Akpo Sodje: I want to play for Nigeria

He is the youngest member of the accomplished football-playing Sodje family from Warri, Delta State, in the South-South region of Nigeria. Akpo Sodje, 28, a striker, who currently plies his trade with English Championship side Sheffield Wednesday, has four other brothers who also play football at the top level: three of them professionally and one semi-professionally. They include   Sam Sodje, who currently plays for Reading, also in the Championship; Efe, who features for Bury. Efe had represented Nigeria at international level. He was a member of the Super Eagles’ squad for both the 2002 African Cup of Nations in Mali and the World Cup Finals held the same year in Korea/Japan. Steve Sodje currently plays for Ashford Town, a lower division team in England.

 Bright, their eldest brother used to play rugby league for Sheffield Eagles.  Onome Sodje, his cousin, left Charlton Athletic in summer 2006, and is now playing for Conference team York City. Akpo told Newswatch more about his family. “I am very proud to come from the Sodje family, which is a very big family. I want to thank our dad and mum for the sacrifices they made in bringing us up. We are all very close, Bright, Sam, Efe, and the rest. I am number 10 among the children, and they all treat me as their pet because I am the youngest member of the family.”

Akpo, who was born in Greenwich, England, just like his other siblings, joined Sheffield Wednesday, his present club, in August 2007, from Port Vale. He told Newswatch, “I started playing in England when I was just about seven years old; and as I was growing up, I started from the lower divisions.”

 He previously had spells at lower division clubs like Darlington and Huddersfield Town. But he is remembered for the record he created while he was with Port Vale as he became the first player to score four goals in an away league match for the club in over 100 years, since 1893. The feat was achieved on March 10, 2007 as Vale completed a 5 -1 victory at Millmoor against Rotherham United. His hat-trick came in just 18 minutes and broke his spell of playing eight games without scoring a goal. Akpo had a very successful soccer year, as he went on   to score 16 goals in the 2006/07 season, his best goal tally to date as a professional footballer.

The feat earned him The Player of the Year award at Vale Park. His performance brought him to the notice of many clubs, and the result was his signing a three year contract with Sheffield Wednesday for an undisclosed fee in August 2007. He said: “I am happy to be in the Championship but my ultimate aim is to play in the Premiership.”

The Nigerian made his debut for Sheffield Wednesday by coming on as a substitute for Jermaine Johnson in the 63rd minute on September 2007 at Hillsborough, against Bristol City in a 0-1 loss. His full debut came in another 0-1 loss to Preston at Deepdale on September 15. The Nigerian striker went on to score his first goal for the club on November 3, 2007, away at Plymouth Argyle in the 52nd minute to help his club win 2 - 1.

After failing to find the back of the net in his first six starts and two substitute appearances, his first goal that November 3, 2007, spurred him on to score a total of seven league goals in 16 starts and three substitute appearances in his first season at the club, including a brace in a 5 - 0 victory over Southampton on November 10, 2007. After being hailed by some “Wednesdayites” as "The black David Hirst," because of his strength and determination, Akpo cemented his place in Wednesday’s folklore with the opening goal in 2-0 derby win over arch rivals Sheffield United on January 19, 2008. Unfortunately, his season was cut short by an ankle injury. Despite this setback, he was still voted striker of the year by fans of the club.

Before that goal, he had started the 2008/09 seasons impressively by scoring two goals and setting up one in Wednesday’s  4-1 win over Burnley. Unfortunately, he also picked up a hamstring injury in the match and had to be substituted after just 21 minutes. He made his return coming off the bench for Jermaine Johnson after 68 minutes against local rivals Sheffield United.

Brian Laws, the team manager, described Akpo’s injury, which required an operation, as a “massive blow for us. He's very dejected because he had waited so long to get back. He has never had an injury of this sort before. He has had rotten luck. Akpo is going in for an operation on his ankle and it's a big, big blow for myself and the team, but first we must concentrate on getting his ankle better for the team and for himself. He has been an inspiration for us this season, some of his performances have been outstanding and his enthusiasm is second to none. He will be a big miss.”

Akpo successfully underwent the operation towards the end of last year and he will soon return to action. He told Newswatch that he is delighted as he will return to full time football in less than two weeks. He said: “I will be back in training in two weeks and hope to start flying the Nigerian flag in Sheffield again, and to start scoring goals again.”

Akpo reflected on his football life and told Newswatch that he is grateful to God for bringing him to this level in the game. He is also delighted that some of his local coaches in Warri played a prominent role in his football career.

One of the areas his local coaches helped develop his soccer career when he was playing for Dynamos FC in Warri was when they converted him from a defender to an attacker.

He said: “When I was playing in Warri, I started as a defender. The coach whom I played under said I was fast and tall, and because of these qualities he saw in me, he converted me to a striker. That is the role I have been playing since then, and I hope to translate this into playing a big role for Nigeria. My dream is to be my country’s number one striker. It is a role that will suit me very well.”

He added: “I am just waiting for the opportunity to get the national call. I know what I can offer and I think I can play for my country very well, if given the chance. I know there are so many good strikers in the national team, but they should give me the chance for me to prove myself.”