While I've recently managed to get a few hundred words out of the careers of Daniel Bogdanovic and Brett Ormerod, doing the same with Godwin Abadaki may prove to be more difficult.

Position: Striker

Arrived from: Youth Team

Left for: Northwich Victoria

Played : 2012

Appearances : 2

Goals : 0

Clearly a talented player at youth level, Abadaki wasn't quite able to cut the mustard for the first-team but has managed to forge out a career at a semi-professional level, appearing for a host of clubs in the North West.

With whispers of a goalscoring prodigy within the youth ranks always exciting, Dale fans will have been intrigued to see Godwin Abadaki start appearing on the substitutes bench in the 2011/2012 campaign. By all accounts, the youngster had been racking up the goals for the reserve and youth teams and with the ageing Ormerod and Bogdanovic seeing their loan spells come to an end, Chris Beech turned to the 18 year old as a bench option for a short period in the January of that season.

The Nigerian-born forward made his debut as a late substitute in a goalless draw with Tranmere on the 17th Jauary and came off the bench again just a few days later versus Wycombe but these would turn out to be the only two appearances the striker would make in the Football League.

With John Coleman turning to more experienced loanees such as Michael Symes, Abadaki instead was sent out on loan in February, joining Hyde United alongside Reece Gray, with the two forwards helping the Tigers to secure the Conference North title in the final months of the season. The Nigerian featured 10 times and scored twice at Ewen Fields.

Interestingly, at the start of the 2012/2013 campaign, Abadaki was taken on loan by Huddersfield Town's Development Squad, now being coached by none other than Steve Eyre. The option for a permanent transfer was never taken up at the conclusion of the youth loan, however.

Further loan spells at Southport, Stalybridge Celtic and Workington followed as Abadaki looked to play his way into John Coleman and later Keith Hill's plans, but as time stretched on and the forward remained out of the squad, it seemed inevitable he would leave the club in the summer of 2014.

Northwich Victoria, where he scored three times in nine appearances, was the original destination, but since then Abadaki has featured for Mossley in two different spells, Nantwich Town, Norwich Victoria again, Ashton United, Shaw Lane and Buxton, featuring alongside his brother Osebi at the latter two.

In 2021 he joined Ramsbottom United and last season he scored twice in 15 appearances for the Northern Premier League outfit, but he returned to Stalybridge Celtic for the upcoming 2022/2023 season.

Photo: Action Images

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