Koby Arthur

Koby Owusu Arthur (born 31 January 1996) is a Ghanaian professional footballer who plays for National League North club Kidderminster Harriers. A midfielder who can also play as a forward, he made his Football League debut in the Championship with Birmingham City in April 2013. He spent time on loan at Conference Premier club Lincoln City and in two spells with League Two club Cheltenham Town, for whom he scored his first senior goal. After his release from Birmingham in 2017, Arthur joined Macclesfield Town, and was part of the squad that won the 2017–18 National League title and promotion back to the Football League.

Koby Arthur
Arthur with Birmingham City in 2016
Personal information
Full name Koby Owusu Arthur[1]
Date of birth (1996-01-31) 31 January 1996[2]
Place of birth Kumasi, Ghana
Height 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)[3]
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Kidderminster Harriers
Number 18
Youth career
2012 Woodford United
2012–2013 Birmingham City
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2017 Birmingham City 12 (0)
2014 → Lincoln City (loan) 6 (0)
2014 → Cheltenham Town (loan) 7 (3)
2016–2017 → Cheltenham Town (loan) 5 (0)
2017–2019 Macclesfield Town 34 (4)
2020– Kidderminster Harriers 0 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16:50, 4 September 2020 (UTC)

Early life and career

Arthur was born in Kumasi, Ghana.[4] After moving to England he joined the youth system of Southern League club Woodford United,[5] where he was noticed by a Birmingham City scout in 2012. The 16-year-old Arthur moved into the football and education development programme run by Birmingham City's community department, and was soon recruited into the club's main development system.[6][7] He played for the club's under-18 team, and made his reserve team debut in February 2013 in a 2–1 Birmingham Senior Cup defeat to Stourbridge. Development squad coach Richard Beale described his performance as excellent: "He won his headers and tackles and he got the ball down and tried to pass it and he can be very pleased with the way he played."[8] A few days later, he produced another good performance on his first Professional Development League appearance.[9]

Arthur is short in stature, at 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m), but solidly built. Manager Lee Clark described him as a "pocket battleship", who plays at a high tempo with "so much energy and enthusiasm".[3] According to his profile on the Birmingham City website, he is "a powerful striker of the ball", able to play in any midfield position or as a forward.[2]

Club career

Birmingham City

Arthur was given squad number 16 ahead of the visit of Sheffield Wednesday on 19 February 2013,[4] but did not make the 18-man matchday squad, and was included in the travelling party for the next match, away at Peterborough United.[3] Amid tabloid reports of interest from Premier League clubs,[10] Arthur signed a two-year professional contract with Birmingham.[11] He made his first-team debut on 1 April in a 3–2 defeat at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Championship, coming on as a 78th-minute substitute for Mitch Hancox. According to the Birmingham Mail's match report, "he was nimble, showed the odd glimpse".[12] He made his second and last appearance of the season, also as a late substitute, in Birmingham's next match.[13] At the end-of-season awards ceremony, Arthur was honoured as Academy Player of the Season.[14]

He made his first competitive start on 6 August 2013, as Birmingham beat Plymouth Argyle 3–2 after extra time in the first round of the League Cup,[15] and his first league appearance of the season a few days later, as a second-half substitute in a home defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion.[16]

Loans

On 21 March 2014, Arthur became the third Birmingham youngster, after Charlee Adams and Nick Townsend, to join Conference Premier club Lincoln City on a youth loan until the end of the season.[17] He went straight into the starting eleven for the following day's match at Gateshead, but was replaced at half-time with his side two goals behind.[18]

Arthur joined League Two side Cheltenham Town on 25 July 2014 on a six-month youth loan.[19] On his second appearance, he scored his first senior goal: in the 84th minute, he latched on to a long goalkeeping clearance and "showed his strength to hold off Jordan Mustoe and bundle it past Simpson into the net" to put Cheltenham 2–1 up, which proved to be a winning lead after Accrington Stanley's Kal Naismith missed a late penalty.[20] He scored again a week later as Cheltenham came back from 2–0 down to win at Tranmere Rovers,[21] and further enhanced his "super-sub" reputation with a 90th-minute header in the next match to secure a 1–0 win against Hartlepool United that took Cheltenham top of the table.[22] Given his first start in the Football League Trophy, he scored Cheltenham's second goal, again with a header, to ensure their progress to the second round at Oxford United's expense.[23] He made his first league start on 13 September, in a 1–0 defeat away to Luton Town,[24] and was recalled by Birmingham the following day.[25]

