Edusei broke into the Gillingham side as a bright-eyed 16-year-old, making his debut as a 79th-minute substitute for the Kent side against Walsall in a Football League Division One fixture during April. He added to those eleven minutes with a period of exactly the same length a week later at Turf Moor against Burnley, and promptly returned to the youth team.

It was here that he was most successful. At the turn of the year in the following season, he had the notable distinction of netting the winning goal in the FA Youth Cup fourth round clash between the Gills and Liverpool at no less a venue than Anfield, yet still this did not force Edusei into manager Andy Hessenthaler’s plans, even though he had appeared, and scored, in a pre-season victory over Whyteleafe.

Last season, he drifted more and more out of contention, featuring against Southend United as a second-half substitute in Blues’ Twos first win for eighteen months at Fawkham in the Pontin’s Holidays Combination. Just a couple of weeks earlier, it was his calm winner that inspired the Gills to a 2-1 Youth Alliance triumph at Boots & Laces. He was also in the team that lost 1-0 at the same venue in the Merit League stage, mis-hitting a chip and then shaving the left-hand post during a lively ninety minutes.

This pre-season has seen Edusei, now 18 and 19 in a month-and-a-half, training with Cambridge United, whose financial situation has possibly put a stop to any thoughts of a deal with the U’s. He played in the same fixture at Billericay Town in which Joe Welsh, the new youth team shotstopper, featured.

Robert Craven
www.thelittlegazette.com