Former Notts County defender Haydn Hollis has left National League strugglers Ebbsfleet, as reported by their official site.
Hollis, who spent seven seasons at Meadow Lane, appearing 58 times in League One, hasn’t got himself out of the battle; he’s just swapped clubs. He leaves the Fleet, who are fourth from bottom, joining up with Dorking Wanderers, who are 18th and just three points outside the bottom three.
“It’s great to be here and get it all done,” he told Wanderers website. “Dorking is a very ambitious club that I’m delighted to be part of it. Hopefully I play a big part moving forwards and contribute to the club being as successful as they have been in the past.”
Coach Marc White was enthusiastic about his new recruit, adding, “We’ve kept track of the data and stats on Haydn, who had an exceptional year last season in that title-winning Ebbsfleet team.
“Haydn is a left-footed centre back, 6’4, and someone who I can see very much fitting into how we play and what we continue to build here at the football club.”
Hollis has appeared 12 times for Ebbsfleet this season after helping them to the National League South title in 2022/23. He began his career as an apprentice at Notts County, ascending to the first team in 2011. As well as his appearances in League One, he played 60 times in League Two.
He swapped Nottingham for Nailsworth in 2017, joining Mark Cooper’s Forest Green Rovers, having previously played under Cooper for the Magpies.
He struggled to impose himself on the first team there, resulting in a loan spell at Chesterfield. Cooper’s side were then defeated in the play-off semi-final and released a host of players, including Hollis.
He made his switch to Chesterfield permanent later that summer, representing the Spireites 96 times before heading back down south with Ebbsfleet in 2022.
Writer’s View
Hollis was an imposing centre half for County, but he fell out of favour. Forest Green perhaps wasn’t the best move, certainly not under Cooper, who was known for high player turnover.
His progression has been mainly downwards since, but this move could be the one to give him an Indian summer at the tail end of his career. Dorking are a team looking to press on – they finished 16th last season and have the ambition to continue their climb up the pyramid.
If Hollis is given regular football, there’s no reason he can’t help Dorking to pull away from the bottom end of the table.
Founder and Editor-in-Chief at The Real EFL, Gary is a passionate Lincoln City fan with extensive content creation across the Championship and EFL. He also shares expert football betting tips.
