Sam Long (footballer, born 1995)

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Sam Long

| image =

| caption =

| full_name = Samuel Patrick Robert Long{{cite web |url=https://www.efl.com/siteassets/efl-documents/efl-released-and-retained-list---2016-17.pdf |title=Club list of registered players: As at 20th May 2017 |publisher=The Football League |page=58 |accessdate=14 May 2018}}

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1995|1|16}}{{cite web |title=Sam Long |url=http://www.11v11.com/players/sam-long-239740/|publisher=11v11 |accessdate=1 December 2015}}

| birth_place = Bicester, England{{cite web |url=https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/sport/17457825.oxford-united-hand-sam-long-new-contract/ |title=Oxford United hand Sam Long new contract |publisher=Oxford Mail|date=25 February 2019 |accessdate=9 January 2020}}

| height = {{height|m=1.79}}

| currentclub = Oxford United

| clubnumber = 2

| position = Defender

| youthyears1 = {{0|0000}}–2013

| youthclubs1 = Oxford United

| years1 = 2013–

| clubs1 = Oxford United

| caps1 = 215

| goals1 = 14

| years2 = 2014

| clubs2 = → Kidderminster Harriers (loan)

| caps2 = 0

| goals2 = 0

| years3 = 2018

| clubs3 = → Hampton & Richmond Borough (loan)

| caps3 = 14

| goals3 = 0

| club-update = 19:30, 12 April 2025 (UTC)

}}

Samuel Patrick Robert Long (born 16 January 1995) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for {{English football updater|OxfordUn}} club Oxford United.

Career

Long began his career with Oxford United and made his professional debut on 27 April 2013 as a late substitute in a 3–0 victory over Accrington Stanley on the last day of the 2012–13 season.{{cite web|title=Accrington 0-3 Oxford|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/22229096|work=BBC Sport|date=27 April 2013|accessdate=27 May 2013}} His first starting appearance was in a 1–1 draw with Morecambe in League Two on 22 February 2014.{{cite web |title=Morecambe 1-1 Oxford |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/26202507 |work=BBC Sport |date=22 February 2014 |accessdate=23 February 2014}}

On 20 November 2014, he joined Kidderminster Harriers on loan as part of a deal that saw Chey Dunkley going the other direction.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/30097199 |title=Chey Dunkley: Oxford United sign Kidderminster Harriers defender |publisher=BBC Sport |date=20 November 2014 |accessdate=21 November 2014}} Following his return to Oxford, he scored his first goal, in a 2–3 home defeat against Southend United in EFL League Two on 17 January 2015.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/30758139 |title=Oxford United 2–3 Southend United |publisher=BBC Sport |date=17 January 2015 |accessdate=29 March 2018}} Injuries limited his appearances in 2015–16 and 2016–17,{{cite web |url=https://www.oufc.co.uk/news/2017/march/sam-long-signs-new-deal/ |title=Sam Long Signs New Deal |publisher=Oxford United F.C. |date=3 March 2017 |accessdate=29 March 2018}}{{cite web |url=https://www.oufc.co.uk/news/2017/november/long-looking-forward/ |title=Long Looking Forward |publisher=Oxford United F.C. |date=6 November 2017 |accessdate=29 March 2018}} although his contract with Oxford was extended by a year in March 2017. He was loaned to Hampton and Richmond Borough in January 2018,{{cite news |url=http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/sport/15867630.Oxford_United_send_Jack_Stevens_and_Sam_Long_out_on_loan/ |title=Oxford United send Jack Stevens and Sam Long out on loan |newspaper=Oxford Mail |date=17 January 2018 |accessdate=29 March 2018}} a loan that was later extended.{{cite web |url=https://www.oufc.co.uk/news/2018/february/sam-long-loan/ |title=Long Loan Gets Longer |publisher=Oxford United F.C. |date=19 February 2018 |accessdate=29 March 2018}} Despite not having played a first-team fixture for Oxford in 2017–18, he signed a new one-year contract in June 2018.{{cite web |url=https://www.oufc.co.uk/news/2018/june/sam-long-signs-new-deal/ |title=Sam Long Signs New Deal |publisher=Oxford United F.C. |date=4 June 2018 |accessdate=4 June 2018}}

