Stanley Udenkwor
Encyclopedia
Stanley Obumneme Udenkwor (born May 1, 1981 in Akwa-Etiti, Nigeria
) is a Nigerian-born, Polish
professional footballer.
playing for Jasper United
In 2001, Udenkwor moved to Poland
and signed with Polonia Warsaw. Udenkwor successfully applied for a Polish passport, and in turn became a citizen. He became the second black African footballer to become a Polish citizen, the other being Emmanuel Olisadebe
, who went on to feature for the Polish international team. Incidentally Olisadebe also started his career at Jasper United. His next football move was to sign for Okęcie Warszawa
, before spending time in the Azerbaijan Premier League
with PFC Neftchi
. He then moved to England
and joined Gainsborough Trinity
, who were playing in the Conference North
league, which is the 6th tier of English football. Udenkwor was firstly given a trial by the clubs manager Paul Mitchell, and after scoring a hat-trick in his debut for the reserves, he was given a short term contract.
His stay at Gainsborough was well covered in the local media, mainly down to the fact that while at Polonia Warsaw he featured in the UEFA Champions League
, which is a notable and attractive achievement for any player playing at that level in the English game. Stanley was also joined at The Northolme
by Tam Vo and Lhereux Menga, two French-born forwards who originate from Africa
like himself, but both had progressed from the French Non League scene.
After only five games, one of them being the club's 3-1 home defeat to Barnet
in the first round of the FA Cup
, Stanley was released by Trinity after failing to do enough to extend his contract, as well as failing to live up to the high expectations of the Trinity supporterts and his manager. Following his release by the club, he returned to Poland and signed for Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biała, and later went on to play for Mazur Karczew before joining Chrobry Głogów
.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
) is a Nigerian-born, Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
professional footballer.
Career
Udenkwor started his career off in his native NigeriaNigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
playing for Jasper United
Jasper United
Jasper United was a Nigerian football club based in the city of Onitsha.Founded by Jude Ezechukwu in 1991 under the name Premier Breweries FC, they were founding member of the Professional League second division....
In 2001, Udenkwor moved to Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and signed with Polonia Warsaw. Udenkwor successfully applied for a Polish passport, and in turn became a citizen. He became the second black African footballer to become a Polish citizen, the other being Emmanuel Olisadebe
Emmanuel Olisadebe
Emmanuel Olisadebe is a Nigerian-born Polish football striker who plays for Greek football club Vyzas Megaron in Gamma Ethniki....
, who went on to feature for the Polish international team. Incidentally Olisadebe also started his career at Jasper United. His next football move was to sign for Okęcie Warszawa
Okecie Warszawa
Okęcie Warszawa is a Polish sports club from the Okęcie neighbourhood of Warsaw. Founded in 1929 as Skoda Warszawa, its name was changed into Okęcie in 1936. The club is located at 1 Radarowa Street in Warsaw...
, before spending time in the Azerbaijan Premier League
Azerbaijan Premier League
-Attendance:- Records :Players in the Premier League compete for the Azerbaijan Premier League Golden Boot, awarded to the top scorer at the end of each season. Nazim Aliyev is the league's all-time top scorer with 183 goals, including 39 in the 1992 season.During the 1995–96 season he became the...
with PFC Neftchi
PFC Neftchi
Neftchi Baku PFC , also known simply as Neftchi, is an Azerbaijani football club based in the capital, Baku, that currently plays in the Azerbaijan Premier League...
. He then moved to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and joined Gainsborough Trinity
Gainsborough Trinity F.C.
Gainsborough Trinity Football Club are an English football club based in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire.Between 1896 and 1912 they were members of the Football League. They are currently in the Conference North, and play their home matches at The Northolme, which has a capacity of 4,304...
, who were playing in the Conference North
Conference North
The Conference North also known as Blue Square Bet North for sponsorship reasons, is a division of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National. Along with Conference South it is at Step 2 of the National League System and the sixth overall tier of...
league, which is the 6th tier of English football. Udenkwor was firstly given a trial by the clubs manager Paul Mitchell, and after scoring a hat-trick in his debut for the reserves, he was given a short term contract.
His stay at Gainsborough was well covered in the local media, mainly down to the fact that while at Polonia Warsaw he featured in the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
, which is a notable and attractive achievement for any player playing at that level in the English game. Stanley was also joined at The Northolme
The Northolme
The Northolme is a multi-use stadium in Gainsborough, England. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of Gainsborough Trinity F.C....
by Tam Vo and Lhereux Menga, two French-born forwards who originate from Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
like himself, but both had progressed from the French Non League scene.
After only five games, one of them being the club's 3-1 home defeat to Barnet
Barnet F.C.
Barnet Football Club is an English football team from High Barnet, London, England, currently playing in Football League Two. The ground is in the town of Barnet within the London Borough of Barnet....
in the first round of the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
, Stanley was released by Trinity after failing to do enough to extend his contract, as well as failing to live up to the high expectations of the Trinity supporterts and his manager. Following his release by the club, he returned to Poland and signed for Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biała, and later went on to play for Mazur Karczew before joining Chrobry Głogów
Chrobry Głogów
Chrobry Głogów is a Polish football club based in Głogów, Poland. It was founded in 1946. The team's official colors are orange and black. Chrobry currently competes in Polish Second League, the third tier of Polish league football.- Current squad :...
.