Akwasi Asante

Akwasi Asante (born 6 September 1992) is a Dutch footballer who plays as a striker for National League club Chesterfield.

Akwasi Asante
Personal information
Full name Akwasi Asante[1]
Date of birth (1992-09-06) 6 September 1992[1]
Place of birth Amsterdam, Netherlands
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Position(s) Striker
Club information
Current team
Chesterfield
Number 9
Youth career
1999–2003 Neerlandia/SLTO
2003–2005 Blauw-Wit Amsterdam
2005 HFC Haarlem
2006–2008 Wednesbury Sports Union
2008–2011 Birmingham City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2014 Birmingham City 0 (0)
2012Northampton Town (loan) 4 (1)
2013Shrewsbury Town (loan) 7 (1)
2013Shrewsbury Town (loan) 1 (0)
2014–2015 Kidderminster Harriers 10 (0)
2015–2017 Solihull Moors 61 (28)
2017–2018 Grimsby Town 9 (1)
2017Solihull Moors (loan) 10 (0)
2018–2019 Tamworth 24 (5)
2018Chester (loan) 3 (5)
2019–2020 Chester 33 (22)
2020 Gloucester City 9 (8)
2020– Chesterfield 9 (7)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:51, 30 January 2021 (UTC)

Asante began his senior career in England with Birmingham City. He made his first-team debut in the Europa League play-off round second leg against C.D. Nacional in August 2011, and made his debut in the Football League while on loan at Northampton Town in January 2012. He had spells on loan at Shrewsbury Town in both 2012–13 and 2013–14, but injury disrupted his progress, and he left Birmingham when his contract expired. Without a club while recovering from injury, he spent the latter part of the 2014–15 season with Kidderminster Harriers before moving on to Solihull Moors, with whom he won the National League North title. Asante signed for Grimsby Town in January 2017, after missing the first couple of months of 2017–18 recovering from injury, he went on loan to Solihull Moors, however, he left Grimsby by mutual consent in February 2018. He completed the season with Tamworth, and after a short spell on loan at Chester, he joined them permanently in January 2019. In June 2020 he signed for Gloucester City, and joined Chesterfield in November.

Club career

Early life and career

Asante was born in Amsterdam to Ghanaian parents.[2] He played at amateur club Neerlandia, which then merged with two other clubs to form Blauw-Wit Amsterdam.[3] As a youngster he had interested Ajax, but he chose to join HFC Haarlem's youth academy, where he spent three years before the family moved to the UK when he was 13. He played for Wednesbury Sports Union in the Walsall Junior Youth League before joining Birmingham City F.C.'s Academy, where he began a two-year scholarship in July 2009.[2][4][5]

In the 2010–11 season, Birmingham chose not to enter a reserve team in a competitive league, but Asante was a regular member of the under-18 Academy team and played in the Birmingham Senior Cup. In October 2010 he scored five goals as the under-18s beat Tottenham Hotspur's under-18s 6–0.[4] This performance contributed to his first competitive involvement with the first team a few days later, when he was named among the substitutes for the League Cup fourth-round tie against Brentford.[4] Asante signed his first professional contract, of two-and-a-half years, in January 2011.[6] Injury kept him out for four months,[7] but he was an unused substitute for Birmingham's last two Premier League games of the season, against Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur.[8]

Senior football

He was part of the Birmingham squad for their 2011 pre-season visit to Ireland, and came close to scoring in the second half of the friendly against Cork City, when he appeared to be brought down after touching the ball past the goalkeeper, but no penalty was awarded.[9] In the absence through injury of strikers Cameron Jerome, Marlon King and Nikola Žigić,[10] Asante was named in the 20-man squad for Birmingham's Europa League match against Nacional in Madeira in August. An unused substitute in the first leg,[11] he made his first-team debut in the second leg on 25 August, replacing Chris Burke in the 88th minute as Birmingham won 3–0 to qualify for the group stage.[12]

On 1 January 2012, Asante moved to Northampton Town of League Two on a one-month loan deal.[13] He went straight into the starting eleven for their match the following day, away to Shrewsbury Town, and after 22 minutes he collected a cross from Lewis Young and rounded the goalkeeper to set up the opening goal for Saido Berahino. The match finished as a 1–1 draw.[14] In his second game for the club, he "took advantage of a slip by his marker to carry the ball inside another challenge and smack a right-footed shot inside Barry Roche's near post", his first league goal which proved to be the winner as Northampton beat Morecambe 2–1.[15] He returned to Birmingham at the end of the month having scored once from three appearances.[16]

