Joseph David Ruhemann N'Guessan (born 15 July 1995) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward.
N'Guessan began his career in the youth systems of Glebe and Bromley before joining the Stevenage academy in 2011. During the 2012âÂÂ13 season, he gained first-team experience through loan spells at Farnborough, Biggleswade Town, Banbury United, and Corby Town. He made his senior debut for Stevenage in April 2013 and signed his first professional contract with the club two months later. The following season included further loans to St Neots Town and Arlesey Town. N'Guessan also scored his first Football League goal for Stevenage in April 2014.
Ahead of the 2014âÂÂ15 season, N'Guessan joined Aldershot Town on loan, later spending time with St Albans City before being released by Stevenage in May 2015. He subsequently signed for Queens Park Rangers' development squad for the 2015âÂÂ16 season. After his release from QPR in 2016, he had a brief spell with Maidstone United before joining Cray Valley Paper Mills in August 2017. At Cray Valley, he played regularly, contributing to the club's promotion in the 2018âÂÂ19 season, before injury curtailed his first-team involvement.
N'Guessan played for Glebe at youth level before moving to Bromley and subsequently joining the Stevenage academy. Early in the 2012âÂÂ13 season, he joined Conference South club Farnborough on a one-month loan, making a single appearance as a substitute in a 3âÂÂ0 home defeat to Welling United on 15 September 2012. He later had further short-term loans at Biggleswade Town, Banbury United, and Corby Town to gain first-team experience. N'Guessan scored on his debut for Banbury in a 2âÂÂ0 away victory over Chippenham Town on 26 January 2013, and made a total of five appearances during his final loan spell of the season at Corby.
N'Guessan returned to Stevenage towards the end of the 2012âÂÂ13 season, making his first-team debut as a 57th-minute substitute in a 2âÂÂ0 defeat to Milton Keynes Dons at Broadhall Way on 27 April 2013. He signed his first professional contract, a one-year deal, on 13 June 2013. In October 2013, he joined St Neots Town on a one-month loan, scoring on his debut in a 5âÂÂ0 victory over Hitchin Town and making four appearances in total. He subsequently joined Southern League Premier Division club Arlesey Town in December 2013, managed by former Queens Park Rangers defender Rufus Brevett. After scoring six goals in his first six matches, including two braces, his loan was extended for a further month. N'Guessan made 13 appearances for Arlesey, scoring eight goals, before returning to Stevenage, where he scored his first goal for the club in a 3âÂÂ2 win against Walsall on 26 April 2014.
Ahead of the 2014âÂÂ15 season, N'Guessan joined Conference Premier club Aldershot Town on loan until January 2015. He made his debut as a 68th-minute substitute in a 3âÂÂ1 victory over Altrincham on 9 August 2014, scoring twice in 19 appearances during the spell. After returning to Stevenage, he made three substitute appearances in League Two before joining Conference South club St Albans City on 23 March 2015 for the remainder of the season, scoring once in five matches. N'Guessan was released by Stevenage following the expiry of his contract in May 2015.
Following his release from Stevenage, N'Guessan signed a one-year contract with Championship club Queens Park Rangers on 15 June 2015 and was assigned to the club's Elite Development Squad. QPR director of football Les Ferdinand stated that N'Guessan had been "identified with the future in mind". Persistent injuries restricted his progress during the 2015âÂÂ16 season, and he was released at its conclusion.
After leaving Queens Park Rangers, N'Guessan spent a trial period with Scottish Premiership club Kilmarnock, but was not offered a contract. He signed for Maidstone United of the National League in December 2016 on the recommendation of manager Jay Saunders. N'Guessan made three substitute appearances for the club, debuting in a 1âÂÂ1 draw against Dover Athletic on 26 December 2016, before being released on 31 January 2017. Saunders later stated that he had intended to retain N'Guessan but was unable to do so following the arrival of striker Joe Pigott.
N'Guessan joined Southern Counties East Premier Division club Cray Valley Paper Mills on 27 August 2017. The 2017âÂÂ18 campaign marked his first sustained spell of regular first-team football, during which he scored 10 goals in 35 appearances. He remained with the club for the 2018âÂÂ19 season, scoring 13 goals in 27 appearances as Cray Valley won the league and reached the 2019 FA Vase final, which he missed through injury sustained in a match against his former club Glebe. Manager Kevin Watson described N'Guessan as "a massive part of the club over the last 18 months," adding that the PFA had agreed to fund his operation. N'Guessan did not feature during the 2019âÂÂ20 season and was listed among the club's injured players in January 2020.
Cray Valley Paper Mills