If you’ve got a moment to spare over the next seven months then get yourself down to the aptly named Technique Stadium to catch a glimpse of Kabongo Tshimanga. It will in all likelihood be the last time you are able to see the striker for as little as a tenner for this man is not long for the National League.
Indeed, Saturday 23rd October marked the 24-year-old’s 10th goal in 12 games for Chesterfield as they ruthlessly cut down Boreham Wood to remain hot on the heels of the league’s early pacesetters, Grimsby Town. Of course, Tshimanga’s exquisite finishing has been a driving force behind the Spireites’ promotion bid but a special mention should go to manager James Rowe and the way he has helped the target man find his groove after a rather nomadic existence in football.
In fact, it wouldn’t be unfair to say that Tshimanga hasn’t always enjoyed such a rich return in front of goal. Despite only being 24, the Kinshasa-born forward has already played for 12 clubs and even went as far as Iceland to try and find his range with a seven-game spell for Thróttur Reykjavík proving to be unsuccessful in the end. Perhaps a lot of the toiling at his previous clubs had to do with how quickly he was thrust into professional football despite being just a teenager. It was all a bit too much too soon as Tshimanga became a victim of his potential and the hype that followed him around.
Dropping down into the National League has given Tshimanga the chance to build a foundation for his career, but perhaps most importantly of all, rediscover his confidence again. As touched on briefly, Spireites manager James Rowe has assisted with that after putting his star forward into a side that is set up for him to express himself, which has led to the striker topping the goal charts.
Indeed, the 4-3-3 formation that Chesterfield uses is the perfect system for Tshimanga to run freely at terrified defences but that wouldn’t necessarily be possible if it wasn’t for the formidable midfield duo of Manny Oyeleke and James Kellermann. These hardworking central midfielders provide the perfect foil for Tshimanga as they break up play and then drive the side up the pitch with their seemingly never-ending energy. The results are speaking for themselves and if they keep getting the ball to Tshimanga in dangerous areas, then Chesterfield will score the goals they need to get promoted.
Of course, there is the off chance that Tshimanga doesn’t see out the campaign with the Spireites if he is bought by a club in the EFL in January. There have already been reports of Huddersfield and Preston North End tracking the striker’s progress and after such a barnstorming start to life with Chesterfield this season, you can picture a scenario where the 24-year-old’s suitors step up their interest.
Indeed, these days, you can’t keep a National League secret for long given BT Sport’s widespread broadcasting of the league and the subsequent growing interest in the division.
Revealingly, that interest has led to additional coverage of all things National League and perhaps there isn’t a better example of that than the current betting scene at National League level. Basically, given the legion of new fans to the league, the country’s biggest bookmakers are now offering odds on the league as they attempt to attract new clients alongside other measures such as competitive sign-up bonuses as can be seen here in this Leovegas review. In a nutshell, this all means that given the league now has a captive national audience, it’s easier for talented players like Tshimanga to get noticed.
With this in mind, the question has to be: could the next Jamie Vardy be about to burst out of the National League? Only time will tell but for now, Kabongo Tshimnaga is powering Chesterfield towards promotion to the EFL.
