Kwesi Appiah opens up on funny story with Ian Holloway

Kwesi Appiah opens up on funny story with Ian Holloway

2015 AFCON finalist and Ghanaian international Kwesi Appiah has lifted the lid on his playing career, which has ranged from Isthmian League team Margate to present day Premier League side Crystal Palace.

Speaking to Football Park in an exclusive interview about all aspects of his career, Appiah spoke about his time at Margate and how it paved the way for a move to Crystal Palace, which at various points looked unlikely to happen.

In the 2011/12 season, where Appiah was just one of three Margate players on a professional contract, the Ghanaian bagged 22 goals in 24 games to catch the attention of high-profile times a long way up the footballing pyramid.

“It gets to January, and obviously “I can’t stay here guys! I gotta go!”, said Appiah. “So that’s basically what happened. There were a few teams interested. There’s a funny story with Ian Holloway who I was supposed to meet up with, supposed to sign for Blackpool, but that didn’t materialise. I went on trial at Wolves, but that didn’t materialise.”

With Holloway eventually ending up at Crystal Palace a couple of years later, it seemed his interest in Appiah hadn’t waned during the transition, and according to Appiah, “it went full circle”.

“At Blackpool, he had offered me a contract, and from his point of view, it looked like I was coming to sign, but truly, it wasn’t the one, so I decided not to sign it (the contract), and he went in a press conference and sort of had a little bit of a go at me!”

This may sound like typical Ian Holloway, but it seems the outburst did little to no harm, as Appiah stated: “Years down the line, he becomes manager at Crystal Palace, and I’m a Crystal Palace player! So we shake hands and have a little smile, and it was brushed under the carpet very quickly.”

Appiah, despite still playing for National League side Boreham Wood, remains very fond of Crystal Palace, and occasionally offers his services as a youth scout.

“They are a club now that I have a huge affection for and I’m so grateful for everything they’ve done in my career, not just as a player but as a person. I still do stuff for the club now which is just my way of saying thank you.”