Sambrooke Chris Image 1 Stalybridge Celtic 1922

Description

Tividale, Staffordshire born centre forward Chris Sambrooke began his football career with Kidderminster Harriers and played for Oldbury Town in 1914 prior to the onset of the First World War forcing the suspension of peacetime football, but after the War he joined newly elected Second Division club Coventry City in May 1919, making his Football League debut in their inaugural League fixture at the end of August 1919 when they were well beaten by eventual League winners Tottenham Hotspur. Sambrooke made 6 appearances for Coventry through to November but left Highfield Road later in the year, initially joining Nuneaton Town and subsequently playing for Wellington Town whom he joined in 1921.

He returned to Football League action when he signed for Stalybridge Celtic in June 1922, and he scored on his debut for The Celts in a 1-1 draw at Tranmere Rovers that August, also scoring in the return fixture a week later which Stalybridge won 4-1. He also scored a hat-trick in a 4-2 win over Darlington on 30th December, but when the club resigned its League status after two seasons, as it was felt that it could not attract enough support to justify a League side in spite of the fact that average attendance of 5,480 in 1922 was almost 2,000 more than neighbouring Rochdale, who played in the same Division, Sambrooke returned to Nuneaton Town after 9 goals in 23 appearances. He subsequently played for Redditch Town in 1923, Stourbridge in 1925, Bromsgrove Rovers in 1926, and Willenhall Town in 1927 before his eventual retirement.