Dorking Wandering
The Dorking Wanderers FC Fans Forum
These are the only two players that I can think of in recent years who have left the club and "played higher".
In every other case, I can think of any player that leaves the club either moves sideways to the same league or drops down a league when they leave the club. Even Briggs could only manage to move sideways to Salisbury and has found starting minutes difficult to come by. The likes of Jack Jebb despite his arrogance about being different gravy and league 1 level, is now a regular in the league below and lets face it that is his level now.
Haydn Hollis had a terrible time at the club, was truly awful at CB and we were glad to see him go. But somehow he has forged a career at the division above for a Tamworth side that looks to be safe and establishing itself in the national league premier.
Question: Why did it go so wrong for Hollis at the club despite him clearly being a national league Premier CB?
Dom Plank on the other hand did step up to Wolves academy when leaving the club, and we were sad to see him go, but was quickly released and has not progressed. He is currently at Hearts "B" team. Hardly a step up and as he approaches 20 years old in November, has still not played any senior football. If he was to leave Hearts "B" its a racing certainty that he would come back to Surrey and would struggle to find a club even at National League South level.
Question: Would we take him back when his contract at Hearts "B" ends? Or has he just not fulfilled his potential to become a professional as Hearts "B" is hardly living the dream for a lad from Cranleigh?
Disagree that Hollis was awful, he was generally pretty decent for us from a defensive point of view. He was MOTM in some important games away at York and in the 4-1 Chesterfield win at Meadowbank. The reason he didn't quite fit was that he is not a ball playing centre back so just didn't suit how we play. Tamworth play a back 4 and go long which suits his general game a lot more. He just doesn't have the pace to play left of a back 3.
As you say, I don't see Dom Plank coming back and immediately playing Step 2 level. I think he would almost certainly go and play step 3 or 4 somewhere first.
You can probably add Oldaker, Beard, Barham and Brooking as players who left or went on to play at a higher level as well. Sam Howes (who we will see this weekend) was at Leyton Orient for the past couple of seasons as well.
Hollis was far from awful, he was just asked to play a role completely alien to him by the management team. A very solid 6 foot 5 or whatever CB being asked to play left of a back 3, high up the pitch and defend one on one out wide was always a recipe for disaster that for some reason they kept persisting with. Was always a reliable player there if you played to his strengths.
