Friends to pay tribute to ex-Ghana international Junior Agogo at pitch where it all began

His long professional career took footballer Junior Agogo to famous clubs such as Nottingham Forest and Sheffield Wednesday, and saw him score for Ghana in the African Cup of Nations.

But back in the 1990s, Mr Agogo was best known for ruling the roost on the old seven-a-side pitch in Swiss ­Cottage, where he was known by his schoolmates and fellow members of the Winch youth club as “Baggio”, after the Italian striker.

His sudden death at his former home at the Taplow tower of the Chalcots estate in August left fans of his former clubs and the wider football world in mourning.

He had only recently turned 40.

Now friends and family are turning back time and organising a football tournament in Mr Agogo’s memory, bringing back some of the people he played with in his younger days and some of those he lined up with as a pro.

Miowa Griffith, a former youth worker at the Winch and friend of Mr Agogo for 25 years, told the New Journal: “The pitch was his home. He was part of that pitch. He trained day and night, every single day. It’s where he honed his football skills. His career just took off while he was playing there. He was spotted and put forward for Sheffield Wednesday [in 1995]. His career was about 17 years and he played all over the world. He had a really beautiful career.”

She added: “Junior lived in Taplow, the tower just across the road. That’s where he passed away. He has always been a big part of the local community – he always had friends who worked at the Winch. “After his stroke a few years ago, he kept on with children – he was always involved in the local community.”

A date has not yet been set for the tournament but it will bring back memories of the sandy astro-turf pitch which was once a central feature and free for young people to play on day and night.

Ms Griffith said Mr Agogo was part of the campaign to save the pitch that was eventually bulldozed and replaced by a smaller one in 2004.

He had lived with his family in Taplow for decades and was one of thousands of residents forced to leave during the post-Grenfell evacuation in June 2017.

Mr Agogo, who scored 143 professional career goals, netted three times for Ghana in the 2008 African Cup of Nations, helping them finish third. He also played in Cyprus for Limassol, was Barnet’s player of the year, scored 41 goals for Bristol Rovers and also ran out for Hibernian under manager Colin Calderwood.

A former pupil of St Augustine’s school in Kilburn, Mr Agogo had a stroke in 2015 but continued to be known “for his smile and his laugh” around Swiss Cottage.

Ms Griffith said: “His family wanted to have a tribute day for him. It was his mum’s idea. She asked that his close friends come back together. I think what you see here is local people claiming the pitch back, reclaiming the area.”

She added: “Initially, with the fancy fountain and everything, you felt this was not designed for us. “But the sports centre and [leisure contractors] GLL have been good with this. The council have been supportive, too. They’ve offered us the pitch for free, which they didn’t have to do.”

Source: camdennewjournal.com