April 19, 2004

Itimi Dickson may not be a Singaporean yet, but Dickson is already dreaming of how to bring glory to the nation.

On the very first day he reported for training with the Young Lions, Itimi Dickson had asked an FAS official when the Tiger Cup will be held.

Judging by his fine early season form in the NTUC Income-Yeo's S-League, the Nigerian who is also a Singapore PR on the Football Association of Singapore's Foreign Talent Scheme, could well turn out to be a wildcard for the Lions when the Tiger Cup kicks off at the end of the year.

Itimi Dickson hope that he can get his Singapore citizenship by the end of the year. Having been in Singapore for 4 years & not won a trophy yet, it is his aim to win something soon, whether it be in the S-League, the Singapore Cup, or with the Lions. But he felt an international trophy will be best of the lot & that mean the Tiger Cup

About his past when he always run foul of the game law when he played for Jurong before being given a chance at Woodlands Wellington.

Dickson admit his darkest moment came barely a year into his Singapore foray when 18 at the time, he was suspended for a year for punching then Home United player Harun Juma'at. The incident still haunts him, although it has helped push him in the right direction.

He think about it all the time reminding himself not to do it again but he feel he does not have to worry about forgetting it as there are still people who keep questioning him about it making him more focus on his football.

With the Young Lions, Dickson is also finding proper guidance from a triumvirate of coaches: Radojko Avramovic, Kim Poulsen & Fandi Ahmad, which he feels, is helping him greatly. He had not got the correct guidance his previous clubs, but he is getting it here. At the Young Lions, they make mistakes but learn from them, which is very vital for their future.

Of his new team-mates, Dickson admit everybody is young & they all want to play & impress the coaches so places for the first team is very competitive. However as a result of it, the team is full of belief & he is enjoying himself.