Sam Osborne (footballer)

Samuel Paul Osborne (born 10 January 1999) is an English footballer who plays for National League North side Buxton. Osborne started his career at Dunkirk before moving to Notts County in 2016 where he played for four years, winning two Young Player of the Season awards before moving to Warwickshire side Leamington in 2020.

Early career
Osborne played youth football for Dunkirk before progressing to the senior team during the 2015–16 season.

Notts County
Osborne signed for Notts County in 2016, making his debut on 7 January 2017 in a 4–1 defeat away at Morecambe. In October 2018 he signed a professional contract with the club after impressing technical director Paul Hart in an EFL Trophy match against Newcastle United U21s. Despite this, his involvement with the first team became less frequent, and he hoped to force his way back into contention after scoring six goals in six games for the youth team.

Osborne began to feature more regularly after County's relegation to the National League. He scored his first goal for the club in September 2019 against Boreham Wood, describing it as "something he had always dreamed of". The strike was subsequently voted as the club's Goal of the Month by supporters. He ended the season with three goals in 16 appearances in all competitions and was offered a new contract, but opted to pursue more regular first team football elsewhere.

Leamington
In September 2020 Osborne signed for National League North side Leamington after a recommendation from former Leamington forward Colby Bishop, who also came through Notts County's academy. In November, he scored his first goals for the club in a 4–3 win against Alfreton Town, netting a brace to kickstart the comeback from a 3–0 half time deficit. At the end of the month he won the National League North Player of the Month award, scoring five goals as the Brakes went unbeaten.

AFC Fylde
On 9 January 2021, Osborne signed for National League North side AFC Fylde for an undisclosed fee. He was once again awarded the National League North Player of the Month Award in April 2022, scoring three goals and helping Fylde secure a place in the top three.

Buxton
On 6 October 2022, Osborne signed for fellow National League North club Buxton for an undisclosed fee.

Individual

 * Notts County Young Player of the Year: 2018/19, 2019/20
 * National League North Player of the Month: November 2020, April 2022