Samson Tovide

Samson Jolaoluwa Gbolohan Tovide (born 4 January 2004) is an English footballer who plays as a centre-forward for EFL League Two club Colchester United.

Samson Tovide
Personal information
Full name Samson Jolaoluwa Gbolahan Tovide[1]
Date of birth (2004-01-04) 4 January 2004[2]
Place of birth Hackney, England[3]
Position(s) Centre-forward
Team information
Current team
 Colchester United
Number 9
Youth career
Leyton Orient
Colchester United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020– Colchester United 41 (5)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:09, 4 October 2023 (UTC)

Career

Tovide began his career in the academy at Leyton Orient, before moving on to Colchester United.[4]

Tovide travelled with Colchester's first-team squad for their season-opening fixture at Bradford City on 12 September 2020. He made the bench but did not make an appearance.[2] He made his first-team debut as a substitute for Jevani Brown during Colchester's 6–1 Essex derby win against Southend United in the EFL Trophy on 10 November 2020.[5] He made his English Football League debut on 8 October 2021, coming on as a late substitute for Frank Nouble in Colchester's 2–0 defeat by Tranmere Rovers.[6]

He was sent off on his first league start for the club when he handled the ball in the penalty area during Colchester's 3–1 home defeat by Sutton United on 26 October 2021.[7]

After that unfortunate start Tovide found first team opportunities hard to come by - appearing just four more times that season, each time coming off the bench late on in matches with just a few minutes left.

The 2022/23 season started in a similar vein with his first team opportunities limited to appearances off the bench and then by injury. It wasn't until after Colchester, then struggling against relegation near the bottom of EFL League Two, appointed Matt Bloomfield as Head Coach in September 2022 that Tovide got his next start, appearing in a 0-1 defeat at Crewe Alexandra,[8] putting in a performance Bloomfield described as "Absolutely brilliant".[9]

Tovide was picked to start the next game and scored his first English Football League goal – a long-range, left footed shot from outside the area – in a 3-0 win over Doncaster Rovers to help move Colchester out of the EFL League Two relegation zone.

The match was notable as all three goals were scored from outside the penalty area though former Republic of Ireland international Clinton Morrison said Tovide's was "the best one".[10] Indeed, Tovide's goal was nominated for the EFL League Two 'Goal of the Month' for November though lost out in the vote, coincidentally to Doncaster Rovers' Harrison Biggins for his goal against Grimsby Town earlier in the month.[11]

Tovide signed a new two-year contract at the beginning of the 2023/24 season, the club have an option of a further year.

Career statistics
As of 3 October 2023
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Colchester United 2020–21[12] League Two 00––1[lower-alpha 1]010
2021–22[13] 6000001[lower-alpha 1]060
2022-23 28 2 1 0 1 0 1 0 31 2
2023-24 7 3 0 0 1 0 1 0 9 3
Total 415102040475
  1. Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy

References
  1. "EFL Club List of Registered Players as at 15th May 2021" (PDF). EFL.com. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  2. Waldron, Jonathan (14 September 2020). "Colchester United had 16-year-old Samson Tovide on the bench". Daily Gazette. Colchester. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  3. Ancestry.com. England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.
  4. "Young Duo Sign First Pro Deals". Colchester United F.C. 1 January 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  5. "Colchester 6–1 Southend". Sky Sports. 10 November 2020. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  6. "Tranmere Rovers 2–0 Colchester United". BBC Sport. 8 October 2021. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  7. "Colchester United 1–3 Sutton United". BBC Sport. 26 October 2021. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  8. "Crewe Alexandra 1 Colchester United". BBC Sport. 12 November 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  9. "Colchester United included Samson Tovide in their starting line-up". Daily Gazette. 14 November 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  10. "Former Colchester United striker Clinton Morrison on U's win". Daily Gazette. 21 November 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  11. "See the latest Goal of the Month winners". Daily Gazette. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  12. "Games played by Samson Tovide in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  13. "Games played by Samson Tovide in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
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