Ché Adams

Early career

Adams was born in Leicester, where he played football as a youngster for Highfield Rangers. He joined Coventry City's youth academy as a seven-year-old, and was released at fourteen. He then played youth football for Leicester club St Andrews before joining Oadby Town in 2012. Initially playing for their youth team, Adams soon moved into the first team; over the 2012–13 season, the sixteen-year-old made 33 appearances for Oadby in the United Counties League, of which 27 were in the starting eleven, and scored five goals.

Adams took up a scholarship with Ilkeston's academy, and helped their team win their section of the Football Conference Youth Alliance and reach the second round proper of the 2013–14 FA Youth Cup. He was also playing first-team football in the Northern Premier League. Making his debut on 13 October as a very late substitute in a 3–2 win away to Stocksbridge Park Steels, Adams made his first league start in November, was sent off for elbowing an opponent on Boxing Day, scored his first senior goal for the club to complete a 3–1 win away to Ashton United on 5 April – he "picked up a loose ball and made a fine run through midfield and provided a left foot finish despite [the goalkeeper's] best effort to make the block" – and finished his season with the Derbyshire Senior Cup final, in which he was fouled for the penalty kick that made sure of Ilkeston's victory.

After Adams began 2014–15 in impressive fashion – introduced after 64 minutes of the second match of the season, "his pace, power and energy scar[ed] the life out of Stourbridge for the remainder of the game" as he provided two assists and was fouled for a penalty, before scoring twice in the next match, against Trafford – Ilkeston signed him to a one-year contract. He continued in similar vein: away to Stamford, Ilkeston's first and third goals were scored on the rebound when Adams' shots were parried, he was fouled for the free kick that led to the second, and "picked the ball up 35 yards out, beat a defender with ease and slid the ball home" to complete a 4–0 win; against Ashton United and FC United of Manchester, he used strength and pace to take the ball from his own half to score; and by the end of October, when 45 scouts were reported to be watching him score his ninth goal of the season to add to eleven assists, Ilkeston's chairman was resigned to his departure.