Barnet FC are delighted to announce that midfielder Sam Togwell has signed a one-year deal with the club ahead of the new season.
Togwell has impressed since arriving as a trialist at The Hive last week, featuring as a half-time substitute against Margate in midweek before playing for 90 minutes this afternoon against Wycombe Wanderers, where he spent the end of last season on loan.
In his first interview since signing for the club, Togwell admitted that he was delighted to have joined the Bees ahead of what ought to be an exciting season:
“I’m really pleased. I’ve been here since Monday and have settled in really well. The training has gone well and everybody looks really fit.
“Barnet are definitely a club that is going in the right direction. It is a good group of lads and I’m sure that we will do well this season.”
Having come through the ranks at Crystal Palace, the 29-year-old midfielder has gone on to rack up over 300 Football League appearances.
After spending periods on loan with Port Vale, Northampton and Oxford United, he made his big breakthrough with Championship side Barnsley in 2006, making a total of 73 appearances for the Tykes over two years.
He then moved to Scunthorpe United where he was a virtual ever-present, making over 180 appearances during four successful seasons that saw the Iron achieve a promotion to the Championship with a dramatic 3-2 Play-Off Final victory over Millwall at Wembley.
He left Glanford Park to join Chesterfield in the summer of 2012, playing 60 times for the Spireites over two years and helping the club to return to League One before being released this summer.
Having gained such a vast wealth of experience, Togwell believes that he can help develop Barnet’s young squad along with the other senior players:
“I’ve always tended to help the young lads when I can, both on the pitch and off the pitch. But I’m not the only one in the squad with that sort of experience and if all of us senior players can help the younger ones then fantastic.”
Togwell has already achieved two promotions during his career, from League One to the Championship with Scunthorpe in 2008/09 before winning League Two with Chesterfield last season, and is now determined to help replicate that success with Barnet:
“I’ve experienced both sides of it, having done it as a champion with Chesterfield and going through the play-offs with Scunthorpe. It is a great feeling to have and hopefully I can help be part of a team that gets to enjoy that feeling at the end of the season.”
Reacting to the deal, Barnet manager Martin Allen was clearly delighted with his capture:
“Sam is a good, strong, what I suppose you could describe as an old-fashioned central midfield player.
“He did very well during his loan at Wycombe last year and I’ve seen him play lots of times throughout his career. He brings both leadership and experience and I’m delighted that he has joined.”
