Signing from Margate in 2012, I don’t think a lot was expected of young Kwesi Appiah but over the course of the recent African Cup of Nations competition, he has shown what a prodigious talent he is and has shown the potential to provide what Palace is lacking in a striking role.
His call up to the Ghana squad came as a surprise to many however it has been proven in recent competitions that a chance offered must be taken and Kwesi certainly proved his worth.
Being unused in the first two games is to be understood, due to the form of Jordan Ayew, however the lack of goals prompted the decision from Avram Grant to mix it up. This turned out to be a blessing for our pacey striker. Coming on in the 70th minute against South Africa he proved clinical and a game changer. Appiah showed pace to take on defenders and the strength to hold the competition off and have a shot ricochet off the post. The Ghanaians looked revitalised with this fresh style up front from a boy playing for a non-league club not long ago.
The quarterfinals gave Appiah his first major platform to perform for 90 minutes on an international stage and he did his parent club proud. There was something about Appiah’s vision and ability to read the game that proved so valuable to the National team and something the Palace coaching staff will be keen to utilise. Having connected with a sliced clearance, Appiah ran through to net his first international goal much to the jubilation of his teammates. Playing in a national team suffused with premier league quality, Kwesi showed the characteristics of a future star and was a standout performer. Having never performed on this stage before, Appiah showed himself to be a calm and concise footballer with both passion and promise.
Although the penalty shoot out in the final caused some controversy, for 99 minutes Appiah proved he could perform at the very highest level. With mazey runs and pace that bamboozled the Ivorian defence, no one could have guessed this professional is playing in the fourth tier of English football currently.
Crystal Palace should applaud their scouting staff and be very proud to have an intelligent and passionate footballer come through their ranks. Palace will forever be known for its strength in the youth structure and this will be the making of Pardews’ maverick plans. We are a club with heart and promise and players like Appiah have shown that, given the opportunity, talent will always win through.
Kwesi Appiah won the Samsung Fair Play Player of the tournament on what was his tournament debut.
