Meet Danny Ormerod the non-league striker who could follow Jamie Vardy as the next big export. (Image: Aidan Wilson)
It was a strike that captured the imagination of more than 230,000 viewers on social media. Danny Ormerod, 19, collected the ball deep in his own half, took a single touch and cheekily chipped the ball into the net – an effort bearing a striking resemblance to Manchester United and England forward Wayne Rooney‘s iconic goal against West Ham United.
The opposing manager watching from the home dugout? The Three Lions legend’s brother, John, at Moss Rose, the home ground of Macclesfield, where reigning FA Cup holders Crystal Palace had been left shell-shocked just six weeks previously. It was the most recent moment of brilliance from the teenager, rounding off the scoring in a commanding 4-1 victory for promotion contenders AFC Fylde.
Ormerod — bearing no relation to Premier League cult figure Brett — has taken the National League North, the sixth tier of English football, by storm, and sits comfortably clear at the top of the golden boot race with 27 goals.
« Loads of people have said that to me, it’s like [Wayne] Rooney’s one from the halfway line, » he told the Express when reflecting on that stunning effort against Macclesfield. « I didn’t have a clue what to do. It’s all bizarre but I was just going mental. »
Arms outstretched, Ormerod wheeled away the length of the pitch towards the travelling Fylde faithful, potentially sewing up the goal of the season contest as early as February. Few goals have come anywhere near Ormerod’s effort, and none will. Indeed, it comes as little surprise that the post from one user, displaying the spectacular long-range strike, declares: « enjoy him while he’s in non-league », with Football League sides already lining up and vying for his signature.
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« I’m very proud of myself but it’s not done yet and it’s nowhere near done, there’s still games left, » Ormerod says. « The main target is to win the league, I’ve got my own goals, like top scorer and everything, but the main aim is to win the league and go up.
« I want to play as high as I possibly can, that’s the aim at the end. I’m only young. I believe in myself that I can do it; I don’t think about the future too much. At the minute I’m just thinking game by game, I want to win the league because that would just be the best thing ».
Craig Mahon took over AFC Fylde in the summer and had plans to sign a new striker until Danny Ormerod’s form took off. (Image: STEVEMCLELLAN FOTO/Fylde)
The 19-year-old could find himself following in the footsteps of Jamie Vardy, non-league’s most recent major success story after joining Leicester City for over £1million from Fleetwood Town – then non-league, or his idols Harry Kane and Erling Haaland. Kane, who is excelling in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich, spent time on loan in the lower divisions during his development years.
Meanwhile, Leicester City legend Vardy proceeded to capture the Premier League title with the Foxes and score on the international stage for England, a world away from competing with defenders in the modest tiers for Stocksbridge Park Steels, FC Halifax Town and the Cod Army. The 19-year-old has his sights set on reaching 35 goals, having already surpassed his initial target of 20 before a ball was kicked in August.
That is a remarkable achievement in itself, having only broken into the first team as an 18-year-old, where he netted eight goals in 59 appearances in the National League, including a five-match stint in the division below with Chorley in which he bagged three goals last season. In his first complete campaign in the sixth tier, he has set the league alight and, almost, made it appear effortless.
He says: « It’s not easy. It’s not. I’ve scored loads of goals for a 19-year-old, it’s all a bit mad. I know I can finish, I can score goals, I know I’ve got good movement, I know can run, it’s just about believing in yourself that you can score. Obviously, it’s worked out.
« I didn’t play loads of games last season just coming off the bench here and there. I think physically I’m a bit better now. »
The Vardy story strikes a chord with non-league players the length and breadth of the country: the ambition of becoming a professional footballer neither begins nor ends in academy football. With Ormerod’s rise to prominence, he is demonstrating the potential of following that well-worn path.
Manager Craig Mahon says: « I think he’s a little like Harry Kane now, isn’t he? For us Danny’s just been a joy to watch. He’s just grown and grown. I think if you look at the Harry Kane story, when he went out on loan, got game time and got his confidence, then he’s gone back and the career he’s had. I’m hoping Danny can do something like that. »
Mahon was appointed as Fylde’s manager at the start of the season following their demotion from the National League. The 36-year-old transitioned into a player-manager position at Curzon Ashton, a Greater Manchester outfit now competing at the same tier as Fylde in step six, before being recruited by the Coasters, having enjoyed a distinguished playing career.
Danny Ormerod has scored 27 league goals at 19. (Image: Aidan Wilson)
As he set about building a squad capable of recovering from relegation, a striker was among the key positions requiring attention. However, he discovered a highly-touted 19-year-old, Ormerod, who has subsequently scored his way into contention, becoming irreplaceable. Despite his youth, the forward possesses that cunning and energy to challenge those battle-hardened centre-backs, with an aerial ability alongside the pace, strength and finishing to make him a torment for defenders.
Mahon explains: « When we came in, we knew we had to sort of rebuild the squad a bit. What happened last year, getting relegated and a lot of players leaving, we only had about, it was between eight or nine players left in the building.
« So we knew, we had the rebuild. Danny was unproven. We knew he had something, but we didn’t know how good he could be. »enjoy him whilst he’s in non-league »We were looking at a striker for a long time, but as time has gone on, and Danny’s shown us time and time again how good he is, we didn’t need to bring in a striker.
« You can’t give him an inch really because if he gets a sniff or if he gets a chance, he’s more likely going to score, I’m glad I don’t have to worry about that one. »
Ormerod suffered heartbreak within the academy system in his early teenage years when he failed to secure a scholar’s contract at Blackpool. He joined forces with Fylde after a friend of his turned out for the Coasters.
Several years on, and he has emerged as one of the most coveted prospects on the transfer market. Throughout the January transfer window, Bradford City and Gillingham registered their interest, yet the League One and Two outfits represented just a fraction of the considerable attention, with several Championship clubs also keeping a close watch.
Fylde are spearheading the promotion charge, occupying top spot and sitting a single point ahead of nearest rivals South Shields. Their ambitions are firmly fixed on returning to within one step of the Football League. The club’s aspiration is that securing promotion could persuade Ormerod to commit for at least another campaign, though transfer speculation continues to simmer in the background.
« It’s going to be tough [to keep him], » says Mahon. « That’s why our plans are to try and get to the next level and hopefully we can bring Dan along with us. »enjoy him whilst he’s in non-league. The chairman’s got ambitions, he wants to go as high as we possibly can and if Dan can see that we’re trying to do the right things and that we’ve got the ambition of where he wants to go, hopefully he might join us for the journey.
« At the moment we couldn’t put a price tag on Danny, he’s priceless for us, he’s one of the many reasons why we are where we are in the league. There’s always clubs sniffing around and there’s people talking about him, but as we spoke to Danny, Danny’s just focusing on football, that’s just who he is. He wants to do something special this year. »
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