Britt Assombalonga

[Suffolk Blue]

Saturday will see us take on Barnet at HS our first encounter with them for some years.

Many will remember the departure of Kenny Lowe to Barnet back in the day for a reported fee of some £40k not an insignificant fee at that time prised from the fingers of Barry Fry.

However in the last week, Barnet who already boast a frighteningly good away record since their return have done a deal to sign one Britt Assombalonga. He appeared for them in the EFL Trophy against Cambridge on Tuesday and as befits a player who has graced Notts Forest, Watford, QPR, and Middlesboro, made an immediate impact.

Now 32, many Bluebird fans may not immediately connect the name with BAFC. So for those who have a distant memory, I would take you back to January 2012 and a second round trophy tie at Wealdstone.

We were heavy favourites to win this tie and on a near frozen pitch took the field against a very under par looking Stones side. Wealdstone had as I recall had quite a few injuries but when I got to the ground I quickly picked up a vibe that Wealdstone had managed to convince QPR to loan them one of their rising starlets. This turned out to be Britt Assombalonga. He was 20 at the time.

The rest as they say is history. This was the game when Danny Hurst was pole-axed after 20 minutes and the game was suspended whilst they tried and eventually succeeded in getting an ambulance onto the ground. The Wealdstone tactics were utterly brutal.

Richie Baker scored for us just before half-time.
Then at half time, Assombalonga was introduced off the bench. He then proceeded almost single handedly to destroy us and I remember him as being totally unstoppable. He scored the winning goal in Wealdstone’s 2-1 victory.

For my sins I always was convinced that Assombalonga was a ringer provided to help tip the scales against us. I think he was a temporary loan and was to be seen playing in the Championship pretty soon afterwards.

I believe that was the one and only time he played against us though I might be wrong. Fitness permitting Saturday may be his second game against us 13 years later. He is still very good when fit. And I mean very good.

So be aware folks of the bloke with the difficult to pronounce surname and don’t be at all surprised, should he enter the field of play once again against us, if he turns out to be a bit lethal.

[Adam29]

Assombalonga started the game

It was a “coming together” between him and Danny hurst which caused the injury which meant hurst had to come off

[Suffolk Blue]

Thanks for the correction Adam. Something at the back of my brain did spark a memory of Assombolonga being involved in Danny Hursts injury and since that was in the first 20 minutes he must’ve been on from the start.

I do remember the injury being a bad one and that Hursts left the field on a stretcher and I think may have spent some time in hospital.

I always thought that Danny Hurst was never quite the same keeper after his recovery. He was much underrated as a keeper IMO.

[Bohemians Praha 1905]

Yep, his name was on the team shirt first…

[boyliegladbach]

Cold day that.