Michael Onovwigun

Michael Richie Onovwigun (born 9 April 1996 in Clapham, England) is a retired English semi-professional footballer who played as a central midfielder. He was a product of the Brentford academy and began his professional career with Chesterfield in 2014. After his release in 2016, Onovwigun embarked on a journeyman career in non-League football before retiring in 2020.

Michael Onovwigun
Onovwigun playing for Lewes in September 2019
Personal information
Full name Michael Richie Onovwigun[1]
Date of birth (1996-04-09) 9 April 1996[2]
Place of birth Clapham, England
Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[2]
Position(s) Central midfielder
Youth career
2011–2014 Brentford
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2016 Chesterfield 6 (0)
2014–2015 → Sheffield (loan) 5 (1)
2015 → Stalybridge Celtic (loan) 1 (0)
2016 → Gateshead (loan) 3 (0)
2016 Dulwich Hamlet 2 (0)
2016 Kingstonian 9 (2)
2016–2017 Farnborough 4 (0)
2017 Southport 1 (0)
2017 Merstham 1 (0)
2017–2019 Dulwich Hamlet 31 (0)
2018 → Carshalton Athletic (loan) 13 (1)
2019 Carshalton Athletic 2 (0)
2019 Lewes 12 (0)
2020 Dartford 0 (0)
2020 → Staines Town (dual-reg) 5 (1)
2020 Maldon & Tiptree 3 (0)
Total 98 (5)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Playing career

Brentford

Born in Clapham, London,[3] Onovwigun began his career in the academy at Brentford and signed a two-year scholarship during the 2012 off-season.[4] After featuring regularly for the Development Squad in friendly matches during the 2012–13 pre-season, Onovwigun was called into the first team squad for a friendly versus Wycombe Wanderers on 7 August 2012 and he replaced Jake Reeves after 73 minutes of the 4–1 victory.[5] Onovwigun made over 50 appearances for the youth team and 9 for the Development Squad between 2011 and 2014 and departed the club at the end of the 2013–14 season,[6] after failing to be offered a professional contract.[7][8][9][10]

Chesterfield

On 31 July 2014, Onovwigun signed a one-year professional Development Squad contract at League One club Chesterfield after a successful trial.[11] He received his maiden call into the first team squad for a league match versus Rochdale on 16 August and made his professional debut when he came on as an 89th-minute substitute for Jimmy Ryan in a 2–1 win.[12] After spending time away on loan, he had a run of three first team calls in March 2015 and made one substitute appearance against Gillingham in the middle of the month.[13] Onovwigun finished the 2014–15 season with three appearances and the option to extend his contract was taken up for another season.[12] Onovwigun made his only appearance of the 2015–16 season as a substitute during a 3–1 League Cup first round extra time defeat to Carlisle United on 11 August 2015 and he was released at the end of the campaign.[14][15]

Sheffield (loan)

Onovwigun joined Northern Premier League First Division South club Sheffield on a 28-day loan on 7 November 2014 and the deal was later extended until 3 January 2015.[16][17] He made eight appearances and scored two goals for the club.[18]

Stalybridge Celtic (loan)

On 6 February 2015, Onovwigun and Chesterfield teammate Charlie Dawes signed on a one-month loan for Conference North club Stalybridge Celtic.[19] He made his debut the following day,[20] coming on for Paul Ennis after 69 minutes of a 4–3 defeat to local rivals Stockport County.[21] It proved to be his only appearance and he departed on 27 February.[22]

Gateshead (loan)

On 24 March 2016, Onovwigun joined National League club Gateshead on loan until the end of the 2015–16 season.[23] He made three appearances before returning to the Spireites at the end of the season.[14]

Non-league football

On 16 August 2016, Onovwigun was announced as having signed for Isthmian League Premier Division club Dulwich Hamlet.[24] He made just two appearances for the club,[25] before moving within the division to join Kingstonian on 31 August.[26] After 11 appearances and two goals, he joined Southern League First Division Central club Farnborough on 24 November.[27] Onovwigun moved back up to the National League to join Southport on 7 January 2017 and returned to the Isthmian League Premier Division to sign for Merstham on 6 March.[28]

