End of season report, Number 30: Akpo Sodje

Last updated : 21 June 2008 By C. Morris

Many Owls fans could have been forgiven for thinking Akpo who, when the tall striker arrived from Port Vale in August. He had hardly set the lower leagues alight with his scoring record but with 16 goals in 2006/07 he was Vale's players of the season.

It took Akpo a little time to settle in at Hillsborough but he found his feet following his first goal in the victory at Plymouth and quickly won the fans over with a level of work rate and commitment that was matched by few players at the club.

He made himself a cult hero with the opening goal in the 2-0 victory over rivals Sheffield United and although injury cut short his season, a record of 7 league goals in 16 starts playing at this level of football for the first time in his career is not to be sniffed at.

Overall season verdict: 8 out of 10. If a few more showed his level of desire then the Owls would surely not have had to wait till the final game of the season to secure their safety. Hopefully he will get a good pre-season in and come back fighting fit for the start of 2008/09.