Sam Wedgbury was one of the first new faces to join the squad after the 2012-3 season; manager Graham Westley snapping up the midfielder on a free. He came to us from non-league Macclesfield Town, where he made more than 100 appearances over a three-year period. He also earned a call up to the England C team in 2013 while with the Silkmen.

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

Sam Wedgbury: Before Boro’

Starting his career at Worcester City, he became the club’s youngest ever scorer 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. But 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 Sheffield United deal expired, the midfielder moved to Macclesfield – then in League Two. There was another loan spell in the offing in 2011, when Altrincham secured his services on a short-term basis. But he was to establish himself as a regular in the Macclesfield team – even after relegation to the Conference.