Non-League and Academy football writer

Derek Asamoah is a name that fans of Football League clubs such as Northampton Town, Lincoln City and Carlisle United, will remember well. Derek has so far enjoyed a wonderful career in the game, a career which has taken him to several countries across the world to play football professionally. However, at 42 years of age, Derek is still playing the game, this time at non-League level (in the eighth tier of English football), and he is playing the game really, really well. With such great experience in football, the forward is a key player for Isthmian League North Division side New Salamis, often leading the line and captaining them. Born in the capital of Ghana (Accra), Derek started his youth footballing career with the Protec Football Academy, after moving to England, before later joining Hampton & Richmond Borough, and later Slough Town, a club where Derek got his first experience of senior football. This was the start of his senior footballing career, and one which would later take Derek to clubs such as Northampton Town (he signed for them permanently in 2001, after trialling with them for a time), Mansfield Town and Shrewsbury Town in the English Football League.

A career in which Derek has traveled far from England, and which had earned him a move to French Ligue 1 side OGC Nice, before later playing for Scottish side Hamilton Academical for a time, Bulgarian side Lokomotiv Sofia, and also South Korean sides Pohang Steelers and Daegu FC. A player who has always loved to score goals, upon his return to English football, Derek had a memorable time with Carlisle United in the Football League, doing well there, and also scoring a memorable goal against Liverpool at Anfield, for them in the Football League Cup, in 2015. In his tremendous career to date, Derek also represented the Ghanaian senior national team on four occasions (scoring one goal), something which must make Derek incredibly proud. In more recent years the forward who is capable of leading the line, playing as a winger or as a second striker, has played non-League football. Playing for teams such as Guiseley, Cheshunt and currently New Salamis, during Derek’s time at his current club, he shared a pitch with his son Maleace (both Derek and Maleace scored in a win over Stowmarket last season) for New Salamis, and the now 20 year old forward has since joined League One side Fleetwood Town. I could go on and on about Derek’s fascinating professional career in the game, but focusing on his time so far at New Salamis, what he has achieved with them in the time that he has been there, is such a great story alone.

I have visited Coles Park to watch New Salamis play, where they ground share with Haringey Borough, on over a dozen occasions over the past year or so. Every single time that I have watched New Salamis play, their hugely experienced forward Derek Asamoah, a player who clearly has great respect from his teammates, has always stood out so much for his consistency, clinical finishing in front of goal and also his great technical ability on the ball. For example in games that I have seen him play in against the likes of Brentwood Town, Grays Athletic and Walthamstow, for New Salamis over the past year and a bit, Derek has linked the play superbly, been extremely creative in his movement off the ball, scored an impressive number of goals and also performed so well in his all-round game. He has retained a good amount of pace, but as a fan, I think that it is his excellent movement off the ball and clinical ability in front of goal, which means that defences in the Isthmian League North Division cannot afford to give him a chance of scoring, such is his class on the ball. And Derek really is a class act on the pitch, and he has performed so well for New Salamis since joining them. In which time he has been top scorer of the Premier Divison of the Spartan South Midlands League (in 2021/22), when New Salamis won the league. In addition Derek stepped up to the Isthmian League North Division in 2022/23 with real ease, and he ended that season as New Salamis’ top scorer, as well as winning the New Salamis player of the season award for the second consecutive season.

Just last weekend Derek scored a wonderful hat-trick for New Salamis in a league fixture away to Grays Athletic, a game in which he scored an overhead kick/bicycle kick goal in. Already on 12 goals for this season with New Salamis, I wish Derek and New Salamis all the very best for the rest of this season. I always enjoy going to watch New Salamis play, and watching Derek perform so consistently well for them is great to see.