Chris Kisuka has been pitched in at the deep end at Peterhead, tasked with leading the line for a club trying to tread water.
Kisuka had been out of senior football for a decade and had instead been turning out for non-league clubs like Shettleston and Yoker Athletic, while combining it with coaching on the side.
He spent time with Aberdeen and Rangers in his youth, playing in the same teams as Fraser Fyvie, Mitch Megginson and Ryan Jack as a kid, before moving off to Sweden and then taking some time out of the game.
The call to come up to Peterhead was an unexpected one. The Blue Toon were in need of a striker, following injuries to Ola Adeyemo and Russell McLean, and Jim McInally called upon the 30-year-old to fill the void.
It is an unexpected second-chance at the SPFL for Kisuka but one he is embracing.
“Joining a team when everything is pretty much down is not easy,” said Kisuka. “The morale right now is not right, so it is tough. We’re facing a hard time right now.
“The reason I stopped (with senior football) was I had a lot going on with family. I never really left football, as I’ve still been training kids, so football has always been my passion.
“Peterhead is such a good club and a great place to kick off your journey. We have a lot of young players and they’re all learning every day. It’s a very good opportunity for me, particularly with my story, to start fresh. I want to give everything I can.
“I knew it was going to be tough coming back at this level but I was prepared. I worked hard all summer, trained a lot and played games. I was match-fit.
“But then again you can always improve. I’m really working hard on that. It’s a big step to come back into it.”
Having experienced life as a youth player with two big Scottish clubs, Kisuka is aware of the pressures facing young footballers.
That is why even when he was away from the top end of the game in this country, he was able to throw himself into giving back at the grass-roots level.
“It was a positive experience, being at Aberdeen and Rangers, but as a kid you don’t really know much,” said Kisuka. “The coach is talking and you can be distracted – that’s normal.
“Being a pro at that age was not easy. There’s a lot to take in and a lot of things you need to understand quicker. The more you grow the more experience you get and the more things start to make sense.
“There was a lot of pressure as we had a lot of talented players. We had Ryan Jack, Fyvie, Megginson – it was very competitive.
“Not being from here, trying to understand the language and settle in, it was a lot to take in at once.
“Growing up and having a platform is something we didn’t really have back then. There’s a lot of talented boys and girls out there and they deserve better. To be seen you need to have that platform.
“As a coach, you learn a lot. It helps with playing, as you understand more, listen, pass messages across. Over the years it’s helped me to understand football a lot more.”
All that needs rectifying now is Peterhead’s form on the park. The club have struggled in League One to date and are still chasing their first win of the season.
He thanked the Blue Toon fans for sticking by the club during a difficult spell and revealed why he can cope with the infamous windy conditions at Peterhead.
“We’re all working hard to change it,” said Kisuka. “It’s tough right now but we just need to trust the gaffer and trust the process. Hopefully sooner or later we can come out of it.
A letter from the Chairman ⬇️https://t.co/Ez29oZxtVe pic.twitter.com/H6FOwXePac
— Peterhead FC (@pfcofficial) August 29, 2022
“All we need is that first win to make everybody confident. I want to thank the fans for sticking with us in times like this because it’s not easy. I can understand the frustration they have, coming to games and seeing what’s going on.
“We really appreciate the support we’re getting from them and hopefully we can all move forward and start winning games.
“I went out to Sweden when I was younger but because it’s so cold, the season only lasts for six months. I’m not a cold person. Can you imagine having 10 layers of clothes on trying to run?
“The little cold we get here, I’m always moaning about being cold. But then I imagine being out there!
“I feel like I can deal with the wind – it was windy on Saturday and people were telling me they get a lot up here. But I don’t think anything can top Sweden.”
