Tamika Mkandawire

Tamika Mkandawire

Mkandawire playing for Tampa Bay Rowdies in 2017
Personal information
Full name	Tamika Paul Mkandawire [1]
Date of birth	(1983-05-28) 28 May 1983 (age 40) [1]
Place of birth	Mzuzu, Malawi
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) [1]
Position(s)	Midfielder, defender
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1999–2004	West Bromwich Albion	0	(0)
2003	→ Hereford United (loan)	9	(1)
2004	→ Hereford United (loan)	5	(0)
2004–2007	Hereford United	112	(12)
2007–2010	Leyton Orient	114	(14)
2010–2013	Millwall	46	(1)
2012–2013	→ Southend United (loan)	18	(0)
2013–2014	Shrewsbury Town	39	(1)
2014–2018	Tampa Bay Rowdies	96	(6)
Total		439	(35)
International career
2005–2006	England C	2	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Tamika Paul Mkandawire (born 28 May 1983) is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder or defender. Born in Malawi, he made two appearances for the England C national team.

Early life

Born in Mzuzu, ^[1] Mkandawire came to England aged three, with his English mother and Malawian father and was brought up in Rugby, Warwickshire. He later attended Harris High School in Rugby from 1995 to 1999.

Club career

Mkandawire was a trainee at West Brom for five seasons but did not make an appearance for the first team due to the lack of opportunities at the club at the time. Albion released him in 2004 after winning promotion to the Premier League. ^[2]

Hereford United

Having had two loan spells with Hereford United in the 2003–04 season, he signed permanently for them for the 2004–05 season. Prior to this he had a trial in the United States with New England Revolution.

He was a first team regular at centre-back in the 2004–05 season making the most appearances of all the central defenders in the squad. He also chipped in with six goals, more than any other defender that season. This consistency continued into the 2005–06 season where he missed only four matches, and scored nine goals. When club captain Tony James was injured, Mkandawire took the captain's armband and led Hereford to the playoff final, scoring in the crucial semi-final against Morecambe. He lifted the trophy after a 3–2 win over Halifax and was subsequently named Player of the Year, for the second season in succession.

For the 2006–07 season he was named as team captain for Hereford's first season back in the Football League. He was a regular in Hereford's defence, scoring twice in the league, and his solid performances had led to speculation over him moving to a bigger club. Despite an improved contract offer in December 2006, which reportedly would have made him the highest earner in the club's history, he decided that his future lay elsewhere.

Leyton Orient

On 6 June 2007, Mkandawire signed a three-year deal with Leyton Orient, who had previously seen a £60,000 bid rejected. ^[3] Dubbed one of the best young centre backs in the Football League, he made his Orient debut in a 2–1 win at Southend United on 11 August 2007. ^[4] Three weeks later, on 1 September, Mkandawire scored his first goal for the club – and Orient's 5000th in league football – in a 2–2 draw with Northampton Town. ^[5] His performance in Orient's 1–0 home win over AFC Bournemouth on 8 September 2007 earned him a place in the League One Team of the Week. ^[6] He was named as the club's Player of the Season for 2008–09. ^[7]

Millwall

Mkandawire playing for Millwall in 2010

On 16 June 2010, Millwall acquired Mkandawire's services until 30 June 2012 on a free transfer. ^[8] He has adapted to playing a new defensive holding midfield role for Millwall, switching from his usual central defence position. He scored his first goal for The Lions on 10 December 2010, in a 1–1 draw against Swansea City. Mkandawire was named Millwall's Player of the Year for 2011, garnering 44% of the vote and playing for the majority of the year in a new defensive midfield/centre back role. ^[9]

Shrewsbury Town

Mkandawire joined Shrewsbury Town in League One on a free transfer on 1 July 2013 following his release from Millwall. ^[10] He was named club captain by manager Graham Turner, ^[11] and made his Shrewsbury debut against Milton Keynes Dons on 3 August 2013. ^[12] Following Shrewsbury's relegation, Mkandawire was released on 2 June 2014, having come to an agreement with the club to end his contract early. ^{[13] [14]}

Tampa Bay Rowdies

The North American Soccer League's Tampa Bay Rowdies signed Mkandawire on 4 July 2014, along with Argentine striker Luciano Olguín. General manager Perry Van der Beck hopes Mkandawire will add poise and experience to the Rowdies' back line. ^[15] Mkandawire signed a new contract to remain in Tampa Bay on 15 January 2018. ^[16] He announced his retirement from football in August 2018. ^[17]

International career

He holds a United Kingdom citizenship and has played for the English semi-professional team. Malawi does not allow dual citizenship therefore Tamika is currently ineligible to play for Malawi at full international level.

