Sam Wedgbury

Sam Wedgbury was among the first new faces to be added to the Stevenage roster following the end of the 2012/3 season, with manager Graham Westley snapping up the young midfielder on a free transfer from non-league Macclesfield Town. At Moss Rose, he made more than 100 appearances across a three-year stay with the Silkmen and also earned a call up to the England C team in 2013.

Starting his career at Worcester City, he became the club’s youngest ever goalscorer when scoring on debut aged just 15-years-old. The progress Wedgbury made during his early career soon earned him a move to Sheffield United, although his four-year spell with the Blades yielded no first-team appearances. Instead, he found himself loaned to Mansfield Town and Turkish side Ferencvaros.

After his contract with Sheffield United expired, the midfielder made the move to Macclesfield Town – then in League Two. There was another loan spell in the offing in 2011, when Altrincham secured his services on a temporary basis. But he was to establish himself as a regular in the Macclesfield team – even after relegation to the Conference.

Having been voted Macclesfield Town’s Fans and Players’ Player of the Year for 2012/3, he was handed the chance to step up to League One with Stevenage. If there was an indication of his credentials as a Graham Westley player, Wedgbury stated that “football is getting too soft and the blame lies with Premier League players“.