It was the worst possible start to the 2022/23 season for Joseph Anang.
Having signed a season-long loan with Derby County, the 22-year-old was eagerly anticipating a campaign of first team action in EFL League One.
Just days before a potential debut, however, disaster struck for the young goalkeeper. A coming together in training led to a broken arm, and months on the sidelines.
“It was in my second session with Derby,” Anang recalled. “We were doing a training game, and there was a through-ball. I went down to get the ball at someone’s feet and my arm got kicked.
“To be honest, I didn’t realise at the time how bad it was. It was just really sore. I thought it was just a really bad bruise but, after a scan, they told me it was broken.”
Anang has been back in east London for part of his treatment, giving him a rare opportunity to catch up with friends, teammates and staff at West Ham.
A few days back in familiar surroundings is soon ending for the shot-stopper, however, as a return to fitness hopefully nears.
“I’ve been back to West Ham to do some of my rehab, but I’m back up to Derby County this week. The rehab is going very well though. I’ve been injured for exactly 12 weeks now but my cast comes off at the end of the week. Then I’ll be back in training and, hopefully after a couple of weeks of full training, I’ll be fit and ready to get back to playing.
“It’s been really good at Derby so far. Obviously, with the injury, it’s been frustrating, but everyone at the club has been really supportive.
“They didn’t just send me back to West Ham. They wanted to keep me there to make sure I was recovering properly and getting back to fitness. They’ve been really good with me.”
Anang has lived the phrase ‘life on loan’ in the last 18 months.
Having established himself as the first-choice goalkeeper for the development side, Anang got his first chance of real first-team action with Stevenage in the 2020/21 campaign.
With the season-long spell cut short, the youngster swapped English soil for Irish and joined St Patrick’s Athletic, establishing himself as first-choice and making special memories both domestically, and in Europe, where his heroics helped the Dubliners reach the UEFA Europa Conference League third qualifying round and challenge at the top of the League of Ireland table.
Again, that loan was cut short, and Anang joined Derby back in August.
“It’s been great to be at Rush Green for a little while,” he said. “I’ve been out on loan consistently for over a year now, so to come back to West Ham for a few days and have a catch up with everyone was really nice.
“I feel like going out on loan is part of the experience of becoming a footballer. I am at an age where I need to go out on loan to play games, and overall it’s been a great experience for me.
“At the moment, I’ve got around 50 first team games under my belt, and I want to get even more.”
By Anang’s own admission, all three of his loans have come with ups and downs. Each has left lasting impressions on the goalkeeper.
“Things were going really well at the start with Stevenage. All of a sudden, things changed. My form dropped and I was taken out of the team. Between September and December, a lot changed there. A new manager came in and a lot of new players got signed, and it was crazy.
“I went to St Pat’s in January. The year before that, [fellow Academy player] Alfie Lewis went there. They contacted West Ham about me and so I asked Alfie about how things were at the club. He only said good things about the club, which made my decision for me.
“I really, really enjoyed my time in Ireland. The games in Europe were massive, for the club and for me personally. Playing away in Slovenia [against Mura, where St Pat’s won on penalties] and in Bulgaria [against CSKA Sofia] was tough, but we took out a lot of fans and made it a good atmosphere. They were special memories and they will live with me forever.”
Now nearing fitness, Anang is fully focused on making an impact this season in EFL League One.
He added: “All my focus now is on getting back fit and 100 per cent healthy. That’s where I’m putting all my energy at the moment. I want to get out and play for Derby and really get my loan properly underway as soon as possible. The team are doing well at the moment and I want to be involved in that.
“Hopefully, a good time with Derby can lead to more opportunities with West Ham.”