Return to Birmingham

A hamstring injury prevented any immediate involvement with the team,[26] but after what assistant manager Steve Watson described as a breathtaking training session,[27] and with Demarai Gray unavailable through injury, Arthur made his full League debut for Birmingham on 30 September 2014 in a 3–1 win at Millwall, the club's first away win of the season.[28] He missed out on a debut goal in the next match, away to Charlton Athletic, when his attempt was disallowed for offside against Clayton Donaldson.[29] After Gary Rowett took over as manager, Arthur had a brief run in the side,[30] and was given a new two-year contract at the end of the 2014–15 season,[31] but he never broke through to the first team; his last league appearance for the club came on 6 December 2014, in a 1–0 defeat away to Blackpool.[32]

Arthur returned to Cheltenham Town on 19 August 2016 on loan until 2 January 2017.[33] His progress was disrupted by injury,[34] and he returned to Birmingham having made just seven appearances.[35] He was released when his contract expired at the end of the season.[30]

Macclesfield Town

After trials with National League clubs Solihull Moors and Macclesfield Town, Arthur signed a one-year contract with Macclesfield on 1 August 2017.[36][37] He linked up again with assistant manager Steve Watson, his former coach at Birmingham.[38] Arthur made his debut as a late substitute in a 1–1 draw at home to Hartlepool United on 8 August. He made 14 league appearances and scored once, in a 4–1 defeat at home to Maidstone United,[39][40] as Macclesfield went on to win the National League title and promotion back to the Football League. Although he was not initially included on Macclesfield's retained list,[41] he signed a one-year deal to extend his stay with the club.[42] On the opening day of the 2018–19 season, Arthur scored twice at home to Swindon Town, but his team lost 3–2.[43] He made 25 appearances in all competitions,[44] but was not offered a new contract at the end of the season.[45]

Kidderminster Harriers

Having been out of football for some time, Arthur began training with National League North club Kidderminster Harriers in the early months of 2020, and the club registered him to play in reserve-team matches.[46] At the end of May, he signed for Kidderminster for the 2020–21 season.[47]

Career statistics
As of 4 September 2020
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Birmingham City 2012–13[13] Championship20———20
2013–14[16] Championship100010—20
2014–15[24] Championship901000—100
2015–16[48] Championship000020—20
2016–17[35] Championship000000—00
Total 120103000160
Lincoln City (loan) 2013–14[16] Conference Premier60———60
Cheltenham Town (loan) 2014–15[24] League Two7300001[lower-alpha 1]184
2016–17[35] League Two5000101[lower-alpha 2]070
Total 123001021154
Macclesfield Town 2017–18[32] National League14121—1[lower-alpha 3]0172
2018–19[44] League Two20300203[lower-alpha 2]1254
Total 344212041426
Kidderminster Harriers 2020–21[32] National League North0000—0000
Career total 6473160627910
  1. Appearance in Football League Trophy
  2. Appearance in EFL Trophy
  3. Appearance in FA Trophy

