Nottingham Forest of England striker, Taiwo Awoniyi was back in action as an 83rd minute substitute on Sunday, but fervently denied widespread reports that he is desperate to get more playing time for club and country.
Sports247 reports that the former youth international, who was initially signed officially by Liverpool, after helping Nigeria win the 2013 FIFA U17 World Cup in United Arab Emirates, but never got to play a competitive match for The Reds, is staying patient about his chances with the ambitious club and getting more games with the Super Eagles.
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Rather than feel disillusioned or think about ‘knocking off’ his teammates who are rated ahead of him, the product of ex-Super Eagles’ battler, Seyi George Olofinjana’s Imperial Football Academy at Odogbolu in Ogun State said he will continue to wait for his own moment to come.
Awoniyi, whose late entry could not help his side get a much desired victory in Sunday’s 2-2 draw against visiting Leicester City, philosophised: “Football is all about competition and facing challenges. Your moment is your moment, and you should make the best of it when it comes.
“I believe, when my moment comes, my fans will watch me play as well. That’s football. I don’t see myself as knocking someone off or them knocking me off. It’s all about getting the right moment.”
Incidentally, Sunday’s game at The City Stadium also saw Ola Aina back in 90 minutes of action for Nottingham, but he got a 69th minute yellow card, while Wilfred Onyinye Ndidi equally lasted the distance for Leicester, who had Memeh Caleb Okoli off their bench in the 90th minute.
Though Awoniyi only got seven minutes under his boots in the encounter, as he replaced Ibrahim Sangare in the 83rd minute, the former SV Frankfurt, Mainz and Union Berlin of Germany striker stressed that he is not holding any misgivings regarding his lack of playing time at the club and in Nigeria’s national team.
He added, “It’s about a momentum. If it’s their time, it’s their time; if it’s my time, then it’s my time. That’s how I see football. Maybe the fans see it in a different way, but we that play football know what football is all about. It’s beyond merely watching it on the field of play.”
Awoniyi, who also played for Nigeria at the under-23 level but has not been able to stamp his feet into the senior national team’s mainframe, with just two goals in only ten appearances, concluded with the same philosophical approach to speculation about misgivings he might be holding due to the lack of recognition accorded him in the Super Eagles.
“When it comes to the Super Eagles, it’s not something about you making the decisions. It’s not up to you saying, ‘I want to play, I want to be the top striker.’ It’s never your call! The best thing is that you develop yourself to become the best that you want to be and wait for your time to come. That’s all,” Awoniyi, who has also played in Netherlands and Belgium, posited emphatically.
Sports247 gathered further that Awoniyi, whose goals saved Nottingham from relegation two seasons ago, will again try to ignite another late impact in the season, as his side play away to West Ham United next weekend and then host fellow-continental ticket seeking rivals, Chelsea in their last game of this campaign.
Both matches will go a long way on determining the European prospects for the 1979 and 1980 continental champions, who were for almost five weeks in third position on the season’s English Premier League table, but are now seventh with 62 points.
That could be enough to fetch them a ticket into next season’s UEFA Conference League, but Awoniyi and Aina would surely prefer the Europa League, whose only slot is currently occupied by Aston Villa on 63 points.
