No Friday 13th fear for Kakay on comeback
Sierra Leone international defender Osman Kakay chose Friday the 13th to make his return to Scottish football after an injury-jinxed five-month lay-off.
He made his debut for Partick Thistle at Arbroath and was pivotal in helping the Jags earn a point, ending a run of three successive defeats which see Gary Caldwell’s side struggling at the bottom of the Championship.
It was the 22-year-old African’s first appearance in seven months since coming on as a substitute for Mark Warburton’s Queens Park Rangers against Middlesbrough in February.
Kakay, on a season-long loan from the London club, hopes his spell in Maryhill can help him realise his club and international ambitions.
He said: “I thought we did well near the end. We didn’t start too well but personally I enjoyed playing and making my debut.”
Blustery Gayfield, on the banks of the North Sea on a Friday night, might not have been the venue of choice for the young defender to make his debut, but he recalled his last stint in Scotland four seasons ago with then Championship side Livingston.
“I am very familiar with the Scottish Championship and all I want to do is play football week in and week out so when I got the opportunity to come on loan from QPR I grabbed it with both hands,”hesaid.
Kakay turned out 10 times for Livingston and has made six appearances for QPR in the English Championship and in the FA Cup against Premiership Watford earlier this year.
The bubbly Sierra Leone defender was thrilled to make his debut alongside veteran Scotland striker Kenny Miller.
“Kenny is a legend and to play with him and learn how he wants the ball at his feet from a full-back like myself is one of the reasons I am here and it is part of my game,” added Kakay.
“I was happy to contribute to his goal and the equaliser.”
But Kakay has ambitions to return and cement a place in the QPR first team and further his international career.
To date Kakay has just one cap for Sierra Leone, but it gave him the taste for a return to the international arena.
“The last time I went was the best thing ever. We played against Ethiopia in front of 45,000 fans. It was really bouncing, though we lost 1-0.”