Sports

Charlton Athletic Set To Sign Nigerian Teenage Goalkeeper

Published

3 years ago

October 25, 2023

After spending about three months having some developmental training sessions with Charlton Athletic of England, the championship side has decided to offer Nigerian teenage goalkeeper, Samuel Friday James, a contract.

James has shown tremendous agility and progress at the developmental training programme in the club on the field and during some test games played with some clubs in England and it became glaring to the technical crew and management of the club that a raw diamond had landed on the side of the London based club.

It was therefore not a surprise with the decision of Charlton Athletic to offer the young talented goalkeeper from Mavlon FC, a modest NLO club, a contract at just 17 years old.

Sporting Lagos, a club in the elite league of Nigeria will not forget in a hurry the sublime display of James in a friendly game that ended 3-3. The goalkeeping treasure denied Sporting Lagos some goalscoring opportunities that would have wrapped up the game in their favour.

Some European clubs have been monitoring James after his heroic performance with Mavlon FC at the Viareggio Cup tournament that took place in Italy in March this year. Interestingly, it is Charlton Athletic that beat the rest to the signature of the ball-playing goalkeeper.

Fortune is already smiling at James since the first week he arrived at the club. He only had a few training sessions with the U-19 before the team upgraded him to the U-21 due to his performance.

Within a fortnight, he was given access to train with the senior team of Charlton Athletic and he has continued to show exceptional quality, hence the decision to seal a transfer deal between the England club and Mavlon Fc by offering a pre-professional contract to the goalkeeping jewel.

www.totorinews.com

Share on Facebook

Sports

Vipers VC celebrate captain Esther Mbah on birthday

Published

18 hours ago

November 14, 2026

The Gleamer

Cyril Ogar

Vipers Volleyball Club have felicitated with their captain, Esther Mbah on the occasion of her birthday.

In a statement signed by the Vipers VC Team Manager, Suraj Abiodun Jabar; the club described Mbah as a leader who has consistently demonstrated excellence both on and off the court.

The statement also praised the Nigerian international for her valuable contributions to the club.

The statement mentioned her role in guiding Vipers to a second-place finish at the 2026 CAVB Zone 3 Club Championship in Ghana.

It read: “The management of Vipers Volleyball Club wants to celebrate Esther Mbah on the occasion of her birthday.

“She has been an asset to Vipers since joining the club, demonstrating outstanding commitment, dedication and leadership.

“Her contributions to the growth and success of the team have been invaluable.

“We appreciate her efforts, professionalism and the positive influence she continues to have on her teammates. We wish her more successful years ahead, good health and greater achievements.”

The club concluded its birthday message by wishing the experienced player continued success as she leads the team towards achieving more honours.

Beyond her achievements at club level, Mbah won a bronze medal for Nigeria at the 2024 African Games in Ghana, further establishing herself as one of the country’s accomplished volleyball players.

She has also secured qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, adding another milestone to her growing career.

In their separate messages, board members of Nigeria Volleyball Federation, James Datuhun and Chinedu Onikeku (OLY) as well as Coordinator of Vipers VC, Samuel Onikeku wished the Nigeria international a glamorous birthday.

They hailed Esther Mbah for exhibiting a high level of leadership trait since joining the team.

The stakeholders prayed for good health and ultimately success as she prepares for the Beach Volleyball event at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

Share on Facebook