Sam Sutton

Sam Sutton
Sutton playing for the Wellington Phoenix in 2024.
Personal information
Full name Sam Harry Sutton[1]
Date of birth (2001-12-10) 10 December 2001 (age 22)[1]
Place of birth Auckland, New Zealand
Height 1.52 m (5 ft 0 in)[1]
Position(s) Left-back
Team information
Current team
 Wellington Phoenix
Number 19
Youth career
–2016 East Coast Bays
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016– Wellington Phoenix Reserves 44 (3)
2019– Wellington Phoenix 72 (2)
International career‡
2021– New Zealand U23 7 (1)
2024– New Zealand 3 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  New Zealand
OFC Nations Cup
Winner 2024 Fiji/Vanuatu
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19 May 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 31 July 2024

Sam Harry Sutton (born 10 December 2001) is a New Zealand professional footballer who plays as a left-back for A-League Men club Wellington Phoenix.

Club career

Wellington Phoenix Reserves

Sutton joined the Wellington Phoenix as part of their academy in 2016[2] after moving down from Auckland.[3] He started playing for the Wellington Phoenix Reserves in the New Zealand Football Championship in the 2016–17 season, making 4 appearances with 2 starts.[4] His debut in the national league was two weeks before he turned 15 when he came on in their away game against Southern United with the team leading 1–0 and looking for their first back-to-back wins in the reserve team's history.[3]

Wellington Phoenix

Sutton started training with the first team players during pre-season July 2019.[3] On 21 December 2019, Sutton made his A-League debut as a stoppage time substitute in the Phoenix 2–2 draw against Sydney FC in Sydney.[5] He followed that up with another 25 mins and his Sky Stadium home debut against Western Sydney Wanderers[6]

Sutton got his first start on the 25 July 2020 in a 1–1 draw with Adelaide United[7] playing for 60 minutes in an attacking midfield role.[3] With young teammates Callan Elliot and Te Atawhai Hudson-Wihongi also starting alongside Sutton, the starting XI in this match was the youngest in club history, with an average age of 25.02 years.[7]

On the 29 October 2020, Sutton signed a three-year deal with the Phoenix, his first professional contract with the club.[8] On 21 March 2022, Sutton extended his contract with the Phoenix for a further two years until the end of the 2024–25 season.[9]

Personal life

Sutton grew up on Auckland's North Shore and played for East Coast Bays as a junior. He was spotted by Wellington Phoenix's Academy Director Paul Temple at 12 years old and was asked to attend the Academy.[6] After moving to Wellington with his family, Sutton enrolled at Wellington College while training with the Phoenix academy.[10]

International career

On 12 July 2021, Sutton made his debut for the New Zealand U23's in a pre-Olympic friendly against Australia.[11] Sutton scored his first goal for the New Zealand U23's from the penalty spot, in a 2–0 win over China on 23 March 2023. He was also named captain for this first time during this game.[12][13]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played on 18 May 2024.[14]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Others Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Wellington Phoenix Reserves 2016–17 NZFC 4 0 — — 4 0
2017–18 14 0 — — 14 0
2018–19 18 0 — — 18 0
2019–20 7 2 — — 7 2
2022 National League 1 1 — — 1 1
Total 44 3 — — 44 3
Wellington Phoenix 2019–20 A-League 4 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
2020–21 12 0 — — 12 0
2021–22 A-League Men 21 1 4 0 1[a] 0 26 1
2022–23 15 1 3 0 0 0 18 1
2023–24 20 0 1 0 2 0 23 0
Total 72 2 8 0 3 0 83 2
Career total 116 5 8 0 3 0 127 5
  1. ^ Appearance in A-League Men Finals

International

As of match played on 30 June 2024.[15]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
New Zealand 2024 3 0
Total 3 0

Honours

New Zealand

References

  1. ^ a b c "Men's Olympic Football Tournament Paris 2024: Squad list" (PDF). FIFA. 24 July 2024. p. 11. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  2. ^ "Sam Sutton joins WPFA". Wellington Phoenix Football Academy. Archived from the original on 30 June 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d Voerman, Andrew (4 August 2020). "Sam Sutton relishes first start for Wellington Phoenix as he eyes a professional contract". Stuff. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  4. ^ "Sam Sutton Profile". Soccerway. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  5. ^ "Ulises Davila miss proves costly in Wellington Phoenix's Sydney FC stalemate". Stuff. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  6. ^ a b "A-League: Rising Wellington Phoenix star Sam Sutton could be New Zealand football's next next big thing". NZ Herald. New Zealand Herald. 9 July 2020. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  7. ^ a b Rollo, Phillip (26 July 2020). "Wellington Phoenix held by Adelaide United after Ulises Davila misses late penalty". Stuff. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  8. ^ Francis, Ben. "A-League: Wellington Phoenix re-sign midfielder Sam Sutton on three-year deal". Newshub. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  9. ^ Rollo, Phillip (21 March 2022). "Wellington Phoenix secure form left-back Sam Sutton for next three seasons". Stuff. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  10. ^ Rollo, Phillip (23 December 2019). "'Now I'm on the other side': Sam Sutton goes from Phoenix fan to player". Stuff. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  11. ^ Voerman, Andrew (13 July 2021). "'A real shot of confidence': OlyWhites beat Olyroos for boost ahead of Tokyo Olympics". Stuff. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  12. ^ Smith, Logan (23 March 2023). "New Zealand U-22s impress as they beat China 2-0 at Mt Smart Stadium". friendsoffootballnz.com. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  13. ^ "All Whites draw with China". New Zealand Football. 23 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  14. ^ "S. Sutton". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  15. ^ "Sam Sutton". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 27 June 2024.