Delano Ezra Sam-Yorke (born 20 January 1989) is an English

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who last played as a striker for

Merstham Merstham is a town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead in Surrey, England. It lies 17 miles south of Charing Cross just beyond the Greater London border. Part of the North Downs Way runs along the northern boundary of the town. Merstham has ...

. He most notably featured for

Woking Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in north-west Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'', and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settleme ...

, Basingstoke Town,

Cambridge United Cambridge United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Cambridge, England. They currently compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed the U’s, the club h ...

, Lincoln City and Maidstone United.

Career

Woking

Sam-Yorke was born in

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. It ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Originally a winger, he began his career with Wycombe Wanderers, before joining

and progressing through the club's academy to make his first-team debut as a substitute on 9 August 2008 in a Conference Premier defeat against

Altrincham Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester, southwest of Sale, Greater Manchester, Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2021 United Kingdom ce ...

. His first full appearance came on 25 August 2008 in a 0–0 away draw against

Oxford United Oxford United Football Club () is a professional association football, football club based in Oxford, England. The club compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football league system, English football. Founded as Headingto ...

at the

Kassam Stadium The Kassam Stadium (also known as Grenoble Road) is the home of Oxford United F.C., and is named after the ground's owner and former chairman of the football club, Firoz Kassam. The Kassam Stadium was built whilst Oxford United played in Di ...

. In his first full season as part of the first team, he couldn't prevent Woking from being relegated into the

Conference South The National League South, officially Vanarama National League South, is a professional Association football league in England. National League South is the second division of the National Leagues and step 2 of the NLS and sixth-highest ti ...

at the end of the 2008–09 season. On 19 November 2009, Sam-Yorke joined Isthmian League Premier Division side Cray Wanderers on a one-month loan deal to gain first-team experience. On 29 November 2009, Sam-Yorke scored his first Cray Wanderers goal, providing the winner in a 3–2 victory over

Margate Margate is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Thanet District of Kent, England. It is located on the north coast of Kent and covers an area of long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay and W ...

. The following 2009–10 season saw him help Woking to the first round of the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 away loss against League One side

Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team, known as the "Robins", currently compete in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded as Swindon A ...

AFC Wimbledon

Sam-Yorke joined

AFC Wimbledon AFC Wimbledon is an English professional association football club based in Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton, London. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in ...

in the summer of 2010 but struggled to break into the first team squad. He subsequently joined

side Basingstoke Town in a loan deal in September 2010. AFC Wimbledon earned promotion into the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

via the Conference Premier play-offs at the end of the

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

season, however Sam-Yorke left the club at the end of the campaign.

Basingstoke Town

On his release by AFC Wimbledon, he returned to Basingstoke Town on a permanent deal in June 2011. In November 2011, he helped Basingstoke to the first round of the

, starting in a 1–0 loss against

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...

. At the end of his first full season at Basingstoke, he was a part of the club's team that reached the

play-offs, however they lost in the semi-finals against

Dartford Dartford is the principal town in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located south-east of Central London and is situated adjacent to the London Borough of Bexley to its west. To its north, across the Thames Estuary, is Thurrock in ...

in May 2012. He ended the following

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

season as Basingstoke's top goal scorer however left the club in May 2013.

Cambridge United

He signed for

in May 2013, returning to the Conference Premier. He made a successful start to life at the

Abbey Stadium The Abbey Stadium, currently known as the Cledara Abbey Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Cambridge, England. It has been the home ground of Cambridge United since 1932, and currently has a maximum capacity of 7,937 spe ...

, scoring twice on his debut on the opening day of the 2013–14 season in a 5–1 win against

FC Halifax Town FC Halifax Town is a professional association football club based in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. They currently compete in the National League (division), National League, the fifth level of English football league system. They replac ...

. With the majority of his appearances for Cambridge United coming as a substitute, he moved on loan to Conference Premier rivals Lincoln City on 2 January 2014. He scored his first goal for Lincoln in only his second appearance on 7 January 2014 in a 4–1 home win over

Alfreton Town Alfreton Town Football Club is a football club based in Alfreton, Derbyshire, England. The club are currently members of and play at North Street. History The club was formed in 1959 following the merger of Alfreton Miners Welfare and Alf ...

. He returned to Cambridge United, scoring in his first game back at the club in a comprehensive 5–1 victory over

Kidderminster Harriers Kidderminster Harriers Football Club are a professional association football club based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England. The team competes in the National League North, the sixth level of the English football league system. Formed in ...

on 1 March 2014. He is considered a cult hero at Cambridge after helping the club to the Conference Premier play-offs by scoring twice in a 2–0 second leg win over

that secured a 2–1 aggregate win and a place in the final at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

. He started in Cambridge United's play-off final 2–1 win over

Gateshead Gateshead () is a town in the Gateshead Metropolitan Borough of Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank. The town's attractions include the twenty metre tall Angel of the North sculpture on the town's southern outskirts, ...

in front of 19,613 supporters at Wembley which earned the club a place back in the

. He remained with Cambridge United following promotion for the start of the 2014–15 season, and made his

debut on 9 August 2014 as a substitute in a 1–0 home win over

Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. The club has played ...

. Three days later he appeared in a League Cup defeat against

Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...

on 12 August 2014 as a substitute, replacing fellow striker

Adam Cunnington Adam Paul Cunnington (born 7 October 1987) is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Bedford Town. Career Born in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, Cunnington started his career with Barton Rovers during the 2005–06 season, in whi ...

at half time in a match that went to extra time. In September 2014, he returned to the Conference Premier, rejoining Lincoln City for a second loan spell despite reported interest from

Grimsby Town Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "the Mariners", the club was f ...

. He made his second debut for Lincoln in a 3–1 away loss against his former club,

, on 6 September 2014.

