Sam Vokes

Sam Vokes

Vokes with Wales, 2016
Personal information
Full name Samuel Michael Vokes[1]
Date of birth (1989-10-21) 21 October 1989[2]
Place of birth Southampton, England
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[3]
Playing position Striker
Club information
Current team
 Burnley
Number 9
Youth career
2005–2006 Bournemouth
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2006–2008 Bournemouth 54 (16)
2008–2012 Wolverhampton Wanderers 47 (6)
2009 → Leeds United (loan) 8 (1)
2010–2011 → Bristol City (loan) 1 (0)
2011 → Sheffield United (loan) 6 (1)
2011 → Norwich City (loan) 4 (1)
2011–2012 → Burnley (loan) 9 (2)
2012 → Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) 14 (3)
2012– Burnley 156 (43)
National team‡
2007–2010 Wales U21 14 (4)
2008– Wales 48 (8)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15:59, 29 November 2016 (UTC).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15:53, 15 November 2016 (UTC)

Samuel Michael "Sam" Vokes (born 21 October 1989) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for English club Burnley and the Wales national team.

Vokes began his professional career at then League One Bournemouth, making his debut in 2006. His form there earned a move to Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he helped them win promotion to the Premier League in his first season.

He has become an established member of the Welsh national team, who he has also represented at under-21 level. Born and raised in England, Vokes is eligible to represent Wales through a grandfather born there.[4]

Club career

Early career

Born in Southampton and raised in Lymington,[5] Vokes stepped up into Bournemouth's first team on 5 December 2006 in a 2–0 victory over Nottingham Forest. His first senior goal came in a 1–1 draw at Gillingham on 16 December. This form saw the club give him a three-and-a-half-year professional contract during the following month.[6]

The striker remained at Bournemouth during the 2007–08 season, despite being linked to several other clubs, including Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Everton and Celtic.[7] The youngster was a bright spark in an otherwise tumultuous season for the Cherries as they were embroiled in a club ownership saga. His 12-goal tally could not prevent Bournemouth from being relegated to League Two.[8]

Wolves

He eventually signed a four-year contract with Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers on 23 May 2008.[9] Vokes marked his debut for the club by coming off the bench to equalise in a 2–2 draw away to Plymouth Argyle on the opening day of the 2008–09 season.[10]

With the goalscoring form of Chris Iwelumo and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake firing the club to the top of the table – that they led for almost the entire season – Vokes was mostly only employed as a substitute. Nonetheless he contributed a number of vital goals to help the team win promotion to the Premier League as champions.

To gain playing time, Vokes moved to League One side Leeds United in October 2009 on loan until the New Year,[11] making his Leeds debut in a 2–1 victory over Norwich City on 19 October. He scored once for the club against Bristol Rovers[12] but competition between Leeds strikers meant Vokes returned to Wolves when the deal ended.

Vokes went out on loan once more in August 2010 when he moved to Championship side Bristol City.[13] He endured a miserable stay, tearing his hamstring within minutes of making his debut in a game against Millwall and re-aggravating the injury in a reserve match in December.[14] He returned to Wolves when his loan expired in January having played just 13 minutes of first team football.

Once again fit, he moved on a month-long loan to another Championship side, Sheffield United, in February 2011[15] and made his début the same evening in a 1–1 draw with Reading. With their other attacking options regaining fitness, the Blades elected not to extend Vokes' loan period,[16] meaning he was instead signed up by promotion-chasing Norwich City on 23 March on an emergency loan for the rest of the season.[17] However, an injury to Wolves' leading goalscorer Kevin Doyle saw the club recall him after just four appearances for the Canaries, during which he scored once.[18] Back at Molineux, he made two substitute appearances for the team during the run-in as they narrowly avoided relegation on the final day.

During the 2011–12 season, he made four Premier League appearances for Wolves, but did not start a league game. In November 2011 he once more went out on loan to a Championship side, this time joining Burnley until 15 January.[19]

On 30 January 2012, Vokes joined Championship side Brighton & Hove Albion on loan until the end of the season.[20] He scored on his full home debut in a 2–2 draw with Millwall on 14 February 2012. He scored three goals in total during his 14 appearances for the Seagulls.

