Dipo Akinyemi

Biography

After shining at Potters Bar Town, Dipo Akinyemi signed for us in late 2014 – and was lining up for his first team debut just six months later. To be fair, first team football was nothing new to this bright attacking talent by the time he was selected by gaffer Teddy Sheringham for our 2015-6 season opener against Notts County. That said, it capped what had been a rapid rise from joining our academy side only half a year before. Of course, Akinyemi did a fair amount of learning while at The Scholars. As part of the U18s, there had been good times aplenty – especially in the FA Youth Cup.

And it’d be soon enough that he’d get his first taste of senior football; stepping out (and scoring) at what we’d consider the tender age of 17 years old in a 4-0 win at Bedford Town. Then again, we’re much older than we used to be and that might cloud our judgement. Akinyemi came in to our academy and made his first team debut in no time at all. But it didn’t quite kick on from there. It’s not that something didn’t click, but the forward found himself in a cycle of loan spells to help with his development. Seven times in two years was the lad out on loan at lower league clubs to keep him moving upwards. Two spells were spent at Dulwich Hamlet and, in 2018, this was where his career took him next.

Dipo Akinyemi: After Boro’

To be honest, we’d have done well to hold onto Akinyemi for a bit longer. But the queue ahead of him for places was a long one, so we think we see why we let him slip through our fingers. We just don’t necessarily agree with it. The deal that saw him go to Dulwich, however, did see us retain an interest in his future. How much his November 2019 move to Braintree Town benefits us is anyone’s guess. Not least when he lasted three weeks with the Iron, before moving down to Welling United. With the Wings, Akinyemi had two-and-a-half solid years; moving north of the border in summer 2022 to sign for Ayr United