George Ndah
Encyclopedia
George Ebialimolisa Ndah (born 23 December 1974 in Camberwell
, England
) is a retired English football
player from Asaba, Nigeria
He has an older brother who has also played on a lower league level.
turning professional there in August, 1992 and before that a youth at Dulwich Hamlet. His older brother Jamie was also a footballer.
During his days at Selhurst Park
he was loaned out twice. The first time was in 1995, when he played 15 games for Bournemouth
, then, two years later, he had a short spell at Gillingham
, one that was curtailed by illness.
Ndah moved to Swindon Town
for £500,000 in November, 1997, and in his two years with the Wiltshire
side, he was a firm favourite of the crowd there. He departed for Wolverhampton Wanderers
in October, 1999, brought about by financial problems at the County Ground. He signed for Wolves at a cost of £1 million.
Unfortunately his Wolves career suffered an early blow when his leg was broken by Matt Carbon
during only his third game, against local rivals West Bromwich Albion
. He recovered from his broken leg and knee and groin injuries to resume his Molineux
career in the autumn of 2000 and soon made himself a popular figure with the Molineux faithful - especially after his two goal return in the home victory over West Bromwich Albion. Injuries again scotched hopes for a better 2001/02
. Ndah made just one start that term, although he did score the winner in a 2-1 home win over Rotherham United
in January 2002.
Despite missing part of pre-season, the striker enjoyed a brighter 2002/03
. He made a total of 30 appearances in Wolves' promotion-winning season, scoring 11 goals. Ndah became something of a hero as Wolves progressed to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup
, with him netting four goals in the first three rounds of the competition. One of these strikes, a fine solo effort against Leicester City
in a game that Wolves won 4-1, drew him to the widespread attention of the media.
Injury again blighted the end of Ndah's season. He pulled up with a knee problem in the play-off first leg against Reading
, which kept him out of the final. He later underwent exploratory surgery to try and solve the problem. Due to the rehabilitation period, Ndah missed the pre-season training camp in Spain
and instead worked through an intensive programme at Lilleshall
.
He failed to recover to the point where he was able to make any contribution to the 2003/04
season.
He signed a 12-month contract extension in the close season of 2004 before heading off on the pre-season tour of Norway
, where he played his first match in over a year but a catalogue of niggling muscle injuries again stopped Ndah from making his mark in 2004/05
.
However, Glenn Hoddle
offered the striker a lifeline in the form of a new contract in the summer of 2005 and he enjoyed a strong pre-season. He made his first League appearance in over two years when he came on as a substitute to a standing ovation in Wolves' win over Crystal Palace in the first home game of the new campaign.
Ndah was a regular in the squad in the first half of 2005/06
and scored his first goal in two and a half years, away to Derby
in November. However, he suffered a serious knee injury at Sheffield Wednesday
in December, and failed to make a return to first-team football.
Ndah announced his retirement with immediate effect on 28 April 2006 due to another season plagued with injury.He came to the Wolves stadium with his close family and said a final goodbye to his fans.
in 1999, but had to miss the trip due to injury.
Camberwell
Camberwell is a district of south London, England, and forms part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is a built-up inner city district located southeast of Charing Cross. To the west it has a boundary with the London Borough of Lambeth.-Toponymy:...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) is a retired English football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player from Asaba, Nigeria
Asaba, Nigeria
Asaba is the capital of Nigeria's Delta State, and has an estimated population of 149,603 .- Etymology :Ahaba in Igbo is from 'Ahabagom', meaning I have chosen well, a quote from the founding father of Asaba.- Geography :...
He has an older brother who has also played on a lower league level.
Career
Ndah began his footballing days as an apprentice at Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
turning professional there in August, 1992 and before that a youth at Dulwich Hamlet. His older brother Jamie was also a footballer.
During his days at Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park is an English football stadium located in the London suburb of South Norwood in the Borough of Croydon. It is the current home ground of Crystal Palace Football Club. Its present capacity is 26,309.-History:...
he was loaned out twice. The first time was in 1995, when he played 15 games for Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth is an English football club currently playing in Football League One. The club plays at Dean Court in Kings Park, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset and have been in existence since 1899....
, then, two years later, he had a short spell at Gillingham
Gillingham F.C.
Gillingham Football Club is an English professional football club based in the town of Gillingham, Kent. The only Kent-based club in the Football League, they play their home matches at the Priestfield Stadium...
, one that was curtailed by illness.
