New Annan Athletic signing who nearly quit football aims to haul side up the table

New Annan signing Rico Quitongo told how he is desperate to help haul them up the table after ending months of hell when he almost quit the game.

And it starts tomorrow at Kelty Hearts in the away day league fixture.

Quitongo has now signed up with the Galabankies following a brief trial and insists that promotion is still within the sights of the League One outfit.

Quitongo, ironically, suffered a leg break horror against Annan at the tail end of last season when he was with Clyde in the play-off finals.

And in another twist, it came in an accidental clash with Wullie Gibson who signed him for Queen of the South and is now his team mate at the Black and Golds.

Quitongo had started last season at Queens but he found himself on the sidelines under new boss Marvin Bartley who eventually released him to join Clyde towards the end of the 22/23 campaign which also included an unsuccessful employment tribunal against a former club Airdrie.

He said: “Now the manager (Peter Murphy) has come in for me here and I am glad to sign and it’s great to be involved.

“After the leg break I did most of the rehab on my own and I am a wee bit proud of what I did to get myself back in the mix. I was out for seven months. I had a hard time last season at Queens on and off the field. I was going to chuck football because of the way I was feeling.

“Then I spoke to my mum about the way I was feeling about being injured. Then I thought I don’t want to leave football like this, injured. A lot of things happened so I thought I would give it another chance. I am in a good place with a good support network and the gaffer has been good to me.

“And I needed football and my girlfriend wanted me out the house on a Saturday too!”

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