Category: SOS

Ebou Adams remembers setting his own deadline when he was playing for Dartford in the sixth tier. “I said to myself that if I am still here at 20 I might as well give up on my dream of making it as a professional,” he tells Sky Sports. “And then I did turn 20.” Four-and-a-half years on and Adams is doing rather better than just playing professionally. Not only has he helped Forest Green Rovers to the top of the League Two table, but he’s representing The Gambia at their first Africa Cup of Nations.

It is a huge moment for his family. Both of his parents were born there before emigrating to England. “They are over the moon. They just want to see me play but my mum is a bit nervous because it is my first big tournament and it will be showcased everywhere.”

He has earned this. There was no academy background for Adams. His teenage years were spent on loan at Walton Casuals in the Isthmian League. He would attend university in the week, train with Dartford on a Tuesday evening and Walton Casuals on a Thursday.

On a Friday night it was a shift at TGI Fridays. “I would get home pretty late and then have to travel on my own to play for Walton Casuals. It could be Worthing or Herne Bay. I would get back late on a Saturday and have to work again on a Sunday morning.”

He does not regret it. “I appreciate my route,” he adds. “Walton Casuals was one of the best things that happened to me. It helped me to understand men’s football. Jobs are on the line. People don’t want to be relegated because of the financial situations they are in.

“Dartford did not have the facilities of the top clubs either but that meant that when I did get to the Football League, I appreciated it more. I am not saying other players don’t but, for me, it helped me appreciate playing on perfect pitches and having nice showers.

“It gave me the impetus to be a footballer.”

Adams did not have an academy background, working his way up the leagues

Studying sports science helped. “I made myself a better athlete.” Even the food at TGI Fridays did not knock him off track. “I think I got away with just the wings.” Adams did not make his self-imposed deadline but soon afterwards, his life changed.

Norwich offered him a contract.

He went from playing his last game for Dartford against Havant and Waterlooville to facing Manchester United at Old Trafford in a development game. “I remember being on the pitch and just looking around, thinking about the great players who had played there.”

There have still been setbacks. Unable to make the breakthrough at Norwich, he went on loan to Shrewsbury and did not play much. While he had a happier time at Leyton Orient, he was back out of the Football League and being paid late at Ebbsfleet in 2019.

“It hit others more than me – players with families and mortgages. I was just a kid paying for my car and my phone bill. But it was difficult. There is no straight road to success.”

It was the move to Forest Green that proved the catalyst. “I cannot even call it a team because it feels more like a family. We are like brothers.” Promotion now looks likely. “I don’t want to say too much but I am enjoying how we have started.”

Adams has been integral.

“I would class myself as a box-to-box player. I am a player full of energy. I just love being involved in the game, whether it is defensive work or attacking work. I just love being in and around the game, getting in the box, making crunching tackles.”

He did show the world some of those traits for The Gambia in the past weeks. The adjustment to international football had to be swift – he made his competitive debut against Algeria. “I think you could say I was thrown in at the deep end.”

But it is helping his game.

“It is quite intriguing as a player. It widens my knowledge because I have to adapt to different tactics. You have to be so tactically aware when the stakes are high.”

The Gambia ended up becoming the surprised team of the tournament, alongside Comoros Island.

With the Cameroon 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) nearing its completion, one notable football event being expected amongst the vibrant Nigerian youth is season five of the novel Higher Institutions Football League. MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN writes on how the tournament is becoming a household brand across tertiary institutions and amongst discerning marketing partners.

This year, the Higher Institutions Football League otherwise known as HiFL under the auspices of the PACE Sports and Entertainment Marketing Limited will mark its fourth anniversary.

Yet it looked like yesterday when this novel idea of organising this exciting football competition amongst tertiary institutions was launched and it is as though the event had been there forever giving its acceptance among students across the country.

For the organisers, the decision to embark on the HiFL routine was not far-fetched even more so for the singular reason that it speaks to the need to effectively engage Nigerian youths through a platform that they like such as sports particularly football.

Since it was launched in 2018, the HiFL has brought fun to lovers of collegiate sports in Nigeria because the competition connects with youths in tertiary institutions.

“People are becoming more interested in the HiFL leagues and that is cheering,” explained Chike Egbunu, the coach of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) football team otherwise known as OAU Giants at the end of the last year’s finale. “Three years ago, people were sceptical about the HiFL but now the tournament is gaining popularity and everybody wants to be a part of it.”