Ndah moved to Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
for £500,000 in November, 1997, and in his two years with the Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
side, he was a firm favourite of the crowd there. He departed for Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
in October, 1999, brought about by financial problems at the County Ground. He signed for Wolves at a cost of £1 million.
Unfortunately his Wolves career suffered an early blow when his leg was broken by Matt Carbon
Matt Carbon
Matt Carbon is an English soccer player who plays at centre back. Until the end of the 2007–08 season, he played for . Prior to that, he played for the New Zealand Knights in the Hyundai A-League in Australia...
during only his third game, against local rivals West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
. He recovered from his broken leg and knee and groin injuries to resume his Molineux
Molineux stadium
Molineux Stadium is a Premier League football stadium situated in Whitmore Reans, Wolverhampton, England. It has been the home ground of Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club since 1889, and has a long and illustrious history as the first 'new build' stadium in Football League history, one of the...
career in the autumn of 2000 and soon made himself a popular figure with the Molineux faithful - especially after his two goal return in the home victory over West Bromwich Albion. Injuries again scotched hopes for a better 2001/02
2001-02 in English football
The 2001-02 season was the 122nd season of competitive football in England.-Arsenal cruise to title glory:In what had earlier been one of the most closely fought Premiership title races for years, Arsenal won the championship by seven points. Their crown was won in the penultimate game of the...
. Ndah made just one start that term, although he did score the winner in a 2-1 home win over Rotherham United
Rotherham United F.C.
Rotherham United Football Club are an English professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, although these have evolved through history...
in January 2002.
Despite missing part of pre-season, the striker enjoyed a brighter 2002/03
2002-03 in English football
The 2002-03 season was the 123rd season of competitive football in England.-Most Memorable rise:*Wigan Athletic marked their 25th season of Football League membership by winning the Division Two championship and reaching the league's second tier for the very first time.-Most Memorable...
. He made a total of 30 appearances in Wolves' promotion-winning season, scoring 11 goals. Ndah became something of a hero as Wolves progressed to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
, with him netting four goals in the first three rounds of the competition. One of these strikes, a fine solo effort against Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
in a game that Wolves won 4-1, drew him to the widespread attention of the media.
Injury again blighted the end of Ndah's season. He pulled up with a knee problem in the play-off first leg against Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
, which kept him out of the final. He later underwent exploratory surgery to try and solve the problem. Due to the rehabilitation period, Ndah missed the pre-season training camp in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and instead worked through an intensive programme at Lilleshall
Lilleshall
Lilleshall is a village in Shropshire, England.It lies between the towns of Telford and Newport, on the A518, in the Telford and Wrekin borough and the Wrekin constituency....
.
He failed to recover to the point where he was able to make any contribution to the 2003/04
2003-04 in English football
The 2003-04 season was the 124th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Arsenal completed the entire campaign without losing a single league game....
season.
He signed a 12-month contract extension in the close season of 2004 before heading off on the pre-season tour of Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, where he played his first match in over a year but a catalogue of niggling muscle injuries again stopped Ndah from making his mark in 2004/05
2004-05 in English football
The 2004–05 season was the 125th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*2004–05 was the first season to feature the rebranded Football League. The First Division, Second Division and Third Division were renamed the Football League Championship, Football League One and Football League...
.
However, Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle is an English former footballer and manager who played as an attacking midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur, AS Monaco, Chelsea and Swindon Town and at international level for England....
offered the striker a lifeline in the form of a new contract in the summer of 2005 and he enjoyed a strong pre-season. He made his first League appearance in over two years when he came on as a substitute to a standing ovation in Wolves' win over Crystal Palace in the first home game of the new campaign.
Ndah was a regular in the squad in the first half of 2005/06
2005-06 in English football
The 2005–06 season was the 126th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*The rebuilt Wembley Stadium was due to open in time for the FA Cup final in May. However, in August 2005, The Football Association reserved the Millennium Stadium as a backup, as there was some doubt whether...
and scored his first goal in two and a half years, away to Derby
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
in November. However, he suffered a serious knee injury at Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
in December, and failed to make a return to first-team football.
Ndah announced his retirement with immediate effect on 28 April 2006 due to another season plagued with injury.He came to the Wolves stadium with his close family and said a final goodbye to his fans.
International career
George was called up to the Nigeria national teamNigeria national football team
The Nigeria national football team, nicknamed the Super Eagles or Green Eagles, is the national team of Nigeria and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation . The team has ranked as high as 5th in the FIFA World Rankings, in April 1994...
in 1999, but had to miss the trip due to injury.