Samson Alfie Philip Robinson (born 9 January 2002) is an English professional footballer who plays for EFL League One club Port Vale, as a defender. A former England youth international, he joined Port Vale from Manchester City in January 2022. He helped the club to win promotion out of League Two via the play-offs in four months later.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Samson Alfie Philip Robinson[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (2002-01-09) 9 January 2002 (age 20)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Cheltenham, England[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Port Vale | ||
| Number | 27 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 20??–2016 | Leeds United | ||
| 2016–2022 | Manchester City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022– | Port Vale | 9 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 2016 | England U15 | 20 | (0) |
| 2017 | England U16 | 3 | (0) |
| 2019 | England U17 | 3 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:00, 19 November 2022 (UTC) | |||
After playing for Leeds United,[3] Robinson joined Manchester City at the age of 14.[4] He was originally a striker at Leeds, then was moved to centre-back at Manchester City and then later to central midfield, before he finally settled at right-back.[3] He represented the Manchester City Academy team in the EFL Trophy on 24 September 2019, in a 2–1 win at Bradford City.[5] He was promoted to the Elite Development Squad in January 2020.[2] He was given the squad number 77, but was sidelined after picking up what coach Brian Barry-Murphy described as a "really bad injury" in August 2020.[6][7] He made a total of 16 appearances in the Professional Development League, scoring one goal and providing two assists.[8]
Robinson signed an 18-month contract with League Two club Port Vale on 31 January 2022, after manager Darrell Clarke needed cover for the injured Lewis Cass and with James Gibbons; director of football David Flitcroft cited a desire to build a relationship with Manchester City; City retained a sell-on clause.[8][9] He made his debut at Vale Park on 20 March, coming on as a substitute for David Worrall in a 2–0 win over Sutton United.[10] He was an unused substitute as Vale secured promotion out of the play-offs with victory over Mansfield Town in the final at Wembley Stadium.[11] He made his full debut on 6 August, in a 4–0 defeat at fellow League One newcomers Exeter City, and despite giving away a penalty kick he received praise from Clarke, who said Robinson was "unfairly penalised".[12] Speaking three months later, Robinson said his focus was on improving the defensive aspect of his game.[3]
Robinson won a total of 26 caps representing England at under-15, under-16 and under-17 level.[8]
Robinson has been described as a "whole-hearted central defender... who is comfortable in possession".[2] He can play in central defence or at right-back.[8]
Robinson is a Leeds United supporter.[13]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | EFL Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Manchester City U23 | 2019–20[14] | — | — | — | — | 1[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2020–21[15] | — | — | — | — | 2[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||||
| 2021–22[16] | — | — | — | — | 1[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| Port Vale | 2021–22[16] | League Two | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2022–23[17] | League One | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3[lower-alpha 1] | 0 | 13 | 0 | |
| Total | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 18 | 0 | ||
Port Vale
Port Vale F.C. – current squad | |
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