Sam Tillen

Last updated

Sam Tillen
Sam Tillen, footballer, April 2006.jpg
Tillen warming up for Brentford in 2006.
Personal information
Full name Samuel Lee Tillen [1]
Date of birth (1985-04-16) 16 April 1985 (age 39)
Place of birth Reading, England
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) [2]
Position(s) Left back. left midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Lincoln City U18 (head coach)
Youth career
1997–2002 Chelsea
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2002–2005 Chelsea 0 (0)
2005–2008 Brentford 68 (1)
2008–2012 Fram 98 (6)
2013–2016 FH 28 (0)
2016 → Fram (loan) 15 (0)
2020 ÍH 4 (0)
Total213(7)
International career
2003 England U19 2 (0)
2006 Football League U21 1 (0)
Managerial career
2023– Lincoln City U18
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Samuel Lee Tillen (born 16 April 1985) is an English professional footballer, most notable for his eight years in as a left back in Icelandic football with Fram and FH. He also played in the Football League for Brentford. Tillen was capped by England at U19 level and represented the Football League at U21 level. He is currently youth development phase lead coach and U18 head coach at Lincoln City.

Contents

Club career

Chelsea

A left back, Tillen joined the academy at Premier League club Chelsea at the age of 12. [3] He completed a scholarship and signed his first professional contract in 2002, [4] [5] but his progress was hindered by 17 months out with a stress fracture in his back and a torn anterior cruciate ligament. [6] Tillen progressed to the reserve team, [7] but despite an injury crisis at full back in the first team ranks in late in February 2005, [8] he did not receive a call into the first team squad before departing Stamford Bridge at the end of the 2004–05 season. [9]

Brentford

On 27 May 2005, Tillen joined League One club Brentford on a one-year contract, with a one-year option. [10] He was a regular in the promotion-chasing team throughout the 2005–06 season and manager Martin Allen took up the option on his contract in February 2006. [7] [11] [12] Tillen finished the 2005–06 season with 43 appearances and experienced the disappointment of defeat to Swansea City in the play-off semi-finals. [11] [12] In July 2006, he signed a new undisclosed-length contract. [13]

Tillen was again a regular under new manager Leroy Rosenior early in the 2006–07 season and retained his place after Rosenior was sacked and replaced with Scott Fitzgerald in November 2006. [14] [15] He scored the first senior goal of his career with a late equaliser to secure a 1–1 draw with Leyton Orient on 9 September 2006. [14] Brentford suffered relegation to League Two at the end of the 2006–07 season and Tillen finished the campaign with 38 appearances and one goal. [14] [16]

Aside from two early 2007–08 season substitute appearances, [17] Tillen was frozen out of the first team squad by new manager Terry Butcher and failed to break back in after Butcher was replaced by Andy Scott in December 2007. [18] On 10 January 2008, Tillen departed Brentford after his contract was cancelled by mutual consent. [19] During 2+1⁄2 seasons at Griffin Park, Tillen made 83 appearances and scored one goal. [20]

Fram

In February 2008, Tillen moved to Iceland to join Úrvalsdeild club Fram on a one-year contract. [21] He had been recommended to try Icelandic football by his former Brentford teammate Ólafur Ingi Skúlason. [22] Tillen remained at Fram for five seasons, making 170 appearances, scoring 19 goals and eventually becoming club captain. [23] [24] [25] [26] He departed the club in October 2012. [27]

FH

On 22 October 2012, Tillen moved to Úrvalsdeild club FH on a two-year contract. [28] He had a good 2013 season, making 36 appearances and winning the Icelandic Super Cup. [29] A broken leg suffered in 2014 saw Tillen miss 11 months of football and upon his return, he suffered a torn calf and a broken cheekbone and eye socket. [30] He made just eight league appearances during FH's 2015 Úrvalsdeild title-winning season. [25] [31] [32]

Tillen was not in manager Heimir Guðjónsson's plans for the 2016 and he spent the season away on loan back at 1. deild karla club Fram. [31] [33] His season was ended early due to a broken cheekbone suffered in August 2016 and he made 16 appearances during a mid-table season for the club. [24] [34] Tillen elected to retire from football in December 2016 and he finished his FH career with 65 appearances and two goals. [25] [35]

