By Boris Esono Nwenfor
29-year-old Mike Fondop scored a hattrick as Oldham Athletic thumped Dorking 5-1 on January 7 in the English National League – the fifth tier of the English championship. The 190cm striker’s three goals were enough to propel Oldham to 20th on the championship table and was also the first time he had scored a hattrick in the National League.
Mike Fondop equalised in the 18th minute, tapping in after Ben Tollitt’s shot was saved, and then put the Latics ahead with the goal of the game in the 34th minute, finding the top corner from outside the box. He completed his hattrick 11 minutes after the restart with a solo effort before Ellis Chapman capitalised on a defensive error to seal the win in the 64th minute.
“It was my first National League hattrick and secondly it was our first away win of the season. I am delighted for the team to have had the win,” Mike Fondop said.
A physical presence whilst leading the line, Fondop adds strength and power to the Latics side after joining from Hartlepool United. Born in Cameroon, the forward began his footballing journey at Stanway Rovers in Eastern Counties League whilst he studied Actuarial Sciences at the University of Essex – ultimately graduating with a First-Class Honours Degree – and his performances on the pitch mirrored his academic progression.
“I thought we had a good performance against Notts County, if we have the same performance, we will win the game,” Mike Fondop added. “With one nil down we kept thinking to ourselves, we can’t come here and lose. Even though they scored, I still had the belief, and eventually the goals came.”
“The fans have always been there, when we won, drew or lost. It was very important for us to at least to give them the victory. To give them a win, that just shows how they (fans) are important to us.”
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