Sammy Nelson

Sammy Nelson

Sammy first came to the eye of English scouts when playing for Belfast side Linfield Swifts leading to him crossing the Irish Sea and signing for Blackpool in October 1946.

A right winger, Sammy had a good run in Blackpool’s Division One side but the signing of the rarely injured Stanley Matthews put paid to his chances at Bloomfield Road.

Disillusioned, Sammy moved to Luton to seek work but it was not long before the Hatters made an offer for his services. He made his Luton debut in a 0-1 home defeat at the hands of Birmingham in January 1948 but did not get another chance that season.

He starred in the pre-season games in 1948-49 and was picked for the first three matches of the new season but was eventually deemed to be too slow for the rigours of Division Two.

Sammy lived in Belfast in retirement until his passing in 2019 just short of his 95th birthday.