Doncaster Rovers: Ferguson hails impact of debut boy Kiwomya

That was the verdict of boss Darren Ferguson who was delighted to see the 21-year-old make his long-awaited debut, seven months after signing from Chelsea.

Kiwomya came off the bench in Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Portsmouth and caused problems for the hosts with his pace and direct running.

There was also a first appearance of the season for Luke McCullough following his knee injury.

“It was fantastic for both of them because they’ve been out for so long,” Ferguson said.

“I thought they were excellent when they came on.

“Kiwomya, you can see what he brings to the table.

“His pace and he was a real threat.

“We just weren’t getting a hold of the ball up front so I had to think, at least he’ll stretch the game for us which he did.

“I thought he looked good, really good.

“He was rusty at times but you’re getting to get that.

“McCullough was McCullough. A very good player.”

Kiwomya was forced to effectively rebuild his body following the side effects of the auto-immune condition Guillain-Barré syndrome which he contracted mere days after signing for Rovers last summer.

A lack of physical activity saw his muscle mass significantly diminish, though he made rapid progress once able to exercise again.

Ferguson says it will be some time before the Sheffield-born forward is able to start first team games but is happy to have him available as an impact substitute.

“He is not ready,” the Rovers boss said.

“He won’t be ready for next Saturday.

“Quite simply it’s because he would be too early to throw him in.

“What we’re going to get off him is what we saw at Portsmouth with him getting bits and pieces in games.

“I thought the game was set up for him because while they were on the front foot, they were also leaving gaps at the back we didn’t exploit.”