It wouldn’t be hyperbolic to suggest that Kamil Conteh is up there with Bristol Rovers’ most underrated players so far this season – for some, he may even top that pile.
International duty with Sierra Leone in September is the only reason why the defensive midfielder hasn’t featured in every League One game so far this season for the Gas with the 21-year-old starting 13 times and coming off the bench once. In fact, he ranks fourth in the squad for minutes across all competitions. Only James Wilson (1,376), Clinton Mola (1,477) and Josh Griffiths (1,650) have been on the pitch for longer.
The former Watford and Middlesbrough youth player, in some ways, foreshadowed the business Rovers would go on to do in the summer when he arrived from Grimsby Town in the January transfer window. Young, full of potential and committing to a long-term three-and-a-half year contract.
Still very much a raw talent, there’s evidently a great deal more to come from Conteh but he’s progressing in blue-and-white quarters and getting the necessary minutes he needs to progress.
“Before I came here, I’d say I was still learning,” the London-born midfielder told Bristol Live. “I’d say playing all those games I did last season before coming here, I’ve started to get to grips of what playing week in, week out men’s football is like and I feel like I’ve taken a good stride and every day I just have to just want the best, train every day 100 per cent.
“I’d say personally, I’m doing all the right things in terms of in and out of possession. Tactically, technically. I just think now it’s just goals and assists [to add]. I think everything else in terms of how I train, how I play, I’m more happy.
“Like you saw with the Ballon d’Or with Rodri, if he can do it, as someone in my position, it’s something I strive for every day.”
A positive, upbeat character, the 21-year-old is striving for greatness in the game and always approaches things with a glass half-full attitude. It isn’t the first time the youngster has referred to the Manchester City midfielder in an interview setting before with the newly crowned Ballon d’Or winner evidently a big inspiration for Rovers’ middle man.
That positive attitude is also reflected in social media posts from the midfielder who frequently captions uploads with a butterfly emoji, something that has a deeper meaning than perhaps it seems on the surface.
“There’s a player in the Premier League that I know personally, Reiss Nelson, and he does it a lot,” Conteh explained. “And my own meaning of it is just striving to be the best. Positive feelings, law of attraction. That’s something I’m big on, so it’s just something I’m consistent with, there’s a time.”
Although it will still take time, recent matches have offered an indication that Matt Taylor is getting closer to finding, or at least having an idea, of what the spine of his ideal set up would look like. Based on the minutes he’s wracked up this season so far, you would certainly suggest that Conteh is in that category with a blossoming partnership with Jamie Lindsay a potential nucleus for the Gas.
The former Rotherham United midfielder is over seven years Conteh’s senior and arrived at Rovers in the summer having played in the Championship for three of his previous five campaigns with the Millers and, when he’s played in League One, he’s been part of a promotion-winning team.
Excluding Bristol Street Motors Trophy matches, in which Taylor has effectively deployed a different 11, Conteh and Lindsay have been in the same starting line up in eight of the last 10 matches and a more recent formation change has seen them sit alongside one another more closely.
The duo are currently Rovers’ best players for accurate passes per 90 minutes with Lindsay leading on 29.4 and Conteh slightly behind with 27.8 while the latter ranks fifth for successful tackles per 90 minutes with 1.5.
The Scotsman certainly seems to have been brought in to not only add quality and a bit of bite to the midfield but also experience in and amongst this young team and the 29-year-old certainly fits the profile of the type of player you’d want to take Conteh under their wing.
“I’d say in terms of just staying concentrated all the time,” the 21-year-old replied when asked what he’s learned from Lindsay so far. “I think as a young player, not saying I switch off, but it can be easy to just lose concentration in games, but he’s always on me for just with his getting second balls and doing this and doing that. So I say that’s probably what I’ve learned a lot.
“Sometimes he’s always shouting at me but it’s yeah, it’s all right. It’s just one of them. It’s just being a good teammate, just looking after me and all that. So yeah, I take it in good stride.
“We’re trying to balance off each other as much as we can. If I can get on the ball, he can go forward. If he gets on the ball, I can try and go forward. Yeah, it’s good. [He’s a] good player and we’re linking up very well.”
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The duo seemed to be working well alongside each other once again on Saturday afternoon as the Gas were frustrated at home in a goalless draw against Crawley Town, although Conteh’s afternoon ended prematurely when brought off before the hour-mark.
Rovers had a hatful of chances in the first half as Isaac Hutchinson struck the underside of the bar, Luke McCormick had two headed opportunities, the second of which was saved excellently by the Red Devils’ goalkeeper Connal Trueman before the on-loan Milwall ‘keeper also denied Shaq Forde and then Hutchinson.
However, the Gas failed to rediscover any element of control after the break and were arguably fortunate to see the game end level with Josh Griffiths, Connor Taylor and James Wilson forced into good stops and blocks.
Offering his reflections on the stalemate, Conteh confessed: “I think that’s it [not taking chances]. In terms of everything else, we’ve done everything we can. It’s just that final bit just didn’t come for us today.
“It’s one of them. We just have to just move on and go for the next game next week.
“I think Isaac’s one, I think he just hit it too good and then the others, yeah, he’s [Trueman] done well. But I still think we should be scoring them chances.
“I know us as players were frustrated and everyone else will be, but I just think we just have to just look at the positives and go again.”