Fola Onibuje

Arriving on trial at the Abbey Stadium in the final week of pre-season, 6ft 6ins Fola made a big impression with three goals in three games and earned a contract for the new season.

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, the striker - who celebrates his 21st birthday tomorrow (25th September) - moved to England at the age of two and grew up in Hammersmith, London.

Fola grew up supporting local team Queens Park Rangers and also Manchester United - "because I liked their players" - and was involved in playing football himself from the age of ten.

He shared his love of football with athletics while he was at school, and his athletics prowess was such that he represented England and Great Britain as a 200metre and 400metre runner, but when it came to the point where he had to choose between the sports he opted for professional football.

"I enjoyed football more so I decided to concentrate on football when I left school and joined Charlton Athletic. My athletics coach is a big football fan as well and I still keep in touch with him," he adds.

"Then after a year of my scholarship with Charlton, Preston North End came in for me and I wanted to move out of London so I decided to go up there. It was my first time away from home but I signed my first professional contract there at 17 and it was a good club to be at.

"Craig Brown was the manager there and I was training with the first team, which I never did at Charlton."

Although he plays up front now, Fola is comfortable collecting the ball in wide positions and running at defenders, which is a pointer to the fact that he started out as a right winger.

"At about 16 I started to grow so much that Charlton converted me to a striker because they thought I was far too tall to be a winger," he recalls.

"I scored quite a few goals when I was a winger and I've always scored regularly in reserve football for my previous clubs since becoming a striker.

"I like the ball to my feet or in front of me to run on to, and people don't tend to expect that from someone so tall," he adds.

As a 19-year-old reserve at Preston, he had a loan spell with Huddersfield and made his League debut for Peter Jackson's Terriers.

"I had a couple of months there and that was good experience. I wasn't playing in the first team at Preston so to get the chance to play for Huddersfield in their first team a couple of times was good."

Fola's two year contract with Preston ended in the summer of 2004. The manager had made it clear he couldn't expect to play much first team football and it was the right time to move on, so after trials with Blackpool, Oldham and Burnley the pacy striker joined Barnsley on a free transfer.

However after featuring in the Tykes team at the start of last season he suffered an injury and found it hard to get back in. After a trial with Wycombe, he was allowed to join struggling Peterborough on a free transfer in March 2005.

"I'd been up north for a while and I really wanted to get closer to home," he explains, "so when Peterborough came in with a short-term deal it seemed a good idea. I played a couple of reserves games there with Matt Nolan and we did well together, and I think we did well together here in the pre-season games too."

Released by the relegated club at the end of last season, Fola continued his southwards trek by joining Watford for a pre-season training and featured in some of their friendly games.

"But they spent quite a bit of money on signing some other strikers and they couldn't offer me anything, then I played a game for Barnet without training with them, and then my agent asked me if I wanted to play a game for Cambridge against Northampton.

"I came straight in for the game and didn't know anyone's names or anything, but I did well and then they asked me to play in the next game against Forest."

A goal in each of those games and some exciting attacking play secured the offer of a contract, which he sealed with another goal against Kettering in the final home friendly of United's busy pre-season schedule.

The three goals also earned the big striker a warm welcome from the Abbey faithful who had suffered the trauma of relegation, administration and on- and off-field upheaval since the end of last season.

"I've always got a good reception from the fans here and that was one of the main reasons I decided to stay," reveals Fola. "I had a few other offers but it felt really good here and I thought this could be a good move.

"I've played a few first team games here and there at my other clubs but I really want to play regular first team football now.

"It's been frustrating being out injured for a few games, but I want to get back into the swing of it and get playing week in, week out, and hopefully I can repay the fans and the manager with some goals."

After injuring the same ankle twice in different games this month, the 20-year-old made his comeback for the reserves on Monday and got 65 minutes under his belt at Grays on Tuesday night.

"It feels fine now and I'm raring to go," he adds. "We played really well in the games we won against Hereford and Accrington. They were good results and all the boys were buzzing in the dressing room afterwards, and those have been the highlights of the season so far.

"I don't know really what's happened since then but I think it's mainly down to confidence. No one goes out to play badly and I think we just need to get another win, and then I'm sure we'll string a few good games together and get some points.

"We're a young side and we had a few new players come in after those games - like Jon Harkness and Ritchie Hanlon and Courtney Pitt - so they have to settle in and we have to get to know each other."

On his own move south, he adds, "I've been made very welcome by everyone at the club and the players. We just need a bit of time to play some games together."

Readers of the club message board, learning that this interview was about to take place, had a few questions for Fola, which he was happy to answer.

Older supporters will not be surprised to learn that one player who had a major influence on Fola in his formative years was former Derby, Manchester City and Costa Rica forward Paulo Wanchope, an exciting player who shares a similar build and style with the U's striker.

"I've always been compared to him and 'Wanchope' was my nickname at Charlton, that and 'Ameobi' (after Newcastle striker Shola Ameobi)," he smiles.

Asked if he has any particular pre-match routine, he reveals that he always eats the same meal on a Friday night - spaghetti Bolognese - and he likes to arrive at the ground early and listen to music for a while before going out to warm up - "no particular preference, just whatever's on to get me going."

Here's hoping the pre-match routine helps Fola to an early 21st birthday present with a win at the Abbey today!
(It worked, he scored his first and second goals for the club - Ed.)

*This interview was first published in the programme for the match against Altrincham on 24th September, 2005.

Previous Featured Players:
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