It’s hardly a secret, but that doesn’t make us any less pleased to welcome the return of attacking player Ola Lawal ahead of the 2025/26 season.
Ola, who will celebrate his 24th birthday in December, joined the Bucks towards the end of last season and made his first start in our 1-1 draw at Kettering Town in March.
His first goal came a week later, in the dramatic victory over Barwell FC at the SEAH Stadium; however, his season was cut short by an injury suffered in the Good Friday victory over Lowestoft Town. A collision with the goalkeeper forced his eventual withdrawal from the game, and he was later diagnosed with a fractured patella.
Manager Kevin Wilkin has been mindful of Ola’s injury during pre-season, keen to see his return to fitness before committing to him, and vice versa. However, as Kevin revealed at last week's fans’ forum and in his post-match interview on Saturday, Ola has now put pen to paper.
“Yeah, it’s not been an easy situation for Ola. He came in towards the end of last season and was just starting to find his feet with us when he got injured, which was a real blow for him and us. He’s been training with us, and Beth (Lewis, physiotherapist) has been monitoring him in case there was any reaction to the injury. Once we’d got those assurances about his fitness, we were able to sit down and talk about him returning, and I’m really pleased to be able to bring him back to the club.”
Ola got some time on the pitch in Saturday’s 6-1 victory over Connah’s Quay Nomads at Compton, and came through unscathed, despite coming off second best in one especially tough collision.
“There are things we need to work on with Ola, but we like to think we can develop him further. He doesn’t seem to have any lingering effects, mentally or physically, and he’s a boy who has a lot of positive traits. He was really positive around the place when he came in last season; I think he celebrated promotion as much as any of the lads who actually played in the final, and he’s been wanting to come back, which I think says something about the environment we’re trying to create.”
Welcome back, Ola - it’s like you never left!
Ola is our sixteenth confirmed squad member for the 2025/26 season. If you're interested in sponsoring Ola for the 2025/26 season, please contact Aimée Lauder, our Commercial Sales Manager, at sales@afctu.co.uk or 07818638850.
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