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Robson Sharuko

Senior Sports Editor

WHEN Adam Chicksen was introduced just after the interval by the world’s oldest professional football club on Sunday, it barely generated any interest outside Nottingham and Derby.

It didn’t seem matter that the 29-year-old Zimbabwean was thrown into the fray for a pre-season battle against a Championship club managed by England’s all-time record goal-scorer, Wayne Rooney.

The world, it appears, has already forgotten about Chicksen.

Yet, just nine month ago he was making headlines, around the globe, after being asked to thwart the threat posed by Algerian superstar, Riyad Mahrez, in a 2021 AFCON qualifier at the National Sports Stadium.

The headlines were generated by what happened in the 38th minute, of the Desert Foxes’ Nations Cup showdown, against the Warriors.

Chicksen had been thrust into the starting XI, by coach Zdravko Logarusic.

The Croat had kept the defender on the bench in the first match in Algeria, four days earlier, which the hosts won 3-1, through goals from Mahrez, Baghdad Bounedjah and Sofiane Feghouli.

However, Loga rang the changes in the reverse encounter against the African champions, with Chicksen one of the players who benefited.

But the defender’s first home performance for his country in such a high-profile game would be reduced to what happened during an Algerian swift counter attack seven minutes before the break.

After the Desert Foxes had repelled a Zimbabwean attack, the ball was moved to Said Benrahma, fresh from sealing a deal to move to English Premiership side, West Ham United.

There were about four opponents, surrounding Benrahma, when he took control towards the halfway line, and very little signs of danger for the hosts.

However, the West Ham star picked out Mahrez, with a beautiful cross-field ball, down with the right side, and what followed next made headlines around the world.

It also thrust Chicksen into the spotlight, for all the wrong reasons.

“In a moment of brilliance, Mahrez beautifully plucks the ball from out of the sky by controlling it with his heel, sending it ahead of him and into the Zimbabwe box to set up a chance for himself to score,’’ wrote Sam McEvoy in the English newspaper, the Daily Mail. “The 29-year-old still has plenty of work to do, though, as he looks to evade his man in the box.

“Showing off his neat footwork, Mahrez then cuts inside on his left foot to shoot before dummying, which leaves his marker on his backside, before cutting back on to his right and firing the ball home.

“His sublime effort left fans in complete awe who took to social media to praise him for his strike.

“The Confederation of African Football’s official Twitter account tweeted: ‘Ladies and gentlemen — Riyad Karim Mahrez. Exquisite. Elegant. Magnificent.’’’

The defender, who was mesmerised by Mahrez’s sublime control with his heel, before being eliminated from the equation by the Algerian’s sheer genius, was Chicksen.

He didn’t last long, after that, as he was pulled out of the contest by Loga, just seven minutes later and replaced by Divine Lunga.

The Warriors, who had pulled a goal back just before the break, went on to grab an equaliser when a late header by another substitute, Prince Dube, squeezed its way home, as the game ended 2-2.

Chicksen was never drafted, into the Warriors again.

And, his baptism of fire at the hands of Mahrez remains the lasting image, which the team’s fans have, when it comes to his association, with the senior national team.

It was supposed to be a good time for Chicksen.

After all, a month before his duel against Mahrez he had ended a 10-month spell, without a professional club, by joining Notts County.

But, now, not only has his international career been crippled, apparently by the way he was destroyed by the Algerian superstar, the world even appears to have forgotten about him.

Of course, Notts County are in the National League, which is the fifth tier of the English football league system.

The club will turn 160 years old next year.

But, even playing for such an historic institution, no longer guarantees a place in the spotlight, for Chicksen, who was one of the club’s star performers in the final stages, of their campaign last season.

Notts County reached the play-offs, where they were beaten by Torquay United, in the semi-finals, after extra-time.

Chicksen even scored in that semi-final, grabbing his team’s equaliser, in the second half but they ran out of steam in extra-time, as Torquay powered to victory.

His strong performance, in the second half of the season, earned Chicksen a new deal at Notts County.

“The back end of the season was so enjoyable,” he told the Nottingham Post. “It was so easy for me to want to stay. I am really happy the club wanted me to stay and that my performances merited a contract.  “I am really happy the hard work paid off and now I am going to get my head down and put in more performances.

“The only way we are going to get promotion this season is by having people pushed to their limits and knowing that any time it can be taken away.

“I went about my second half of the season thinking nobody is going to take this shirt off me once I got it back.’’

But, it appears, the world has forgotten about Chicksen. Now, even when he plays against a club, managed by Manchester United’s record goal-scorer, Rooney, noone seems to care.