Kevin Berkoe
{{short description|English footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox football biography
|name = Kevin Berkoe
|image =
|image_size =
|caption =
|fullname = Kevin Nana Yaw Berkoe{{cite web |url=https://www.efl.com/siteassets/image/201920/general-news/efl-squad-numbering-06.09.2019.pdf |title=Notification of shirt numbers: Oxford United |publisher=English Football League |page=52 |accessdate=24 October 2019}}
|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|2001|7|5|df=y}}{{ENFA}}
|birth_place =
|height =
|position = Defender
|currentclub = Salford City
|clubnumber = 3
|youthyears1 =
|youthclubs1 = Chelsea
|youthyears2 = 2017–2019
|youthclubs2 = Wolverhampton Wanderers
|years1 = 2019–2020
|clubs1 = Oxford United
|caps1 = 0
|goals1 = 0
|years2 = 2019–2020
|clubs2 = → Oxford City (loan)
|caps2 = 17
|goals2 = 2
|years3 = 2020–
|clubs3 = Salford City
|caps3 = 26
|goals3 = 1
|years4 = 2021
|clubs4 = → AFC Telford United (loan)
|caps4 = 8
|goals4 = 0
|years5 = 2022
|clubs5 = → Altrincham (loan)
|caps5 = 3
|goals5 = 0
|years6 = 2023
|clubs6 = → Maidstone United (loan)
|caps6 = 10
|goals6 = 0
|years7 = 2024
|clubs7 = → Woking (loan)
|caps7 = 8
|goals7 = 3
|club-update = 11:27, 23 April 2025 (UTC)
}}
Kevin Nana Yaw Berkoe (born 5 July 2001) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for {{English football updater|SalfordC}} club Salford City.
Berkoe began his career in the youth academies of Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers, before making his professional debut for Oxford United in 2019. He had a loan spell with non-league club Oxford City during the same season, and in 2020 joined Salford City following his release. At Salford he spent loan spells at non-league clubs AFC Telford United, Altrincham and Maidstone United. He joined Woking on loan in March 2024.
Career
After playing for Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers as a youth, and having a trial with Sunderland in March 2019,{{cite web |last=Nicholson |first=Joe |url=https://www.sunderlandecho.com/sport/football/who-are-three-trialists-chelsea-wolves-and-peterborough-who-played-sunderland-under-23s-aston-villa-84186 |title=Who are the three trialists from Chelsea, Wolves and Peterborough who played for Sunderland Under-23s at Aston Villa? |date=5 March 2019 |access-date=8 October 2021 |publisher=Sunderland Echo}} he signed for Oxford United in May of the same year.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48337240 |title=Kevin Berkoe: Oxford United sign former Wolves defender on one-year deal |date=20 May 2019 |access-date=21 May 2019 |publisher=BBC Sport}} Upon signing for the club, Oxford manager Karl Robinson described him as "quick, technically very good", and said it was encouraging to have competition for his position.{{cite news |last=Pritchard |first=David |url=https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/sport/17651577.oxford-united-sign-kevin-berkoe-wolverhampton-wanderers-exit/ |title=Oxford United sign Kevin Berkoe after Wolverhampton Wanderers exit |work=Oxford Mail |date=29 May 2019 |access-date=8 October 2021}} Berkoe made his Oxford debut as a substitute in an EFL Cup first-round tie against Peterborough United on 13 August,{{cite web |url=https://www.oufc.co.uk/matches/fixtures/first-team/201920/august/oxford-united-vs-peterborough-united-on-13-aug-19 |title=REPORT Oxford United 1 Peterborough United 0 |publisher=Oxford United F.C. |date=13 August 2019 |access-date=18 August 2019 }}{{Dead link|date=May 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} and said he was "honoured" to make the step-up to first-team football.{{cite news |last=Pritchard |first=David |url=https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/sport/17840126.kevin-berkoe-buoyed-intense-oxford-united-debut/ |title=Kevin Berkoe buoyed by 'intense' Oxford United debut |work=Oxford Mail |date=16 August 2019 |access-date=8 October 2021}} On 22 November, Berkoe joined Oxford City on a 28-day loan.{{cite news |url=https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/sport/18053834.oxford-united-defender-kevin-berkoe-joins-oxford-city-loan/ |title=Oxford United defender Kevin Berkoe joins Oxford City on loan |newspaper=Oxford Mail |date=22 November 2019 |first=Mark |last=Edwards |access-date=30 March 2020}} On 17 December, he scored his first goal for the club, putting his team 3–2 ahead in an eventual 3–3 draw with bottom of the table St Albans City.{{cite news |url=https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/sport/18107919.oxford-city-lose-three-leads-draw-basement-boys-st-albans-city/ |title=Oxford City lose three leads to draw with basement boys St Albans City |work=Oxford Mail |date=17 December 2019 |access-date=8 October 2021}} and the following week the loan was extended until the end of January 2020.{{cite web |url=https://www.oufc.co.uk/news/2019/december/berkoe-mccreadie-loans-extended/ |title=Berkoe and McCreadie Loans Extended |publisher=Oxford United F.C. |date=23 December 2019 |access-date=30 March 2020}} In January 2020, it was extended for a further month.{{cite web |url=https://www.oufc.co.uk/news/2020/january/berkoe--lofthouse-loans-oxford-city/ |title=Berkoe and Lofthouse Extend City Loans |publisher=Oxford United F.C. |date=31 January 2020 |access-date=30 March 2020}}