ÍH

In August 2020, Tillen came out of retirement to join 4. deild karla club ÍH. [36] During what remained of the 2020 season, he made five appearances and helped the club to promotion via the 4. deild karla promotion play-offs. [24] [37]

International career

Tillen won caps for England in two 2004 European U19 Championship first qualifying round wins in September 2003. [38] He made one appearance for the Football League U21 representative team in a 1–0 victory over Serie B U21 on 21 February 2006. [39]

Coaching career

Tillen began coaching the FH U12 team while recovering from a broken leg in 2014. [30] After his retirement from football in 2016, Tillen became a full-time coach at FH. [35] [40] [41] After returning to England, he joined the coaching team at Leicestershire Senior League Premier Division club Cottesmore in September 2022. [42] As of January 2024, Tillen held the combined roles of youth development phase lead coach and U18 head coach at Lincoln City. [43] [44]

Personal life

Tillen's brother Joe was also a professional footballer. [35] The pair attended Newbury Athletic Club and later played together at Chelsea and Fram. [35] [45] [46] He is married and after retiring from football, he settled in Iceland. [35] Between 2012 and 2014, Tillen wrote a blog for fotbolti.net. [47]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational cup [lower-alpha 1] League cup [lower-alpha 2] EuropeOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Brentford 2005–06 [12] League One 3306010—3 [lower-alpha 3] 0430
2006–07 [14] League One3411020—1 [lower-alpha 4] 0381
2007–08 [48] League Two 100010—0020
Total6817040—40831
Fram 2008 [49] Úrvalsdeild 2122081—1 [lower-alpha 5] 0323
2009 [50] Úrvalsdeild18142414 [lower-alpha 6] 24 [lower-alpha 5] 1347
2010 [51] Úrvalsdeild1914092—3 [lower-alpha 5] 1354
2011 [52] Úrvalsdeild2102061—4 [lower-alpha 5] 0331
2012 [24] Úrvalsdeild1923190—5 [lower-alpha 5] 1364
Total9861533654217317019
FH 2013 [29] Úrvalsdeild20010806 [lower-alpha 7] 01 [lower-alpha 8] 0360
2014 [53] Úrvalsdeild0000412 [lower-alpha 6] 04 [lower-alpha 9] 0101
2015 [54] Úrvalsdeild8030601 [lower-alpha 6] 0—180
2016 [55] Úrvalsdeild000000001 [lower-alpha 8] 010
Total280411819060652
Fram (loan) 2016 [55] 1. deild karla 15010———160
Total11361633654217318619
ÍH 2020 [24] 4. deild karla Group A40———1 [lower-alpha 10] 050
Career total213727458613228333922
  1. ↑ Includes FA Cup, Icelandic Cup
  2. ↑ Includes Football League Cup, Icelandic League Cup
  3. ↑ 2 appearances in Football League One play-offs, 1 appearance in Football League Trophy
  4. ↑ Appearances in Football League Trophy
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Appearances in Reykjavik Tournament
  6. 1 2 3 Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  7. ↑ 4 appearances in UEFA Champions League, 2 appearances in UEFA Europa League
  8. 1 2 Appearance in Icelandic Super Cup
  9. ↑ Appearances in Fótbolti.net Cup
  10. ↑ Appearance in 4. deild karla promotion play-offs