Onovwigun rejoined Dulwich Hamlet at the beginning of the 2017–18 season and was a part of the team which secured promotion to the National League South,[29] though he did not feature in Hamlet's successful Isthmian League Premier Division play-off campaign.[30][31] After signing a new contract,[32] Onovwigun joined Isthmian League Premier Division club Carshalton Athletic on a three-month loan in September 2018 and after returning to Dulwich Hamlet for the second half of the 2018–19 season,[33][34] he rejoined Carshalton on a permanent basis during the 2019 off-season.[35]

Onovwigun made two early-2019–20 season appearances for Carshalton Athletic,[36] before transferring to division rivals Lewes in late August 2019.[37] Until his release in December 2019,[38] Onovwigun was a regular member of the Lewes team and he moved up to the National League South to join Dartford in January 2020.[39][40] After just one appearance for the Darts,[41] he joined Isthmian League South Central Division club Staines Town on a dual-registration deal in February and then moved to North Division club Maldon & Tiptree on a permanent transfer in early March.[42][43] Onovwigun made three appearances for the Jammers,[44] before the 2019–20 Isthmian League season was ended early.[45] He announced his retirement from non-League football in July 2020.[46][47]

Sunday league football

In 2020, Onovwigun dropped into Sunday league football and joined Orpington & Bromley District Sunday League Senior Division club Lambeth Allstars.[48][49]

Personal life

Onovwigun attended a football and education programme at the University of East London.[50]

Career statistics
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Chesterfield 2014–15[12] League One 2000001[lower-alpha 1]030
2015–16[14] 4000100040
Total 6000101040
Sheffield (loan) 2014–15[18] Northern Premier League First Division South 51——3[lower-alpha 2]182
Stalybridge Celtic (loan) 2014–15[33] Conference North 10———10
Gateshead (loan) 2015–16[14] National League 30———30
Dulwich Hamlet 2016–17[25] Isthmian League Premier Division 2 0 — — — 2 0
Kingstonian 2016–17[51] Isthmian League Premier Division 9 2 1 0 — 1[lower-alpha 3] 0 11 2
Farnborough 2016–17[52] Southern League First Division Central 4 0 — — — 4 0
Southport 2016–17[33] National League 1 0 — — — 1 0
Merstham 2016–17[53] Isthmian League Premier Division 1 0 — — — 1 0
Dulwich Hamlet 2017–18[29] Isthmian League Premier Division 21 0 0 0 — 3[lower-alpha 4] 0 24 0
2018–19[33] National League South 10 0 0 0 — 2[lower-alpha 5] 0 12 0
Dulwich Hamlet total 33 0 0 0 — 5 0 38 0
Carshalton Athletic (loan) 2018–19[54] Isthmian League Premier Division 13 1 — — 4[lower-alpha 6] 0 17 1
Carshalton Athletic 2019–20[36] Isthmian League Premier Division 2 0 — — — 2 0
Carshalton Athletic total 15 1 — — 4 0 19 1
Lewes 2019–20[39] Isthmian League Premier Division 12 0 3 0 — 3[lower-alpha 7] 0 18 0
Dartford 2019–20[33] National League South 0 0 — — 1[lower-alpha 8] 0 1 0
Staines Town (dual-reg) 2019–20[55] Isthmian League South Central Division 5 1 — — — 5 1
Maldon & Tiptree 2019–20[44] Isthmian League North Division 3 0 — — — 3 0
Career total 98540101811216
  1. Appearance in Football League Trophy
  2. 2 appearances in Northern Premier League Challenge Cup, 1 appearance and 1 goal in Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup
  3. Appearances in Isthmian League Cup
  4. 2 appearances in Isthmian League Cup, 1 appearance in London Senior Cup
  5. Appearance in London Senior Cup
  6. 2 appearances in FA Trophy, 1 appearance in Isthmian League Cup, 1 appearance in Surrey Senior Cup
  7. 2 appearances in Sussex Senior Challenge Cup, 1 appearance in FA Trophy
  8. Appearance in Kent Senior Cup

