Ali Fuseini

Ali Fuseini

Personal information
Full name	Ali Fuseini
Date of birth	(1988-12-07) 7 December 1988 (age 34)
Place of birth	Accra, Ghana
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s)	Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team	VCD Athletic
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2006–2010	Millwall	76	(2)
2010	Lewes	1	(0)
2010–2011	Lincoln City	51	(2)
2011	Eastleigh	1	(0)
2012–2013	Bromley	49	(6)
2013–2014	Sutton United	29	(0)
2014–2016	Bromley	86	(7)
2016	Margate	7	(0)
2016–2017	Welling United	31	(0)
2017–2018	Greenwich Borough
2018-	VCD Athletic
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 01:45, 23 January 2017 (UTC)

Ali Fuseini (born 7 December 1988) is a Ghanaian semi-professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for VCD Athletic.

Career

Millwall

He joined Millwall from Sunday league football and made his first-team debut against Gillingham on 12 September 2006. Although he was an unused sub on that occasion, he since went on to make several more appearances for the first team.

Fuseini discovered he had a talent for football while at school, and was soon playing in midfield for Sunday league team Dulmore Albion, based in Brockley Rise. It was there he was seen by Millwall scout Jamie Martin, who signed him up for a scholarship aged 16. Fuseini tore a medial knee ligament in his first season as an under-18, and missed almost two months of football.

A senior appearance for Millwall in the pre-season friendly at Crawley Town on 15 August followed, with Fuseini earning praise from then-manager Nigel Spackman,^{[ citation needed ]} who watched the game. He then played the first three reserve games of the season, scoring against Wycombe Wanderers. Millwall's opening few results went badly, so Spackman called up Fuseini to the Millwall first team squad.

In the 2007–08 season, Fuseini scored his first goal for the Lions, in a 2–1 defeat at Bristol Rovers. However, after Millwall signed midfielder Jimmy Abdou, Fuseini was mainly used as a substitute. Fuseini was part of the Millwall squad which got to the playoff final during the 2008–09 season after beating Leeds United in the playoff semi-finals, Millwall went on to lose against Scunthorpe United. The following season, Fuseini played a bit part role in the Millwall squad got promoted at the end of the 2009–10 season after beating Swindon Town in the play-off final. But after gaining promotion to the Championship, Fuseini's contract wasn't renewed by Millwall. Shortly after leaving Millwall, he had a short trial with Leeds United. On 23 July, he played as a trialist for Crystal Palace against Exeter City, starting the game in central midfield before switching to left back in the second. On 4 August, Sky Sports reported that Leeds were considering offering Fuseini a contract. ^[1]

In September 2010, he joined Leyton Orient on trial, ^[2] appearing four times for the reserve team in the course of a month-long trial.

Lincoln City

On 31 January 2011, he signed for League Two club Lincoln City, agreeing a deal until the summer of 2012. ^[3] In May 2011 he was made available for transfer by the club after a mass clear out of players following relegation from the Football League. ^[4]

Having been ever present throughout the 2011–12 season until the dismissal of Steve Tilson, Fuseini found himself dropped to the bench for caretaker manager Grant Brown's first game in charge, a 3–1 victory at Alfreton Town on 11 October 2011. ^[5] Under new Imps manager David Holdsworth he failed to match the matchday squad and, on 11 November 2011, was one of three players made available for loan with immediate effect. ^[6] However, no move materialised and on 25 November 2011 he left Sincil Bank by mutual consent. ^[7]

Eastleigh

On 1 December 2011, he joined Eastleigh. ^[8] He was released almost immediately after joining the club on a trial basis for failing to appear at the Eastleigh vs Thurrock game on 10 December 2011. Fuseini missed the game as a result of a 10-week prison sentence for two counts of Driving while Disqualified. ^[9]

Bromley

On 20 January 2012, he signed for Bromley, making his debut in the 1–1 draw at home to Truro City on 21 January. On 16 March 2012, he signed a new deal with the club, keeping him there until the end of the 2012–13 season. He scored his first goal for the club on 31 March 2012, in their 1–0 win at home to Weston-Super-Mare, controlling a cross, flicking the ball over a defender and finishing calmly. Despite being a defensive midfielder, he has been known for his attacking threat since arriving at Bromley. He was made team captain shortly after joining the club. He scored his second goal in a 3–1 away defeat to Welling United, which was followed by another goal against Farnborough. He then scored his fourth Bromley goal in the 3–1 home victory over his former club Eastleigh on 5 January 2013. On 23 February 2013, he scored Bromley's first in their 3–2 away win over Billericay Town. He scored Bromley's quickest goal of the season in a 4–0 home win over Truro City on 9 March 2013 – it was after just 24 seconds of the match. ^[10]

Sutton United

On 28 March 2013, Fuseini left Bromley after failing to reach an agreement over a new deal. He then joined Sutton United. During his time at Sutton, Fuseini scored two goals, both of which were against Hemel Hempstead Town. In the only game he played against Bromley, he was named man of the match. In January 2014, Fuseini left Sutton and immediately returned to Bromley.

Return to Bromley

Fuseini was named in the squad for the 2–1 home defeat to Concord Rangers on 14 January 2014, but was an unused substitute. He started Bromley's next game – a 2–1 away win against Bath City. His first goal back at the club came in the 2014–15 season opener, in a 3–1 away win against Havant & Waterlooville.

Welling United

Fuseini joined National League South Welling United on 2 September 2016, and made his debut the following day in a 5–0 victory for his new team over Concord Rangers. In August 2017 he moved on to join Greenwich Borough, ^[11] before linking up with VCD Athletic a year later. ^[12]

Personal life

Fuseini was born and brought up in Accra, the capital of Ghana, but followed his mother, Mariam, a nurse, to Catford in 2000. He was educated at St Joseph's Academy, Blackheath.

References

1. "Leeds consider Fuseini". Sky Sports. 4 August 2010. Archived from the original on 6 August 2010. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
2. "Young pros to get reserve chance". Leyton Orient F.C. 21 September 2010. Archived from the original on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
3. "Ex-Lion Ali Signs on Dotted Line". Lincoln City F.C. Official Website. 31 January 2011. Archived from the original on 3 February 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2011.
4. "Steve Tilson clears out Lincoln City squad". BBC Sport. 11 May 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
5. "Match report: Alfreon Town 1 Lincoln City 3". Lincoln City F.C. Official Website. 11 October 2011. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
6. "Trio made available for loan". Lincoln City F.C. 11 November 2011. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
7. "Fuseini departs". Lincoln City F.C. 25 November 2011. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
8. "Fuseini joins Eastleigh". NonLeague.pitchero.com. 1 December 2011. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
9. "Missing Eastleigh Player Jailed". Eastleigh News. 16 December 2011. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
10. "Ali Fuseini joins Bromley". Bromley F.C. 20 January 2012. Archived from the original on 18 April 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
11. "Welcome Ali Fuseini and Sam Corne". Greenwich Borough F.C. Official Website. 21 August 2017. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
12. "VCD are pleased to announce the signing of Ali Fuseini". VCD Athletic F.C. Official Twitter Page. 20 August 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2019.

External links

• Profile at Millwall official website
• Ali Fuseini at Soccerbase