Experienced striker Nicke Kabamba signs for National League side Woking on loan from Northampton Town

The 28-year-old forward will offer his services to the Cardinals for the remainder of the season after a juddering start to his Northampton Town career.

It is fair to say that Kabamba has not always settled wherever he has gone and the path he has taken is not exactly well-trodden, some would utilise the term ‘journeyman’.

Starting out in the seventh and eighth tiers with Uxbridge, AFC Hayes and Burnham, the forward got his first sizeable move when he was offered out on loan to Hemel Hempstead Town in the National League South.

Whilst that move may not have worked out exactly as he had liked, he showed enough about himself to earn a move to Hampton & Richmond Borough. This would be the move to really give his career traction as Kabamba helped the Beavers gain promotion from the Isthmian League, scoring 19 goals in 48 appearances in all competitions.

Despite stepping up to the National League South, Kabamba only got better, scoring a remarkable 21 goals in 32 matches in the first half of the 2016/2017 season.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Football League clubs started sniffing around seeing the potential in the goalscorer. Aged 23, some would argue he was late to develop for a ‘prospective talent’, but it was Portsmouth who would be the first club to take the plunge on him in the professional ranks.

Sadly, his time at Fratton Park was not what either party had hoped for with the forward making just four appearances in the 2016/2017 season in League Two.

Being thrown into a squad that was chasing, and would eventually, gain promotion with no Football League experience proved a fruitless task for Kabamba so it came as no surprise that Pompey shipped him out on loan at the start of the 2017/2018 season having spent spells in the under-23 squad.

Kabamba left for Essex but only made 10 appearances and scored no goals during his time at Colchester United. Portsmouth gave the forward one last chance with a loan to National League Aldershot Town, and whilst this stint did not impress Portsmouth enough to keep Kabamba on their books, it no doubt helped him acquire his next professional move.

At the beginning of the 2018/2019 season, he signed for newly promoted Havant & Waterlooville. It was a nice story for Kabamba to sign for the Hawks from local club Portsmouth with the two sides holding many links and even sharing many fans.

The move was considered somewhat of a coup and a statement of intent to keep Havant in the division. However, it was Kabamba’s strike partner Jonah Ayunga that would go on to steal the headlines, subsequently forcing the Brent-born forward out of the team.

Aged 25, Kabamba moved the entire length of the country to join Hartlepool United on loan. The initial spell was successful with seven goals in 17 games earning him a permanent move to the North East.

It looked as if he had finally found his place starting upfront for the Pools as he scored seven goals in the first half of the 2019/2020 season before being snapped up by Scottish Premiership side Kilmarnock. Once again, he impressed after joining midway through a season, bagging four goals in his first 12 appearances in Scotland.

However, a five-goal return across the entirety of the 2020/2021 season was not enough to warrant a continued stay in Scotland’s top flight and Kabamba signed for Northampton Town, who he had recently been relegated straight back to League Two after gaining promotion the previous season.

Whilst Kabamba has featured regularly for the Cobblers this season, he has never been able to nail down a starting spot and has not impressed with just one goal in the Papa John’s Trophy to his name following 27 appearances in all competitions.

As such, a move back to the National League looks as if it makes sense for Kabamba and this will surely offer one of his last chances at really impressing enough to warrant a starting spot at a Football League club.

Under Alan Dowson, the Cardinals play a 4-2-3-1 formation which begs the question as to where the forward will fit into that equation.

With Tahvon Campbell experiencing his breakout season, it seems unlikely Kabamba will be brought in to take his place. Out and out striker Inih Effiong has returned six goals so far this season, and whilst that is not by any means an awful tally, will his starting place be under threat?

With zero goal contributions this season though, it could be Tyreke Johnson’s place under threat although it is unlikely Kabamba will be deployed on the wing so this could result in a Woking re-shuffle.

One thing is for sure, Nicke Kabamba is a name recognised by most National League fans, and despite a stop-start career, he has undoubted quality at this level which is surely what Woking are looking to capitalise on.

Whether the deal is likely to be made permanent yet is unknown, but from Kabamba’s perspective, he may be fighting to maintain his status as an EFL player. Woking fans meanwhile will hope he can invigorate their season and possibly even sign a permanent deal with the Cardinals in an attempt to push them towards the play-offs.

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