Like Neill Byrne in the previous CCF, Sam Minihan is a player who worked incredibly hard to make a career for himself following his release from Dale as a youngster many years ago.

Position: Right-back

Appearances: 1

Goals: 0

Arrived from: Youth Team

Left for: Loughborough University

It feels quite strange writing this CCF as I actually knew Sam as a team-mate with Heywood Cricket Club's youth teams. He was one of the team's better players, a dangerous right arm medium-fast bowler who could score quick runs from the lower middle order, although I never quite forgave him for running me out in a cup defeat at Denton circa 2007!

Having been at the club since the age of 7, Sam was a genuine Dale supporter and so would have been over the moon to be selected for the first-team in April 2012, putting in an impressive performance in a 3-2 victory over Exeter City that in all honesty didn't mean much with Dale's relegation set to be confirmed the following week at Chesterfield.

Supporters clearly wanted Minihan to kick on from that appearance and I remember him modelling the kits for the 2012/2013 season, but despite the drop down to League Two he found minutes hard to come by both under John Coleman and later Keith Hill. He did spend some time out on loan at Droylsden though, featuring 14 times for the Lambs in the Conference North.

However, it came as little surprise when he was released by the club in 2013 and he took the opportunity at this stage to go to Loughborough University, captaining one of the country's best University sides while managing to study for his degree simultaneously. During this time, Sam helped me personally with my own university dissertation, even helping to put me in contact with some of his Loughborough team-mates for a feature I was writing on the team and the second chances they were being given following their releases from EFL clubs.

In 2015, he secured a move to National League North side Worcester City and after one year with the club where he played 34 times and scored once, he was offered a deal by Stockport County.

Clearly the pull of playing for such an illustrious club given the level, as well as moving back to his native North West was too much for Minihan to reject and he joined the Hatters in the summer of 2016.

After scooping the club's Young Player of the Year award in his first season, Minihan was given a new two year deal and at the end of that contract and his third year at Edgeley Park, the club celebrated promotion into the National League.

Of course over the next three years, County have been transformed thanks to their new ownership and they finally secured promotion back to the Football League last season, winning the National League title despite the challenge of another wealthy competitor in Wrexham.

Despite the vast improvement in the playing squad during his time at the club, Minihan managed to remain with the Hatters for quite some time and racked up 191 appearances, captaining the club on a handful of occasions. First-team opportunities were a little more limited during last year's title winning campaign though and he made just 12 appearances, five of which came from the bench.

In a bid to earn more first-team football, he finally left Stockport this summer to join Halifax, where at the time of writing he has featured five times in the National League.

Photo: Action Images

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