Striker Manny Duku has hit the goal trail with York City in the National League but he still retains his Highland links.
The former Caley Thistle forward left the Caledonian Stadium last January and had a spell at Havant and Waterlooville in National League South.
In the summer, the 29-year-old headed to North Yorkshire to join the Minstermen where he’s been in fine scoring form, scoring six times in 17 appearances, including just eight starts.
Under new manager David Webb, who replaced John Askey, Dutchman Duku has been finding form, including a last-gasp goal in a 1-1 draw with Wrexham in the league and a brace in a 5-0 romp against Blyth Spartans in the third round of the Isuzu FA Trophy.
Duku, who spent just six months last season with ICT after leaving Championship rivals Raith Rovers, is finding his lethal touch after a frustrating spell where assists and hard graft were not rewarded with more than two goals in 25 outings.
That’s why he and Inverness head coach Billy Dodds agreed to a move back to England for the forward, who had already played for Cheltenham Town, Torquay United and Hayes and Yeading United.
⚡️ 24 seconds
1⃣ First touch
💥 An excellent finishHow about that for an instant impact from Manny Duku?#YCFC pic.twitter.com/4HnemZSVTp
— York City FC (@YorkCityFC) December 3, 2022
Striker left Inverness on good terms
Duku was disappointed not to have a more fruitful spell in the north of Scotland, but he takes heart from leaving on friendly terms and stay in touch with many of the ICT squad.
He said: “My career in Scotland had a lot of ups and downs, but I had a good time with Inverness and Raith Rovers was not bad either.
“It was disappointing, as a forward, not to score as many goals as I wanted at Inverness.
“I was providing assists, but you are judged on the number of goals you score. That didn’t happen for me at that time, so I discussed it with the club.
“I have family down south and we decided to part ways, but it was all in good terms. I wish it had ended differently in terms of my time at Inverness.
“But I had a good time in Scotland, everyone was great with me at Inverness, including the supporters. People at Inverness, who still follow my career, still message me.”
Duku praises strong National League
York had gone 10 games and two months without a win before they saw off Woking 2-0 on December 10 then Blyth Spartans 5-0 in the FA Trophy, with Duku netting twice.
The recent revival briefly hauled them from the lower reaches of the National League to within a cluster of sides with their eyes on a play-off push.
It’s a battle which could still go one way or another for York after Tuesday’s 2-2 draw at Gatehead leaves them 16th – six points below the play-offs and eight points above the drop-zone.
Despite the pressures, Duku enjoys the refreshing chance of playing rivals less often in a competitive environment and praised its standard.
He said: “The National League and Scottish Championship are quite similar. In England, with having more teams, you don’t play the same teams four times per season, which is different.
“The league down here is non-league but very professional at the same time. The standard is quite high and you see a lot of players get moves even up to the Scottish Premiership.
“There are lots of experienced players who have come down to this level along with young, talented players, who are looking to get a move up the leagues.
“At our home games, we can get 5000-7000 fans. Against Wrexham recently we had a crowd of more than 7000, and there are big clubs in this league. Wrexham, Notts County and Chesterfield are examples of that. It’s a very good league and a lot of teams are very well supported.”
🍾 Tonight's @Waitrose Man of the Match – double goalscorer Manny Duku
👏 Well played, Manny#YCFC pic.twitter.com/LY6C8CBCeS
— York City FC (@YorkCityFC) December 20, 2022
Duku hopes for Inverness title push
While gunning for York’s rivals, Duku keeps tabs on Inverness and Raith and he hopes Dodds’ injury-hit squad can launch a second-half promotion bid from the January onwards.
He said: “I always follow what’s happening in the Scottish Championship.
“I stay in touch with most of the Inverness boys as well as the gaffer. We have still good relationships and hopefully, the boys do well for the rest of the season.
“They have had so many injuries this year, which is sad, especially after reaching last season’s play-off final.
“I hoped they would really kick on, but it hasn’t worked as everyone had hoped, but there is still a lot of football to go. I wish them all the best and I only have positive words when I chat to the boys.
“Hopefully everyone gets back healthy, fit and strong and they can kick on and make it an interesting end to the season.”
What a great experience and I want to thank @AHSYork for having us share about our faith and football! https://t.co/gGOqrRcHFf
— Manny Duku⚽️ (@MannyDuku) December 1, 2022
Faithful message might come north
Duku’s Christianity is important to him and he’s often in the heart of his local area talking about his faith.
He explained how a return trip to the north of Scotland is in his plans to deliver similar messages.
He said: “I have been doing a lot of community work locally, going into schools and talking about my faith and my football.
“I’d definitely love to come back to Inverness and see what I could do in the community there – I loved the people there. I’d love to talk to the young people, or anyone interested, in my faith and football.”
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