Like it’s widely acclaimed, the journey of 1000 Kilometres started with a step and the fact that the HiFL is now a household brand across the length and breadth of tertiary institutions in Nigeria is a measure of the efforts that are being put in place by the organisers- PACE Sports and Entertainment Marketing Limited.

Interestingly, many notable brands are now leveraging on their partnership with HiFL to reach out to millions of youths that populate the tertiary institutions in the country.

Leading this space are StanbicIBTC, Nivea Men, Minimie and Bold who have understood the efficacy of sports marketing in brand building,

This many believed was a way of allowing the Nigerian youths to express themselves through sporting activities and their sustained collaboration with both PACE and the Nigeria University Games Association (NUGA) over the last four years has further deepened HiFL as one of the most veritable platforms for the development of grassroots football in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.

Director, PACE Sports and Entertainment Marketing Limited, Sola Fijabi described the partnership with the four brands including StanbicIBTC, Nivea Men, Minimize and Bold as the commencement of greater things to happen to collegiate football and sports marketing in general.

Yet, StanbicIBTC’s Head of Brand and Marketing Bridget Oyefeso-Odusami would further underline the symbiotic partnership with PACE Sports, adding HiFL is at the core of the bank’s marketing strategy.

“At StanbicIBTC, one of our core objectives is to engage the youth through initiatives, which will contribute to talent-moulding and character-building. We are committed to this project because we believe that its course is aligned with our strategic goals as it concerns lifestyle, education, and empowerment,” she affirmed

The beauty of the HiFL and why it has become the beautiful bride of other leading brands is in the fact that the competition is spread over 50 tertiary institutions across the country. This invariably offered such companies the opportunity to connect with niche markets that represent about sixty-per cent of the Nigerian population.

This much was attested to by Beiersdorf, Nigeria’s Managing Director, Godwin Harrison at the unveiling of Nivea as one of the HiFL sponsors last season.

“Nivea Men is thrilled to come on board as HiFL’s Official Men’s Grooming Partner in 2021. The partnership will enable us to support the nurturing of football talents among Nigerian youth while connecting with our young future consumers through a sport the whole country is passionate about.”

Indeed, the unique selling points (USP) of HiFL are immeasurable and it has lived to the expectations of many football lovers as a platform to build careers of aspiring footballers since the project has been a game-changer in showcasing these talents.

Many talents had come through from the HiFL project. After participating in the maiden edition of the league, Robert Odu who captained the Unilag Marines (University of Lagos Football Team) made a professional football leap and now plays for Extramudara, a third division team in the Spanish La Liga. He earlier played for Remo Stars in Nigeria before moving to Happy Valley FC in Hong Kong.

There is also Chukwuebuka David Odenigbo who has impressed in the Nigeria Professional Football League(NPFL) with Kano Pillars in the last two seasons.

Such a positive story would not have been possible without the enduring partnership of PACE Sports with its sponsors as highlighted by Managing Director of The La Casera Company Plc, Chinedum Okereke.

“Our coming on board HiFL with the Bold franchise is not unconnected with the array of opportunities Pace Sports and Entertainment Marketing Limited presents to the Nigerian youths, especially for the various collegiate football leagues. We see it as a bold statement and the right platform to support the talent nurturing of our younger generation. We believe this will go a long way to help them in their future sporting careers” he said.

Speaking in the same vein, Brand Manager of Minimie, Monica Jaiswal quipped: “This is an opportunity for us at Minimie to appreciate what HiFL is doing by allowing our youths to express themselves. We see it as a great idea that needed to be supported to grow, hence our involvement in HiFL”.

Undoubtedly, PACE Sport has done creditably well even in the face of challenging economic climates and it goes without saying that with more sponsorships and marketing partnerships, the HiFL would extend its tentacles since the organisers desire to ‘grow the league to cover all tertiary institutions’- a niche that sponsors can always ride on.

For now, fingers crossed as HiFL ‘s season five unfolds…

Taiwo Alimi captures views of some ex-internationals as they rally behind Super Eagles interim coach who leads a rejuvenated Nigeria team in a last-16 encounter of the Africa Cup of Nations Cup on Sunday.

