WHEN strikers reach 26 years old, the general consensus is that they are reaching the peak of their powers. For Swindon Town striker Tomi Adeloye, he says he is just getting started.

A powerful forward who can count seven clubs among his former employers, the former Stoke City Under-23 man has never reached 40 games for a single team as he bounced around the lower English leagues and the Scottish Championship.

But having recently agreed to become Scott Lindsey’s number nine as League Two Town attempt to go one better than they managed last term, Adeloye is eager to build on a 12-goal haul for Ayr United and show those who doubted him how wrong they really were.

Ahead of Swindon’s League Two opener with Harrogate Town, Adeloye explained the point in his career he believes he has reached.

He said: “I feel like I’m at a point in my career where a lot of people probably gave up on me or maybe felt like I was once a wonder kid, or coming through I was a top talent, and it never really happened for me.

“People probably thought I was not serious anymore or I didn’t want to play anymore.

“But I feel like over the past two years I feel like I’ve shown everybody that I’m still here, I’m still fighting, and a lot of people are turning their heads now.

“Especially people that, two years ago, maybe thought I was gone. People are paying attention now, and that feeling is a good one.”

Much like many of his new teammates, the road to SN1 has not been straightforward for Adeloye.

The 26-year-old played just 15 times in three seasons between 2015-18, missing the 16-17 campaign entirely.

But having matured and hopefully moved past a cluster of bad-luck situations, Swindon’s number nine feels ready to build on his best ever season of 11 goals and four assists in 32 games last time out.

Adeloye said: “I know what I’ve always been able to do, but sometimes in the past it was out of my hands and sometimes I could have been more patient.

“But you live and you learn, and I’m finally at a place where I feel like my career is in my own hands.

“If I do what I know I can do and do what I did last season and find that level of consistency, then I know I can be unstoppable – nothing can stop me.”