| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Adebayo Saheed Akinfenwa[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 10 May 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | West Ham, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Northampton Town | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1998–2001 | Watford | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2001–2003 | FK Atlantas | 41 | (33) |
| 2003 | Barry Town | 9 | (6) |
| 2003 | Boston United | 3 | (0) |
| 2003 | Leyton Orient | 1 | (0) |
| 2003–2004 | Rushden & Diamonds | 0 | (0) |
| 2004 | Doncaster Rovers | 9 | (4) |
| 2004–2005 | Torquay United | 37 | (14) |
| 2005–2007 | Swansea City | 59 | (14) |
| 2007–2008 | Millwall | 7 | (0) |
| 2008–2010 | Northampton Town | 88 | (37) |
| 2010–2011 | Gillingham | 44 | (11) |
| 2011– | Northampton Town | 17 | (8) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22:41, 10 December 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
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Adebayo Saheed Akinfenwa (born 10 May 1982 in London) is an English professional footballer who plays for Northampton Town.
As a teenager, Akinfenwa joined the Lithuanian club FK Atlantas on the advice of his agent, whose Lithuanian wife's brother knew a member of the coaching staff there.[2] He spent two years at the club before returning to the UK early in 2003, where he joined Welsh Premier League champions Barry Town.[3] However, after playing only a handful of games the club suffered a financial crisis and released its professional playing staff. Akinfenwa quickly joined Boston United in October 2003,[4] scoring a last minute winner on his debut against Swindon Town in the Football League Trophy.[5] Unable to settle, he moved to Leyton Orient the following month, but was released after one month.[6] In December 2003 he moved to Rushden and Diamonds and in February 2004 joined Doncaster Rovers, his fifth club of the season.[7]
In July 2004, Akinfenwa changed clubs again, signing for Torquay United, as a replacement for David Graham.[8] He scored 14 league goals during the 2004–05 season but was unable to help the club avoid relegation to League Two. He refused to sign a new contract with Torquay at the end of the season.[9]
In July 2005, Akinfenwa moved to Swansea City, who were ordered to pay an £85,000 fee as compensation.[10] He scored on his debut against Tranmere Rovers, and this was also the first competitive goal scored at Swansea's new Liberty Stadium.[11] He scored the winning goal in the 2006 Football League Trophy final, in which Swansea beat Carlisle United 2–1. He also helped Swansea reach the League One promotion play-off final in his first season. After a 2–2 draw, the match went to a penalty shoot-out but Akinfenwa was one of two Swansea players to miss with their penalties, granting promotion to Barnsley. He was a regular the following season, until a broken right leg in the 2–0 defeat at home to Scunthorpe United ended his season.[12] This followed a fractured left shin the previous October.[13]
At the end of the 2006–07 season, he rejected a new contract with Swansea,[14] and agreed to sign for Swindon Town on 29 June 2007.[15] However he failed a medical.
Following this, in November 2007 he joined League One team Millwall on a month-to-month contract,[16] however he failed to score any goals in seven appearances.[17]
On 18 January 2008 Akinfenwa signed a deal with Northampton Town until the end of the 2007–08 season. He made his home debut against Leeds United, where he came off the bench to score the equaliser in a 1–1 draw. He started the following game, at home to Gillingham, and scored two goals in a 4–0 win. He scored three further goals that season.
On 30 May 2008, Akinfenwa signed a new one-year contract at Northampton despite declared interest from Leyton Orient and Grimsby Town.[18] He started the 2008–09 season well, scoring twice in three games by the end of September.
Adebayo ended his stay at Northampton in May 2010. He had been offered a new deal but Northampton could not agree a deal with Akinfenwa within an agreed timeframe. On 29 July 2010, Akinfenwa signed for Gillingham on a one year contract,[19] and scored on his debut with a header against Cheltenham Town.
Akinfenwa returned to Sixfields on 25 May 2011, after new Cobblers manager Gary Johnson brought him in to "capture the imagination of the supporters".[20] He scored his first goal against Bristol Rovers on 16 August.
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