Jon Sammels
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| Jon Sammels | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jonathon Charles Sammels | |
| Date of birth | July 23, 1945 | |
| Place of birth | Ipswich, Suffolk, England | |
| Playing position | Central midfielder | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| 1961-1963 | Arsenal | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1963-1971 1971-1977 1977-1978 |
Arsenal Leicester City Vancouver Whitecaps |
215 (39) 236 (21) |
| National team | ||
| 1962-1963 ? |
England youth England U23 |
7 (?) 9 (?) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Jonathon Charles "Jon" Sammels (born July 23, 1945 in Ipswich, Suffolk) is an English former footballer.
Sammels joined Arsenal, the club he supported as a boy, in 1961. He was a regular in the reserves and a successful youth international winning seven caps for England. He made his first-team debut for the Gunners on April 27, 1963, against Blackpool. However, he only played sparingly — twice in 1963-64 and not at all in 1964-65 — and did not secure a place in the side until the departure of Geoff Strong, and later George Eastham.
Noted for his accurate passing and strong shooting, he broke through in 1965-66 and was an ever-present in the 1966-67 season. As well as being a regular for Arsenal, Sammels played for the England U23 side nine times. He played in both of Arsenal's League Cup final defeats in 1968 and 1969, before finally claiming a medal in the 1970 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup; he scored Arsenal's winning goal in their 4-3 victory on aggregate over RSC Anderlecht, after Arsenal had trailed 3-1 after the first leg.
However, Sammels lost his first team place in the 1970-71 season, thanks to an ankle injury and the emergence of George Graham; although he played enough games to win a First Division winner's medal, he did not take part in the Gunners' FA Cup Final win over Liverpool that completed their Double-winning season. Sammels submitted a transfer request, and he was duly sold to Leicester City. In all he played 270 matches for Arsenal, scoring 52 goals.
Sammels was a regular in the Leicester side for the next seven seasons, playing 265 matches for the Foxes, scoring 25 goals. Under Jimmy Bloomfield, Leicester were a talented and exciting side, but the only trophy they won was the 1971 Charity Shield, and they never finished above seventh in the League. Sammels left Leicester on a free transfer in 1978, and played for the Vancouver Whitecaps in the NASL for a single season. After that, he retired from the game and returned to the UK. He now works as a driving instructor in Leicester.
[edit] External links
- Harris, Jeff & Hogg, Tony (ed.) (1995). Arsenal Who's Who. Independent UK Sports. ISBN 1-899429-03-4.
- Interview with Jon Sammels
