GUEST COLUMNIST
It’s a measure of success when you see your club being mentioned alongside those at the highest level of the professional game when it came to rumours doing the transfer window. The speculation about our 19- year old midfielder, Ollie Tanner, potentially leaving the Dripping Pan had heightened during the last week of January with bids apparently being received from a number of clubs.
The focus narrowed to one particular bid from Tottenham Hotspur and all of the reports were that a deal had been done. It was interesting to read these reports and where some of the numbers and facts came from, especially on the value of the deal which was nothing like what was being shared in the media.
Whilst both clubs had agreed the deal in principle, Ollie decided that he wanted to remain at Lewes. His reasons for doing so are his own and at all steps along the way he had the full backing of the club. With Tottenham Hotspur desperately trying to placate their fans with any signings to strengthen Antonio Conte’s squad, the focus fell on Ollie and his decision to say “no” and in the process became the exception rather than the rule of a player at our level turning down a Premier League side.
The subsequent level of abuse on social media he and the club received was unforgiving – that in itself is something that those organisations need to handle .
Whilst many of them relayed the “facts” as they believed, or made up, we kept our council, knowing that the attention would soon turn to another player and another club.
We’ve become used to reques ts from professional clubs to attend our games and run the rule over some of our young talent. It is confirmation of the great job our management team of Tony Russell, Joe Vines and Adam Drew, have done in building an exciting brand of football in just over six months since they arrived at the club.
Ollie is just one of a number of players who were released by professional clubs that we have identified, developed and seen flourish at the Dripping Pan by having faith in their abilities and playing a brand of football that brings the best out of them. We are realistic as a club and know that keeping hold of talented young players is always going to be a challenge. However, having professional clubs regularly watching our games and showing an interest in our players has a number of positive aspects. It allows us to build relationships that could see us benefiting from loan signings – at the moment we have Luton Town’s Under-19s captain Casey Pettit in our squad for instance.
It is also a tool we can use when we recruit new players, with the knowledge that they will be “in the shop window” if they fulfil their potential.
What is certain is Ollie’s time will come. It may be this summer, it may be in 12 months time but there is no doubt he will play at a higher level in the game.
At the moment he is happy at the Dripping Pan and the fans lovehim. We can’t ask for much more than that at themoment. Perhaps if some of th ose social media abusers watched football at our level on a regular basis they would be less forgiving and more understanding that it isn’t all about money in the Non-League game.
