Non-League and Academy football writer

Many professional footballers, both past and present, have played in or started in non-League football. With one of the most recent and famous examples being that of Jamie Vardy, who worked his way up the footballing pyramid, from non-League, to play at the very top of the professional game. However, in this short piece, below I have written a bit about three footballers (both current and former professional footballers), who played non-League football during the early stages of their footballing careers. These are three players who you might not have known had actually played non-League football at one point in their careers.

Adebayo Akinfenwa: Adebayo Akinfenwa is from Islington, in north London. The former Swansea City and Wycombe Wanderers striker, is a former professional footballer whose first involvement of playing senior football came in non-League. Adebayo was 16, when he played some games for the now defunct former step 5 non-League side Islington St Mary’s senior team. The club who used to play in the Spartan South Midlands Football League Premier Division South, during the late 1990’s, it was then that the talented former footballer played some matches for the club. The club who used to play their home matches at Haringey Borough’s Coles Park ground, would fold at the end of the 1998/99 season.

Going on to enjoy a really fine and long career in the English Football League, Adebayo Akinfenwa impressed during his time spent at step 5 of the non-League system, from the old match reports that I found. He played against teams such as Waltham Abbey and Harpenden Town during the late 1990s. Adebayo would actually return to non-League football in 2023, when he played a couple of games for Faversham Town.

Patrick Hoban: One of the top centre-forwards in Ireland, at the time of writing this piece, 32 year old Derry City player Patrick Hoban is the joint current top scorer in the Irish Premier Division, at this moment in time, during the 2024 season. A really good all-round centre forward, who has a really fine goalscoring record in football in Ireland, the former Mervue United player, who joined Bristol City as a youngster, would play reserve team football for the current Championship club. However, during his time at Bristol City, he was loaned out for a short spell to then step 4 non-League side Clevedon Town, during the 2010/11 season.

Enoch Showunmi: It was at former non-League club Willesden Constantine that Kilburn born former professional footballer Enoch Showunmi impressed greatly, at step 7 of the non-League system. A forward during his time in the professional game, Enoch played for Willesden Constantine’s first team during the early 2000’s, in the Middlesex County Football League Premier Division. From Willesden Constantine, Enoch moved to then third tier side Luton Town, making over 100 competitive appearances for them, before leaving them in 2006. The talented forward would later play professionally for clubs such as Bristol City, Leeds United and Falkirk. Enoch Showunmi was also capped twice internationally by Nigeria, during his footballing career.