16

Sam Roscoe

Phil Parkinson added a towering presence to Altrincham's defence for the 23/24 season after landing 6ft 5in centre-back Sam Roscoe from Northern Ireland Premiership runners-up Linfield.

Manchester-born Sam made more appearances than any other Linfield player last season, and his signing is seen as a real coup for the Robins after he opted for a return home rather than staying with David Healy's side when his Windsor Park contract ran out.

Sam started out at Aberdeen and worked his way through the Academy ranks to win his first professional contract in June 2016 before being loaned to Alloa Athletic, where he made 25 appearances in the Scottish Championship in 2018-19.

He then signed a two-year deal with Ayr United before accepting a contract for the same duration at Linfield, where he became a firm fans' favourite as the cornerstone of their defence who also posed a threat in the opposition area.

He made his Linfield debut as a second-half substitute in a 4-0 home win over Bosnian side Bora Banja Luka in the Europa Conference League in July 2021 and was on the scoresheet for the first time in a 2-1 away defeat to Luxembourg's Fola Esch in the same competition the following month.

Apart from bringing experience of European football with him to Alty, he also boasts an impressive pedigree for helping lift trophies after picking up a Premiership title winner's medal in 21-22 and a League Cup winner's medal last season.

In all, he made 84 appearances for Linfield, scoring six goals, his final outing being a 2-0 win away to Cliftonville in April, by which stage he had decided the time was right for a return to his native North-West.