Dorking Wanderers have signed a loyal supporter to play in goal ahead of their non-league clash with AFC Totton this weekend.
With first-choice goalkeeper Harrison Foulkes set to be sidelined for four weeks with a spleen injury, outspoken manager Marc White has opted to sign 54-year-old fan and loyal supporter Terry Dunn.
Dunn, who hung up his boots back in 1997, will feature for the Wanderers on Saturday in their National League South clash at Meadowbank.
54-year-old goalkeeper slated for Dorking Wanderers debut this weekend
With time running out and Foulkes injured, White has been left with no choice but to call upon the services of Dunn for an occasion he will most likely never forget.
Dunn, 54, whose former clubs include the now extinct North Holmwood FC, is said to have won multiple promotions with local sides in and around the Surrey area and is well known by those at the club.
“Playing in goal is like riding a bike – you never forget it," said Dunn after signing for the Wanderers on a short-term deal. "I still regularly play walking football. As a Wanderers fan, no one will be trying harder than me to keep a clean sheet on Saturday.”
Manager and chairman White added: "In an era where passion comes in low quantities, 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.”
Fans have been advised that Dunn will play just one game for the club, with Dorking set to sign a new goalkeeper on Monday ahead of a busy period of games.
The Wanderers are bidding to earn promotion back to the National League after relegation in 2023/24. White is also back in the dugout on Saturday after most recently serving a six-match touchline ban for a sexist comment he made about women on a podcast.
In FourFourTwo's view, stories like these remind us why we love the beautiful game so much. We wish Dunn and Dorking all the very best for the weekend.
If you would like to watch more of the crazy antics at Meadowbank, Dorking's brilliant fly-on-the-wall football series is available on YouTube, with new episodes uploaded every week, in the football docu-series 'Bunch of Amateurs'.