Burnley

On 31 July 2012, Vokes joined Championship side Burnley permanently signing a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee, believed to be £350k.[21] On 2 December, Vokes scored an equalising goal for Burnley in the 89th-minute against fierce rivals Blackburn Rovers a game which ended 1–1. Despite this goal, Vokes struggled to establish himself in the first eleven and was used predominantly as a substitute. This was mainly down to the form of top scorer Charlie Austin, with manager Sean Dyche often opting to partner Austin with fellow strikers Martin Paterson or Danny Ings, both being quicker and more mobile than Vokes.[22]

On the eve of the 2013–2014 Championship season, Burnley agreed a deal with Queens Park Rangers for the transfer of Charlie Austin,[23] who had attracted lots of attention from Premier League teams throughout the summer. With Austin moving out of the club, this gave Vokes his long-awaited chance in the starting eleven, and he finished the season with 21 goals in 44 games.

On 8 August 2015, on the opening day of the 2015–16 Championship season, Vokes scored his first league goal since returning from a knee injury for Burnley against former club Leeds United in a 1–1 draw. He scored his first Premier League goal on 20 August 2016 at Turf Moor in a 2–0 win against Liverpool[24]

International career

Born and brought up in England, Vokes is eligible to represent Wales through a grandfather born there.[4] Upon discovering Vokes' eligibility, Wales U21 coach Brian Flynn called him up to the Welsh under-21 team, and he made his debut against Northern Ireland on 6 February 2007. The seventeen-year-old made an instant impression by scoring after 36 seconds, a team record, in a 4–0 victory.[25] He remained in the team and featured in their European U-21 Championship qualifying campaign.

He was soon called up to the senior squad and made his debut in a 1–0 friendly win over Iceland on 28 May 2008. Vokes scored his first senior international goal when he netted the winner in a 1–0 win over Azerbaijan in their opening 2010 World Cup qualifier on 6 September 2008; his second international goal came in a friendly against Montenegro on 12 August 2009. In November 2011 Vokes came on as an 85th-minute substitute and scored two goals in a 4–1 win over Norway. In February 2013 he scored one goal against Austria. Just over a year later he scored again in March 2014, against Iceland. On 1 July 2016, Vokes came on as a substitute and scored for Wales in a 3–1 win over Belgium at Euro 2016, sealing the victory to take Wales to their first ever semi-final appearance at a major tournament.[26]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 26 November 2016.
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Bournemouth 2006–07[27] League One 134100000144
2007–08[28] League One 411210102[lower-alpha 1]04512
Total 54162010205916
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2008–09[29] Championship 3662210—398
2009–10[30] Premier League 503010—90
2010–11[31] Premier League 2020——40
2011–12[32] Premier League 40—31—71
Total 4767251—599
Leeds United (loan) 2009–10[33] League One 81——2[lower-alpha 1]0101
Bristol City (loan) 2010–11[34] Championship 10—00—10
Sheffield United (loan) 2010–11[35] Championship 61———61
Norwich City (loan) 2010–11[36] Championship 41———41
Burnley (loan) 2011–12[37] Championship 92———92
Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) 2011–12[38] Championship 14310——153
Burnley 2012–13[39] Championship 4641020—494
2013–14[40] Championship 39201140—4421
2014–15[41] Premier League 1502100—171
2015–16[42] Championship 43152110—4616
2016–17[43] Premier League 1340010—144
Total 156436380—17046
Career total 299731651414033379
  1. 1 2 Appearances in Football League Trophy

International

As of match played 12 November 2016.[44]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Wales 200861
200981
201020
201132
201250
201361
201411
201560
2016112
Total488

International goals

As of match played 5 September 2016. Wales score listed first, score column indicates score after each Vokes goal.[44]
International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition Ref
1 6 September 2008Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales3 Azerbaijan1–01–02010 FIFA World Cup qualification[45]
2 12 August 2009Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro11 Montenegro1–21–2Friendly[46]
3 12 November 2011Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales19 Norway3–14–1Friendly[47]
4 12 November 2011Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales19 Norway4–14–1Friendly[47]
5 6 February 2013Liberty Stadium, Swansea, Wales25 Austria2–02–1Friendly[48]
6 5 March 2014Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales31 Iceland2–13–1Friendly[49]
7 1 July 2016Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France43 Belgium3–13–1UEFA Euro 2016[26]
8 5 September 2016Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff, Wales45 Moldova1–04–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification[50]

