Tarryn makes club history at AFCON

Wealdstone forward Tarryn Allarakhia is set to return to the club after his Tanzania side failed to qualify for the knockout stages of the African Cup of Nations 2023.

Allarakhia returns having made history out in Ivory Coast, becoming the first Wealdstone player to feature at a major international tournament.

Former Stones defender David Sesay was called up by Sierra Leone for AFCON 2021, but didn’t feature during the tournament, making Tarryn the first player to step foot on the pitch at a major tournament as a Wealdstone player.

The Stones no.7 started the Taifa Stars first game of the tournament, in which they were defeated 3-0 by 2022 World Cup semi-finalists Morocco, who boasted an array of high-level talent, including the likes of Achraf Hakimi, Sofyan Ambrabat and Hakim Ziyech.

After suspending manager Adel Amrouche following the first game of the tournament, Tarryn only featured twice as an unused substitute as assistant manager Hemed Suleiman took the hotseat to take charge of the final group games.

Suleiman’s side were moments from history in the second game having taken the lead early on against Zambia, but an 88th minute equaliser from Leicester City’s Patson Daka stopped the Taifa Stars winning their first ever AFCON game and put hopes of qualifying in doubt.

A win was needed in the final game against DR Congo but a goalless draw sealed the deal and sent the Tanzania national team back to their respective clubs.

Everyone at the club is incredibly proud of Tarryn’s efforts at AFCON and he returns to the club having created history on one of the biggest stages in international football.