Club Career
Morgan was born in East Belfast and attended Nettlefield Primary School alongside with George Best. When he was 11 years old, his family settled in Gorleston, in England. He studied at the Nottingham Trent University to become a maths and physical education teacher.
Morgan entered the Football League at the relatively older age of 23, having played for local club Gorleston in the Eastern Counties League before signing for Fourth Division Port Vale in January 1970, after impressing on trial. The late bloomer made his professional debut as a substitute on 30 March 1970, scoring in a 1–1 draw at Newport County. After quitting teaching to take up professional football, he had to wait until the following season to make his full debut, appearing as the #10 on 15 August 1970, finding the net in a 2–0 win at Swansea City. The club won promotion to the Third Division at the end of the campaign, and he found himself to be a regular starter in the first team, and picked up six goals in forty games in the 1970–71 season.
He nearly left the club at the start of the 1971–72 campaign after falling out with manager Gordon Lee over his decision to remain resident in Great Yarmouth, rather than move closer to Vale Park. However the pair settled their dispute, and Morgan went on to score nine goals in 41 games, picking pup the club's Player of the Year award. He went on to become the joint-top scorer in the 1972–73 season with eleven goals in 44 games (tied with strike partner Ray Williams). Aston Villa purchased Morgan for £22,222 in August 1973 (£5,400 also changed hands due to goalscoring bonuses).
He scored four goals in twelve games during Villa's 1974–75 Second Division promotion campaign, though his season was hampered by a back injury which kept him out of the 1975 League Cup Final. He played just the three games in the First Division before being sold to Brighton & Hove Albion for £10,000 in December 1975.
Seven goals in eighteen games from Morgan helped him return to the Second Division as a Third Division runner-up. His time at the Goldstone Ground was also ravaged with injury and in August 1977 he dropped back into the third tier, signing with Cambridge United for £15,000. He chose Cambridge over a return to Port Vale, then managed by Roy Sproson.
That season saw the club achieve promotion as runners-up, but Morgan left United in August 1978 after a dispute with the club. Choosing to head to the Netherlands, rather than Norway, he signed with Sparta Rotterdam. He moved on to FC Groningen in 1979, where he achieved a fourth promotion as the club claimed the Eerste Divisie title. He returned to his old club Gorleston in 1980 and was appointed manager the following year.
Read more about this topic: Sammy Morgan
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