Sam Wardrop
Scottish footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sam Wardrop (born 20 October 1997) is a Scottish footballer, who last played as a defender for Ettan Fotboll club Ljungskile SK. His previous clubs include Celtic, Dundee United and Dumbarton.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Sam Wardrop | ||
| Date of birth | 20 October 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | Glasgow, Scotland | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2017 | Celtic | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2018 | Celtic | 0 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | → Dumbarton (loan) | 22 | (1) |
| 2018–2020 | Dundee United | 1 | (0) |
| 2020 | → Dumbarton (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | Dumbarton | 17 | (0) |
| 2021 | Airdrieonians | 2 | (0) |
| 2024 | Ljungskile SK | 6 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2012 | Scotland U16 | 6 | (1) |
| 2013–2014 | Scotland U17 | 11 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | Scotland U19 | 2 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18:09, 13 September 2021 (UTC) | |||
Career
Wardrop started his career at Celtic, and captained the club's Under-20s to victory in the 2017 Scottish Youth Cup final.[1]
On 1 August 2017, Wardrop joined Scottish Championship club Dumbarton on loan, until May 2018.[2] He scored his first senior goal, the winner, against Inverness Caledonian Thistle in September 2017.[3]
Wardrop signed a two-year contract with Dundee United on 31 May 2018.[4] After suffering an injury that ruled out a potential loan return to Dumbarton in January 2019, he rejoined the club on loan in January 2020[5] playing seven times prior to the season being ended early by the COVID-19 pandemic.[6]
Wardrop was then released by United in May 2020[7] and signed a permanent contract with Dumbarton.[8] He left the club after one season in June 2021[9] and subsequently signed a one-year contract with Airdrieonians[10] but left just two months into the season for personal reasons.[11]
In 2024, after documenting his return to professional football on social media, he agreed a deal with Swedish Ettan Fotboll club Ljungskile SK.[12]
International career
Wardrop was selected for the Scotland U17 team in the UEFA under-17 Championship in 2014,[13] where the Netherlands beat them in the semi-finals.[14]
He was selected for the under-20 squad in the 2017 Toulon Tournament.[15] After a historic first ever win against Brazil, which was at any level.[16] Scotland later won the bronze medal.[17] It was the nations first ever medal at the competition.[18]
Personal life
Wardrop attended Bearsden Academy.[19]
After leaving professional football in 2021, Sam set up his own business offering football and fitness coaching to young players alongside fellow Celtic academy graduate Aidan Nesbitt.[20] In 2023, he began documenting his return to professional football through a series of vlogs on his social media accounts,[21] including training sessions in the United Arab Emirates, Australia and Sweden where he eventually signed a contract with Ljungskile SK.
Career statistics
- As of match played 13 September 2021
| Club | Season | League | Scottish Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Celtic | 2016–17[22] | Scottish Premiership | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017–18[23] | Scottish Premiership | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Celtic U20 | 2016–17[22] | — | — | — | 3[a] | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||||
| Dumbarton (loan) | 2017–18[23] | Scottish Championship | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4[a] | 0 | 27 | 1 |
| Dundee United | 2018–19[24] | Scottish Championship | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 2019–20[25] | Scottish Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||
| Dumbarton | 2019–20 | Scottish League One | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 2020–21 | Scottish League One | 17 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 | |
| Total | 24 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 | ||
| Airdrieonians | 2021–22 | Scottish League One | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Career total | 49 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 72 | 1 | ||
- Appearances in Scottish Challenge Cup