Honours

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Burnley

References

  1. ↑ "Professional retain list & free transfers 2012/13" (PDF). The Football League. 18 May 2013. p. 10. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
  2. ↑ Hugman, Barry J. (ed) (2008). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2008–09. Mainstream. ISBN 978-1-84596-324-8.
  3. ↑ Rollin, Glenda; Rollin, Jack, eds. (2012). Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2012–2013 (43rd ed.). London: Headline. p. 556. ISBN 978-0-7553-6356-8.
  4. 1 2 "Vokes looking forward to an England test". Bournemouth Echo. 15 May 2008.
  5. ↑ "Vokes looking forward to an England test". Bournemouth Daily Echo. 15 May 2008.
  6. ↑ "Vokes hailed after earning deal". BBC Sport. 22 January 2007.
  7. ↑ "Vokes unfazed by big club scouts". BBC Sport. 24 March 2008.
  8. ↑ "Mum's the word for Vokes". Bournemouth Daily Echo. 3 March 2008.
  9. ↑ "Vokes joins Wolves from Cherries". BBC Sport. 23 May 2008.
  10. ↑ "Plymouth 2–2 Wolves". BBC Sport. 9 August 2008.
  11. ↑ "Leeds sign Wolves' Vokes on loan". BBC Sport. 19 October 2009.
  12. ↑ "Bristol Rovers 0–4 Leeds United". BBC Sport. 27 October 2009.
  13. ↑ "Bristol City sign Wolves striker Sam Vokes on loan". BBC Sport. 5 August 2010.
  14. ↑ "Vokes suffers new setback". Bristol City. 15 December 2010.
  15. ↑ "Bjorn Helge Riise and Sam Vokes loaned to Blades". BBC Sport. 15 February 2011.
  16. ↑ "Vokes exit as Blades have change of heart". Sheffield Telegraph. 23 March 2011.
  17. ↑ "Dani Pacheco and Sam Vokes Norwich City bound". BBC Sport. 24 March 2011.
  18. ↑ "Play it again Sam". wolves.co.uk. 22 April 2011.
  19. ↑ "Burnley sign Wolves striker Sam Vokes". BBC Sport. 18 November 2011.
  20. ↑ "Seagulls swoop for Sam". Wolves FC. 30 January 2012.
  21. ↑ "Burnley FC headlines". Archived from the original on 4 August 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  22. ↑ Wednesday, 27 January 2016 (2012-07-31). "Wolves reject £10m bid for Fletcher « Express & Star". Expressandstar.com. Retrieved 2016-01-27.
  23. ↑ "Charlie Austin: QPR sign Burnley striker for undisclosed fee". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation.
  24. ↑ "United in opening day draw". Leeds United Official site. 8 August 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  25. ↑ "Sam impresses all with superb debut". Dorset Echo. 7 February 2007.
  26. 1 2 "Brilliant Wales stun Belgium to reach Euro 2016 semi-final". RTÉ Sport. Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 1 July 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  27. ↑ "Bournemouth 2006/2007 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  28. ↑ "Bournemouth 2007/2008 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  29. ↑ "Wolves 2008/2009 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  30. ↑ "Wolves 2009/2010 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  31. ↑ "Wolves 2010/2011 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  32. ↑ "Wolves 2011/2012 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  33. ↑ "Leeds 2009/2010 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  34. ↑ "Bristol C 2010/2011 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  35. ↑ "Sheff Utd 2010/2011 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  36. ↑ "Norwich 2010/2011 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  37. ↑ "Burnley 2011/2012 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  38. ↑ "Brighton 2011/2012 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  39. ↑ "Burnley 2012/2013 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
  40. ↑ "Burnley 2013/2014 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
  41. ↑ "Burnley 2014/2015 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  42. ↑ "Burnley 2015/2016 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  43. ↑ "Burnley 2016/2017 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  44. 1 2 "Vokes, Sam". National Football Teams. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  45. ↑ "Wales 1–0 Azerbaijan". BBC Sport. 6 September 2008. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  46. ↑ "Montenegro 2–1 Wales". BBC Sport. 12 August 2009. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  47. 1 2 "International friendly: Wales 4–1 Norway". BBC Sport. 12 November 2011. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  48. ↑ "BBC Wales Sport at the Liberty Stadium". BBC Sport. 6 February 2013. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  49. ↑ "Wales 3–1 Iceland". BBC Sport. 5 March 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  50. ↑ James, Stuart (5 September 2016). "Gareth Bale-inspired Wales lead Moldova a merry dance". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 September 2016.

External links

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