Sodje: Samuel Okeremute (Sam)

2009-2009 (Player Details)

Central Defender

Born: Greenwich, London: 25-05-1979

Debut: MK Dons (h): 28-03-2009

6’0” 11st 9lb (2009)

Sodje started his career with Stevenage Borough in January 2001. He scored twice from twenty-three starts and three games from the bench in the Football Conference League and one start in a Football League Trophy game before leaving to join Margate on 16th August 2002. He soon established himself in the team and scored on debut on 17th August 2002, in the 1-1 home draw with Morecombe and he soon became a crowd favourite, taking out the Supporters’ Player of the Year award in his first season there. At the end of the season he had trials with Yeovil Town and Chester City but returned to play for Margate the following season and again impressed. After scoring eight goals in sixty-eight games in the Conference, one of which was as a substitute and three starts in the F.A. Cup and one more in the Football League Trophy he moved to League One side Brentford on a free transfer on 27th May 2005. He soon won over the Griffin Park fans with his heading ability, goalscoring form and crazy hairstyles, but he also won a local newspaper award for Brentford Player of the Year and was also picked by the PFA in the League One team of the year. On 31st January 2006 he turned down a move to Southampton, but on 14th July 2006 he ended much speculation when he signed for Reading for an initial fee of £350,000 on a three year contract. He had enjoyed two good seasons with the Bees scoring twelve goals in eighty-three starts in the League and netted another two goals in fourteen F.A. Cup starts and also made three starts in League One play-off games. Although born in Greenwich, London, Sodje qualied to play for Nigeria because of his parentage and during his time at Brentford he gained his first Cap for his country when he was selected to play against Rumania on 16th November 2005. He made his Reading debut on 26th August 2006 in an away game against Wigan Athletic, but only because the regular Centre Half Ibrahima Sonko was suspended. It did not help when he required keyhole sugery on his knee early in September soon after that game and he missed several weeks. In fact his time on the pitch was limited to seven minutes against Liverpool in the League Cup and sixty-nine minutes after starting at Anfield in the League, then after coming on at Old Trafford in the League as a fifty-ninth minute substitute, he was sent off ten minutes later. In the F.A. Cup he got his first goal for Reading and played a full game in the Third Round 3-2 home win over Burnley and another full ninety minutes in the Fourth Round away win at Birmingham City by the same score. He did come on for four minutes at the end of the Fifth Round 1-1 draw at Old Trafford. He was sent on loan to West Bromwich Albion on 17th March 2007, initially for a month, and proved to be a vital cog in their march to the play-off Final where they were pipped by Derby County. He scored once in seven starts in the League and played in all three play-off games, when his loan period was extended to allow him to play in those vital matches. He returned to Reading for the new season and had what proved to be his final game for Reading when he lasted fifty-eight minutes before being sent off in a 1-0 away win at Swansea City in the League Cup on 28th August 2007. Just prior to that game Reading had agreed a fee with Sheffield Wednesday for his transfer, but Sodje after contemplation decided against the move. He eventually went on a season-long loan to Charlton Athletic on 31st August 2007 and scored twice in twenty League starts and seven appearances as a substitute before returning to Reading at the season’s end. On 26th September 2008 Watford boss Aidy Boothroyd responded to the growing injury crisis at Vicarage Road by taking Sodje on a month-long loan deal. The central defender joined the Hornets as cover for Captain Jay DeMerit, who was injured the previous weekend. Sodje injured his knee after playing just one game and was forced to return to Reading to be sidelined for several months. On 26th March 2009 Sodje joined Leeds United on a one month loan, making his debut on 28th March 2009 in Leeds’ vital 2-0 win over MK Dons at Elland Road. It looked ominous as he had to go off after sixty minutes, but it was just a precautionary measure and he was back for a full game in the 1-0 at Colchester United the following week. He picked up a knock in that game and it was sufficient to keep him out of the 2-2 draw at Leyton Orient the following Tuesday and the 1-0 home win on the following Saturday. He was back for the Easter Monday away clash with top-of the-table Leicester City and a 1-0 defeat and he was there for another gull game in a 3-1 home win over Tranmere Rovers which secured a play-off place. He was there for the ninty minutes in a 1-0 win at Hartlepool United but was rested for the final League game in an easy 3-0 win over Northampton Town and his stay was extended to accommodate the play-offs. This ensured he was in the best condition for the play-offs, but there were only to be two, which he played the full game each, as Leeds were surprisingly beaten on aggregate by Millwall. There was talk that Leeds were interested in taking him on a permanent deal, but it came to nothing as Reading released him on 28th May 2009. On 2nd September 2009 he was taken on a free transfer by Charlton Athletic and became their first choice Central Defender. He scored four times in the League in twenty-four starts and three games from the bench. He also played once in the F.A. Cup and once in the play-offs. He joined Greek side Skoda Xanthi on 16th July 2010. He comes from a football family as his brother Efe is a Nigerian International and Steve and Akpo play professionally in England. He now has four caps for Nigeria having added caps for starts against the Republic of Ireland on 29th May 2009, when he was substituted after seventy-eight minutes, France on 2nd June 2009, when he lasted sixty minutes and Kenya on 7th June 2009 when he had seventy-six minutes.