From a cold Bradford flat to talks with Fernando Forestieri: the whirlwind Sheffield Wednesday journey of Omar Damba

The Gambian-born youngster, whose 18-month stint with Sheffield Wednesday ended last week when his contract came to an end, had arrived with his family after his father had come to England in search of work some months before.

Having grown up in sunny Barcelona, Damba struggled to settle into the freezing cold, industrial setting he had been thrown into. The teenager had been a talented footballer back in Spain but lacking the confidence and communication skills he felt he needed, never joined a local side.

Little did he know in those cold, lonely months that in the blink of an eye he would be practising free-kicks with Fernando Forestieri.

“I spent one year here not playing football,” he said, speaking to The Star in the days after his release. “I didn’t play at all. That was difficult and it was a really difficult time. I was young and came from another country, I knew nothing, nobody.

“I could speak no English. It was so difficult. All the time I had to ask people things, find my way. And I learned quick.

“My dad told me I had to study, so I went to Bradford College and I found out they had a team.

“Straight away I went to tell them I wanted to play. I was 16 years old, nearly 17. It was thanks to Bradford College that I started to play again.”

What followed was an incredible few months that would take him from a cold Bradford flat to a professional contract with Sheffield Wednesday.

A quick and powerful forward, Damba took the College side in his stride and was soon referred to RIASA, a Leeds-based academy that specialised in bringing young players over from the US before trialling them in matches against professional academies.

There he met former Sheffield Wednesday captain Rob Jones, in charge of RIASA at the time.

“He was very intense and very driven,” Jones remembers of the then-teenager, whose goals and eventual grasp of the language had lit something inside of him.

“He knew exactly want he wanted and he was one of those players that was constantly asking questions and constantly pushing himself forward.

“Ultimately he was doing it all for his family, he wanted to support his family with his football. That was his goal.

“He had a very different upbringing to many we’ve had. He had huge focus and drive and a passion to succeed in what he wanted to do.”

Damba struck up a close relationship with Jones and would take on extra sessions in order to impress. The goals started coming in matches against big clubs and after belting a hat-trick against the academy side of Bradford City, a watching Wednesday scout came calling.

“As soon as I got home they told me that Sheffield Wednesday wanted to take me for a trial,” Damba said. “It was exciting. I went and I played and they said I would hear from them in a week. But I heard nothing.”

Weeks past and Damba redoubled his efforts with Jones, putting time in the gym in response to the suggestion he wasn’t strong enough. And then the time came.

RIASA were scheduled to take on Sheffield Wednesday under-23s. They won 4-1 and Damba scored three. Another trial was fixed and Damba signed professional terms in January last year.

“I felt ready for it,” he said. “My teammates helped me straight away and I was just one more to the team. That made it easier.

“My coaches, Steve Haslam and Neil Thompson, they were always looking out for me and trying to help me. In Sheffield I was alone, but they were always there helping me, asking me what I need. They were good for me and I was happy.”

The arrival of Garry Monk as manager in September last year changed the routine at Middlewood Road and each day several academy players were exposed to senior training.

Damba said: “It shows us what we need to be in the first team. What Garry did was show us that he can trust us.

“He was always there giving us information, telling us what he wants and what we have to do to be there [in the first team], he was always talking to us.

“They are professionals playing the Championship, they were amazing professionals with amazing careers. Everyone is so hungry, they want more, they push you.

“You have to want to be better than them, you have to show them you are better. It was an amazing experience.”

And the one in particular that helped Damba on his Wednesday journey?

“Fernando knew Spanish and was always helping me, telling me things. Where I need to move, what I need to do,” he smiled.

“We spoke about lots of things and he helped me and a lot of the younger players. He took time to speak to us and I was grateful for that.”

Damba, now 20, is now back in Barcelona planning his next steps and whilst he told The Star he sees his future at a club in Spain, he will always look out for one English result in particular.

“I had a very good time in Sheffield,” he said. “There were ups and downs but the good thing is that you always learn.

“They gave me my first chance to be a professional. I will always support Sheffield Wednesday.”

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