Good luck Sam
For the last couple of seasons, we have been able to follow the early stages of a career which takes an exciting twist this summer. Sam Christian, 18, will be settling into college life in America as Reds kick-off the 2025-26 campaign.
The talented midfielder will spend the next four years in Massachusetts at the Anna Maria College in Paxton, continuing his studies and honing his football skills. A step up from his recent association with the Cumbria Institute of Sport at Penrith and a fantastic opportunity for a bright young man.
Sam starting playing football eleven years ago as a member of Cockermouth’s U8 team, spending six years with them before being invited to play for Workington Reds Juniors and then RITC.
The last two years has been very much a ‘full-on’ football environment at Newton Rigg from Monday to Friday and with Reds at the weekend.
He has certainly enjoyed the last two seasons, and being involved in and around the first team squad for the past twelve months or so has been a vital part of the learning curve.
We first got to see Sam in the early rounds of the ’23-24 Cumberland Cup when, as a sixteen-year-old, he became one of the club’s youngest scorers in the competition with a goal against Dearham United.
A special moment for any youngster would be a league debut and Sam’s ‘big-day’ was a bit more than special. On his 17th birthday, he was given his first taste of Northern Premier League football when he came on as a substitute in the away game at Macclesfield.
“It would have been a memorable day whoever we played but to come on at Macclesfield in front of a near 4,000 crowd was fantastic,” he said.
That fifteen-minute cameo was followed a few days later with a place in the starting XI for the Cumberland Cup Final, which culminated in a winners’ medal after the narrow victory over Carlisle United.
Sam was involved in the first team squad throughout last season as well as turning out regularly for the Development Squad.
Having already worked under Darren Edmondson, Danny Grainger, Brian Dawson, Craig Johnston and Mark Fell, Sam is well prepared for the next stage of his career which gets underway in August.
Ben McCarron is also following the America college route and for two, young intelligent men with an abundance of football ability, it is a wonderful opportunity.
We wish them well.
