KING KABBY GOES POSH!
KABONGO Tshimanga says he felt ‘the time was right’ to make the step back up into the Football League – and has tipped Chesterfield to join him next season.
The 25-year-old completed a deadline day loan move to League One Peterborough United this week with view to a permanent transfer in the summer.
And he was quick to thank Spireites fans for their support in helping him recover from a fractured leg and dislocated ankle last February which halted his rapid progress.
“I just want to say a big thank you to all the Chesterfield fans for all the support that you have given me over my short but amazing time at the club,” Tshimanga said in a farewell message on social media. “It’s something that will stay with me for the rest of my career.”
Tshimanga, a former MK Dons academy striker, joined the Spireites as one of Non-League football’s hottest properties in the summer of 2021 having learned his trade at Boston United, Oxford City and Boreham Wood.
He scored 25 goals in 30 games before suffering his serious injury at Weymouth, which ended his campaign.
“Unfortunately the timing of my injury was devastating for us all as I truly believed that last season we would have won the league,” Tshimanga reflected this week.
Determined
A move to Birmingham City fell through on the last day of the summer transfer window, leaving Tshimanga to kickstart his career back at the Technique Stadium.
He has not been a regular starter this season but still bagged eight goals as Paul Cook’s men challenge for promotion from the National League.
“Being fully fit and available all season I was more determined than ever to do the same, given the opportunity,” he added.
But when Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson came calling, Tshimanga admitted he had to take the plunge.
“I felt the time was right,” he told PoshTV. “When I heard a few days ago that Peterborough were interested, it was something that really excited me because everyone knows what they do for players.
“I spoke with the manager and he told me what he expects and he just wants me to be myself and carry on what I have been doing.
“It is great to get it done at the start of the week, it means I can get to know my team-mates and how the team want to play. When you are a young footballer, you always watch Sky Sports on deadline day so it is nice to be a part of it today! I am looking forward to getting started.”
record
Manager Darren Ferguson said: “He has a great goal-scoring record and he is someone I have known about for quite a while now, quite a few years to be honest. He had an injury, which curtailed his progress a little, but he has been available for 21 games since and I really like him as a player.
“He is strong, quick, a scorer of different types of goals and is a really good age. I am really excited about it.
“It became apparent that Jack [Marriott] was going to be moving on so we had to move on quickly. Chesterfield were great to deal with and I am really looking forward to working with him.”