Tuesday the 19th of February sees FC Halifax Town make a 490-mile round trip to face off against Kent based opposition Maidstone United, who are currently placed 23rd in the Vanarama National League.
With that in mind, we have decided to focus on one of the opposition’s players who could be the difference between the two sides on Tuesday night.
Having only just signed for Maidstone on the 15th of February, Justin Amaluzor will be looking to kickstart his career with The Stones with a positive performance against The Shaymen. The 22-year-old made his debut for his new side on the 16th of February away at Bromley, albeit via a thirty-minute cameo from the bench.
Amaluzor began his career with youth spells at Luton Town, AFC Kempston Rovers and AFC Rushden & Diamonds, before settling at Dartford. During his time with The Darts, he was loaned to Kent Football United of the Kent Invicta Football League, where he was described as a ‘revelation’ by manager Sam McNeil. In April 2015, Amaluzor was signed by Barnet – initially he played for their under 18s, but he was rewarded with a professional contract by The Bees just two months later.
A Football League debut on the 17th of October 2015 will have been the perfect present for Amaluzor’s 19th birthday, as he replaced Luke Gambin in the 53rd minute during Barnet’s 3-1 win over York City. It would take over a year for the winger to find the back of the net for the London based side however, as his first and only goal came in against Peterborough United in the Checkatrade Trophy on the 8th of November 2016.
A player who struggled to play a regular run of games for Barnet, Amaluzor’s spell with The Bees was littered with loans to teams in the leagues below, such as Hayes & Yeading United, Hemel Hempstead Town, Hampton & Richmond Borough, as well as Bognor Regis Town. Following his release from Barnet at the end of the 2017/18 season, Justin Amaluzor was made a Braintree Town player on the 31st of August 2018.
Following a series of impressive performances for The Irons throughout the season in their bid to avoid relegation back to the Vanarama National League South, Amaluzor was snapped up by Maidstone last Friday. Maidstone head coach Hakan Hayrettin managed the winger at Braintree for most of the season and will no doubt have felt that a player of Amaluzor’s calibre is what his new side need to aid their bid for survival.
Maidstone’s Head of Football John Still spoke positively of the signing in an interview with their club website, saying “Justin is quick, bright and has got a goal in him. He can play wide on either side – he likes to play on the right and cut in on his left foot, and he can play off the main striker.” Should the Stones choose to deploy him on the right wing for Tuesday’s night game, Halifax’s choice of left back will have a tough task when it comes to preventing him from cutting inside.
Of course, this won’t be Amaluzor’s first game against The Shaymen this season, as he played in the 0-0 draw with Braintree at The Shay on the 5th of January. He proved to be a handful in this fixture, meaning that manager Jamie Fullarton could very well be aware of the talent possessed by the winger.
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