Away On Saturday: October 2023

Eastbourne Borough 1-1 Dartford

National League South

Tuesday 24th October 2023

Having watched plenty of good young players in the past, this is a game I’ll remember for a long time because of the impression which Fletcher Holman made.

I’d already picked him out as Eastbourne’s best player in the first half and had been Googling his name to find out more when, not long after half-time, he received the ball just inside the Dartford half, turned Moussa Diarra inside out and accelerated into a one-on-one with Mitchell Beeney where he provided the perfect finish before sprinting off to the corner pumped with adrenaline to celebrate with the Eastbourne fans who couldn’t believed what they’d just witnessed.

It was quality!

Sadly, his strike didn’t turn out to be the winner as Brandon Barzey equalised for Dartford about 10 minutes later when he beat Harrison Foulkes (a name I was already familiar with following his loan spell at Kettering last year - in the same team as some top lads like Keaton Ward and Jimmy Knowles) - and in the end Borough were probably the happier of the two teams with the point they battled to get.

Dartford were big, strong, organised, worked off a long-throw (always a useful weapon to possess) and had the better of the chances in the latter stages as a last-ditch tackle, a couple of shots going wide, and a couple of routine saves by the old Kettering ‘keeper kept them out. They certainly look like a difficult team to beat; albeit perhaps not as strong as last year when they were runners-up in the National League South, whereas Eastbourne were patient in their play (almost to the point where they were too patient to make proper inroads at times) and looked as if they could do with a bit more sharpness and quality in the middle of the park if they’re to challenge higher up in the table.

But what’s for certain is both teams looked better than both Chelmsford and Dover, who drew 3-3 on Monday, in a game what had entertainment but lacked quality.

Knowing a little bit about Harrison Foulkes, it’s disappointing he copped for some silly crap off a Dartford fan who was one of the biggest whoppers I’ve encountered anywhere in nearly 60+ games which I’ve seen this season.

But as I said at the start, it was the performance of Fletcher Holman which stood out a mile.

Although there’s a D.O.B online that suggests he was born in December 1969 - which would make him the youngest-looking 53-year-old to have ever walked the planet, the truth is he’s just turned 19 and he was fantastic.

The goal speaks for itself as it had lots of good qualities about it but the reason he’d caught my attention from quite early on (three minutes in to be precise) was because he showed good technique and control to go on a mazy run where he carried the ball some distance across the pitch and nobody else got into a position to make themselves available or support him, so the move fizzled out. But that bit of play in isolation was good - it had qualities; the ball control, flight, balance, technique were all there, and even though he was up directly against Moussa Diarra (who has played in the National League with Barnet and Barrow), he wasn’t afraid of that. He wanted to show what he could do, he impacted the play, then came the goal which was fantastic (and similar movement/technique to what I’d already liked), and even late on when there was a ball to be won on the edge of the Dartford box, he got stuck in and tried to win it - showing a really good determination, desire and fearless mentality.

It’s a shame Eastbourne went defensive and were hanging on a bit for the point by the end - thus limiting the chance for him to get on the ball at the other end, but overall it created a good impression and what I didn’t know until seeing it afterwards is that Fletcher Holman is already a ‘legend’ and record-breaker at Eastbourne because he bagged FIVE GOALS in a single game against Billinghurst just a couple of weeks ago.

Granted, that’s a lower standard of opposition to what you’ll find in the National League South, but he’s still a young lad playing mens football and he’s got to perform and, clearly, he can - whether it be with that remarkable goal haul, his one in this game or others recently, it all shows the end product he’s got and just how capable he is for his age!

So many young lads who think they’d do well in mens football wouldn’t last two minutes (that’s the reality) but Fletcher Holman is definitely someone who can handle everything it offers and I know I’ve seen a gem of a player.

This time last year, St Albans City blooded a young centre-back called Riccardo Di Trolio in the National League South (even younger than Fletcher Holman is now) and they sold him to Coventry City in the winter transfer window. He’s since shone at U21s level, consolidated his place, was class against Hull the other week and will only get better with age - and I can honestly say I saw more qualities in Fletcher Holman in this game than plenty of strikers I’ve watched various times at U21s level at EFL clubs.

He was THAT GOOD and it just proves, for young lads wanting to learn and get better, there’s absolutely zero substitute for getting experience in mens football and learning on the job. You get better by playing games so all credit to Fletcher Holman for doing just that and showing what he’s capable of doing.

If there’s any scouts reading this, seriously, I suggest you check him out because having watched 1,800 games and counting in my own footballing journey, I know a good player when I see one. I’ll also always back and 100% trust my own judgements - you learn to do that when you see so many games/players and are able to compare them against others, and Fletcher Holman is right in the ‘Aaron Collins / Louie Marsh’ mould of an attacking player where the possibilities are endless - and considering they are two players I’ve loved watching in the past and have so much belief in what they can do, it’s not a comparison I’ll use lightly either.

Eastbourne have a real talent on their hands… so remember the name!

With the right attitude and connections, who knows how far he could progress? I’ll certainly be monitoring his progress with interest from now on for all the reasons mentioned above.