NIINO ADOM-MALAKI insists he is thriving under the pressure of a League Two relegation battle.
The young Millwall prospect left The Den to join Sutton United on loan in January, with the London side led by former Lions striker Steve Morison.
The Us had been struggling at the foot of the football league but beat relegation rivals Forest Green Rovers last Saturday in a huge game to lift themselves within three points of safety.
Adom-Malaki missed that match with illness but has been a regular in Morison’s side and says he is enjoying the high stakes and intensity of Sutton’s challenge.
The 20-year-old defender told NewsAtDen: “It puts pressure on me, which I like. I like the pressure because it makes us want it more.
“Obviously it’s not great to be in a relegation battle but we’re trying our best to get out of it and everybody is pushing.
“It’s amazing to have that pressure on me personally as it brings out the professional footballer in me.”
Morison, who made 336 appearances over two spells at Millwall, has proven to be the ideal role model for Adom-Malaki who is soaking up the knowledge from the 40-year-old head coach.
He said of his manager: “He’s been an amazing gaffer to me. He’s helped me so much at Sutton, both on the football side and the life side of it.
“So many times we’ve sat down and spoke to each other about things I’m doing well and things I can do better. He’s played a big part in my career.
“We’ve spoken a bit about Millwall but not too much as we want to focus on the task at hand. We’ve only talked about the games ahead of us.”
The experience of playing in such a competitive and physical league makes Adom-Malaki hopeful that it will eventually leave him edging towards the first-team at Millwall with the left-back still yet to make his senior debut.
He said: “From the under-21s team to a first-team, it’s a lot more physical and intense. And that’s what I like as it helps me improve.
“I’m looking to get closer to Millwall’s first-team next season. This loan is about getting the experience I need, take everything I’ve learnt from Sutton and being in a first-team environment and taking it into next season and I’m hoping I can get my chance.”
Adom-Malaki has largely played at left-wing back in Morison’s back three system and has started 11 of the 12 games he’s been available for. Having played in more attacking positions during his youth, he said he enjoys wing-back over left-back as it allows him to get forward.
“That’s actually a position I’ve fallen into,” Adom-Malaki. “I used to be an attacking player like a winger, attacking midfielder or striker in the grassroots teams.
“For me personally, I like left wing-back. But if I get put at left-back, I’m not going to complain and will just get on and do the job.
“[Getting forward] is a big part of my game. I love to attack as much as I love to defend. I love to help the team out in both ways.”
The youngster gives off the impression that he’s happy just playing the game and said being a professional footballer has long been one of his main goals.
“I’ve wanted to be a footballer since I was born,” he said. “Since I could even walk or talk.
“I’ve always wanted to be a footballer but even when I was young, people would say it’s impossible. But I didn’t listen to them. I just stuck with it and my family and the people around me helped a lot.
“I prayed to God and he’s blessed me and I just stayed at it and not let anyone tell me different, and it’s gotten to me to where I am today.”
Adom-Malaki’s path to the Lions has been a unique one and instead of emerging from the traditional club academy system, he was instead signed from the football charity Kinetic Foundation, with whom he credits for turbo-charging his career.
He said: “They helped me a lot. They helped me to stay on the right path and give me somewhere to go after school.
“If Kinetic wasn’t about, I don’t think I would be where I am today. They’re a big part in my career and gave me a second chance in the football world.
“Coming out of school and not being in an academy is really hard so they did really help me to get me to where I am.”
Adom-Malaki, who signed a new long-term contract at Millwall last October, is determined to get as far as he can in football and says that discipline is the most important attribute any young player can have.
“Follow your dream and if anyone tells you different, don’t listen to them,” he said, when asked what advice he would give to players younger than himself trying to find their feet in football.
“Discipline is the most important thing in the game. You have to have that discipline to want to go in and want to work.
“You’re doing the job that you love so much and other people would love to do. So you have to wake up early, go the extra-mile and do what you have to do to get to the top.
“You have to sacrifice a lot of things to get where you are, even friends. Some friends may not want to see you progress but you have to move yourself away from them or those situations. You have to stay disciplined, it’s the biggest thing.”
For now, Adom-Malaki is focused only on keeping Sutton in League Two and reveals he has become attached to the environment at the south London club in a short space of time.
He said: “From the time I stepped into the facility, everyone has welcomed me with open arms. There’s not a single person I can single out because I get along with and speak with everyone. It’s just one big family there.”
Asked if he believed Sutton, who have been in League Two for the past three seasons, would be able to stay up, Adom-Malaki said: “I’m very confident. You just have to trust the process and it will come.
“And after the win on Saturday, I can feel it… I can feel it. We’re going to do it.”