I don’t envy the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) at this time. The decision to name interim coach and then contract a substantive coach for the Super Eagles in the persons of Austin Eguavoen and Jose Peseiro, respectively, has been described as a wrong move by some  ex-internationals rooting for the Nigerian coach to remain in charge following his impressive performance at the on-going AFCON tournament.

The ex-internationals say the era of contracting foreigners to tinker the national teams is over as Eguaveon file out a revitalized Super Eagles in one of the Round of 16 matches.

Paul Okoku, former Nigeria U-21 captain and Super Eagles player believed the 1994 Super Eagles star has demonstrated the originality of indigenous coaches to rise to the occasion even at the highest level, and should be given the opportunity to continue.

“Coach Austin Eguavoen should be commended for the team’s performance and the players applauded for their outstanding individual and team efforts. This was lacking under Gernot Rohr’s leadership because he was too complacent in individual abilities rather than team’s collective efforts.

“He displayed nonchalant attitude and total gross contempt for national pride, neglecting talents to no end. Under the German there was no development of any kind, and he abandoned home-grown players to extinction. There you have it, the difference in leadership and approach.

The United States based who was part of silver winning Nigeria team to the 1984 AFCON at age 18, said teamwork was obvious in Super Eagles as they played masterfully and purposefully, depending on each other’s strength.

“In a way, the outstanding performance against Egypt, was in direct response to the positive changes made to the coaching staff. They welcomed it gracefully. Nonetheless, they kept the game simple and committed to the fundamentals of football. The players elevated their performances against Sudan because they seemed to have played to instructions, put up a good defensive discipline, recovered quick to stop the counter attack from their opponents and that was encouraging to watch. The midfielders held their own disposition superbly, created scoring chances for the strikers as they supported the defence.

“I have always believed in Eguavoen leadership skills and to that end, I have equally campaigned relentlessly for him in the past to be given the opportunity to be the chief coach of the Super Eagles. Now that the players have embraced the changes in leadership and in the dynamics of the team, they need to build on the victory and ride on their momentum.”

Read Also: AFCON 2021: Tunisia coach, 12 players contract COVID-19, out of Eagles tie

Andrew Uwe, captain of the Nigeria U21 team to the 1985 World Youth Championship in Soviet Union, who is now a frontline youth coach in Europe said. “Eguavoen and Alloy Agu (Eagles goalkeeper coach) are from the grassroots and I’m happy with what they are doing with the Super Eagles in Cameroon. They understand the football culture of Nigerians and how we play the game. Why should they be paying humongous salary to foreigners who don’t know anything about us and the way we play our game?

“I feel for Nigerian coaches because they are suffering and why can’t we encourage them by sending them to courses abroad with the kind of money we pay foreign coaches. I live in Germany and nobody knows Rohr, yet he came to Nigeria and was been paid so much money, while many suffer from lack.

“Watching Super Eagles under Eguavoen, you see a new drive and the reintroduction of wing play. That is how we play. Eguavoen is a defender and he knows better. I don’t see why he cannot be given a permanent job.

“Nigeria is blessed with good players and coaches. I want to come back to Nigeria to give back. I’m from the grassroots. I know the mentality of our players who comes mostly from the villages and we are in better position to identify with them,” added Uwe who won silver medal at the 1988 AFCON hosted by Morocco.

In his own view, grassroots coach Uni Dan Kakwi is canvassing for Coach Pesiero to work under Eguavoen. “Experience wise, Jose Pesiero has no African or major records in coaching countries on this level. Positively, it would be a plus for him to understudy and gain working strategies from ‘Cerezo’ to prepare him for the tasks ahead.

“Significantly, the mandate should be given to Jose Pesiero to work under EGUAVOEN or walk away under contractual settlement if there was any.”

Tajudeen Disu, ex-international and former Team Manager of Gateway FC said Eguavoen has proven himself more than equal to the task and should be given the Super Eagles on a permanent basis: “NFF’s neglect of  indigenous Nigerian coaches over the years stirs worry and Eguavoen performance should change the narratives.

“Do Europeans undervalue African football? Yes! but does Africa do its best to present a professional presentation? I do not believe so. We have so many things we can do better and that starts with holding ourselves to a higher standard.

“Would we like to see Eguavoen permanent if he does well at AFCON? Yes, of course! Technically, we have a point to prove to the world based on the talent and quality of coaches in our system.”

