Roy Essandoh
Roy Kabina Essandoh ( born February 17, 1976 in Belfast, Northern Ireland ) is a Northern Irish football player. The striker currently plays at Bishop's Stortford FC in the Conference South.
He is also in possession of the Ghanaian citizenship.
Club career
The son of a Ghanaian and a Nordirin spent most of his childhood in Ghana. Since his father worked as a gynecologist in Ghana, he had a largely sheltered childhood. When the marriage broke up, he followed his mother back to Belfast.
There he was discovered in 1989 by a talent scout for FC Glentoran in a student competition at his school.
In 1995, he started his professional career under manager Alex McLeish the Scottish first division club FC Motherwell. When he did not make the breakthrough after two years at Motherwell, he signed a three -month trial contract with the Scottish third division side FC East Fife. After five games without a goal he was offered the opportunity to leave the island and move to the mainland.
In 1998 he moved first to the Austrian second division to VSE St. Pölten. After three games, he injured his knee badly, then his contract was dissolved with St. Pölten. As a result, it was mediated by the Northern Ireland football legend Jimmy Nicholl to Finland. For now, the small JJK Jyvaskyla, after a fairly successful season in Finland for much larger Vaasa PS. In Vaasa he experienced his most successful period. He was twice second in the league in 1999 and was able to win the Finnish Cup. In 2000, when his contract expired, he decided to try his luck in England.
After a marathon of sample training at Luton Town, Swindon Town and Wigan Athletic he was able to get a sample contract with Rushden & Diamonds. After two games without a goal, this was not extended.
Again without a club be Player's agent spoke to him on a teletext report (not from the Internet, as they often claim ) about the unusual striker search of Wycombe Wanderers. The Wanderers were in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, however, had six injured striker and thus hardly more offensive forces to deny the important game. From this plight of former Wycombe coach Lawrie Sanchez asked his press secretary on the official club website set a reminder to look for a striker. This unusual action was registered by the BBC, which brought the action under the sports headlines on their teletext page. There again, read the Player's agent of Essandoh the message and pointed out to him. Essandoh reported to Sanchez and again received a two -week trial contract. The rest is history. Ten days later Essandoh came on in the extension of the quarter-final match against first division side Leicester City at 1-1 and scored the winning goal with a header. Then, the previously still unsigned Essandoh was celebrated on arrival at Wycombe forty thousand fans and was given a contract until the end of season.
Later, coach Sanchez stated that Essandoh was the only player who had responded to the ad.
After the contract was not renewed by the end of the season Essandoh Wycombe, he was promoted due to his reputation for popular players for short-term exposures. Over the next seven years moved Essandoh ten times the club and hoofed it there between the English fourth to sixth league. Only at his involvement with Ebbsfleet United ( formerly Gravesend & Northfleet ) he had once again raising eyebrows as he was called up by strong performances by coach Lawrie Sanchez on the polling list for the game between Northern Ireland against Austria.
On 29 August 2010 he signed a contract with the surprising St. Neots Town FC.
National
After his FA Cup goal Essandoh coach Sammy McIlroy was invited for a training camp of the Northern Ireland national team. As part of this training camp, he also came in a friendly against a regional selection to play an international match insert, which is however not recognized as official.
As a coach Lawrie Sanchez, now coach of the Northern Ireland national football team, in October 2004 once again had many injury-related failures on the striker position, he remembered Essandoh and called him " on call " for the World Cup qualifier against Austria. Sanchez explained his decision to appoint a fifth league players so that Essandoh had scored for his club ebb Field Town in the last four months 11 goals in 15 games. In addition Essandoh was always good for a goal.
2001 was Essandoh even with the Ghanaian national team in the conversation. However, there was no appeal.
To date (August 2008 ) completed Essandoh neither Northern Ireland nor for Ghana an official international match.
Private life
Essandoh lives with his wife in Cambridge, where he works alongside his football career as a private fitness trainer. Of the Wycombe Wanderers fans - he is revered as all-time hero.