Asante was part of the Birmingham squad that went on a tour to Austria ahead of the 2012–13 season.[17] He was preferred to Žigić for the visit of Bolton Wanderers in September because manager Lee Clark wanted a striker with pace available among the substitutes if needed.[18] He tore a hamstring playing for the development squad in October. The injury took considerably longer than expected to heal,[19] and Asante did not return to development squad duty until March 2013.[20] Ahead of the transfer deadline, Asante joined Shrewsbury Town on loan until the end of the League One season,[21] and made his debut as a late substitute in a 2–2 draw away to Carlisle United. In seven games for Shrewsbury he scored once, the third goal in a 3–2 defeat of Portsmouth on the last day of the season.[22]

Asante signed a new one-year contract with Birmingham in June 2013, with an option for the club to extend it for a second year.[23] He rejoined Shrewsbury on loan, initially for a month, ahead of the 2013–14 season.[24] A hamstring injury delayed his second debut for the club until the fourth match of the season, a 2–0 win at home to Swindon Town.[25] Birmingham recalled Asante on 19 August as cover, with two strikers injured and another free to leave the club.[26] However, injury prevented his involvement in Birmingham's next match and disrupted his season.[27] He returned to action in April 2014 with four goals in a development squad match against Huddersfield Town, leading manager Lee Clark to suggest he might still have a future at the club,[28] but it was later confirmed that he would leave when his contract expired at the end of the season.

Kidderminster Harriers

Asante was without a club for some months while recovering from injury. On 16 December 2014, he signed for Conference Premier club Kidderminster Harriers until the end of the season.[29] He made his debut as a second-half substitute as Kidderminster beat Lincoln City with a goal in stoppage time,[30] and finished his spell with 11 appearances without scoring.[8]

Solihull Moors

He then moved on to National League North club Solihull Moors, for whom he appeared regularly, as starter or substitute in about equal measure.[8] Asante was part of the Solihull Moors team during the 2015–16 season that secured promotion to the National League for the first time in their history, clinching the National League North title.[31] In May 2016, Asante played in the Birmingham Senior Cup final as Solihull Moors won the competition for the first time, beating Birmingham City 2–1 at St Andrew's.[32]

Grimsby Town

On 18 January 2017, Asante signed an 18-month contract with newly promoted League Two club Grimsby Town.[33]

Injury meant Asante missed the last few weeks of the season and the first couple of months of 2017–18. To regain match fitness, he returned to Solihull Moors in mid-October on loan until January 2018.[34] On 7 February 2018, Asante left Grimsby by mutual consent.[35]

Tamworth

On 9 February 2018, Akwasi was unveiled as a Tamworth player, signing an 18-month contract under new caretaker manager Mike Fowler, who suggested that Asante could help fill the void left by the departure of Reece Styche to National League North rivals Darlington.[36] He scored 3 goals from 14 league appearances in what remained of the season,[8] at the end of which Tamworth were relegated to the Southern League. He was not a regular starter in the 2018–19 season, and at the end of November 2018, he joined National League North club Chester on a month's loan, with a view to a permanent move.[37]

Chester

Asante went straight into the starting eleven for the match on 1 December, at home to Darlington, and scored a perfect hat-trick  one headed goal, one right-footed and one left-footed  to complete a 3–1 win.[38] He scored in each of his next two matches,[8] and completed a permanent move to Chester on 3 January 2019, signing an 18-month contract. The undisclosed fee was a club record.[39] However, knee damage sustained in the final match of his loan spell kept him out until 9 February, by which time Chester had dropped out of the play-off places.[40] On his return, he scored in each of his first two league matches, but was soon out of action with a recurrence of the previous injury. From mid-March onwards, he played in six matches and scored twice as Chester finished ninth in the table. He hoped that full participation in pre-season training would help him play a greater part in 2019–20.[8][41]

He missed the first two weeks of pre-season with hamstring trouble, and a groin strain in a friendly kept him out of the first three matches of the new season.[42] On his first appearance, he came on as a second-half substitute and converted a stoppage-time penalty to secure a draw away to Kettering Town on 13 August.[43] Over the next four weeks of the campaign, he played seven matches and scored ten more goals, including a hat-trick at AFC Telford United that took Chester second in the table.[8][44] By the time the season was abandoned because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he had 19 goals from 29 matches in all competitions.[45][46]

Gloucester City

On 5 June 2020, Asante signed for National League North club Gloucester City.[47] He scored eight goals in the first nine league matches of the season.[8]

Chesterfield

Manager James Rowe left Gloucester for National League club Chesterfield on 26 November 2020. The following day, having met a clause in the player's contract that allowed him to move to a higher-level club, Asante became Rowe's first signing.[48][49] Asante made his debut for the club that weekend, and scored his side's first goal as they came back from 1–0 down to beat Weymouth 2–1.[50]