Honours

Macclesfield Town

Individual

References
  1. "Professional retain lists & free transfers 2012/13" (PDF). The Football League. May 2013. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 August 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  2. "Player profile: Koby Arthur". Birmingham City F.C. Archived from the original on 19 May 2017. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  3. Tattum, Colin (23 February 2013). "Birmingham City boss Lee Clark says Koby Arthur is like a 'pocket battleship'". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  4. Walker, Andy (19 February 2013). "Squad number for Koby". Birmingham City F.C. Archived from the original on 25 February 2013. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  5. "Reds see youth policy successes". Daventry Express. 20 May 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  6. Tattum, Colin (23 March 2013). "Blues hoping to get Koby Arthur signing on dotted line". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  7. Tattum, Colin (22 February 2013). "Lowdown on new Blues prospect Koby Arthur". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  8. Lewis, Peter (7 February 2013). "A bridge too far for the kids". Birmingham City F.C. Archived from the original on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  9. "Leicester U21s 2 Blues U21s 1". Birmingham City F.C. 18 February 2013. Archived from the original on 28 February 2013. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  10. Lewis, Darren (25 March 2013). "Boy wonder: Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City eye Birmingham starlet Koby 'King' Arthur". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  11. Walker, Andy (1 April 2013). "Pro deal for Koby". Birmingham City F.C. Archived from the original on 4 April 2013. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  12. Tattum, Colin (2 April 2013). "Birmingham City 2 Wolves 3". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  13. "Games played by Koby Arthur in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
  14. Tattum, Colin (5 May 2013). "Curtis Davies named Birmingham City Player of the Season". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
  15. "Match report: Birmingham 3–2 Plymouth". Birmingham City F.C. 6 August 2013. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  16. "Games played by Koby Arthur in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  17. "Blues' teenager joins on youth loan". Lincoln City F.C. 21 March 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
    "Koby Arthur joins the Imps". Birmingham City F.C. 21 March 2014. Archived from the original on 23 March 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  18. Pakey, John (22 March 2014). "Gateshead 3 Lincoln City 1: Match report". Lincolnshire Echo. Archived from the original on 23 March 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  19. "Koby Arthur arrives on loan". Cheltenham Town F.C. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  20. Palmer, Jon (17 August 2014). "Cheltenham Town 2 Accrington Stanley 1". Gloucestershire Echo. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  21. "Cheltenham down Tranmere". Sky Sports. 23 August 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  22. Palmer, Jon (29 August 2014). "Cheltenham Town v Hartlepool United: Match day LIVE and whistle report". Gloucestershire Echo. Archived from the original on 31 August 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  23. Palmer, Jon (2 September 2014). "Cheltenham Town v Oxford United: Match night LIVE and whistle report". Gloucestershire Echo. Archived from the original on 5 September 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  24. "Games played by Koby Arthur in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  25. Tattum, Colin (14 September 2014). "Teenage attacker Koby Arthur recalled from loan". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  26. "Latest Blues injury update". Birmingham City F.C. 18 September 2014. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
  27. Tattum, Colin (30 September 2014). "Koby Arthur poised for Birmingham City action after 'breathtaking' training session". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  28. Tattum, Colin (1 October 2014). "Birmingham City boss Lee Clark reflects on victory over Millwall". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  29. Tattum, Colin (4 October 2014). "Charlton 1 Birmingham City 1". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
  30. Dick, Brian (15 March 2017). "Koby Arthur one of three Birmingham City youngsters to be released at the end of 2016/2017 season". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  31. Dick, Brian (24 April 2015). "New Birmingham City deal for Koby Arthur". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  32. "K. Arthur: Summary". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  33. "Official: Koby Arthur joins Cheltenham Town on loan". Birmingham City F.C. 19 August 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  34. "Koby Arthur: Cheltenham Town forward out for six weeks with knee injury". BBC Sport. 30 September 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  35. "Games played by Koby Arthur in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  36. "Koby Arthur: Macclesfield Town sign former Birmingham City midfielder". BBC Sport. 1 August 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  37. "Ghanaian winger Koby Arthur on trials at Solihull Moors". GhanaSoccernet. 11 July 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  38. Dicken, Alex (24 July 2017). "Ex-Birmingham City youngster Koby Arthur wanted by former coach". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  39. "Games played by Koby Arthur in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  40. Tidman, Gareth (22 September 2017). "Macclesfield Town assistant boss warns players to learn from defeat". Macclesfield Express. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  41. "Macclesfield Town offer Nathan Blissett and Callum Evans deals and release six". BBC Sport. 10 May 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  42. "Macclesfield Town: Scott Wilson & Koby Arthur sign new contracts with Silkmen". BBC Sport. 6 June 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  43. Davies, Matthew (4 August 2018). "Full-time report: Swindon Town 3 Macclesfield Town 2". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  44. "Games played by Koby Arthur in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  45. "Silkmen announce retained list". Macclesfield Town F.C. 19 May 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  46. Mitchell, Andy (14 February 2020). "Ex-Birmingham City ace Koby Arthur to stay at Kidderminster". Worcester News. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  47. "Reds re-sign Koby Arthur". Kidderminster Harriers F.C. 27 May 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  48. "Games played by Koby Arthur in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
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