Odoffin signs new deal
Hamilton Accies have extended Hakeem Odoffin’s contract until the end of next season.
The 22 year-old has been a revelation since joining from Livingston in the summer and Accies have activated a clause in his contract to keep him at the club for another year.
His deal was set to expire this summer but Odoffin is delighted to extend his stay at a club where he feels valued.
He said:“it’s brilliant. When the management let me know that they’d be activating the contract extension, I was delighted.
“I’ve always said since I’ve arrived that I’ve been made to feel so welcome and it’s been a great atmosphere to get that extension.”
The defender/midfielder has been exceptional for Accies this season and a virtual ever-present in manager Brian Rice’s starting eleven.
Odoffin has struggled for consistent minutes at previous clubs but he’s reaping the rewards of playing regularly and his manager’s faith.
He added:“game time is massive to show what you’re about and I’m always trying to help the team as much as I can.
“It’s great to feel the confidence from the manager and background staff. They believe in me and that allows you to showcase your abilities to help the team.”
The former Tottenham youngster’s performances have earned rave reviews from fans and journalists but his concentration remains on delivering on the pitch.
“I’ve always remained focused on my performances and what is in my control,”odoffin said on people raising their expectations of him.
“I can’t control the narrative of other people and what other people say - whether that be positive or negative.
“I’m solely focused on what I can do to help the team and improve as a
player. I want to keep a consistency in my performances so the outside noise doesn’t really bother me too much.”
Hamilton have enjoyed a good run of form in recent weeks, losing only one of their last six games.
They moved off the bottom of the table after the weekend draw against Aberdeen and Odoffin is determined to preserve Accies’top-flight status.
He said:“it provides us a massive base. If you aren’t winning games then it is important not to lose them and get points on the board.
“If we can keep picking up points and edge in the right direction then that’s good. We want to pick up as many wins and points as possible but we need to build on clean sheets.”
The Londoner hadn’t scored a professional goal before joining Hamilton but he’s netted four times this season. Odoffin, however, takes more satisfaction from clean sheets.
He said:“i do prefer when we’ve ended a game and we haven’t let in any goals. That’s what my game is based on – breaking up play, intercepting and defending.
“So if we can do that then it sets the base for the rest of the team. I definitely feel that we have the quality to score goals and if we keep the back door shut then that’s a win.
“It’s about pride and we have a great group who put bodies on the line.
“We need to keep that attitude until the end of the season because it will put us in a good position.”
We’ve taken a completed crossword puzzle and replaced each letter in the grid with the same number throughout. The starter word TON shows you that 23=T, 9=O and 16=N, so write these letters wherever their numbers appear in the grid. The completed grid will include all letters of the alphabet. Remember, none of the answers are proper nouns.