126 Goals in 191 Games: Meet The Non-League Striker With Elite Numbers Who Had Never Played in The Football League

Meet The Non-League Striker With Elite Numbers Who Had Never Played in The Football League

Ollie Pearce is one of English football’s great hidden stories. The 30-year-old striker has never played in the EFL despite netting a ridiculous 126 goals in 191 games.

Now at 30 years old, Pearce continues to score freely for York City in the National League, raising an uncomfortable question: How does a player with numbers like this go unnoticed for so long?

Where did it all start?

Pearce made his debut for Bognor Regis Town at the age of 17 in the 2012/13 season after previously appearing for Midhurst & Easebourne whilst also representing England Colleges.

After five seasons with Bognor Regis Town, he became a regular first-team player and a dependable source of goals with other non-league sides sniffing around. He scored in league matches, cup games, and relegation battles. While his overall numbers weren’t eye-catching at first, his improvement was steady and obvious to those watching him every week.

Pearce enjoyed long five year spell at Nyewood Lane, scoring around 80 goals across more than 250 appearances, including a four-goal return in his opening four matches of the 2017/18 season. His goals were central to Bognor Regis Town’s FA Trophy semi-final run in 2015/16 and their push for promotion in Isthmian League the following campaign. Those standout performances soon caught the eye of Worthing, who swooped in for the striker, completing his signing in 2018.

Was Worthing a stepping stone?

Pearce joined Worthing in 2018, but he did not make his first appearance till until september 2019 due to Worthing's financial difficulties, which meant they missed their entirity of the 2018/19 season. It didn't take long for Pearce to get off the mark, scoring his first goal against Lewes after just a few weeks.

He picked up his first promotion in 2022 as Worthing won the Premier Division, gaining promotion to the National League South. Pearce also picked up the golden boot this season, scoring 35 league goals, alongside a place in the Premier Division Team of the Season, as well as being voted Premier Division Player Of the Year.

In just his fifth season at the club he reached 100 goals in 178 appearances for Worthing, netting this milestone goal at home to Dulwich Hamlet on 21st of Feburary 2023. He broke the thirty goal barrier again by the end of the campaign to earn his spot in the National League South Team of the Year.

By the end of Pearce's Worthing career, he had achieved even more, reaching the 150 goal milestone in his last season on the 06/04/24 against league champions Yeovil Town.

A step closer to the EFL?

In 2024, Pearce moved to the National League for the first time in his career, joining a York side that barely avoided relegation the previous season. It did not take long for the striker to establish himself in the National League, ending his first season as the league's top goalscorer with 31 goals in 42 league games, he also picked up 9 assists in this time. He was awarded the league's player of the year, and was named in the league's team of the season.

These impressive statistics didn't stop there, as Pearce has already netted 19 league goals in 22 games, just as we approach Christmas. If he continues to score at this rate, he could be set for a 40 goal season in the National League, a feat that surely can not be ignored by those in the EFL.

Pearce’s career highlights a flaw in English football. Too often, clubs chase potential instead of production. Younger players with resale value are prioritised over proven performers outside the system. Non-league football remains undervalued, despite being one of the most competitive environments in the country. Pearce proved himself year after year, yet opportunities remianed minimal.

This story is not one that is not to unfamiliar, recently Bromley's Michael Cheek made his first appearance in the EFL at the age of 33. Cheek went onto be League Two's top scorer and Player of the Year, netting a ridiculous 25 league goals. This story proves that Pearce could be the next big thing in the EFL despite his age. This leads us back to our question earlier: How does a player with numbers like this go unnoticed for so long?