Nicke Kabamba is relishing his new challenge at AFC Hayes – but his sporting career could have travelled a very different path.
The talented young striker is settling in well at Farm Park after making the switch from boyhood club and near neighbours Uxbridge last month, yet he could have been lost to athletics before deciding football was definitely his first love.
Kabamba excelled as a sprinter as a schoolboy, but opted to trade the running spikes of the track for the studs of the grass.
And having been given the chance to spearhead the attack by AFC Hayes boss Ian Crane he is hoping his speed off the mark can inspire a play-off push by his new team-mates.
He said: “I went to Uxbridge High where I used to do a bit of running for them at Borough level, so I was quite quick.
“From when I was young I was quite fast and then in the sixth form I grew a lot – a couple of inches in fact, so I did a bit of 200m running.
“But I stuck to my football more than the running so now it is about using that vital first two or three yards of pace to push us up the table.
“I needed a change in my football life. I was frustrated with playing out wide at Uxbridge whereas here I have the chance to be the born and bred centre-forward I am.”
Sadly, Kabamba’s second goal in four games could not save AFC from a 2-1 defeat away to Potters Bar on Saturday.
He fired them ahead after just eight minutes, but a towering header from Sean Grace soon levelled matters before Fabian Simms put the scholars in front just before the break.
Hayes pressed after the interval, but for all their possession created few chances and so slipped to a second successive defeat.
Elsewhere, Northwood conceded an equaliser in the fourth minute of stoppage time as they were held 2-2 at Royston Town on Saturday, while Uxbridge were held 1-1 at home by basement side Chertsey Town, despite Mark Dennison opening the scoring
