Eziakor's 12-year climb to the top of coaching ladder

For more than a decade, Robert Eziakor has been with Hougang United as a player, general coordinator, youth coach, assistant coach and head of youth development.

- David Lee

On Dec 24, the 38-year-old Nigerian landed the biggest assignment of his professional coaching career when he was named interim coach of the Cheetahs, replacing Marko Kraljevic, who has been redesignated as the Singapore Premier League (SPL) side's head of youth development.

Eziakor told The Straits Times: "I'm excited, having been involved in different roles at the club, and in terms of my personal development, it's like climbing a ladder all the way to the top.

"I'm thankful I have had the opportunity to learn from the different roles, rather than staying put in one position. This makes things very interesting for me and it made sense for me to continue with Hougang.

"It's easier for me to step up as coach knowing the players and how things are run but at the same time, it is a big challenge and there are big shoes to fill."

In his new role, Eziakor has hit the ground running, signing 1.92m Montenegrin centre-back Jovan Mugosa to shore up the defence of seventh-placed Hougang, who have conceded 49 goals in 20 matches, the fourth-worst record in the nine-team league.