Personal life

Mkandawire is an active fundraiser for charity work in Malawi and in January 2009, he became Ambassador for Sue Ryder international. In March 2012, Tamika won the 'PFA Player in the Community' award at the Football League Awards. ^[18]

Career statistics

As of 27 April 2014 ^[19]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			FA Cup		League Cup		Other [lower-alpha 1]		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
West Bromwich Albion	2002–03	Premier League	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	2003–04	Division One	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Hereford United (loan)	2003–04	Conference National	14	1	1	0	0	0	2	0	17	1
Hereford United	2004–05	Conference National	36	4	2	1	0	0	4	0	42	5
	2005–06	Conference National	42	6	3	0	0	0	4	2	49	8
	2006–07	League Two	39	2	4	0	2	0	1	0	46	2
	Total		117	12	9	1	2	0	9	2	137	15
Leyton Orient	2007–08	League One	35	3	2	0	2	0	1	0	40	3
	2008–09	League One	36	5	2	0	1	0	0	0	39	5
	2009–10	League One	43	7	1	0	2	0	1	0	47	7
	Total		114	15	5	0	5	0	2	0	126	15
Millwall	2010–11	Championship	35	1	1	0	2	0	0	0	38	1
	2011–12	Championship	13	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	15	1
	2012–13	Championship	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Total		48	1	1	0	4	1	0	0	53	2
Southend United (loan)	2012–13	League Two	18	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	20	1
Shrewsbury Town	2013–14	League One	39	1	1	0	1	0	1	0	42	1
Career total			350	30	17	1	12	1	16	3	395	35

1. Appearances in Football League Trophy

Honours

Southend United

• Football League Trophy runner-up: 2012–13 ^[20]

Individual

• Leyton Orient Player of the Season: 2008–09 ^[7]
• Millwall Player of the Season: 2010–11 ^[9]
• PFA Player in the Community Award: 2011–12 ^[18]

References

1. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2010). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing. p. 290. ISBN   978-1-84596-601-0.
2. "Albion release eight players". West Bromwich F.C. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2007.
3. "O's swoop for Bulls' Mkandawire". BBC Sport. 6 June 2007. Retrieved 9 October 2007.
4. "Southend vs Leyton Orient". Leyton Orient F.C. 11 August 2007. Retrieved 2 September 2007.
5. "Leyton Orient vs Northampton". Leyton Orient F.C. 1 September 2007. Archived from the original on 11 May 2008. Retrieved 2 September 2007.
6. "Coca-Cola League 1 Team of the Week (10/09/2007)". The Football League. 10 September 2007. Archived from the original (PNG -) on 3 August 2012. Retrieved 9 October 2007.
7. "ORIENT: Tam is the man". East London and West Essex Guardian Series. 12 May 2009. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
8. "Lions land defender". Millwall F.C. 16 June 2010. Archived from the original on 18 June 2010. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
9. "Tam's the tops!". Millwall F.C. 28 April 2011. Archived from the original on 8 September 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
10. "Tamika Mkandawire: Shrewsbury Town sign experienced defender". BBC Sport. 21 June 2013. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
11. "Tam Named Captain". Shrewsweb. 1 August 2013. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
12. "Football Fixtures & Results 3 August 2013". Soccerbase. 3 August 2013. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
13. "Tamika Mkandawire Departs Shrewsbury Town". Shrewsweb. 2 June 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
14. "Shrewsbury Town: Tamika Mkandawire and Dave Winfield leave". BBC Sport. 2 June 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
15. "Rowdies Add Dynamic International Duo". Tampa Bay Rowdies. 4 July 2014. Archived from the original on 11 July 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
16. "Rowdies Re-sign Defender Tamika Mkandawire". Tampa Bay Rowdies. 15 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
17. "Tamika Mkandawire Announces Retirement". Tampa Bay Rowdies . 24 August 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
18. "Football League Awards: PFA Player in the Community award to recognise impact off the pitch". EFL . 16 April 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
19. "Tamika Mkandawire Football Stats". Soccerbase. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
20. "Starting Lineups - Crewe vs Southend". Sky Sports. 7 April 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2024.

External links

• Tamika Mkandawire at Soccerbase
• Tampa Bay Rowdies profile page