Already the club's longest-serving player, having joined the club as an 8-year-old, in June 2020 he signed a two-year extension with Oxford United.{{cite news |url=https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/sport/18535440.sam-long-signs-new-oxford-united-contract/|title=Sam Long signs new Oxford United contract|newspaper=Oxford Mail |date=23 June 2020 |accessdate=20 July 2020}} In April 2021, Long signed a further three-year deal with the club.{{cite web |url=https://www.oufc.co.uk/news/2021/april/sam-long-new-deal/ |title=Sam Long Signs New Deal |publisher=Oxford United F.C. |date=12 April 2021 |access-date=14 April 2021}} He was voted both the Players' and Supporters Player of the Season at the end of the 2020–21 season.{{cite news |url=https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/sport/19295561.sam-long-wins-two-oxford-united-end-season-awards/ |title=Sam Long wins two Oxford United end of season awards |first=James |last=Roberts |newspaper=Oxford Mail |date=11 May 2021 |access-date=17 May 2021}}

Career statistics

rowspan="2"\|Club !rowspan="2"\|Season !colspan="3"\|League !colspan="2"\|FA Cup !colspan="2"\|League Cup !colspan="2"\|Other !colspan="2"\|Total
class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" \|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
rowspan="13"\|Oxford United \|2012–13{{Soccerbase season\|66125\|2012\|name=Sam Long\|access-date=10 December 2015}} \|League Two \|1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
2013–14{{Soccerbase season\|66125\|2013\|name=Sam Long\|access-date=10 December 2015}} \|League Two \|3	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
2014–15{{Soccerbase season\|66125\|2014\|name=Sam Long\|access-date=10 December 2015}} \|League Two \|10	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	10	1
2015–16{{cite web \| title = Games played by Sam Long in 2014/2015 \| url = http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=66125&season_id=145 \| publisher = Soccerbase \| accessdate = 10 December 2015}} \|League Two \|1	0	0	0	1	0	1Appearance in Football League Trophy	0	3	0
2016–17{{soccerbase season\|66125\|2016\|accessdate = 17 September 2017}} \|League One \|3	0	0	0	2	0	2Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy	0	7	0
2017–18{{soccerbase season\|66125\|2017\|accessdate = 17 September 2017}} \|League One \|0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2018–19{{soccerbase season\|66125\|2018\|accessdate = 16 September 2019}} \|League One \|18	0	2	0	2	0	4	0	26	0
2019–20{{soccerbase season\|66125\|2019\|accessdate = 16 September 2019}} \|League One \|19	1	4	1	5	0	4	0	32	2
2020–21{{soccerbase season\|66125\|2020\|accessdate = 6 April 2021}} \|League One \|36	6	1	0	2	0	5	0	44	6
2021–22{{soccerbase season\|66125\|2021\|accessdate = 30 August 2023}} \|League One \|36	1	2	0	0	0	1	0	39	1
2022–23{{soccerbase season\|66125\|2022\|accessdate = 30 August 2023}} \|League One \|43	3	2	0	1	0	2	0	48	3
2023–24{{soccerbase season\|66125\|2023\|accessdate = 30 August 2023}} \|League One \|29	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	30	1
2024–25{{soccerbase season\|66125\|2024\|accessdate = 31 August 2024}} \|Championship \|20	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	23	0
colspan="3"\|Career total !219	13	14	1	16	0	19	0	268	14

Honours

Oxford United

EFL League One play-offs: 2024{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/live/c51nny61k2wt#Line-ups |title=Bolton Wanderers 0–2 Oxford United: Line-ups |website=BBC Sport |date=18 May 2024 |access-date=18 May 2024}}
Football League Trophy/EFL Trophy runner-up: 2015–16,{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35906363 |title=Johnstone's Paint Trophy final: Barnsley 3–2 Oxford United |last=Cartwright |first=Phil |website=BBC Sport |date=3 April 2016 |access-date=13 March 2024}} 2016–17{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39404886 |title=EFL Trophy final: Coventry City 2–1 Oxford United |last=Scott |first=Ged |website=BBC Sport |date=2 April 2017 |access-date=13 March 2024}}

References

External links

{{Soccerbase}}

Category:1995 births

Category:Living people

Category:Sportspeople from Bicester

Category:English men's footballers

Category:Oxford United F.C. players

Category:Kidderminster Harriers F.C. players

Category:Hampton & Richmond Borough F.C. players

Category:English Football League players

Category:National League (English football) players

Category:Men's association football defenders

Category:Footballers from Oxfordshire

Category:21st-century English sportsmen