Sam Oji

Sam Oji

Oji in 2012
Personal information
Full name Samuel Udoka Oji[1]
Date of birth (1985-10-09) 9 October 1985[1]
Place of birth Westminster, England
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[2]
Playing position Centre back
Club information
Current team
 Worcester City
Youth career
2000–2004 Arsenal
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2004–2008 Birmingham City 0 (0)
2005–2006 → Doncaster Rovers (loan) 4 (0)
2007 → Bristol Rovers (loan) 5 (0)
2007 → Leyton Orient (loan) 2 (0)
2008 Leyton Orient 11 (0)
2008–2009 Hereford United 4 (0)
2009 Ljungskile SK 6 (0)
2011–2013 Tamworth 39 (2)
2013–2014 Limerick 35 (0)
2015–2016 Galway United 28 (2)
2016– Worcester City 0 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 10:22, 16 Jul 2016 (UTC).


Samuel Udoka "Sam" Oji (born 9 October 1985) is an English professional footballer who plays for Worcester City.

He played in the Football League for Doncaster Rovers, Bristol Rovers, Leyton Orient and Hereford United, and in the Swedish Superettan for Ljungskile SK, before returning to England to play for Tamworth in the Conference National.

Career

Birmingham City

Oji training with Birmingham City in 2006

Born in Westminster, London, Oji started his career as a youth player at Arsenal.[1] He signed a full-time contract with Birmingham City for the start of the 2004–05 season.[1]

In 2005–06 he spent six weeks on loan at Doncaster Rovers,[3] for whom he made his debut in the Football League as a second-half substitute against Gillingham.[4]

In February 2006 he made his only first-team appearance for Birmingham as a late substitute in the 2006 FA Cup fourth round replay against Reading.[5]

A year later he joined Bristol Rovers on a month's loan, later extended to two months.[6] In the summer of 2007 he had a trial with Southend United,[7] then in August signed for Leyton Orient on a month's loan,[8] later extended to three months.[9]

Leyton Orient

With six months remaining on his contract,[7] Oji left Birmingham by mutual consent on 8 January 2008 and joined Leyton Orient until the end of the 2007–08 season.[10] He was released by Orient at the end of the season.[11]

Hereford United

Oji signed for League One club Hereford United on 7 August 2008.[12] After five games for the club he suffered a knee injury which kept him out of training for four months; he never regained his first-team place and at the end of his short-term contract, in February 2009, he was released.[13]

Ljungskile SK

In March 2009 Oji joined Ljungskile SK of the Superettan (Swedish second division) after a successful trial.[14] He played only six league games for Ljungskile before leaving in June.[15] In August, Oji had a trial with Tranmere Rovers,[16] then with Turkish Süper Lig side Diyarbakirspor,[17] and in September, he returned to former club Leyton Orient for another trial which ended as he suffered an apparently serious leg injury while playing for the reserves.[18] A succession of knee injuries then kept him out of football for two years.[19]

Tamworth

In December 2011 Oji signed for Conference National side Tamworth.[20] He made his debut as a second-half substitute in the first match of 2012, a 2–2 draw at home to Alfreton Town.[21] He was sent off for two bookable offences in a league match against Fleetwood Town on 4 February 2012.[22]

Limerick

Oji signed for League of Ireland side Limerick on 26 August 2013, and made his debut for the club in a 2-0 away defeat to Sligo Rovers.[23]

Galway United

Oji joined Galway United from Limerick in 2015.[24]

Return to England

On 5 August 2016 Worcester City announced the signing of Oji ahead of the 2016–17 National League North opening fixture.[25]

Career statistics

Statistics accurate as of match played 5 June 2013.

Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
England League FA Cup League Cup Europe Total
2004–05Birmingham CityPremier League0000000000
2005–060000000000
2005–06Doncaster Rovers (loan)League One4010100060
2006–07Birmingham CityChampionship0000000000
2006–07Bristol Rovers (loan)League Two5000000050
2007–08Birmingham CityPremier League0000000000
2007–08Leyton Orient (loan)League One2000000020
2007–08Leyton OrientLeague One130000000130
2008–09Hereford UnitedLeague One5000100060
Sweden League Svenska Cupen League Cup Europe Total
2009LjungskileSuperettan6010000070
England League FA Cup League Cup Europe Total
2011–12TamworthConference National130000000130
2012–13262000000262
Total England 451102000481
Total Sweden 6010000070
Career total 743102000773

Personal life

Oji is a cousin of UK soul singer Lemar.[19]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2009). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2009–10. Mainstream Publishing. p. 315. ISBN 978-1-84596-474-0.
  2. ↑ "Sam Oji – Limerick FC". Extratime.ie. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  3. ↑ "Oji set for Doncaster loan move". BBC Sport. 23 November 2005. Retrieved 8 January 2008.
  4. ↑ "Gillingham 1–0 Doncaster". BBC Sport. 6 December 2005. Retrieved 8 January 2008.
  5. ↑ "Birmingham 2–1 Reading". BBC Sport. 7 February 2006. Retrieved 8 January 2008.
  6. ↑ "Oji extends Bristol Rovers loan". BBC Sport. 20 March 2007. Retrieved 8 January 2008.
  7. 1 2 "Birmingham man has Southend trial". BBC Sport. 19 July 2007. Retrieved 8 January 2008.
  8. ↑ "Orient sign Birmingham defender". BBC Sport. 8 August 2007. Retrieved 29 November 2007.
  9. ↑ "Oji extends loan deal at Orient". BBC Sport. 2 October 2007. Retrieved 8 January 2008.
  10. ↑ "O's get Oji as Chambers pens deal". BBC Sport. 8 January 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2008.
  11. ↑ "O's boss begins summer shake-up". BBC Sport. 8 May 2008. Retrieved 19 June 2008.
  12. ↑ "Sam Oji becomes a Bull". Hereford United. 7 August 2008. Retrieved 7 August 2008.
  13. ↑ "Oji returns for Bulls after lengthy lay-off". Western Daily Press. 14 January 2009. Retrieved 19 February 2009.
    "Oji leaves Hereford United". Western Daily Press. 5 February 2009. Retrieved 19 February 2009.
  14. ↑ "Tre nya spelare klara för LSK!" [Three new players ready for LSK] (in Swedish). Ljungskile SK. 31 March 2009. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
  15. ↑ "Samuel Oji" (in Swedish). Ljungskile SK. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
    "Sommarnyheter i truppen" [Summer squad news] (in Swedish). Ljungskile SK. 26 June 2009. Retrieved 21 December 2011.
  16. ↑ Matthew Jones (5 August 2009). "Young Rovers Side Slip to Defeat at The Bay". Total Tranmere. SportNetwork. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
  17. ↑ "Shorts: Latest news about former Arsenal, Blackpool, Dunfermline, Leyton Orient and Chelsea players PLUS Phoenix news". Les Rosbifs. 16 January 2010. Retrieved 21 December 2011.
  18. ↑ "Reserves Thrashed By Palace". Leyton Orient F.C. 8 September 2009. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
  19. 1 2 Moxley, Neil (6 January 2012). "A soul singer's cousin, a (sort of) Hollywood star and the strange case of disappearing towels. Welcome to Team Tamworth". Mail Online. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  20. ↑ "Defender Sam Oji pens Tamworth contract". BBC Sport. 22 December 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
  21. ↑ "First points of the year are shared". Tamworth F.C. 1 January 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  22. ↑ "Fleetwood 2–2 Tamworth". BBC Sport. 4 February 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
  23. ↑ "Sligo 2-0 Limerick". Limerick FC. 31 August 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  24. ↑ http://galwayunitedfc.ie/sam-oji-signs-for-united/ Galway United F.C. 23 February 2015
  25. ↑ "A further three players join the ranks". Worcester FC. 5 August 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
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