Samuel Mark Lavelle (born 3 October 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for EFL League Two club Grimsby Town. Born in England, he represented Scotland at youth international level.
Lavelle began his career with Blackburn Rovers, leaving at the end of the 2015–16 season.[4]
He signed for Bolton Wanderers for the 2016–17 season. He was not retained for the 2017–18 season due to the club's transfer embargo; he spoke about how he felt he had been left "hung out to dry" and that the EFL "[were] punishing a young English player instead of Bolton Wanderers."[5]
On 1 August 2017, he signed for Morecambe, being assigned the number 16 shirt until the expiry of his contract on 30 June 2018.[6][7] Lavelle made his debut as a 93rd minute substitute for the League Two club, on 5 August, in the first competitive game of the season against Cheltenham Town in a 2–1 home win.[8][9] He scored his first goal for Morecambe in a 4-3 EFL Cup defeat at Barnsley on 8 August 2017.[10]
In November 2017 he received a two-match ban for "deception" after falsely winning a penalty.[11] Lavelle signed a new contract with the club in April 2018,[12] and then a further one in October 2019.[13]
In recent times Sam Lavelle acquired the captain's armband for the Shrimps.[citation needed] On 31 May 2021, Lavelle captained Morecambe in their League Two play-off final victory, in doing so securing promotion to League One for the Shrimps for the first time in the club's history. This resulted in many supporters regarding him as one of the clubs' all-time greats.
On 31 August 2021, Lavelle signed for Charlton Athletic on a three-year deal for a fee of around £300,000 with add ons.[14] He scored his first Charlton goal in his second appearance for the club in a 2-1 League One defeat at Wycombe Wanderers on 18 September.[15]
On 31 January 2023, Lavelle joined Burton Albion on loan until the end of the 2022–23 season. Lavelle's loan spell was cut short due to a shoulder injury.[16]
On 7 July 2023, Lavelle joined Carlisle United.[17]
On 16 May 2025, the club announced he would be leaving on 30 June 2025 when his contract expired.[18]
On 25 July 2025, Lavelle signed a two-year deal with Grimsby Town.[19]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Blackburn Rovers | 2015–16[20] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| Bolton Wanderers | 2016–17[21] | League One | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Morecambe | 2017–18[22] | League Two | 27 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3[a] | 0 | 31 | 2 |
| 2018–19[23] | League Two | 31 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[a] | 0 | 36 | 1 | |
| 2019–20[24] | League Two | 31 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3[a] | 0 | 36 | 1 | |
| 2020–21[25] | League Two | 45 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6[a][b] | 1 | 55 | 2 | |
| 2021–22[26] | League One | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 139 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 1 | 165 | 6 | ||
| Charlton Athletic | 2021–22[27] | League One | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 2 |
| 2022–23[28] | League One | 13 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2[c] | 1 | 22 | 1 | |
| Total | 32 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 41 | 3 | ||
| Burton Albion (loan) | 2022–23[28] | League One | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Carlisle United | 2023–24[29] | League One | 46 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 49 | 3 |
| 2024–25[30] | League Two | 37 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 40 | 4 | |
| Total | 83 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 89 | 7 | ||
| Grimsby Town | 2025–26[31] | League Two | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Career total | 256 | 13 | 10 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 19 | 2 | 298 | 16 | ||
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