Dorking Wanderers to Play 54-Year-Old Fan in Goal in National League South Game on Saturday

Goalkeeper Gloves on Grass Pitch

Admittedly we’re in the midst of an international break, but we’d have laid long odds that you wouldn’t have expected one of the biggest betting market moves of the weekend to come down in non-league National League South.

But that’s exactly what has happened at Dorking Wanderers, who have been forced to play a 54-year-old fan in goal during their clash with AFC Totton.

Unsurprisingly, Dorking had drifted from 1/2 to 23/20 after the bizarre news update was released on social media.

Playing for Keeps

Dorking v Totton Betting

Desperate times call for desperate measures, with Dorking left without a recognised goalkeeper for the National League South fixture.

Injuries, including a nasty sounding spleen injury suffered by regular number one Harrison Foulkes, have seen the Wanderers denied the services of three established goalkeepers.

And so Terry Dunn, a 54-year-old that has never played at a level higher than local league football, has been drafted in as emergency cover, with the club unable to secure a loan move in time for the weekend’s game.

“Playing in goal is like riding a bike – you never forget it,” Dunn, who last played in 1997, said. As a Wanderers fan, no-one will be trying harder than me to keep a clean sheet on Saturday.”

Marc White, who is both Dorking’s manager and chairman, commented:

“What Terry lacks in mobility, he’ll make up for in heart – and for one game, we’re just going to have to get on with it.”

White, a controversial figure, will return to the dugout on Saturday after serving a six-match ban over sexist comments made while recording a podcast.

Bookmakers have seen a weight of money come in for AFC Totton to win the game – they are a more than respectable side, sitting sixth in the National League South table, and will no doubt be shooting from all angles. The match market on the betting exchange had, at the time of writing on Friday lunchtime, been suspended.

Sir Stanley Matthews is the oldest player to have ever appeared in the professional ranks of English football, having turned 50 at the time of his final game.

But it’s likely that Dunn, assuming he does start, will become the oldest player ever to feature at the semi-professional level.

This Is an Emergency

Of course, a club will normally sign an emergency goalkeeper on loan if their normal shot-stopper, and their back-up, are injured or unavailable.

But sometimes that isn’t possible, due to an emergency situation unfolding in close proximity to kick off.

In the mid-1990s, Russell Hoult was the third-choice goalkeeper at Leicester City. He decided to attend one game that he wasn’t involved in as a spectator, tucking into a pre-match hot dog as he settled into his seat.

But then the Foxes’ keeper got injured during the warm-up, forcing the substitute to step up and take their place. That left a vacancy on the subs bench, which saw Leicester coaching staff calling Hoult – hot dog in hand – down to the tunnel to get changed.

More common goalkeeping emergencies see an outfield player don the gloves instead.

Generally, a player will volunteer to be put into service – or, perhaps, be volunteered by their manager if they are perceived to be a less important outfield player.

But even so, some of the greats of the game have taken on the challenge. Pele, while turning out for Brazilian side Santos, actually ended up in goal on more than one occasion.

It would seem foolhardy to put one of the best players ever to lace up a pair of boots in goal, but Pele was – according to teammates and coaches – also excellent between the sticks, too.

Pele wasn’t the only striker to prove adept in goal. Niall Quinn was so good that he was used as an emergency keeper by both Sunderland and Manchester City – saving a penalty for the latter.

And when Jack Charlton named his Republic of Ireland squad for World Cup 1990, Quinn was listed as both a forward and a goalkeeper – freeing up a place in his squad for another outfield player, as opposed to a third-choice keeper.

Alfredo Di Stefano, Bobby Moore, Nat Lofthouse, Gerd Muller, Glenn Hoddle, Harry Kane… some of the greatest footballers in history have donned the gloves down the years.