The most recent success story of Non-League, 22-year-old Sorba Thomas is starting to make a real impression in the Championship just months after his departure from National League outfit Boreham Wood.
Coming through the youth ranks at Boreham Wood, Huddersfield Town won the race to sign the coveted winger back in January, fending off interest from a handful of other Football League teams to capture Thomas who had been one of the star performers in the National League in the first half of the 2020-21 season.
The move to Huddersfield was perhaps the biggest story of January in the Non-League, with the Wood receiving “an undisclosed Club record fee” for the young winger.
A deserving reward for the National League side as they have a remarkable record of developing talent through their BW PASE Academy, alumni alongside Thomas includes the likes of Pelly Ruddock and Kyle Vassell.
An adored figure at Boreham Wood by both club personnel and supporters alike, the story of Sorba Thomas represents a magnificent achievement for the club and is a testament to the work being done in the academy to develop players with Football League pedigree as demonstrated by his start to life at his new home in West Yorkshire.
Still adjusting to life in West Yorkshire, Thomas has been utilised off the bench for Huddersfield Town over the last couple of months but has made a real impression in his cameo appearances so far, which included a fine showing against Rotherham United earlier this month.
While it’s clear that Thomas still has work to do to establish himself as a first-team regular with Huddersfield, he can take encouragement from his early showing for his new team, who were a Premier League outfit just a couple of years ago and are currently managed by highly regarded young coach Carlos Corberan.
Known for building character and providing a platform for success, there’s something special when a player makes the leap from Non-League football to the higher levels of English football due to it being a rare feat and such a difficult task to accomplish.
It’s clear from his start to life with Huddersfield and his displays at Boreham Wood over the past four years, that has propelled him to the Championship, that he isn’t an ordinary player and he has the capabilities and talent needed to sparkle in the second tier.
So with Sorba starting to shine for his new team, everyone involved with Boreham Wood can take pride that one of their own has made it to the Championship, as Thomas has become the most recent example of just how much Non-League football can spearhead the development of young talent.