
Future Stans: John Abubakar

Signing on a free transfer from Brighouse in March 2016, John Abubakar is awaiting his chance to arise in the first team of Bradford Park Avenue.
The young 16-year-old right-winger was scouted in 2012 at the age of twelve by West Yorkshire-based side Brighouse Town. Since then he made his debut aged 15 for his boyhood club. His first match was against Stamford AFC in the depths of the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League South. Brighouse won 4-1 with Abubakar assisting Tom Matthews' second goal of the game.
From that point on, Abubakar went on to play eight more league games for Brighouse before Bradford Park Avenue's Chief Scout, Kenny Lindoe came knocking.
"I'd heard from a few staff in our regional scouting system about a young lad. I watched Brighouse's 1-1 draw with Clitheroe and by then I'd made my judgement. We had to sign this kid up immediately." Commented Bradford's Chief Scout Lindoe on young John Abubakar.
Lindoe highlighted Abubakar's 'lightening' turn of pace which simply bullied lower league full-backs, as well as his talent actually on the ball to both Bradford's Head of Youth Development and manager, Adam Chabukiani.
The young Sukhumi-born manager spoke about his first time watching Abubakar: "I tell you what, I've seen some young players in both my playing and management career but none of them have excited me as much as John when he turned up for a two-week trial. He was straight in my office after his first training session,"
Abubakar has yet to make an appearance for the first-team at Horsfall Stadium. The 6'2" dynamo can play on the right side of midfield, as well as holding a number 10 role at some points in his Under-21 career.
The youngster has provisionally agreed a contract with the club which takes him off his current scholar deal up to a part-time deal for when he turns 17 in July 2017.
With young players dominating the starting eleven in Chabukiani's team, including fellow youth product Caner Dumlupinar, who has started 23 games this season, Abubakar can not be far away from his first-team debut for The Stans.