BACK IN GOOD NICKE AT LAST!
Hawks move has brought out the best in Kabamba
NICKE KABAMBA says Havant & Waterlooville are giving him the platform to remind people why he landed a move to the Football League – and he says the Hawks have got what it takes to thrive in the National League.
The 25-year-old striker returned to Non-League in the summer after leaving League One Portsmouth.
Pompey signed him following a prolific period at Hampton & Richmond Borough but he never really got the chance to strut his stuff in the first team on a regular basis.
Despite featuring in League One, the former Burnham man spent much of last season on loan at Colchester United and Aldershot Town.
Now he’s revitalising himself at Lee Bradbury’s newly-promoted Havant and has already hit five goals and grabbed four assists in the opening 13 games.
“Last season was probably the first real test in my football career – it was quite hard for me,” Kabamba told The
NLP. “I wasn’t comfortable or settled anywhere so it’s good to be at Havant. I’ve got a point to prove and I’m able to do that with the game time I’m getting. I’m comfortable here and I’m in a good place.
“Last year was all life experiences, it’s all part of the process and that was my turn to learn. Everybody at some stage in their career gets knock-backs and that was my time. Now I’m scoring goals and pushing forward.
“When I was at Hampton I was going into games with real confidence and that feeling has been reignited – I’ve got my shooting boots on! It was frustrating because Portsmouth is a massive club and I loved it there. If I had more of a chance I believe I could have made a stamp on the club.”
With Havant training two nights a week, Kabamba is putting in the extra hours outside of being with his team-mates.
Regular gym work is supplemented with taking cones and footballs to a field and working on his game alone as he hopes being as fit as he can be translates into his performances.
With boss Bradbury a former striker with Manchester City, Portsmouth and Bournemouth, he has the perfect mentor to learn from.
“I did my research on him and he was a player!” Kabamba said. “Sometimes in training after a session with everyone the assistant (Shaun Gale) will take the defensive players and the gaffer will take the attacking players to do some drills – shooting and movement. He makes sure the strikers are on a good wavelength with each other. It’s great he can share his knowledge. He joins in and he can still put the ball in the top corner!”
Havant twice came from behind to draw 2-2 with Barnet on Tuesday night following last weekend’s point against Ebbsfleet United.
Kabamba says they are improving all the time and if they can get on the right side of the fine margins is confident they will climb the table.
“It’s minor details, like our errors,” Kabamba said. “If we cut those out we will start picking up more points. I’m confident we will.”