As the curtain came down on the Sky Bet League One Play-Off Final, so did the sun on Wycombe Wanderers forward Adebayo Akinfenwa's football career.
Veteran striker Akinfenwa, who has represented 11 different EFL Clubs across a career that spans over two decades, replaced Dominic Gape in the 75th minute, coming on for his ‘Last Dance’ for the final 15 minutes of the game.
Despite the 2-0 defeat to Sunderland, the 40-year-old was given a rousing send-off by Chairboys fans under the arch as the full-time whistle sounded.
Akinfenwa, who achieved promotion to the second tier with Wycombe for the first time in 2019/20, had a message for the Wanderers faithful, his fans and his team mates.
“Thank you for taking me into their hearts and thank you for allowing me to be a part of the journey."
“That’s all I can say – thank you. They know and I’m proud to know them and to have played with these boys and be a part of this Club.
đź’Ş A message from the @daRealAkinfenwa after his last dance đź’™#EFLPlayOffs | #StepUp | @wwfcofficial pic.twitter.com/ebYWgoKQ5G
— EFL (@EFL) May 21, 2022
“Maybe next week, I’ll take in my career, but today, I can’t lie, I wanted to go out with a win and get Wycombe into the Championship.
“We’re footballers and we’re competitors, so we wanted to win. It didn’t happen, and I can’t help but be disappointed, but I can look back at my career and be proud.
“This group and this Club, there’s no other Club like it. The group is immense and it’s the definition of togetherness. They’ll come back stronger, believe me."
