With eight days until the new National League South season, Marc White addresses his Dorking Wanderers players in a function room at a training facility in Leatherhead, Surrey. His frustration from a 1-0 defeat to Dulwich Hamlet three days earlier still burns, and time to fix issues is running out.
“Tuesday’s game, in summary, was w***. Don’t dish me up that s*** again,” he says during the team meeting. “This team wasn’t built on f*******. This team was built on men, leaders and winners.”
X-rated warning to players
Before 9am, the eight-minute dressing-down, full of expletives, rings in the players’ ears on the eve of one of the biggest seasons in the club’s history. But by the 52-year-old’s standards, it was tame.
Dagenham and Redbridge visit Meadowbank Stadium on August 8, with two pre-season promotion favourites facing off in a curtain-raiser. White is both chairman and manager of the National League South club, a unique position.
Rise through the pyramid
Dorking have enjoyed 12 promotions in 23 seasons, reaching a level where they played Wrexham and Notts County, one division below the Football League. Now, 27 years after their foundation, they sit two rungs from the promised land.
“We’ve lived the dream from top to bottom,” says White. “We’re the only club ever to go from the very bottom to the very top, we’re looking for that next chapter now, the EFL.”
Marginal gains and new technology
White is known for his larger-than-life personality, but those close to him say his demeanour isn’t just for cameras. For clubs like Dorking, every marginal advantage counts. He meets with coach Jordan Clark, analyst Adam Trathan, and new head of performance Jake Foster to discuss formation and fitness for the penultimate friendly against Charlton Athletic.
Foster’s appointment followed an injury crisis that derailed Dorking’s promotion hopes, as they lost five of their last eight league games and fell in the playoff semi-final. The club now invests in technology to track fitness and injury prevention in real time.
Scars from last season
White still feels the pain of their collapse, culminating in a 4-2 defeat to Torquay United. “It’s not easy. Last season took it out of me, it really did. Everything went against us,” he says. “The great thing about football, the reason it’s the greatest game in the world, it resets. We’re fortunate, you’re going to have new journeys, chapters, positive and negatives to deal with, it’s the greatest drama that there is. Yes, there are some scars there but they’ll make us celebrate louder, that’s when they’ll resurface.”
Pre-season challenges
Preparations have been far from ideal with player turnover and injuries. Due to a heatwave, Dorking have trained at a third backup venue, with Leatherhead’s Youth hosting sessions. Meanwhile, White balances his role with a 50-employee marketing company.
Last season, the club went viral when 54-year-old fan Terry Dunn was ‘signed’ as an emergency goalkeeper after Harrison Foulkes’ injury. Dunn starred in a promo for Dorking’s free pint initiative for away fans.
Dreams of Wembley and EFL
White dreams of a Wembley appearance, having attended National League playoff finals. A FA Trophy run could offer that chance. The club has also struck an agreement in principle with Surrey FA for the operating lease at Meadowbank.
With American investors Frank Villares and Debra Tucker on board, Dorking aim to follow Wrexham, Stockport, Bromley, and Notts County up the pyramid. White says: “It’s very feasible, teams have done it before. We’re stuck in bottlenecks, that’s the only challenge, one promotion and one through the playoffs, you can be really unlucky and finish second. We’re defined by that one promotion place but it’s more than achievable. It’s a case of when’s our next headline? When’s our next storyline? That’s what the club does, it writes headlines. No matter what, you can’t argue with what we deserve with where we’ve come from. It’s always going to be the underdog story, even if we’re favourites for the league.”