Career statistics

As of match played 30 January 2021
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup[lower-alpha 1] Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Birmingham City 2011–12[51] Championship0000001[lower-alpha 2]010
2012–13[22] Championship00000000
2013–14[52] Championship00000000
Total 0000001010
Northampton Town (loan) 2011–12[51] League Two4141
Shrewsbury Town (loan) 2012–13[22] League One7171
2013–14[52] League One100010
Total 810081
Kidderminster Harriers 2014–15[8] Conference Premier1001[lower-alpha 3]0110
Solihull Moors 2015–16[8][53] National League North3917325[lower-alpha 4]24721
2016–17[8][54] National League2211312[lower-alpha 5]02712
Total 612863727433
Grimsby Town 2016–17[55] League Two9191
2017–18[56] League Two0000
Total 9100000091
Solihull Moors (loan) 2017–18[8] National League1001000110
Tamworth 2017–18[8] National League North143143
2018–19[57] Southern League Premier Division Central 10210213[lower-alpha 6]0163
Total 245102130306
Chester 2018–19[8][58] National League North1191[lower-alpha 7]0129
2019–20[8][45] National League North2518103[lower-alpha 3]12919
Total 362710414128
Gloucester City 2020–21[8][59] National League North 981000108
Chesterfield 2020–21[8] National League 972[lower-alpha 3]0117
Career total 180781032118321085
  1. Includes Football League Cup, Southern League Cup
  2. Appearance in UEFA Europa League
  3. Appearance(s) in FA Trophy
  4. Three appearances and one goal in FA Trophy, two appearances and one goal in Birmingham Senior Cup
  5. One appearance in FA Trophy, one in Birmingham Senior Cup
  6. One appearance in FA Trophy, two in Birmingham Senior Cup
  7. Appearance in Cheshire Senior Cup

Honours

Solihull Moors

References

  1. "Akwasi Asante". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  2. Tattum, Colin (22 January 2011). "Akwasi Asante keen to make mark at Birmingham City after signing on as a professional". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  3. "Feature: Akwasi Asante – the big interview, part two". Kidderminster Harriers F.C. 16 February 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  4. Tattum, Colin (25 October 2010). "Another Academy young gun set to make debut". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  5. "Academy sign up future stars". Birmingham City F.C. 14 July 2009. Archived from the original on 19 August 2009.
  6. "Asante and Kerr sign pro deals". Birmingham City F.C. 19 January 2011. Archived from the original on 22 January 2011.
  7. "Blues U18s 2 Crystal Palace U18s 1". Birmingham City F.C. 3 May 2011. Archived from the original on 6 November 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  8. "A. Asante: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  9. Tattum, Colin (18 July 2011). "Cork City 0 Birmingham City 1". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  10. "CD Nacional v Birmingham preview". Sky Sports. 18 August 2011. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
  11. "UEFA Europa League 2012: Nacional–Birmingham". UEFA. 18 August 2011. Archived from the original on 15 May 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
  12. "UEFA Europa League 2012: Birmingham–Nacional". UEFA. 25 August 2011. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
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  14. "Northampton Town: Boothroyd says well-earned point at Shrewsbury shows Cobblers are heading in right direction". Northampton Chronicle. 3 January 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  15. "Beaming Boothroyd delighted to bring up first win as boss". Northampton Chronicle. 9 January 2012. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
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  17. Tattum, Colin (15 July 2012). "Birmingham City boss Lee Clark is looking for more signings as the club arrive in Austria for their pre-season tour". Birmingham Mail. Archived from the original on 15 October 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
  18. Tattum, Colin (20 September 2012). "Lee Clark's ruthless streak benefits Birmingham City". Birmingham Mail. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
  19. Tattum, Colin (29 November 2012). "Injury woe for Akwasi Asante". Birmingham Mail. Archived from the original on 27 December 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
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  30. "Obeng pounces late to stun ten men Imps". Kidderminster Shuttle. 20 December 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
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    Clothier, John (10 October 2015). "Worcester woe as Moors face FA Cup replay". Solihull Moors F.C. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
    Carpenter, Steve (16 October 2015). "Late goal ends Solihull Moors' FA Cup dream". Solihull Observer. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
    Clothier, John (28 November 2015). "Mighty Moors halt Pilgrims' progress in cup". Solihull Moors F.C. Archived from the original on 26 February 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
    "Moors bow out of Senior Cup as Reds triumph". Solihull Moors F.C. 25 January 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
    "Moors end Wolves Birmingham Senior Cup hopes". Solihull Moors F.C. 16 February 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  54. Clothier, John (11 January 2017). "Defending champions Solihull Moors knocked out of Birmingham Senior Cup". Solihull Observer. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
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  56. "Games played by Akwasi Asante in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
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