Yemi Adelani joined Walthamstow from Ilford in Summer 2021 after two good seasons leading the Foxes’ frontline and scoring bags of goals. He was also Ilford’s vice captain but before making the move to Stow he was unsure of his future. “I just felt, especially where I’ve won the league before with Hullbridge Sports, I needed to start another journey in terms of trying to succeed again.”
Ambitious Adelani
Adelani had won the Essex Senior League with Hullbridge in 2019 but left looking for more guaranteed playing time, which is what he found at Ilford. Not only did he find more game time, but he became their vice-captain and he was their top scorer in both his seasons at Cricklefield. But whilst all Yemi wants to do is “play and showcase my talent”, he found himself wanting more. Yemi wanted to win the league again.
That’s why he chose Walthamstow. “Terry Spillane has been chasing me for three months before this season started. He reached out to me and said, ‘I want to win the league, and I want you to be an integral part of that team.’ I came to Walthamstow because I know their ambition is to win the league.”
That didn’t make it an easy decision for Yemi however, who had just moved out of London. “I had to think about the move for a couple of weeks really, because I had just moved away to Stevenage. I was thinking about the journey, but ultimately it works well.”
“Walthamstow had been trying for a couple of seasons and maybe they just didn’t have the right formula at the time, but I believed in the players that Terry was bringing in and that really sold it to me.”
‘What It Takes To Win’
Yemi believes he is enjoying his time at Walthamstow far more, despite there being fewer chances in the first team with Stow’s impressive strength in depth. “On a personal level I’d say it’s been an indifferent season for me because I haven’t really had much game time.”
“But I’m a strong believer in keeping my focus. To keep doing the right things on the training ground because the more you do there, the better you’ll execute everything when you go into game situations.”
It is that mentality that shows why Yemi feels more engaged and happier at Walthamstow. It’s all part of a culture shift between his previous club and Walthamstow that matches his personal philosophy. “Compared to Ilford the transition was a big difference in terms of the players in the changing room. We have players that have played higher, players who have played at this level and know what it takes to win it. I have previous teammates at Hullbridge who are now here at Stow as well.”
“Conversations with the managers and coaches are different here than at Ilford. I feel like Ilford was more about enjoying your football but I think at Stow there’s a set goal that we have to fulfil: to win the league. It brings pressure but I’m not a player to shy away from pressure. I back myself completely. I don’t really listen to what people have to say, just ignore the noise really and just focus on what I’m doing.”
“His Conversations Are Like A Football Match”
Adelani appreciates the work ethic of his new manager, former Leyton Orient defender John Mackie. Again it is no surprise given Adelani’s own attitude that he enjoys working under Mackie’s management. “He’s a great person to work with. Professional. That’s how I’d describe it.”
“I always like to get closer to him in terms of how he sees the game, on his level and mindset. Whether it’s in training, before games, after games, he’s always a helping hand to tell you how you’re performing and what you should do better, and how to accomplish it. We’re constantly reviewing our performances against our targets. It puts a realistic scope on how we’re performing in the league. His attention to detail is amazing.”
It’s not just his approach to performances that Adelani is in praise of though. Knowing the squad is full of capable, talented players with strong mentalities, Mackie needs to be able to massage the egos of his players, to keep them on side even when they may not be getting the game time they want. “He just keeps you within the game. His conversations are like a football match. Speaking on behalf of everyone, himself and Terry always mention that nothing is promised here.”
“They say, ‘We know what the conversation was when we wanted to sign you, you knew what capabilities we need from you now you’re here, so we need you to respect that.’”
“Once they mentioned that, I think it resonates in everyone’s mind that nothing is promised, don’t expect to be playing week in week out unless you know you’re performing so well that it’s hard to take you out of the team. That if you keep on performing in training and take your opportunity in the starting eleven then there is no reason not to be starting every game.”
Mackie also stresses that every player is an important cog in a machine that will earn success, Yemi says. “We have a lot of egos here, everyone wants to play, the intensity in training is high, very high. Everyone is on it, no one is here to play games. We don’t play about. He stresses your importance to the process, trust in Mackie and he will take you to the level needed to win medals at the end of the season.”
Fan Adulation Feeds Adelani
Yemi laughs when asked about the difference in atmosphere he’s experienced since joining Stow. For him, it’s all about one thing. “The fans. The Waltham Rabble are just amazing. I always say that fans are very important in football. Especially if you feel like in the game you’re not playing well, you have the fans chanting your name and giving you that adrenaline to just say you know what I can do this.”
The Waltham Rabble – a credit to non-league and an excellent example of the kind of fans that make football at Stow’s level so enjoyable – give Adelani and his Stow teammates the type of energy that they can take advantage of. “ It’s a positive energy. Them chanting your name or in general it’s like ‘yeah we need to step it up here.
“It just epitomises the club culture, you know. We work our socks off no matter what and even if the going gets tough they’re still behind you. And I think especially when they’re chanting and taunting the other players, it gives us that step ahead to say we’re going to win this game and it’s because of the fans. When they scream our names it’s second to none.”
Yemi perks up now, as if roused by even the imagination of the Rabble behind him, and his passion for the game and love for Stow’s fans really shines through.
“They’re original as well, they’ve got chants for everyone. Even when I was at pre-season and we didn’t have many fans in, some of the fans knew my name already and knew what type of player I was, they found me exciting.
“Just to hear that from fans as well as them expressing their views on you is good as well so you can take it back home and say this fan and that fan is really taking notice of me as a player. It’s so good. In order for me to show my appreciation I’ve just got to give 100% on the pitch every week.”
“I Believe We’ll Win The League”
With 14 games played, Walthamstow find themselves top of the league by four point but with four games in hand over second-placed Stanway Rovers. For Yemi though, that’s just a distraction. “Those 5 games in hand are the least of our worries. Yeah there could be some complacency coming in where we can just win 2 or 3 games but no, no we want to win every game possible. That’s the mentality.”
“I believe we’ll win the league. That’s how confident I am. An experienced player like myself, at my age, I know what it takes to win the league.”
“I’m just thinking next game, we go again. The table doesn’t lie, and in order for us to achieve what we want we just have to perform like we do, week in week out.”
Walthamstow’s next Essex Senior League game will be away at Clapton FC on Saturday November 6th.
