Factfile: Ade Shokunbi

Following Ade Shokunbi’s move to South Shields, we take a closer look at the career of the 24-year-old midfielder.

• Ade Shokunbi was born on December 17th, 1998 in Peckham, south east London

• He progressed through the Academy at Reading and turned professional with the Berkshire club

• Shokunbi’s first taste of senior football was in a loan spell with Nuneaton. He spent a month playing National League North football for the club in early 2018

• A further loan stint came at Billericay Town between October 2018 and January 2019, this time in National League South

• It was at Billericay where Shokunbi first linked up with Jordy Mongoy, who is now his team-mate at 1st Cloud Arena

• His time at Reading came to an end in the summer of 2019, and Shokunbi subsequently joined Beaconsfield

• He was with the Southern Football League Premier Division South club for over a year before he signed for Welling United in October 2020

• The COVID-19 pandemic restricted his opportunities initially at Welling, with the 2020-21 season brought to a premature end

• He was back in National League South with Welling and helped the club avoid relegation in the 2021-22 campaign, scoring six times in 36 appearances

• Shokunbi moved to Hampton & Richmond Borough, who finished 11th in National League South last season, in the summer of 2022

• Known as a box-to-box midfielder and a real physical presence in the centre of the park, Shokunbi scored two goals in 16 National League South appearances this season

• He now has the opportunity to make his mark at South Shields, and could make his debut in Saturday’s Pitching In Northern Premier League match at Atherton Collieries