original on 20 June 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  20. 1 2 "Sam Foley: Port Vale sign Yeovil Town midfielder". BBC Sport. 18 June 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  21. ↑ "Port Vale: New signing Sam Foley targets central midfield spot". The Sentinel. 18 June 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  22. ↑ Baggaley, Mike (17 October 2015). "Port Vale 1, Peterborough 1 report: Missed penalties cost Vale in dramatic draw". The Sentinel. Archived from the original on 20 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  23. 1 2 3 Baggaley, Mike (19 March 2016). "Port Vale v Burton: Super Sam Foley emerging as key Vale player". The Sentinel. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  24. ↑ "Sky Bet EFL: Team of the Week". www.efl.com. 29 August 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
  25. ↑ Sharpe, Rich (27 October 2016). "Port Vale midfielder Sam Foley set for extended spell on the sidelines". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  26. ↑ Baggaley, Mike (26 January 2017). "Port Vale: Sam Foley thrilled to end injury frustration". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  27. ↑ Baggaley, Mike (17 February 2017). "Michael Brown says Sam Foley is showing true grit for Port Vale". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  28. ↑ Baggaley, Mike (17 March 2017). "Port Vale 2, Shrewsbury 1: Brown's battlers claim crucial win". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  29. ↑ "Sam Foley: Northampton Town sign Port Vale midfielder". BBC Sport. 22 May 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  30. ↑ Baggaley, Mike (22 May 2017). "Brown says Port Vale beat Northampton's wage offer to Foley". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  31. ↑ "Northampton Town release eight players and transfer-list three more". BBC Sport. 6 May 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  32. ↑ "St Mirren: Midfielder Sam Foley arrives on a two-year deal". BBC Sport. 1 August 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  33. ↑ Ramage, Ben (29 January 2020). "Sam Foley opens up on "privilege" of donning the St Mirren captain's armband". dailyrecord. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  34. 1 2 Ramage, Ben (30 May 2020). "Sam Foley thanks St Mirren fans after picking up PDE player of the year award". Daily Record. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  35. ↑ Ramage, Ben (29 January 2021). "Captain Foley's exit confirmed as midfielder pays tribute to "proud" Saints fans". Daily Record. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  36. ↑ "SAM FOLEY SIGNS FOR MOTHERWELL". motherwellfc.co.uk. 29 January 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  37. 1 2 3 "Games played by Sam Foley in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  38. ↑ McGilvray, Andy (3 May 2021). "Motherwell star 'hoped he remembered how to play', as he chases a new deal". Daily Record. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  39. ↑ Banks, Ben (4 May 2021). "Motherwell midfielder Sam Foley says 'the future could hold anything' after remembering to play". Not The Old Firm. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  40. ↑ "Motherwell: Christopher Long & Sherwin Seedorf among raft of departures". BBC Sport. 24 May 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  41. ↑ "Sam Foley signs for Tranmere!". www.tranmererovers.co.uk. 22 July 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  42. ↑ Armitage, Zak (15 October 2021). "Foley: We know what we are capable of in this dressing room". Tranmere Rovers. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  43. 1 2 "Games played by Sam Foley in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  44. ↑ "Leyton Orient 0-1 Tranmere: Kane Hemmings secures away win but Rovers fall short of play-offs". Sky Sports. 7 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  45. ↑ "Barrow sign Tranmere's Foley on one-year deal". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  46. 1 2 "Games played by Sam Foley in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  47. ↑ "Games played by Sam Foley in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  48. ↑ "Games played by Sam Foley in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  49. 1 2 Sam Foley at Soccerway
  50. ↑ "Games played by Sam Foley in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  51. ↑ "Games played by Sam Foley in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  52. 1 2 "Games played by Sam Foley in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  53. ↑ "Games played by Sam Foley in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  54. ↑ "Games played by Sam Foley in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  55. ↑ "Games played by Sam Foley in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  56. ↑ "Games played by Sam Foley in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  57. ↑ "Games played by Sam Foley in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  58. ↑ "Games played by Sam Foley in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  59. ↑ "Games played by Sam Foley in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
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