BIG HIT OBI
Morecambe marksman, and cousin of singer Lemar, wants to be No.1 at Spurs and impress pal Kane...
THE cousin of R&B artist Lemar, Morecambe striker Jonathan Obika, is looking to leave former club Tottenham with the FA Cup blues.
Obika, who played in the same Spurs youth teams as Harry Kane, accepts there have been some bum notes along the way in a career which has embraced another ELEVEN clubs since leaving north London.
But there’s no bitterness as he prepares to face the club which gave him a first-team shot under Harry Redknapp.
Obika, 31, is more concerned about the perceived injustice of Lemar coming third in the TV show Fame Academy that helped launch a successful career in the music industry. He recalled: “We
were all around the TV watching him perform. To be fair, I think he should have won and that’s not being biased. We were always calling in to vote. Back then it was a massive occasion for him.
“I listen to his music. I like R&B, soul music. He is known as Lemar – but he actually has the same surname as me, Obika.”
Love
For a time his musical cousin lived just a few streets away from White Hart Lane.
“He’s a big Spurs fan. I will try and find out whether he will be at the stadium for our game,” Obika added. “Because he’s 43 now, he is probably closer to my sisters and brother.
“But when I speak with him there is always a lot of love there.
“My singing voice? Not the best. I have a deep voice that would send most people to
sleep.” But he will be wide awake in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this afternoon as the League One minnows look to pull off a third-round shock.
And he hopes Kane will be involved.
“Harry was a great strike partner at youth level and Under 23s,” he said.
“It’s great to see how well he’s done. Harry deserves eve- rything. It would be good to share the pitch with him.”
Like Kane, he was loaned out to a number of clubs – including Yeovil, Millwall, Crystal Palace and Brighton – but the Spurs first team never really beckoned.
“My first team debut was with Ryan Mason, who has remained a good friend, against Nijmegen
in the UEFA Cup. My full debut was at White Hart Lane against Shakhtar Donetsk.
“I didn’t know I was playing until Harry Redknapp read out the team. I was shocked. I was on the bench for a Premier League game at West Brom.”
But following the loans it was off to Swindon on a permanent deal followed by spells with Oxford and St Mirren before a move last June to promoted Morecambe under new boss Stephen Robinson.
A hamstring tear in a pre-season game which needed surgery left him on the sidelines until December.
His first goal arrived in last Sunday’s incredible 4-3 win over Doncaster, the Shrimps fighting back from 3-0 down. “The fitness is coming back and I’m feeling sharper. It was nice to get the reward with that goal but it doesn’t stop there, I definitely need more,” he admitted.
It’s a double return to Tottenham because Morecambe boss Robinson also began his career there under Ossie Ardiles.
Harry Kane was a great strike partner of mine and I hope to share the pitch with him – that would be good
Magic
Robbo said: “They won the FA Cup in 1991, the year I signed and the club was absolutely buzzing with superstars.
“I find it incredible that a club of Spurs’ stature haven’t won a trophy since 2008.
“Most of our players will never play in the Premier League and to give our fans the opportunity to go and watch Premier League players up close and to pit your wits against managers like Antonio Conte... well, it’s the magic of the Cup, it really is.”