National League team sign a 54-year-old FAN in bizarre transfer move amid injury crisis

A National League team have sensationally claimed that a 54-year-old supporter will make a surprise debut for the club this weekend.

Goalkeeper Terry Dunn, who retired from football in 1997, will seemingly pull his boots back on after signing a short-term deal with Dorking Wanderers.

Dunn, a 'staunch' follower of the club, has previous experience with several local sides and has 'stepped in' to help out with Dorking's injury crisis.

Harrison Foulkes, the usual No 1, has been ruled out after sustaining a spleen injury and Dunn has been drafted in before a loan replacement arrives on Monday.

But with a match against AFC Totton coming up on Saturday afternoon, chairman and manager Marc White has been forced to put Dunn between the sticks.

In a statement released alongside the jaw-dropping news, White said: '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.'

Dunn added: 'Playing in goal is like riding a bike – you never forget it.

'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.'

Dunn would unsurprisingly become the oldest player to make an appearance in the sixth tier of the pyramid, overtaking Dorking team-mate Tony Craig, who featured in his side's recent 1-0 defeat by Hornchurch at the age of 40.

'We are delighted to welcome staunch supporter Terry Dunn to the Wanderers' ranks,' a club statement read. 'Dunn, 54, whose former clubs include the now extinct North Holmwood FC, joins the playing squad on a temporary basis.'

Retired for 28 years, Dunn has been described as a multiple promotion winner with clubs in Surrey. His soon-to-be replacement in goal will join on a four-week deal.