1980 Nations Cup winner Godwin Odiye has this to say: “I did not see the game but reading from what I’ve heard so far, it sounded like the team played well, they stood together as a team. Change in style of play is very common when a team has a new coach, so I’m not surprised at the result.”

One of Arsenal stars of the future Ovie Ejeheri, young goalkeeper of Nigerian descent has always wanted to be a keeper. He said of his formative years in football, “For as long as I can remember, being a goalkeeper is the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do. Lots of keepers start off their career outfield and eventually work their way back between the sticks, but not me.

“Maybe it’s the appeal of scoring goals and doing tricks that puts people off being a keeper, but I remember when I was playing for my first-ever team and they asked me to come outfield… I just stood there and refused to take my gloves off! I’d found my position and that was that. Even when I lost my first game 3-0 and cried after every goal that we conceded, it still didn’t put me off. I was only five at the time!

“I just loved it. I loved throwing myself into challenges and one on ones, and back then, I was a bit of a master when it came to penalties. I genuinely don’t think I conceded one until I was eight!”

Ejeheri, who is born to a Nigerian father and a mother from Uganda, took to playing against older players to toughen himself. His father, a football lover, who encouraged his sons to play soccer, would be by the sideline cheering him on.

He said: “I was never really scared of challenges or playing against the older lads. I have an older brother and he always used to take shots at me, so I guess if I could handle the power from his shots, it made things easier when I played against teams my age or the year above. We used to do attack versus defence drills against the back of the flat and my dad would organise drills for all three of us too.

“Not long after that first game I was scouted by Arsenal at a tournament and after experiencing life with a couple of the other London clubs, I officially joined the club aged eight and I’ve been here ever since.”

At 18, Ejeheri has come a long way from the five-year-old plying catch up with his brother and father; he signed a contract with Arsenal this season and has been in important part of the youth team.

“This season in particular has been a really important one for me. It’s been tough in moments because we have a lot of talented goalkeepers here and I haven’t always been in the team, but I’ve also been trusted in some really important games and I’ve had to remain focused and ready for those opportunities.

Read Also: MOSES ODUBAJO: HOW I SUFFERED DEPRESSION AT AGE 12

“Making the step up from under-18s football is a big challenge because at under-23 level, you’re coming up against players of all different ages and you get punished for even the smallest of mistakes. At under-18 level you can maybe make a couple mistakes in a game and still come away with a clean sheet, but here, the standards are so much higher and if you make a mistake, you’ll definitely know about it.”

Working with club U23 coach, Kevin Betsy, he said has been brilliant so far.

“From the perspective of a goalkeeper, he expects you to be comfortable with the ball at your feet and to always look forward first. If you’re going to play long, then it has to be a good ball. It needs to have purpose. Distribution has been something I’ve been working really hard on ever since I received my scholarship, so it’s been good to see a lot progress and development in that area of my game. That was one of the main things I worked on during lockdown.

“I’ve also had the amazing experience of playing senior football in the Papa John’s Trophy this season. I’ve been trusted to start against Swindon Town, Newport County and Ipswich so far and I think we’ve shown incredible fight and spirit as a team in all of those games. When I look back at our opening game against Swindon, we obviously knew what they were going to do, but we didn’t really know how to properly deal with it, so as the games have gone on, we’ve progressed a lot and shown that we can handle experienced senior opposition. I think the Ipswich game is the perfect example because our spirit was outstanding and we played some beautiful football in the way that we planned to open them up.”

In that particular match, Ejeheri shoot-out instinct saved the day for his team.

“I mentioned that I was a bit of a penalty saving specialist as a kid earlier, so I’m glad I was able to back that up with a save in the penalty shoot-out against Ipswich last week! I can’t lie, there was a small part of me that wanted the game to go to penalties late on because I absolutely love them and always back myself to save one.

The night before I was thinking about how I would react to a penalty shoot-out with all the fans there and I ended up saving Ipswich’s third penalty, allowing us to win the game 6-5. Our analyst sent me some clips before the game of the Ipswich players and we recognised that they always strike the ball across their body, and that was really helpful for me.

“When I was standing there in the shoot-out I decided to fake to step one way – the opposite to where I know they wanted to put it – and then I was able to go back across goal to their favoured side.”

