One Step Beyond: Yass He Can!

This Saturday sees one of the most ridiculous title races ever in English football come to a close with a popular former Blue primed to make history with his club. Yassine En-Neyah, who played 33 times for Waterford in 2022, is hoping to help Truro City win promotion to the National League and become the first ever club from Cornwall to play in the top five tiers of the English pyramid. 

Truro currently lead the National League South with one match to play, but, incredibly, only three points separate the top SIX teams in the league. Automatic promotion awaits the league winner while the next six teams all go into the playoffs. In total, four teams will be promoted, but two of those will come from the National League North. If Yassine’s team win, they should guarantee promotion. If they don’t, it all becomes very complicated.

Speaking to me three days out from the biggest game in his club’s 136-year history, Yassine is relaxed, confident and as upbeat as ever. “It’s a big game and a special one for the Truro fans and all of Cornwall,” the Dubliner asserts. “It would be good to get the win and get the club up. It’ll be a special one as this would be my third promotion in men’s football so it would be amazing.”

Yass was born in Morocco, but moved with his mother to Blanchardstown when he was 8 years old. As a boy, his speciality was bicycle kicks. He had incredible technique and courage. He told coaches at his schoolboy club, Corduff FC, “Well, in Morocco, we played on concrete and it’s no problem doing it on grass here.” He didn’t speak English when he arrived and has said before that football was his language, how he made friends and it helped that everyone wanted him on their team in school.

 

National League South standings with one game to play

 

An Irish Under 16 international, Yassine played in Bohemians’ academy at Under 17s before moving to Nottingham Forest in 2017. Three years later, he had an exciting professional debut in the FA Cup. Forest were two-nil down to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge thanks to goals from Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ross Barkley when En-Neyah came on for the final ten minutes. He replaced Brennan Johnson and played alongside Ryan Yates against the likes of Reece James, Jorginho, Mason Mount and Andreas Christensen. A horror tackle in another game caused an injury that threatened his career and curtailed his development in England.

Alan Reynolds, assistant to Ian Morris, brought him to Shelbourne when he was released by Forest in the summer of 2021 and he helped them win the First Division that October. New manager Damien Duff allowed him to leave Shelbourne for Waterford in January 2022 to link back up with Morris who had been appointed as Blues boss.

Ironically, he found his best form after Morris was replaced by Gary Hunt, first, and then Danny Searle. He excelled in midfield as the Blues reached both the playoff final and the FAI Cup semi-final. The standout moments were the 3-2 cup win against Dundalk and 3-0 playoff victory over Galway United in Limerick. Unfortunately, Shelbourne put an end to the cup dream and UCD shattered promotion hopes through a lone Thomas Lonergan goal.

 

Signing for Nottingham Forest aged 16

 

Asked about his time in Waterford, Yassine tells me, “The fans were amazing to me and the players. I felt at home and it was a big part of my development.” So many of that team are playing in the UK now – Phoenix Patterson, Richard Taylor, Junior Quitirna, Tunmise and Timi Sobowale, Darragh Power, Owen Oseni, Roland Idowu, Wassim Aouachria – and they keep in touch with each other. “I’ll always look out for Waterford”, he says. “I’m in constant contact with a few of my old teammates back home and the players that have moved over to the UK. We built such a nice bond in Waterford.”

Danny Searle was keen to re-sign the midfielder for the 2023 First Division campaign, but En-Neyah wanted to try England again and moved to Truro City way down in the very southwest corner of the country. At the time, they were competing in the seventh-tier Southern Football League, but he helped them earn promotion to the National League South.

By September of 2023, Yassine had been signed by Colchester United in League Two. He had a loan spell with Maldon & Tiptree, but made his way back to Truro on a permanent deal last summer. The 24-year-old has been a key figure in their push for promotion in one of the most insanely-competitive divisions ever this season. There is another Waterford connection on the team as Jaze Kabia, son of former Blue Jason, is his teammate, as is Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain (who you’ll have guessed is a brother of Champions League winner Alex).

 

 

It all boils down to this weekend and the traditional three o’clock kickoffs on Saturday. Truro’s fate is largely in their own hands – win at home to struggling St. Alban’s and they are promoted barring a big swing in goal difference for Torquay United away to mid-table Hemel Hempstead. 

The epitome of a gentleman, Yassine was so good with young Blues fans and was very popular with everyone for his humble manner. It’s great to see him on the cusp of history with Truro City. He says “I’m feeling confident about Saturday. It’s been a long journey, but I’m very positive.” We’ll know by five o’clock if he can do it.

With thanks to Noel Browne for photographs.