Honours

FH

ÍH

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References

  1. ↑ "Sam Tillen". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  2. ↑ "Sam Tillen". 11v11.com. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  3. ↑ "Tryggð leikmanna" (in Icelandic). Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  4. ↑ "Chelsea's man in Iceland". www.chelseafc.com. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  5. ↑ "Sam Tillen klar för Brentford". SvenskaFans.com (in Swedish). Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  6. ↑ "The other side of John Terry that's rarely mentioned". Evening Standard. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  7. 1 2 "Tillen contract extended by Bees". 7 February 2006. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  8. ↑ "Bridge will miss rest of season". 21 February 2005. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  9. ↑ "Mourinho offers young duo deals". 31 May 2005. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  10. ↑ "Brentford buoyed by double deal". BBC Sport. 27 May 2005. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
  11. 1 2 "Brentford results for the 2005–2006 season". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  12. 1 2 3 "Games played by Sam Tillen in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  13. ↑ "Sam signs on". brentfordfc.co.uk. 4 July 2006. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  14. 1 2 3 4 "Games played by Sam Tillen in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  15. ↑ "Rosenior sacked as Brentford boss". 18 November 2006. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  16. ↑ "Brentford Complete History". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  17. ↑ "Sam Tillen Player Profile". ESPN FC. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  18. ↑ "Terry Butcher departs". brentfordfc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 September 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  19. ↑ "A second Sam departs this week". brentfordfc.co.uk. 10 January 2008. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  20. ↑ Sam Tillen at Soccerbase OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  21. ↑ "Leikmadur: 9 – Sam Tillen" [Player: 9 – Sam Tillen] (in Icelandic). Knattspyrnufélagið Fram. Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
  22. ↑ "Þegar ungur leikmaður fer frá Íslandi til Englands" (in Icelandic). Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  23. 1 2 3 Sam Tillen at Soccerway. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  24. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Samuel Lee Tillen". Knattspyrnusamband Íslands (in Icelandic). Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  25. 1 2 3 "Sam Tillen – FH Hafnarfjördur – Urvalsdeild – Iceland". Elite Football. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  26. ↑ "Sam Tillen: Ekki eins og okkur hafi verið rúllað upp í allt sumar". Vísir. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  27. ↑ "Sam Tillen genginn til liðs við FH" . Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  28. ↑ Einarsson, Magnús Már (22 October 2012). "Sam Tillen í FH (Staðfest)" (in Icelandic). Fótbolti.net. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
  29. 1 2 "Leikmaður – Samuel Lee Tillen". www.ksi.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  30. 1 2 "Sam Tillen: An English abroad legend who has built a life in Iceland". English players abroad. 7 February 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  31. 1 2 "FH leyfir Sam Tillen að fara á lán" (in Icelandic). Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  32. ↑ "Sam Tillen alvarlega meiddur – Spilar líklega ekkert í sumar" . Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  33. ↑ "Sam Tillen sneri aftur í Fram". Vísir. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  34. ↑ "Sam Tillen meiddist illa gegn Keflavík – Knattspyrnufélagið Fram". Knattspyrnufélagið Fram (in Icelandic). 24 August 2016. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  35. 1 2 3 4 5 "Sam Tillen leggur skóna á hilluna" (in Icelandic). Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  36. ↑ "Sam Tillen í ÍH (Staðfest)". www.fotbolti.net (in Icelandic). Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  37. 1 2 "Summary – 4. Deild – Iceland – Results, fixtures, tables and news". Soccerway. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  38. ↑ "England Matches – Under-19's 1991–2010". www.englandfootballonline.com. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  39. ↑ "Football League 1 Serie B 0". brentfordfc.co.uk. 22 February 2006. Archived from the original on 5 October 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  40. ↑ "Þjálfarar – FH – Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarðar". FH – Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarðar (in Icelandic). Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  41. ↑ "2. flokkur karla". FH – Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarðar (in Icelandic). Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  42. ↑ "Tillen takes coaching role with Cottesmore". Stamford Mercury. 27 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  43. ↑ "Directory – Lincoln City". www.weareimps.com. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  44. ↑ "U18s return to action against Burton on Friday". www.redimps.co.uk. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  45. ↑ "Leikmadur: 29 – Joe Tillen" [Player: 29 – Joe Tillen] (in Icelandic). Knattspyrnufélagið Fram. Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
  46. ↑ "Records – Boys". Newbury Athletic Club. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  47. ↑ "Fótbolti.net". fotbolti.net (in Icelandic). Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  48. ↑ "Games played by Sam Tillen in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  49. ↑ "Leikmaður – Samuel Lee Tillen". www.ksi.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  50. ↑ "Leikmaður – Samuel Lee Tillen". www.ksi.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  51. ↑ "Leikmaður – Samuel Lee Tillen". www.ksi.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  52. ↑ "Leikmaður – Samuel Lee Tillen". www.ksi.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  53. 1 2 "Leikmaður – Samuel Lee Tillen". www.ksi.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  54. ↑ "Leikmaður – Samuel Lee Tillen". www.ksi.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  55. 1 2 "Leikmaður – Samuel Lee Tillen". www.ksi.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 15 June 2018.
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