Sampy played his early football in his native Tyneside in the north-east of England, turning out for Choppington,
South Shields and
Chopwell Colliery before being spotted by
Sheffield United. Turning professional and signing for the Blades in November 1920, Sampy was initially employed as an
inside right, scoring on his debut against
Blackburn Rovers in February 1921. After playing regularly in that role for a number of seasons, Sampy was switched to
right half in the autumn of 1925, where he played for the rest of his Blades career. Sampy was made club captain during the
1930–31 season but lost his place and the captaincy to
Harry Gooney a year later. Regaining his place in the first team during the
1932–33 season, Sampy remained a regular with United until 1934. After 14 seasons and 383 appearances for Sheffield United, Sampy was transferred to nearby rivals
Barnsley in the summer of 1934, taking the role of player-coach. His role was primarily focused on the coaching side however, and Sampy made only one league appearance for the Tykes. In May 1936, Sampy accepted a coaching role at
Sheffield Wednesday where he remained until the onset of
World War II in 1938. ==Personal life==