Adebayo Akinfenwa: 'Swansea took me into their hearts'

Adebayo Akinfenwa has made 33 appearances for Wycombe in all competitions this season

Adebayo Akinfenwa is looking forward to returning to the Liberty Stadium for the first time as a player when Wycombe face Swansea City.

Akinfenwa, 38, joined Swansea in the summer of 2005, coinciding with the club's move to its new home.

He scored the first competitive goal at the stadium and nearly 16 years later will be back on Saturday with his 14th club.

"The Liberty Stadium was my education and I'm looking forward to it," he said.

"To come back to a place I owe a lot to in the sense of what I took from coming here and the education, it will be a beautiful thing.

"I'm gutted there won't be any fans there. They took me into their hearts and still today they show love.

"But I'll still take in the atmosphere and enjoy the day and hopefully, fingers crossed, we get the result that we need.

Lee Trundle played alongside Akinfenwa in Swansea's first competitive match at the Liberty Stadium, a 1-0 win over Tranmere in League One in August 2005

The forward, who will be 39 in May, has kept in touch with Trundle, who is now a Swansea City club ambassador.

"Trunds knows I've got major love for him," Akinfenwa added.

"Of all the players I've played with since him he still ranks as number one. I learnt so much off him, on and off the pitch.

"At the time you don't take it in when I was playing alongside Trundle

Adebayo Akinfenwa joined Swansea from Torquay United in 2005

"But as I got older I realised wherever we went when I was playing with Trundle there was heckling Trunds or praising Trunds and the way he handled it, he took it in his stride.

"He didn't allow it to change him, he went out there and he was focused.

"When that started to happen to me I'd remember how Trunds dealt with it."

While Swansea are third in the Championship and chasing promotion, Wycombe are battling at the other end of the table.

Gareth Ainsworth's side are bottom of the table and 10 points off safety with five games to go as they bid to avoid a quick return to League One after promotion last season via the play-offs.

"We always knew this season was going to be difficult for us," Akinfenwa told BBC Radio Wales Sport.

"There was never any hiding that but at the same time we always said we would fight. But we;ve got to win every game. These are five cup finals.

"We've looked at the table and we could win all five and still go down. Maybe we've left it a little bit too late."