References
  1. "List of Players under Written Contract Registered Between 01/02/2015 and 28/02/2015". The Football Association. p. 16. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  2. "Michael Onovwigun". 11v11. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  3. "Player Profile". Archived from the original on 14 April 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  4. "Bees Sign New Scholar". Brentfordfc.co.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  5. "Wycombe Wanderers 1 Brentford 4". Brentfordfc.co.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  6. "Professional Contracts Offered". Brentfordfc.co.uk. 19 April 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  7. "Youth Team Stats 2012/13". Brentfordfc.co.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  8. "2013/14 Youth Team Statistics". Brentfordfc.co.uk. 30 April 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  9. "2012/13 Development Squad Stats". Brentfordfc.co.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  10. "2013/14 Brentford Development Squad stats". Brentfordfc.co.uk. 31 May 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  11. "Spireites Sign Teenage Midfielder". Chesterfield-fc.co.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  12. "Games played by Michael Onovwigun in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  13. "Michael Onovwigun Player Profile". ESPN FC. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  14. "Games played by Michael Onovwigun in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  15. "Drew Talbot and Jordan Slew among players released by Chesterfield". www.thestar.co.uk. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  16. "Two new faces at Club". Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  17. "Loanee Stays Longer at Club". Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  18. "Fixtures and results". Sheffield FC. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  19. "Young Duo Move on Loan". Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  20. "Player Profile Michael Onovwigun". Stalybridge Celtic – Official Site. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  21. "Match Centre". Stalybridge Celtic – Official Site. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  22. "Player Profile Michael Onovwigun". Stalybridge Celtic – Official Site. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  23. "Michael Onovwigun: Chesterfield midfielder joins Gateshead on loan". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  24. "Hamlet Bring in Onovwigun". 16 August 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  25. "Michael Onovwigun – First XI". Dulwich Hamlet Football Club. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  26. "Done Deal: Ex-Chesterfield midfielder makes Kingstonian switch". Your Local Guardian. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  27. "Onovwigun & Orenuga Sign for Boro". Pitchero Non-League. 24 November 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  28. "Onovwigun Moves Back North". Pitchero Non-League. 7 January 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  29. "Dulwich Hamlet | Appearances | Michael Onovwigun | 2017–2018". Football Web Pages. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  30. "Dulwich Hamlet v Leiston". Football Web Pages.co.uk. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  31. "Dulwich Hamlet v Hendon". Football Web Pages.co.uk. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  32. "Ten Sign Up Again". Dulwich Hamlet Football Club. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  33. Michael Onovwigun at Soccerway. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  34. "Player Updates". Dulwich Hamlet Football Club. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  35. "Match Summary – Potters Bar Town". Carshalton Athletic Football Club. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  36. "Carshalton Athletic | Appearances | Michael Onovwigun | 2019–2020". Football Web Pages. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  37. "Internal transfers w/e 31st August 2019". The BetVictor Isthmian League. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  38. Collins, Barry (11 January 2020). "Lewes vs Carshalton Athletic". Lewes FC progcast. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  39. "Lewes | Appearances | Michael Onovwigun | 2019–2020". Football Web Pages. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  40. "Dartford v Dulwich Hamlet". Pure DFC. 23 January 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  41. "Report: Darts KO holders". Kent Online. 21 January 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  42. "So many Swans the Queen should be informed!". The BetVictor Isthmian League. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  43. "Jammers Add Onovwigun". www.pitchero.com. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  44. "Michael Onouwigun – Maldon & Tiptree 1st Team". www.pitchero.com. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  45. "FA Council ratify decision to end non-league season below National League". Maldon and Burnham Standard. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  46. @herefor2mins (29 July 2020). "Thanks to everyone that's helped me along the way really appreciate all of you 1/2 ..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  47. @herefor2mins (29 July 2020). "2/2" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  48. "Michael Onovwigun". Lambeth Allstars. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  49. "Michael Onovwigun". fulltime-league.thefa.com. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  50. "Football". University of East London (UEL). Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  51. "Michael Onovwigun – First Team". Kingstonian FC. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  52. "Michael Onovwigun Profile". Aylesbury United FC. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  53. "Merstham | Appearances | Michael Onunwigun | 2016–2017". Football Web Pages. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
  54. "Carshalton Athletic | Appearances | Michael Onovwigun | 2018–2019". Football Web Pages. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  55. "Staines Town | Appearances | Michael Onovwigun | 2019–2020". Football Web Pages. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
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