Simeon Akinola
Personal information
Full name Simeon Oluwatimelehin Akinola Olaonipekun[1]
Date of birth (1992-08-06) 6 August 1992[2]
Place of birth Lagos, Nigeria
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[3]
Position(s) Winger / Forward
Youth career
Alcorcón
2009–2010 Boreham Wood
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2012 Boreham Wood 21 (2)
2011Billericay Town (loan) 1 (0)
2012Harrow Borough (loan) 5 (4)
2012–2014 Harrow Borough 75 (22)
2014–2016 Braintree Town 104 (19)
2017–2020 Barnet 93 (21)
2020–2022 Southend United 25 (2)
2022 Wealdstone 6 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:12, 25 April 2023 (UTC)

Simeon Oluwatimelehin Akinola Olaonipekun (born 6 August 1992) is a retired Nigerian footballer.

Career

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Akinola moved to Madrid aged three. He started playing futsal aged nine before joining Alcorcón after a successful trial,[4][5] later moving to London.[6]

He joined the academy at Boreham Wood, and made his senior debut in January 2011, a season in which he scored 53 goals for the reserve team.[4][7] He was loaned out to Billericay Town in November 2011,[8] and then Harrow Borough in February 2012,[9] before signing for Borough permanently for a fee of £2,400, set by tribunal after Boreham Wood rejected an initial offer of £750.[10]

In August 2014, Akinola joined Braintree Town for an undisclosed fee.[5]

He joined Barnet on 1 January 2017 for a fee of £40,000.[11] He made his debut the following day against Plymouth Argyle[12]

On 31 August 2017 - transfer deadline day - Barnet agreed terms with Lincoln City for the transfer of Akinola, pending verification from the EFL.[13][14] On 5 September it was confirmed that the EFL had refused to ratify the transfer and that Akinola would remain at Barnet.[15] He left the club at the end of the 2019-20 season, having scored 24 goals in 106 games.[16]

On 17 September 2020, Akinola signed for Southend United on a two-year deal with an option for a third.[17] In November 2020 it was reported that Akinola's debut for the Shrimpers was being held up by an embargo on player registrations against the club.[18]

Akinola made his Southend United debut on 12 December 2020, starting in a 1–0 win at Roots Hall over Scunthorpe United.[19]

On 8 October 2022, Akinola signed for National League side Wealdstone.[20] He scored his first goal for the club on the same day, scoring in his first appearance from the bench, in a 2–1 defeat to Boreham Wood.[21] Akinola made seven appearances before leaving the club.

International career

Akinola is eligible to play for Nigeria and Spain at international level. He was called up by England C in May 2015, but was forced to withdraw.[22]

Personal life

Akinola has a degree in systems engineering from the University of Westminster.[23] In February 2023, he joined J.P. Morgan & Co. through its athlete transition programme.[24]

Career statistics

As of 3 December 2022
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals
Boreham Wood 2010–11 Conference South 4000---0040
2011–12 17200---00172
Boreham Wood total 21200---00212
Billericay Town (loan) 2011–12 Isthmian League Premier Division 1000000010
Harrow Borough (loan) 2011–12 Isthmian League Premier Division 5400000054
Harrow Borough 2012–13 Isthmian League Premier Division 371110---003811
2013–14 32921---003410
2014–15 6200---0062
Harrow total 752231---007823
Braintree Town 2014–15[25] Conference National 38432---4[lower-alpha 1]1457
2015–16[26] National League 411000---4[lower-alpha 2]04510
2016–17[27] 25531---1[lower-alpha 1]0296
Braintree total 1041963---9111923
Barnet 2016–17[27] League Two 192000000192
2017–18[28] 29411101[lower-alpha 3]0325
2018–19[29] National League 14010---2[lower-alpha 1]0170
2019–20[30] 311520---5[lower-alpha 4]23817
Barnet total 932141108210624
Southend United 2020–21[31] League Two 242000000242
2021-22 National League 1000---0010
Southend total 25200---00252
Wealdstone 2022–23 National League 6111001[lower-alpha 5]082
Career total 330711461018336380
  1. 1 2 3 Appearances in the FA Trophy
  2. Two appearances in FA Trophy, two appearances in National League play-offs
  3. Appearances in the EFL Trophy
  4. Four appearances and two goals in the FA Trophy, one appearance in National League playoffs
  5. Appearance in the Middlesex Senior Cup

References

  1. "EFL Released and Retained List 2016-17" (PDF). English Football League. p. 70. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  2. "Simeon Akinola". BarnetFC.com. Barnet FC. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  3. "Simeon Akinola". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Interview with Boreham Wood striker Simeon Akinola | the Elastico". Archived from the original on 15 June 2013.
  5. 1 2 "Devonshire strengthens forward options with signing of Akinola". Gazette.
  6. "The Braintree Town FC website". www.braintreetownfc.org.uk.
  7. Simeon Akinola - Aylesbury United
  8. Association, The Football. "The website for the English football association, the Emirates FA Cup and the England football team". www.thefa.com.
  9. "Simeon Akinola - Harrow Borough Football Club First Team". www.pitchero.com.
  10. "Wood's Development Programme Recognised".
  11. "Barnet bolster attacking options with Akinola". www.barnetfc.com.
  12. "Barnet 1-0 Plymouth Argyle". BBC Sport.
  13. "Statement | Simeon Akinola". www.barnetfc.com.
  14. "Akinola Deal Pending". www.redimps.co.uk.
  15. "Akinola Deal Off". www.redimps.co.uk.
  16. "Club update". www.barnetfc.com.
  17. "AKINOLA SIGNS!". www.southendunited.co.uk.
  18. "New proposed EFL guidelines could see Southend United and many others clear embargoes". Echo.
  19. "Southend United 1-0 Scunthorpe United". BBC Sport.
  20. "Wealdstone make double striker swoop". 8 October 2022.
  21. "Report: Debut goal and penalty controversy as Wealdstone are edged out by Wood". 9 October 2022.
  22. "Braintree Town Winger Simeon Akinola To WAIT For England Debut:: All Nigeria Soccer - The Complete Nigerian Football Portal". www.allnigeriasoccer.com.
  23. "Elephant Sport » Q&A – Barnet striker Simeon Akinola".
  24. "The footballer who swapped the EFL for JP Morgan". The Athletic.
  25. "Games played by Simeon Akinola in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  26. "Games played by Simeon Akinola in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  27. 1 2 "Games played by Simeon Akinola in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  28. "Games played by Simeon Akinola in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  29. "Games played by Simeon Akinola in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  30. "Games played by Simeon Akinola in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  31. "Games played by Simeon Akinola in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
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