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)
2011 → Billericay Town (loan) 1 (0)
2012 → Harrow 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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