ˈɛkoʊkˌuː bɪɡˈæn hɪz kɚɹˈɪɹ æt sˈʌʔn̩ ˈʌtd, bˌʌt mˌeɪd ðə mˈuːv ˌɪntʊ lˈiːɡ fˈʊtbɔːl ɪnðə sˈʌmɚɹ ʌv nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti wɛn hiː sˈaɪnd fɔːɹ ˌeɪˌɛfsˈiː bˈoːɹnɛməθ, hˌuː hæd dʒˈʌst bˌɪn ɹˈɛlᵻɡˌeɪɾᵻd tə ðə θˈɜːd dᵻvˈɪʒən.
Ekoku began his career at Sutton Utd, but made the move into league football in the summer of 1990 when he signed for AFC Bournemouth, who had just been relegated to the Third Division.