PILGRIMS IN PROFILE: Dany N'Guessan

After a run of well-known Boston names with legendary status at the club, this week’s focus is on a six-month loanee from the Football League years. One of two men to join United from Rangers in August 2006, Pilgrim in Profile number 10 is Dany N’Guessan.

Born in France, Djombo Dany-Gael N'Guessan spent time at Ligue 1 side AJ Auxerre before joining Alex McLeish’s Rangers in 2006.

The future Scotland boss explained he would not rush his new winger into the first team - he and Bob Davidson were soon both sent out on six-month loan deals to Boston as Steve Evans looked to fill the Julian Joachim sized hole in his squad (the latter would be sent back eight weeks later to free up funds for Drewe Broughton).

Yet to make a first-team appearance for anyone, N’Guessan’s long awaited debut in senior football was handed to him by Steve Evans at Shrewsbury - ending in a 5-0 defeat.

N'Guessan added another two starts in the space of a week, both 1-0 defeats against MK Dons, and at Brighton in the League Cup.

N’Guessan continued to feature week-in-week-out, although his next five appearances were all off the bench as Jamie Clarke, David Farrell and Anthony Elding regained starting places through September, to the detriment of the Rangers duo.

The first of those substitute efforts saw N'Guessan score his first Boston goal - a late consolation at Hartlepool United.

The winger regained his starting place for the midweek derby game with Lincoln, which United won 1-0, and went on to eight starts in nine in the most consistent spell of his Boston career.

He added another two goals in 1-1 draws with Swindon and Mansfield and didn’t miss a game until sitting out the 3-2 win at Macclesfield in mid-November (United’s first away win of the season).

N'Guessan regained his place in the XI to score a consolation at Chester and completed his time at Boston with seven appearances, four of them off the bench.

He added a fifth goal to his Pilgrims tally in the 1-1 home draw with Walsall and made his 26th and final appearance as a substitute at Stockport.

United couldn’t afford to renew the loan deal so N’Guessan, 19, returned to Rangers just after United had sold Anthony Elding and Tim Ryan in attempt to balance the books.

N'Guessan, meanwhile, quickly returned to League Two Lincolnshire as Lincoln City signed him on a contract running until the end of the 2008-09 season.

After making nine Imps appearances through to the end of 2006-07, expectation grew and N’Guessan faced criticism from the Sincil Bank crowd after suffering poor form in earlier 2008.

In a BBC interview, club captain Nat Brown warned the fans: "Careful what you say about him, sometimes he can take it to heart. He is a very good player. I don't think people recognise how much work he does for the team."

N'Guessan repaid his teammate’s faith and scored twice against Hereford a fortnight later and ended the season on eight goals.

Much more consistent the following campaign, N’Guessan won the January player of the month award and was named in the League Two PFA Team of the Year for 2008-09.

Lincoln turned down two MK Dons bids for him and despite saying he was happy at Lincoln, the winger turned down a new deal and joined Championship side Leicester City on a free transfer in June 2009.

Signed on a three-year contract, 21-year-old N’Guessan scored a late winner against Swansea on debut, ending the season on six goals as the Foxes made the play-offs.

His time at Leicester took a turn under new boss Paulo Sousa and N’Guessan spent 2010-11 on loan at Scunthorpe and then Southampton, making just nine appearances across the two deals.

The 2011-12 campaign began with Leicester manager Sven Goran-Eriksson loaning N’Guessan out to Millwall, who then bought the winger outright for an undisclosed fee late in August.

By March, however, he was out of favour and loaned to Charlton, where he scored on debut.

The following season saw N’Guessan largely out of favour at Millwall, for whom he made 18 appearances, including five in the FA Cup as the Lions reached the semi-finals.

Kenny Jackett substituted him on then off in a 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace, because, he told the BBC: "I didn't think Dany was particularly playing for the team and we needed to change it."

Out of contract, he left at the end of 2012-13.

Swindon Town were interested and signed the Frenchmen for the 2013-14 but let him leave the following summer despite N’Guessan finishing joint top-goalscorer (eight).

Port Vale took him on in October but by January N'Guessan was again without a club, leaving the Staffordshire side by mutual consent.

After a short time in Greece with AE Larisa, N’Guessan returned to England with Doncaster Rovers in 2015-16 on a two year contract.

However, after playing just nine games for relegated Rovers, N'Guessan refused to go out on loan to any National League clubs then left the Keepmoat. He later played in the Norwegian first division for IK Start.

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