Date / Year of birth: 29th October 1987

Position: Striker

Season of first appearance: 2010/11

Season of last appearance: 2010/11

Also played for: Issia Wazi (Ivory Coast), Virginia Beach Mariners (USA), Thai Honda (Thailand) Willem II (Netherlands), Palm Harbor University of Tampa Bay (USA), Real Maryland Monarchs (USA), Motala AIF (Sweden), Brighton & Hove Albion (0), Maidenhead United, Dulwich Hamlet, Barnet (0+1,0), Dartford and VCD Athletic

Unorthodox 6' 1" tall striker born in Freetown, Sierra Leone who started his career with Issia Wazi of the Ivory Coast where he scored seven goals from 16 outings during the 2004/05 season.

Ishmail then played for Virginia Beach Mariners in the USA during the 2005 campaign before moving to Thailand.

He joined Thai Honda for 2006/07 and Ishmail also spent the 2007/08 season there.

On 17.10.07 he made his international debut for Sierra Leone when he played the full 90 minutes of a 1-0 home win over Guine-Bissau and Ishmail went on to win another four caps as a substitute between November 2007 and June 2008.

At the end of 2007/08 he left Thai Honda having scored 13 times in 23 career appearances there and during his time with the club Ishmail had also had a trial with Dutch outfit Willem II.

He then studied in the USA and during the 2008 season there Ishmail scored 20 goals for Palm Harbor University of Tampa Bay. He was also selected for the All-Pinellas County team.

Ishmail spent the 2009 campaign with Real Maryland Monarchs and when the USA season finished he joined Swedish club Motala AIF towards the end of 2009.

He scored twice from seven appearances for Motala during 2009/10 and in November 2009 Ishmail scored for Sierra Leone in a friendly against Willem II where he'd trialed two years earlier.

By March 2010 Ishmail had arrived in England and after a short trial with Wycombe he played in one reserve team game for Brighton before the end of the 2009/10 campaign.

In the summer of 2010 Ishmail had a trial with Leeds before appearing in friendlies for Margate and scoring five goals in pre-season at a time when his identity was seemingly unknown to anybody. He was signed on for 2010/11 and on the eve of the new campaign manager Iain O'Connell spoke about Ishmail to the Isle of Thanet Gazette and said "Still got no idea what his other name is ! He's one of the best athletes in the side and he has an eye for goal. From Sierra Leone but seems to have picked up English and he's lucky to have me and John Keister as his personal chauffeurs. We have to take him everywhere !"

Ishmail missed the first game of the season as Margate were awaiting international clearance for him due to his last club being Motala in Sweden but on 28.8.10 he made his debut in a 2-1 defeat at Lowestoft in the Isthmian League Premier Division. Ishmail then came on as a substitute in Margate's next three matches.

In the third of those games - a match against Aveley at Hartsdown Park on 7.9.10 - he was due to start but a London Underground strike delayed Ishmail's arrival at the ground and he was introduced as a half-time sub instead. The Isle of Thanet Gazette said he was the "star man" as Margate scored twice in the second half to win 2-0 and "scared the Aveley defence half to death". The paper said the visitors "didn't have a clue what to do about a player with pace, strength and skill who was happy to run at them all night long".

Iain O'Connell told the Gazette "He's got an agent and has already had a two-day trial at Leeds. He's similar to Akpo Sodje. It wouldn't surprise me at all if he got a league club but I hope he's here for a while yet. He would have started against Aveley but the train strike meant he only got to the ground five minutes before kick-off. We were awful first half so I put him on for the second half and he completely changed the game." When asked how he'd have dealt with Ishmail during his playing days O'Connell said "I'd have kicked him as hard as I could ! Having said that, I'd have to try and catch him first ! He's got that awkward running style but he's even quicker than he looks. He's also strong and has amazing feet."

Ishmail started Margate's next game - an FA Cup tie at Binfield on 11.9.10 - and scored his first goal for the club in a 3-0 win. He then kept his place for the following match on 18.9.10 and Ishmail took what the Thanet Times called "one of the worst penalties you'll see" as Margate beat Wealdstone 1-0 at Hartsdown Park. He blazed a first half spot-kick over the top and the paper said "don't know what it is about gangly players standing over a penalty but you never fancy them". The Times continued "sure enough, Kamara lifted the ball miles over the bar and out of the ground".

Despite his penalty embarrassment Ishmail started again as Margate travelled to Folkestone on 21.9.10 but he limped off with a calf problem after just six minutes. Margate went on to win 2-1 and Ishmail missed the next game due to his injury. He was back in the side as Margate lost on penalties in an FA Cup tie at Kingstonian on 27.9.10 after the match finished 1-1 after extra time but Ishmail then missed another two matches due to injury.

After returning to action in a 6-1 home win over Horsham on 9.10.10 he missed two more games and Ishmail then wore the number nine shirt in a 0-0 draw at Billericay on 23.10.10. It was his last outing for Margate and he was released a few days later. Iain O'Connell said "Ishmail certainly has something about him, but I'm just not getting enough minutes on the pitch from him so reluctantly I have had to release him. I would like to thank him for his efforts, and wish him the best of luck at his next club." Ishmail had scored once from a total of ten appearances (three as sub) before his departure.

He didn't play elsewhere during the remainder of the 2010/11 season but in the summer of 2011 Ishmail featured in three friendlies for Conference club Forest Green, scoring once in a 3-0 home win over Hereford on 30.7.11. However he wasn't signed by the Gloucestershire outfit and started the 2011/12 campaign as a free agent.

In September 2011 Ishmail signed for Conference South club Maidenhead and he spent a few weeks there before linking up with Dulwich of the Isthmian League Division 1 South in November 2011.

Ishmail spent the remainder of 2011/12 there and scored 14 times in 25 league outings (two as sub). He also got one goal in cup ties before leaving the club at the end of the season.

In May 2012 media reports suggested that Ishmail was likely to move into the Football League with AFC Bournemouth and Stevenage being mentioned as interested parties but in the end he started the 2012/13 campaign without a club.

A few weeks into the new season Ishmail started training with League Two outfit Barnet and at the end of September 2012 the Bees gave him a two-year contract. He told the club's website "I'm so happy that I've signed, everyone has made me feel so welcome and I'd like to thank the technical team for giving me this opportunity."

Barnet's head coach Mark Robson said of the signing "Ishmail is an extremely hungry lad that's desperate to do well and he really impressed us whilst training. Ishmail stands at 6ft 1in, he's strong and very quick which will help compliment our team."

He made his debut for the Bees as an 80th minute substitute in a 2-1 defeat at Fleetwood on 29.9.12 but Ishmail dislocated his shoulder soon after coming on and didn't feature again in Barnet's first team before the end of the 2012/13 campaign which saw them relegated to the Conference. In May 2013 he was released.

In December 2013 Ishmail resurfaced when he signed for Conference club Dartford and he made his debut for the Darts as a substitute in a 2-1 defeat at Alfreton on 21.12.13.

At the end of January 2014 Dartford loaned Ishmail to Isthmian League Division 1 North club VCD and he made his debut in a 2-0 home win over Thurrock on 4.2.14. VCD's manager Tony Russell told the Kentish Football website "We lacked a little spark up front and when Tony (Burman, the Dartford manager) said he wanted to get him out to get some games we jumped at the chance...He done his work well, bits and pieces, hold up play, lay-off play. He had two one-on-one's and the goalie's not made a save ! It's not good enough and that's him saying that as well for a man that's played at that level. We should be scoring them really but he was neat and tidy."