Young Goalkeeper Finds Loan Move

Young goalkeeper Sam Long has left the club to join Scottish League One side Falkirk on loan until the end of the season.

The 20-year-old goalkeeper has spent the last few seasons out on loan developing away from the club. He spent the 21/22 season with Drogheda United, after making six first-team appearances including his League One debut against Plymouth Argyle, which ended in a big win for Michael Appleton’s Imps away from home. His spell at Drogheda, alongside Sean Roughan, went really well with the young stopper earning rave reviews out in Ireland.

The season that followed wasn’t as successful though, and he found himself really struggling. A poor loan spell at Boston United was the start of a difficult campaign, Sam found himself in a struggling team and he didn’t cope with the pressure, and ended up being recalled in January. Even after the poor spell, he was able to earn a move to the National League and despite enjoying his spell with Bromley, he only featured once against Wrexham, before he was recalled by City with Carl Rushworth being unavailable.

City’s director of football Jez George said: “Falkirk know Sam really well from his spell at Drogheda United and his call ups for Scotland U21s. They have tracked him for a considerable amount of time, and we are aware that they rate him highly and are aware of his attributes.

“This is an excellent opportunity for Sam at a good club, with a really strong fanbase and high expectations having reached the play-offs last season.”

I really want Sam to succeed and I think this loan spell is much better suited to him than the one at Boston was last year. I see him as our future number one, so hopefully he can have a really good year and play plenty of football. If you remember, I interviewed Sam following his debut for the club and his first clean sheet against Bradford, and he was a pleasure to speak to, you could just tell that he is really eager to succeed at the club, and he has a real passion for what he does. He told me all that time ago that his long-term goal is to be playing regularly for Lincoln City and I hope we get to see him do that.

I wish Sam the best of luck out on loan, and I hope he has a great deal of success in Scotland.