“My objective is to become a full-time footballer again” – Ade Yusuff is on the up with Folkestone Invicta

By Matt Badcock
Ade Yusuff says Folkestone Invicta have helped him get back to the form that landed him a move to the Football League.
The striker has scored 17 goals in 26 games for Neil Cugley’s Bostik Premier side this season to help them into the promotion mix.
Yusuff bagged a move from Chatham Town to Dagenham & Redbridge in 2014 – even combining his first weeks of training with working his notice at Wagamama.
Frustrating injuries have hampered his time since and he’s found a consistent run of games hard to come by.
But the 23-year-old says he has full confidence in his body and his ability – and says he’s better for the experience.
“I felt at the time I was ready but maybe in hindsight there were things I could have done better,” Yusuff told The NLP. “It’s general things but I could have been a bit more proactive with the way I looked after my body.
“I’ve learnt. Now I’m a lot more professional with the way I treat myself, my body and my diet. I’ve laid the foundations for it now.
“Everyone is different. I make sure I rest more, I coach in the day which means I’m in football as well, and I’m happy with how things are.
“But my objective is to become a full-time footballer again. The manager here has a track record of developing players and that came into my thinking in the summer.
“I’ve got a little boy who is three next month and I could have signed elsewhere for more money, but if I want to make the jump higher Folkestone seemed the best fit and I know I’ve made the right decision.”
Yusuff says he’s now smarter with his work off the ball, says Cugley wants him to stay more central and jokes he’s even started scoring tap-ins! And he hopes the way his all round game has developed will boost the chances of achieving his goal.
“There are a few boys here at Folkestone who could go on,” Yusuff said. “For me this was always to use it as a platform to get me back up to a higher level – I feel like I’m making up for lost time and I feel like I’m ready to push on again.
“The club know my situation and the manager has said to keep working hard and he will help me to achieve my goal. That’s what I want more than anything.
“I’m only 23 so I’ve got time on my side. But I feel like this is a really important season for me to show what I can do. Now I’m reaping the benefits of staying fit and scoring goals.”
The Kent outfit are seeing the rewards, too, and Yusuff is convinced they can finish in the top five.
“We’ve flown under the radar a little bit,” Yusuff said. “But if you come to watch us you can see we’re a match for anyone. We’re having a little blip at the moment, which we’re trying to address, but even the best teams have spells like this.
“Only we can get ourselves out of the rut and I think we’ve got the squad, barring injuries, to push for the play-offs. There are a lot of good teams in this league but I think we can beat anyone on our day.”
 
*This article originally featured in The @NonLeaguePaper, which is available every Sunday.