He was released by Oxford United at the end of the 2019–20 season.{{cite web |url=https://www.efl.com/siteassets/image/202021/efl-professional-retain-list---2019-20.pdf |publisher=DFL |date=23 June 2020 |title=Club List of Registered Players as at 23rd June 2020 |access-date=18 September 2020}} He signed with Salford City for the 2020–21 season. On 10 November, Berkoe made his début for Salford in an EFL Trophy group stage match against Rochdale.{{cite news |last=Giblin |first=Andrew |url=https://salfordcityfc.co.uk/matches/rochdale-vs-salford-city-10112021/ |title=Ammies do it in Dale |work=Salford City F.C. |date=10 November 2020 |access-date=8 October 2021}} On 25 September 2021, he moved on loan to National League North team AFC Telford United for one month.{{cite web |url=https://www.telfordunited.com/news/defender-signs-2/ |title=Defender signs |work=AFC Telford United |date=25 September 2021 |access-date=8 October 2021}} Due to several defensive injuries and suspensions, he made his debut the same day, with local newspaper Shropshire Star describing him as one of Telford's "few successes" in a 2–0 defeat to Brackley Town, putting in a "fine display".{{cite news |url=https://www.shropshirestar.com/sport/football/afc-telford-united/2021/09/27/telford-are-left-short-at-the-back-after-lilly-sees-red/ |title=Telford are left short at the back after Lilly sees red |work=Shropshire Star |date=26 September 2021 |access-date=8 October 2021}} He was recalled by Salford City on 12 November 2021.{{cite tweet|number=1459242090529914882|user=SalfordCityFC|title=Kevin Berkoe has been re-called from his loan spell at AFC Telford United.Welcome back Kev!#WeAreSalford 🦁🔴|date=12 November 2021}}{{cite web |title=Preview: Scunthorpe United vs Salford City |url=https://salfordcityfc.co.uk/scunthorpe-united-vs-salford-city-preview-131121/ |publisher=Salford City FC |access-date=29 December 2021}}
In January 2022 he joined Altrincham on loan for a month.{{cite web |last1=Edwards |first1=John |title=By the left! Loan signing Berkoe just the job for Alty |url=https://www.altrinchamfc.com/news/by-the-left-loan-signing-berkoe-just-the-job-for-alty |publisher=Altrincham FC |access-date=15 January 2022 |date=14 January 2022 |archive-date=14 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220114180333/https://www.altrinchamfc.com/news/by-the-left-loan-signing-berkoe-just-the-job-for-alty |url-status=dead }} He moved on loan to Maidstone United in March 2023.{{Cite web|url=https://www.kentonline.co.uk/maidstone/sport/berkoe-stones-will-be-back-285639/|title=Berkoe: Stones will be back|date=20 April 2023|website=Kent Online}} On 8 March 2024, Berkoe joined Woking on loan for the remainder of the season.{{Cite news |title=Berkoe Signs On Loan |url=https://www.wokingfc.co.uk/news/article/8516/berkoe-signs-on-loan/ |publisher=Woking F.C. |first=William |last=Bewsey |date=8 March 2024 |accessdate=8 March 2024}}
In July 2024, Berkoe signed a new two-year contract with Salford City.{{cite web|url=https://www.salfordcityfc.co.uk/news/2024/july/03/new-deal-for-kev-berkoe/|title=New deal for Kev Berkoe|website=www.salfordcityfc.co.uk|date=3 July 2024|accessdate=4 July 2024}}
Career statistics
{{updated|match played 21 April 2025}}
| class=wikitable style="text-align: center"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition | ||||||||||
| rowspan=2|Club
!rowspan=2|Season !colspan=3|League !colspan=2|FA Cup !colspan=2|League Cup !colspan=2|Other !colspan=2|Total | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Oxford United
|2019–20{{soccerbase season|121645|2019|access-date=17 September 2019}} |0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1{{Efn|name=FLT|Appearance(s) in the EFL Trophy}} | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Oxford City (loan)
|2019–20{{soccerway|kevin-berkoe/459552|access-date=21 May 2019}} |17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | colspan=2|— | 2{{Efn|name=FAT|Appearances in FA Trophy}} | 0 | 19 | 2 | ||
| rowspan=6|Salford City
|2020–21{{soccerbase season|121645|2020|access-date=11 November 2020}} |0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2{{Efn|name=FLT}} | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2021–22{{soccerbase season|121645|2021|access-date=8 October 2021}}
|League Two |0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2022–23{{soccerbase season|121645|2022|access-date=27 December 2023}}
|League Two |4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3{{Efn|name=FLT}} | 1 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2023–24{{soccerbase season|121645|2023|access-date=27 December 2023}}
|League Two |7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1{{Efn|name=FLT}} | 0 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2024–25{{soccerbase season|121645|2024|access-date=8 December 2024}}
|League Two |15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1{{Efn|name=FLT}} | 0 | 18 | 0 | |
| colspan=2|Total
!26||1||4||0||2||0||7||1||39||2 | ||||||||||
| AFC Telford United (loan)
|8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | colspan=2|— | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | ||
| Altrincham (loan)
|3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | colspan=2|— | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Maidstone United (loan)
|National League |10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | colspan=2|— | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | ||
| Woking (loan)
|National League |8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | colspan=2|— | 0 | 0 | 8 | 3 | ||
| colspan=3|Career total
!72||6||4||0||4||0||10||1||90||7 |
{{notelist}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Salford City F.C. squad}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berkoe, Kevin}}
Category:English men's footballers
Category:Men's association football defenders
Category:Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. players
Category:Oxford United F.C. players
Category:Oxford City F.C. players
Category:Salford City F.C. players
Category:AFC Telford United players
Category:Altrincham F.C. players
Category:Maidstone United F.C. players
Category:National League (English football) players
Category:English Football League players