Lincoln City

In January 2015, Sam-Yorke made his loan spell a permanent one with a full-time move to Lincoln City on a free transfer. He went on to score a goal in a 2–1 away win over Dover Athletic on 7 March 2015. Meanwhile, he was also sent off in stoppage time in a 2–0 home loss against

Welling United Welling United Football Club is a semi-professional association football club, based in Welling in the London Borough of Bexley, England. The most prominent aspect of the club is its men's first team, who play in the , the seventh level of the E ...

on 14 March 2015. At the end of the 2014–15 season he was one of a number of players released by the club.

Forest Green Rovers

On 15 May 2015, he joined

Forest Green Rovers Forest Green Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. Formed in October 188 ...

, moving to

The New Lawn The New Lawn, also known as The Bolt New Lawn for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire. It has been the home stadium of National League club Forest Green Rovers since 2006. During the 2007–08 season the ...

on a one-year contract. He made his debut for the club on 8 August 2016 as a second-half substitute in a 1–0 away win over

. On 18 January 2016, he joined fellow

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

club

Boreham Wood Borehamwood (, historically also Boreham Wood) is a town in southern Hertfordshire, England, from Charing Cross. Borehamwood has a population of 36,322, and is within the London commuter belt. The town's film and TV studios are commonly known ...

on loan until the end of the 2015–16 season. He returned to Forest Green at the end of the season for the club's play-off campaign, which ended in defeat in the play-off final at

, but was unused and was released on 16 May 2016.

Return to Woking

On 15 July 2016, Sam-Yorke rejoined his first club

on a one-year deal after a successful trial. On 10 September 2016, Sam-Yorke made his Woking return in a 1–1 draw against

Guiseley Guiseley ( ) is an area in the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated south of Otley and Menston and is now a north-west ...

, featuring for 65 minutes before being replaced by Chike Kandi. Three days later, Sam-Yorke went on to score a brace in a 3–1 victory over

Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the National League South, the sixth level of the English football league system. They have played their ho ...

, netting both goals in the space of ten minutes. On 5 January 2017, Sam-Yorke joined fellow National League club Maidstone United on a two-month loan deal. Two days later, Sam-Yorke made his Maidstone debut in a 2–1 defeat against Guiseley, featuring for the entire 90 minutes. In the following fixture, Sam-Yorke scored his first goal for Maidstone United, in their 2–1 victory over Torquay United. After numerous bids for Sam-Yorke's spell at Maidstone to be extended were rejected, he returned to Woking in March 2017, after scoring three times in eight games. On 21 March 2017, Sam-Yorke scored twice in Woking's 3–1 away victory against

Braintree Town Braintree Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Braintree, Essex, England. They are currently members of and play at Cressing Road. History The club was formed on 24 September 1898 as Manor Works, the works team of the ...

, netting both goals in the space of two minutes to give the Cards a 2–1 lead, before Keiran Murtagh finished the scoring in the second half. In the following fixture, Sam-Yorke scored once again, this time against his former club; Maidstone United, netting the Cards' opener in their 4–2 home defeat. The following week, Sam-Yorke continued his impressive scoring record, netting the opener in Woking's 2–1 victory over

Sutton United Sutton United Football Club is a professional association football club from Sutton, South London, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. Sutton started out playing in junior, ...

Maidstone United

On 9 May 2017, after an impressive loan spell, Sam-Yorke rejoined Maidstone United on a permanent deal. On the opening day of the 2017–18 campaign, Sam-Yorke marked his return during Maidstone's 1–1 draw with

Maidenhead United Maidenhead United Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Maidenhead, Berkshire, England. Affiliated to the Berks & Bucks FA, they are currently members of the . The club were established in October 1870 and have played at ...

, playing the full 90 minutes. Following his return to the

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

-based side, Sam-Yorke struggled to replicate his form in his previous spell at the club, registering his first goal in September 2017, against former side Woking. Doubling Maidstone's lead in the 67th minute during the 3–1 victory. Two months later, he scored twice during Maidstone's iconic

first round 4–2 victory over League Two side

Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Founded in 1887, ...

. On 2 May 2018, it was announced that Sam-Yorke would leave Maidstone at the conclusion of his contract in June.

Dartford

On 16 June 2018, Sam-Yorke signed for

. On 14 November 2018, Sam-Yorke joined Kingstonian on an initial month's loan. On 15 February 2019, Sam-Yorke re-joined Kingstonian on loan until the end of the season. On 17 July 2019, Sam-Yorke announced his retirement from football at the age of 30.

Merstham

Less than a month after retiring, Sam-Yorke signed for

East Grinstead Town

After a troubled 2019–20 campaign, Sam-Yorke joined East Grinstead Town in July 2020.

Return to Merstham

On 20 August 2021, Sam-Yorke made his return to Merstham following a short-term spell with East Grinstead Town.

Career statistics

Honours

Cambridge United *

FA Trophy The Football Association Challenge Trophy, also known as the Isuzu FA Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after The Football Association (the FA) and competed by mainly National League ...

winners: 2013–14 * Conference Premier runners-up: 2013–14 * Conference Premier play-offs: 2013–14

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sam-Yorke, Delano 1989 births Living people Footballers from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham People from Hammersmith English men's footballers Men's association football forwards Woking F.C. players Cray Wanderers F.C. players AFC Wimbledon players Basingstoke Town F.C. players Cambridge United F.C. players Lincoln City F.C. players Forest Green Rovers F.C. players Boreham Wood F.C. players Maidstone United F.C. players Dartford F.C. players Kingstonian F.C. players Merstham F.C. players East Grinstead Town F.C. players National League (English football) players English Football League players Isthmian League players 21st-century English sportsmen