SUPPORTERS CLUB AWARDS
In the third part of our look at the Supporters Club End of Season Awards, today we feature defender Kofi Balmer, who won the Goal of the Season Award, presented to him by Supporters Club Director Helen Wigmore.
Although he’s probably better known for his long throw more than his ability in front of goal, but the two that he’s scored in his 20 league games for us have been pretty spectacular.
The first, a left foot screamer, came against Walsall in our 2-0 home win at The Mem on 3rd February when he claimed, after the match, that he’d never before struck a shot that well in his career. Just a few weeks later, in a 3-1 win against Grimsby Town, again at The Mem, he was at it again, this time with a right foot effort that gave the goalkeeper absolutely no chance of saving.
It was for his first effort, against Walsall, that he received the Award for the Goal of the Season.
Kofi arrived at The Mem in January of this year, on loan from Motherwell, one of nine signings made by Steve Evans in his first transfer window
The Northern Irish central defender had international honours for his country at U-19 level, playing five times in 2018, and at U-21 level, having won 20 caps and captained his nation at both age groups; he had been called up to the full squad twice, in 2022 and 2025. An ‘old head on young shoulders’, according to the Ballymena United manager David Jeffrey, he had scored in a 1-1 draw on his League bow away to Coleraine in April 2017 and he was Ulster Young Player of the Year for 2018/19.
His time at Ballymena included cup final defeats in the 2018 County Antrim Shield against Crusaders, the 2018 Northern Ireland League Cup against Dungannon Swifts and the 2020 Irish Cup against Glentoran and also included Europa League experience. With Larne, Balmer appeared in the Conference League and enjoyed greater cup success, being part of the side which defeated Linfield 1-0 in the 2021 County Antrim Shield Final.
Three Premier League games on the bench at Crystal Palace in October 2022 prefaced 33 Premier League 2 appearances and he also appeared in their long Premier League 2 Cup run. Loan spells with Port Vale, where a hamstring injury sustained against Peterborough United kept him out for six weeks, and Wimbledon, appearing alongside John-Joe O’Toole, Lee Brown and Harry Pell, gave him experience of lower league English football, and he scored five minutes from the end of the Dons’ 2-0 victory over Notts County in March 2024.
A Motherwell teammate of Sam Nicholson, he scored two minutes before half time on his début against Edinburgh City in the League Cup
The subject of transfer enquiries from St Mirren and the Danish side Kolding, Balmer arrived at The Mem midway through the 2025/26 campaign, having just five Scottish Premier matches that season to his name.
He was already known to Rovers’ supporters, having played at The Mem twice before, in a Football League Trophy game in October 2022 when, despite Glenn Whelan’s red card, Rovers had defeated Palace’s U-21 side 2-0, and as a half time substitute when Port Vale lost 3-0 in October 2023.
A no nonsense defender who has added steel to our defence, it remains to be seen whether or not he will be back at The Mem next season, but he’s already created a lasting impression with his goals, his throw ins and his all round displays.