LEWIS Hamilton was knighted days after he narrowly missed out on a record eighth Formula One title and the Englishman who has dominated F1 like to one had done since Michael Schumacher, said the heartbreak is behind him.

The 36-year-old subsequently instructed Mercedes not to protest the race further.

Hamilton was named in the New Year Honours list in December 2020, and received a knighthood from the Prince of Wales for his services to motorsport in an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle.

Published twice a year, the honors list recognizes those who have accomplished excellence in a spectrum of pursuits, including both celebrities and non-famous faces.

Hamilton joins Jack Brabham, Stirling Moss and Jackie Stewart as the fourth F1 driver to be knighted, and the first to receive the honor while still actively racing.

Hamilton was made an MBE in 2009, receiving the award from Queen Elizabeth II in the wake of his maiden F1 championship.

Despite adding six further titles since, he returned to be honored in wildly different circumstances — reeling from agonizing final-race heartbreak on Sunday.

Having dominated the majority of the F1 season’s much anticipated finale in Abu Dhabi — wherein Hamilton arrived level on points with title rival Max Verstappen — the Brit looked set to cruise to an eighth world championship that would have put him clear of Michael Schumacher’s all-time record.

Yet a crash by Williams Racing driver Nicholas Latifi with four laps remaining triggered a disastrous series of events for Mercedes and Hamilton — the subsequent safety car allowing Red Bull to pit Verstappen and put him on fresh soft tires, whilst his rival stayed out as not to surrender his lead position.

Huge controversy ensued when race director Michael Masi initially said lapped cars between Hamilton and Verstappen would not be allowed to unlap themselves. But Masi then appeared to change his mind moments later, leaving the Red Bull driver right behind Hamilton with fresh tires and just one lap to go.

Having previously commanded a dominant lead, Hamilton restarted the final lap almost side-by-side with a rejuvenated Verstappen — who hunted down his rival to overtake on turn five and win his first world title in the most dramatic circumstances imaginable.

Mercedes subsequently launched two protests against the result — both of which were dismissed — and on Sunday lodged an intention to appeal against the decision to restart the race for the last lap.

Mercedes said on Monday that there was “no further communication planned at this time” regarding their intention to appeal Sunday’s result.

NIGERIA eligible and QPR defender Moses Odubajo has spoken about the importance of mental health as he openly talked about his own tragic experience when he lost his mother to malaria when he was only 12.

Odubajo, 28, is under Nigeria radar but he’s yet to commit himself to any country after plying for England in the U21 level.

GROWING UP WAS DIFFICULT 

The experienced defender experienced tragic and sudden loss when he was just 12 years old when his mother passed away.

Odubajo recalled when his mum, a healthcare worker, came back from a business trip from Ghana. She had contacted malaria without knowing.

After diagnoses in the UK, she left for Uganda to seek treatment and never came back.

“It was tough. She always used to travel, doing health road shows, when she didn’t come back I went into a state of shock for several months.”

She was just 45.

Odubajo was left to fend for himself alongside his two older brothers. His mental wellbeing was challenged, but it wasn’t until years later that he recognised the true impact it had on him.

Only by talking did he come to understand what he had been through and how it had affected him.

Odubajo had joined his colleagues to mark the October 20 World Mental Health Day, but he said the event meant so much to him as a former sufferer.

Instead of training Moses took time out to chat with QPR supporter Toby West.

Toby, 22, has had mental health challenges since he was 11 when his younger brother passed away.

Moses, 28, said: “It was great talking with Toby. As we spoke, I got shivers because some of the things he said really resonated with me.

“Toby suffered a lot of trauma growing up, similar to myself. That trauma has played a big part in my life and moulded me into who I am today.

TALKING ABOUT IT

“I really benefitted from our chat and I hope Toby did too.”

Discussing his own challenges, Moses explained: “Men don’t really like to open up about certain situations so me and my brothers didn’t really deal with the elephant in the room.

“We just got on with it. We didn’t talk about our emotions because, at the time, we didn’t think it would change anything.

“While it couldn’t bring our mum back, what we didn’t know is that by talking, it would have helped us feel a lot better in ourselves.”

Moses hopes being more honest about his own difficulties will encourage others to be more aware of their mental health.

“If more and more of us can open up, the next generation will see it as normal to talk about their feelings and emotions,” he said.

