Kwame needs to reinvent himself – coach
FORGOTTEN man Kwame Thomas needs to reinvent himself to get back in the first team picture at Coventry City.
That’s the advice from Sky Blues development coach Jason Farndon who is responsible for helping to provide a pathway to Mark Robins’s side.
Signed by Tony Mowbray in the summer of 2016 from Derby County, the 22-yearold’s career has stuttered, some might say stagnated, at the Ricoh Arena.
He missed the first six months with injury and although he caught the eye with the occasional goal and show of physical presence, he failed to established himself as a regular, slipping out of favour under Robins.
Thomas’s progress was further hampered when he had more injury issues in the summer before being sent out on loan to non-league Sutton United to get game time to get up to speed.
However, that didn’t go too well either as the forward managed to get just two starts in three appearances during a disappointing month-long spell at Gander Green Lane.
So where has it all gone wrong?
“Kwame is a difficult one,” admitted Farndon, of the player who isn’t even starting for the Under-23s at the minute. “He’s been around for years and you actually think he’s older than he is.
“There are highs and lows as a young footballer.
“I think he just has to grind it out.
“I think that’s the challenge for young footballers when things aren’t going so well.”
Thomas went on as a late substitute for Max Biamou in the u23s’ disappointing goalless draw with Millwall at the Ricoh on Monday afternoon, given just 12 minutes of football.
As for what is the answer to getting back on track and in the eye of the manager, Farndon said: “His physicality has always been his main threat but now everyone is catching up with his physicality so he has got to reinvent himself.
“He’s back with us now after his loan, although he trained with us anyway during that time because Sutton aren’t full-time.
“I don’t think any loan is a poor loan for a young player.
“We have got four Under23s out at the minute and if they don’t play then it’s about learning how to get in the team and if they are playing it’s how they stay in.
“He struggled out on loan to get game time but he’s an honest, good lad.
“I think he’s just got to work harder.” COVENTRY City’s Under-18s face a trip to Accrington Stanley in the next round of the FA Youth Cup.
The Sky Blues Academy side booked their place in the second round with an impressive 2-1 win at Lincoln City on Tuesday night when striker Costelus Lautaru and midfielder Tyler Johnson handed Andy Crabtree’s boys their first victory of the season.
“The boys should take a lot of confidence from this result and now use it going forward for the rest of the season in the league,” said Academy boss Rich Stevens of the side that have lost all nine of their opening league games.
“It was an important result for us and one we hope to use now to help us kick on from