Sam Fisher (Scottish footballer)

Sam Fisher (born 17 May 2001) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a defender for club Dunfermline Athletic. He came through the youth ranks of Dundee and has also played on loan for East Kilbride, Forfar Athletic (in three separate spells) and Dunfermline, before signing permanently with the latter in 2023.

2019–20 season
Fisher joined Lowland Football League side East Kilbride on loan in September 2019. Fisher's season was cut short due to an ACL injury picked up in a reserve game, which required surgery and kept him out for six to nine months.

2020–21 season
After making his return, Fisher signed a new deal with Dundee, keeping him at the club until 2023. He then immediately joined Scottish League One side Forfar Athletic on loan until January. Fisher made his league debut in a scoreless draw at home against Dumbarton. In January 2021, following the three-week suspension of League One by the SFA and SPFL due to the worsening COVID-19 situation in Scotland, Fisher was recalled by Dundee.

Fisher made his first start for Dundee in January 2021, in an away loss to Raith Rovers. He would come on as a substitute in a home win over Arbroath. Fisher would make four league appearances in total during the season, and would be an unused substitute when Dundee defeated Kilmarnock to win the Premiership play-offs and achieve promotion to the Premiership.

2021–22 season
In July 2021, Fisher would return on loan to Forfar Athletic, now in the Scottish League Two. In August, Fisher would suffer an injury during training which would "rule him out for some time." After sitting on the bench for the previous few games, Fisher would make his return to the pitch against Angus rivals Arbroath in the Scottish Cup. After making a league start shortly after, Fisher would again suffer injury misfortune, taking a knock which worried manager Gary Irvine. Fortunately this time, Fisher would recover much quicker and would return on Boxing Day, scoring his first senior goal for the Loons in a home game against Stenhousemuir. On 29 January 2022, Fisher was recalled by Dundee. He returned on loan to Forfar on 3 February for the remainder of the season.

2022–23 season
On 16 August 2022, Fisher joined Scottish League One side Dunfermline Athletic on a season-long loan. He would make his debut off the bench on 3 September, in an away league victory over Queen of the South. Fisher would be named to SPFL's Team of the Week in October after keeping a clean sheet and creating the winning goal in a league victory over F.C. Edinburgh. After impressing throughout his loan spell with the Pars and helping them top League One, Fisher was recalled by Dundee on 20 January 2023. The following week, Fisher played his first league game of the season for Dundee at right back, and helped defeat league leaders Queen's Park in a 3–0 victory. Fisher would receive two medals in two weeks at the end of the season, after receiving a league winner's medal from Dunfermline Athletic after playing a part in their Scottish League One triumph, and with Dundee after winning the Scottish Championship with them.

Dunfermline Athletic
Despite being offered a new deal, Fisher decided to leave Dundee in June 2023 and sign permanently for Dunfermline on a three-year deal. Fisher spent the first half of the season interspersed between starting for the Pars and recovering from injuries, including a bad facial injuries and two concussions in two weeks in a Fife derby against Raith Rovers in January 2024, but would make his return before the end of the month. However, he suffered a calf injury in training within a week of returning, keeping him out until mid-March, when he came on in a win over Dundee United.

Career statistics


Honours
Dundee
 * Scottish Championship: 2022–23

Dunfermline Athletic
 * Scottish League One: 2022–23