“What we do now and how we act could really help the next generation.”

Following their chat, Toby said: “I enjoyed talking to Moses and hearing about his experiences.

“I think it’s important to remember that footballers are people too and everyone has the chance to get themselves help.

“I hope our call inspires people to get the help they need.”

The loss of his mother to malaria has also made Odubajo more humane. “I’m an ambassador for Malaria No More UK, a charity dedicated to eradicating malaria worldwide.

“The statistics that I read are crazy. A kid dies every 2 minutes in Africa. Malaria isn’t something you see on TV, though, it happens here in the UK. It happens to normal people too. Not just the poor. My mum was proof of that.”

JOINING QPR

Odubajo joined up with QPR in July from Brentford and has been impressive, especially in their first Championship win at home to Birmingham City.

Odubajo provided an assist that led to the first goal by Morocco playmaker Illias Chair, who later got another in the second half to give QPR the three points at stake.

Since that first win, the team has racked up more victories with the 28-year-old insisting there’s no time to dwell on what’s gone.

“We had a difficult time before that win but the important thing is that we did not dwell in the past, we just moved on to the next game and that is good”

QPR sit in the fifth position after 21 matches and Odubajo is optimistic that they can go all the way to the top.

BOUNCING BACK

Speaking to www.qpr.co.uk, Moses explained: “It was a good feeling to bounce back after some tough results, especially at home.

“But this division is relentless, there’s no time to dwell on things, as nice as it is to get the three points we have to focus on Saturday and Preston.

“We knew it was going to be a difficult game, obviously the weather didn’t help us, but as soon as we went 1-0 up, we knew they were going to come out strong in the second half – we had to ride the storm, really.

“It probably didn’t look pretty on the eye but the main thing for us at this moment in time was to get the three points.

“Birmingham were always going to come here and work hard, we had to nullify the threats of their front men, who we know are very physical and do get goals in this division. So we have to give credit to ourselves for defending that goal and going on to score another, which seemed to kill the game.

“They had a game-plan and they stuck to it, but getting the three points in that manner lifts the mood.”

In the next match against in-form Preston, Rangers once again lifted their game with Chair scoring the winning game in the 3-2 victory.

Rangers thereby ending Preston run of nine games without defeat.

Odubajo said of the match. “We knew it was going to be another tough game,” he said. “But I think the main thing on our minds was for us is to just get three points and to head into the international break with as many points as we can. And it was exactly what we got. We worked as a team and got what we deserved. Five goals were scored in the game and we had the last laugh. It was good that we paid our fans back for their support and belief in us” CAREER HIGHLIGHT

Born in Greenwich, Leyton Orient graduate Odubajo arrives in W12 as he reunites with former boss Mark Warburton.

He started out in south London with Millwall, before moving across the capital in 2010, as a teen, where he quickly found a new home in Brisbane Road and Orient.

Working with experienced boss Russell Slade, Odubajo enjoyed numerous loan spells in the depths of English football before eventually finding his feet for the O’s during the 2012/13 season.

An impressive 2013/14 campaign in League One followed, a season which saw him feature 57 times for Slade’s side – and eventually conclude in the play-off final in May, which ended in heartbreak for the young full-back’s side.

However, this breakthrough season caught the eye of many suitors, with Brentford and Griffin Park his next destination.

A fine maiden year in TW8 under a certain Mark Warburton saw him become a key part of the Bees’ run to the Championship play-off semi-finals. This eventually ended in defeat, but the campaign remained one of Brentford’s finest right up until last season.

Odubajo moved up north prior to the start of the 2015/16 campaign, with Hull his next destination.

Moses soon became Steve Bruce’s first-choice right-back, playing an integral part in their promotion via the play-offs in 2016, however disaster soon struck down on what was fast becoming a blossoming career.

A dislocated kneecap in pre-season, prior to what should have been a season to remember in the Premier League for the full-back, turned into a nightmare and after missing out on his first campaign in England’s top-flight, Moses would have to wait a further two years for what would become a long-awaited return to the football field in March 2018.

Odubajo moved back to Brentford for a season following the conclusion of the 2017/18 campaign, before he eventually settled at Sheffield Wednesday in the summer of 2019.

But a tough spell in the Steel City – which was compounded by relegation at the end of last season – saw him leave Hillsborough in May 2021.