Wynne Sam Image 1 Oldham Athletic 1924

Description

Neston, Cheshire born right back Sam Wynne started his career in local league football with Neston Colliery in 1919. He joined North Wales side Connah’s Quay & Shotton before being signed by First Division club Oldham Athletic in the 1921 close season, making his Football League debut at Everton that October. Initially a fringe player in The Latics’ squad, he played only sporadically in the first team over two seasons until he established himself in the first team in September 1923, and the following month, in his fifteenth match for The Latics Wynne became the first player to score two goals for both sides during Oldham’s First Division match against Manchester United at Boundary Park, Wynne scoring a free kick and a penalty, more importantly scoring the winner in a 3-2 victory. This feat was matched when Chris Nicholl of Aston Villa scored twice for both sides in a 2-2 draw at Leicester City in March 1976.

A reliable penalty taker, Wynne stayed with Oldham for five seasons becoming club captain, making 153 appearances in total, scoring 10 goals. He signed for First Division Bury in the summer of 1926 and played 18 League matches for the club, scoring once, but his career ended in tragedy. On 30th April 1927, during Bury’s match away to Sheffield United, Wynne collapsed while placing the ball for a free kick after the Sheffield forward Harry Johnson had been adjudged offside. He was stretchered from the field of play and pronounced dead, aged only 30; the cause of death was determined to be a cerebral haemorrhage. The match, which Sheffield had led 1-0 through an own goal from Bury’s Jimmy Porter, was subsequently abandoned.