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Date and Place of Birth 23rd June 1975 - LAGOS, NIGERIA
Transfers to and from Burnley from COVENTRY CITY - 25th March 2004 (loan) returned - 10th May 2004
First and Last Burnley Games BRADFORD CITY (a) - 27st March 2004 sub: replaced Richard Chaplow
ROTHERHAM UNITED (a) - 1st May 2004 sub: replaced Lee Roche
Other Clubs CREWE ALEXANDRA, BIRMINGHAM CITY, OLDHAM ATHLETIC (loan), CRYSTAL PALACE, COVENTRY CITY ---------------------------------------- BRADFORD CITY (loan), BRISTOL CITY, NOTTINGHAM FOREST, HULL CITY, ROCHDALE |
Burnley Career Stats
| Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Others | Total | |||||
| apps | gls | apps | gls | apps | gls | apps | gls | apps | gls | |
| 2003/04 | 0(3) | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0(3) | 1 |
| Total | 0(3) | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0(3) | 1 |
Profile by Andy Ashworth
Seen as another product of Dario's endless conveyor belt Adebola was another loan player who failed to shine in the Claret and Blue. Brought to the club by Stan Ternent he managed only 3 substitute appearances, scoring 1 goal, and spent much of his time here carrying an injury.
Growing up in Liverpool after arriving in the country as a young boy from Nigeria, Adebola played the same representative football as Robbie Fowler, but chose to take up the offer made to him by Crewe rather than joining Fowler at Liverpool. He made his debut for Crewe at the age of 17 and in his time there he scored around 40 goals in just less than 150 games. Gradi also attempted to toughen him up with loan spells at Northwich and Bangor. Obviously this didn't work as well as he'd hoped as the striker always seemed to go off injured when he played us - although the attention of Peter Swan may have contributed to that.
His form at Crewe prompted Birmingham City to make a million pound footballer of him and for four years he plied his trade at St. Andrews. He made an explosive start scoring in his first 5 games as the season wound down and notching 13 in his first full season. He was called up by Lawrie McMenemy for the Northern Ireland squad but had to withdraw due to injury. He was also called up for Nigeria but declined the invitation. His form then dipped and he fell out of favour, finding himself transfer listed.
La Liga side Las Palmas announced that they had signed him, but the move fell through on medical grounds. He found himself back in the Birmingham side shortly thereafter and helped to shoot them to a League Cup Final. As he again found form there was talk of a possible transfer to Burnley but before anything could materialise Adebola slid into a goal post and his knee imploded. He was out for a year and his Birmingham career was effectively over. He had a loan spell at Oldham but was then released.
Picked up by Crystal Palace he proved his fitness playing nearly 50 games for the Eagles and he signed for Coventry in 2003. His form again deserted him and it was during this season he signed for us. His debut away at Bradford was inauspicious as he pulled a stomach muscle during his first movement.
Obviously we never looked to make the deal permanent and he returned to Coventry. He was loaned out to Bradford at the start of the new season but on his return he found himself a wanted man again and took his place in the Coventry side.
In the spring of 2007 he went under the surgeons knife in a bid to be ready to resume training at the start of pre-season with Coventry. He was a regular again at Coventry but it was shortlived when Bristol City came in for him and he made the move to Ashton Gate at the beginning of 2008.
For a season and a half he was a regular goalscorer for Gary Johnson's team but decided to move on at the end of his contract in the summer of 2009. On 1st July he signed a two year deal with Nottingham Forest and after two years at the City Ground he signed a one year deal with Hull City at the beginning of July 2011.
Having been released by Hull, he signed a one year deal with Rochdale on 7th August 2012 and made his debut that day in a pre-season friendly against Burnley. At the age of 37 he went on to play 45 games in the 2012/13 season. The first 29 of those were at Rochdale but a change of manager at Spotland saw him move again. Keith Hill returned as John Coleman's replacement in the hot seat and Adebola moved on loan to Wrexham where he played a further 16 games in the Blue Square Premier League including three play off games that ended in a Wembley defeat against Newport. On his return to Rochdale he was released at the end of his contract.
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