Introducing Danny Ormerod, a non-league striker who could be the next big thing after Jamie Vardy. (Image: Aidan Wilson)
The strike captured the imagination of more than 230,000 viewers on social media. 19-year-old Danny Ormerod collected the ball deep in his own half and cheekily chipped the ball into the net with one touch. The shot was very similar to Manchester United and England forward Wayne Rooney’s iconic goal against West Ham United.
Is the opposing manager watching from the home dugout? The Three Lions legend’s younger brother John played at Moss Rose, the home of Macclesfield. This is where current FA Cup holders Crystal Palace suffered a shock just six weeks ago. This was the teenager’s brightest moment, as he rounded out the scoring with a resounding 4-1 victory for promotion contenders AFC Fylde.
Ormerod has no connection to Premier League cult figure Brett, but he has dominated English football’s sixth tier, the National League North, and sits squarely at the top of the Golden Boot lace with 27 goals.
“A lot of people have told me that, it’s like[Wayne]Rooney’s shot from the halfway line,” he told the Express, recalling his incredible strike against Macclesfield. “I had no idea what to do. Everything was weird, but I was just going crazy mentally.”
Arms outstretched, Ormerod criss-crossed the pitch towards the traveling Fylde faithful, potentially completing his goal of a season contest as early as February. Few goals have matched Ormerod’s, and there will never be another. Indeed, with Football League teams already lining up to get his signature, it’s no surprise that one user’s post showed off his impressive long-range attack and declared: “Let’s enjoy him while he’s in non-league.”
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“I’m very proud of myself, but it’s not over yet and it’s far from over. There’s still a game left,” Ormerod says. “The main goal is to win the league, and I have my own goals like being the top scorer, but the main goal is to win the league and move up the rankings.
“I want to play at the highest level possible. That’s the ultimate goal. I’m still young. I believe I can do it. I’m not thinking too much about the future. At the moment I’m just thinking about one game at a time. I want to win the league, because that’s the best thing.”
Craig Mahon took over at AFC Fylde in the summer and had plans to sign a new striker until Danny Ormerod got back on track. (Image: STEVEMCLLAN FOTO/Fylde)
The 19-year-old joined Leicester City from then-non-league Fleetwood Town for more than £1 million and could follow in the footsteps of non-league’s latest big success story, Jamie Vardy, as well as his idols Harry Kane and Erling Haaland. Kane, who has excelled in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich, was loaned out in the lower leagues during his development days.
Meanwhile, Leicester City legend Vardy won the Premier League title with the Foxes and scored on the international stage for England, setting himself apart from competition from mid-table defenders such as Stocksbridge Park Steels, FC Halifax Town and the Cod Army. The 19-year-old is aiming to reach 35 goals and had already surpassed his original goal of 20 before kicking a ball in August.
This is an impressive feat in itself, having only broken into the first team aged 18, scoring eight goals in 59 appearances in the National League, including five in the lower leagues against Chorley, where he scored three goals last season. In his first full campaign in the sixth tier, he set the league on fire and looked almost effortless.
He said: “It’s not easy. It’s not easy. I’ve scored a lot of goals for a 19-year-old but it’s all a bit crazy. I know I can score, I know I can move well, I know I can run. I just have to believe in myself that I can score. Obviously, it worked out.”
“Last season I didn’t play much, just coming off the bench here and there. Physically, I think I’m a little better now.”
Vardy’s story resonates with nonleague players across the country. The ambition to become a professional footballer neither begins nor ends with academy football. As Mr. Ormerod’s fame grows, he has shown potential to follow that familiar path.
Manager Craig Mahon said: “I think he’s a bit like Harry Kane at the moment. For us, Danny is a lot of fun to watch. He’s growing and developing. If you look at Harry Kane’s story, when he went out on loan and got some minutes and got his confidence, I think he came back to where he was in his career. I hope Danny does something like that.”
Mahon was appointed manager of Fylde at the beginning of the season after Fylde were relegated from the National League. The 36-year-old enjoyed an outstanding playing career before being scouted by the Coasters, moving into a player-manager position at Greater Manchester side Curzon Ashton, who currently compete in the same tier as Fylde in Step 6.
Danny Ormerod scored 27 league goals at the age of 19. (Image: Aidan Wilson)
Striker was one of the key positions that needed attention as they set out to build a team that could recover from relegation. However, he discovered Ormerod, a highly touted 19-year-old who went on to score and play matches, becoming irreplaceable. Despite his youth, the forward has the cunning and energy to challenge seasoned centre-backs, and has the speed, strength and finishing as well as aerial ability to trouble defenders.
Mahon explains: “When we came in, we knew we had to rebuild the team a little bit. With what happened last year, with the relegation and a lot of players leaving, we only had about eight or nine players left in the team.
“So we knew, we needed a rebuild. Danny was unproven. We knew he had something, but we didn’t know how good a player he would be. ‘Enjoy him while he’s in non-league.’
“I can’t give him any chance because if he gets a sniff or gets a chance, he’s more likely to score. I’m glad I don’t have to worry about that.”
In his early teens, Ormerod failed to secure a scholarship contract at Blackpool and experienced heartbreak within the academy system. He worked with Filde after Filde’s friend transferred to the Coasters.
Years later, he has emerged as one of the most coveted prospects in the transfer market. Bradford City and Gillingham had shown interest throughout the January transfer window, but League One and League Two sides were just part of the big picture, with several Championship clubs also keeping a close eye on him.
Fylde are at the forefront of promotion, occupying top spot and one point ahead of nearest rivals South Shields. Their ambitions are firmly set on getting back to within a whisker of the Football League. The club’s hope is that by securing promotion they can commit Ormerod to at least one more season, but speculation about a move simmers behind the scenes.
“It’s going to be tough (to keep him),” Mahon said. “That’s why our plan is to try to get to the next level and hopefully we can bring Dan in. Enjoy him while he’s in non-league. The Chairman has ambitions and wants to reach as high as possible. If Dan can understand that we are trying to do the right thing and that he has the ambition to go, he might join us on our journey.
“You can’t put a price tag on Danny at the moment. He’s invaluable to us and he’s one of the many reasons why we’re here in the league. There’s always clubs sniffing around and people talking about him, but speaking to Danny, he’s just focused on football. That’s who he is. He wants to do something special this year.”
