Loan Watch: Godwin Antwi

18 year old centre back Godwin Antwi spent the final two months of the season on loan to League Two side Accrington Stanley, where he teamed up with Liverpool goalkeeper David Martin. The two of them were instrumental in helping Accy avoid the drop back into the Conference.

Both are set to return to Liverpool over the summer, but Stanley boss John Coleman has already said he will be asking Rafa Benitez if he can take the duo on loan again next season. He praised them saying “They (Antwi and Martin) brought a bit of quality, a bit of strength, and a good attitude towards the game as well.

“Some lads that come from Premiership clubs, who are on the fringes of things, maybe don’t understand what it means to people like us. But these two understand it.”

Ghanaian Antwi in particular received heavy praise after winning two man of the match awards in his first three games, keeping clean sheets in both. One Accy fan on Accringtonweb.com said

“Godwin is pretty much single handedly running our defence as of late. He can read the game like a player with 20+ years experience and will run all day long. Everyone can see that he’s gonna be a big Premiership player one day.”

Another praised both Antwi and keeper Martin:

Man of the match in the last two games and well deserved this lad is a star of the future. David Martin is also playing well two clean sheets seems to be a natural, a good kicker and very alert as to what is going on around him.

Other fans compared Antwi to Marcel Desailly and Ledley King, one described him as a “warrior on the pitch”, another says Stanley would have been relegated without him, while Stanley’s match reporter proclaimed him as “rock at the back” after his debut against Torquay.

Antwi made 9 appearances for Stanley and after having been a regular in the Liverpool reserves before being out on loan he will be hoping to break into the first team squad in 2007-08.