Olukayode Ishmael "Kayode" Odejayi (born 21 February 1982) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Guiseley.
Club Career
Born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Odejayi started his career as a
trainee at Bristol City and
then moved on to Football Conference side Forest Green
Rovers in 2002. 2002–03 turned
out to be Rovers' best ever season since their foundation in 1890, and Odejayi
was a key figure, scoring 13 goals as the club finished ninth.
Cheltenham Town
This brought him to the attention of
Cheltenham Town, and then-manager Bobby Gould signed him that summer. His first
two seasons were a struggle but in his third season (2005–06) he
played almost every game as Cheltenham stormed to the play-off final, winning
1–0 against fancied Grimsby Town.
He came to national attention in January 2006
when Cheltenham faced Newcastle United in
the FA Cup 4th
round. Odejayi was outstanding, giving French international defender Jean-Alain Boumsong no
end of problems during the game. Following the game he was linked with a move
to Championship team Plymouth Argyle however
the move never materialised.
Barnsley
On 31 May 2007, Odejayi moved to Barnsley for a fee of £200,000, a
Cheltenham record for a sale of a player. Forest Green Rovers received a
windfall from the transfer as part of the terms of Odejayi's Cheltenham deal.
He scored in the Reds' first friendly against Morecambe in a 2–1 defeat. He then bagged a brace against Portuguese side Louletano DC in a 3–2 win. In a 3–1 victory against Buxton he bagged his fourth goal in three.
Odejayi netted his first competitive goal for
Barnsley against Scunthorpe United which
effectively sealed a 2–0 victory for the Reds.
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