There must be something in the water in Lobi Stars, and an old wine has been drinking plenty of it. Ademetan Abayomi looks at David Tyavkase.
It’s a CAF Champions League weekend against Mamelodi Sundowns and one of the main images is the sight of a Nigerian tearing through the gears, frightening defenders with his directness and pace. The hips dodge form side to side, and he causes dangers every time he gets near the penalty area.
The name of the player isn’t John Lazarus, no, this isn’t another burgeoning young Nigerian talent – his name is David Tyavkase.
15 years after helping Enyimba to their second Champions League title, the veteran is still waxing stronger.
An outstanding statistic proving that although he’s featured for different clubs, his consistency makes him the Ryan Giggs of domestic football in Nigeria. There have of course been some disappointing years and some feel he never reached the level truly expected of him, but there have been memorable ones too
He plays with the verve of a cantera product getting his first taste of the limelight and nous of the veteran he now is. It shows as he sways and slaloms across the turf, still using that injection of pace and flash of skill to deceive a defender. Now with a vast amount of experience behind him he adds intelligence too, when most get sucked in to compromising situations and show naivety Tyavkase is there to provide a composed presence. He has been around for so long now you’d have thought defenders would anticipate his every move, but instead they continue to be bewildered.
There’s no doubting whether the veteran is able to maintain this level of performance, he keeps himself fit and of course has the talent most would only dream of.
For Tyavkase right now, the sun is shining firmly on him again.
