Ex-Derby County, Ipswich Town & Sheffield United player announces retirement | OneFootball

Conor Sammon has called time on his career as the season comes to a close

As the 2025/26 campaign draws to a close, so has the 20-year career of Irish frontman Conor Sammon.

The 39-year-old's career in the EFL wasn't as lengthy as his time in Scotland, but he still made an impression playing for the likes of Wigan Athletic, Derby County and Sheffield United, while also spending time on the books at Ipswich Town and Rotherham United.

Sammon has been back north of the border for the past decade, spending the latter five at Alloa Athletic in the Scottish third tier.

But, he's announced that the current campaign will be his last, following a promotion near-miss with the Wasps.

Conor Sammon calls time on his professional career

In a post on LinkedIn, Sammon outlined his intentions to hang up the boots at the culmination of the current season.

The 39-year-old spoke of his gratitude to the various clubs across Ireland, Scotland and England, alongside the nine international caps he made for the Republic of Ireland, too.

In England, Sammon arrived with plenty of excitement surrounding him, joining then-Premier League outfit Wigan on deadline day in the January 2011 transfer window, following an opening half to the campaign at Kilmarnock, where he scored 18 in 27 outings in all competitions.

While he wasn't able to translate that goalscoring knack to the Premier League, he carved out a respectable EFL career after moving to Derby 18 months later for a reported £1.2 million fee.

He scored eight times in the 2012/13 Championship campaign and played a role off the bench in the Rams' third-place finish the following season.

After that, though, he fell out of favour at Pride Park and would spend time on loan at Ipswich and Rotherham, scoring three goals in 19 for the latter to help them stave off relegation in 2015.

Five League One goals for Sheffield United the year after were his final goals in England before he made his return to the SPL to sign for Hearts, and he's spent the last decade between the top three leagues in Scotland until his retirement this season.

This past season, Sammon has been used primarily off the bench at Alloa, starting just two league games out of his 26 appearances, scoring once off the bench against Peterhead. He did feature prominently in the KDM Trophy, scoring three times in group stage wins over Celtic B, Kilmarnock B and Edinburgh City.

His final appearance came in the play-offs, where the Wasps were beaten over two legs against Stenhousemuir in the final, denying them a return to the Championship for the first time in five years.

Conor Sammon was best known for his goalscoring in Scotland, but still carved out a good EFL career

Despite playing the majority of his career outside of England, Sammon still accumulated over 170 league appearances in England, ranging from the Premier League to League One.

His one goal in the top flight helped Wigan overturn a 2-0 deficit to win against West Ham, helping the Tics be in a position to complete the great escape on the final day of the 2010/11 campaign against Stoke City.

After that, he scored 14 times in 117 Championship appearances and netted five in his sole third-tier campaign at Bramall Lane. He was never the main talisman, but he was always a key part of whichever side he played for, whether that be in the starting eleven or off the bench.

Therefore, he calls time on his career with plenty of admirers in England, Scotland and Ireland, both in the changing rooms and in the stands.