But for the form of a young Andy Carrroll, the then-Norwich City striker might even have been on the plane for Euro 2012.
“I was inches away,” says Holt, now 39 and still playing for Wroxham in the Eastern Counties Premier.
“Ahead of the Euros, I know for a fact that they rang Norwich to ask about my medical history. I didn’t get picked but it’s still an achievement. I never dreamed that I’d even have a sniff of getting in an England squad. In the end, I came that close.”
Holt is justifiably proud of a career that saw him score 232 goals in 665 games at almost every level from the North West Counties to the Premier League.
Yet the break that took him from Non-League Barrow to Sheffield Wednesday in 2003 was pure serendipity.
“There was a man called Bill Green, a former player who sadly passed away recently,” explains Holt, who currently combines coaching in the Norwich City academy with a role as Director of Football at Langley School in Loddon.
“Bill was working for Sheffield Wednesday at the time, but came up to Newcastle for a christening one Sunday. He was at a loose end the day before and knew someone who played for Blue Star so he came along to the game.
“I played in the game for Barrow and scored a hattrick. Bill watched me again, got me into Sheffield Wednesday for a trial game and within five weeks I was playing in the First Division.
“It was a fluke, really. Right place, right time. But that’s how it happens. If anybody sees a good player, the first thing they do is tell someone else. People want to be involved in a story. If a player makes it big, they want to be able to say ‘Ah, remember when I told you about him?’.
Denne historien er fra April 26, 2020-utgaven av The Non-League Football Paper.
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Denne historien er fra April 26, 2020-utgaven av The Non-League Football Paper.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
SHAKERS REVEL IN MAKING HISTORY
DAVE McNabb says Bury's FA Cup heroes are proud to be writing their own chapters in club history.
WILCOX: WE FEEL COMPLETE WITH WIN
RUSS WILCOX'S verdict after watching his Gainsborough Trinity side outmuscle and outplay their hosts was that it was \"probably our most complete performance\".
CRACKER BY KABIA TOPPLES TUDORS!
ASSISTANT boss Stewart Yetton said his Truro City side were good value for their win over table-toppers Hemel Hempstead Town.
BRAKES PUT STOP ON BORO BATTLERS
SEPARATED only by goal difference before kick-off, these sides remain neck and neck in the embryonic table after playing out 90 minutes in the October sunshine that was a great advert for the division.
BOSS COTT'S GOT A REALLY GOOD THING WITH ROVERS
STEVE Cotterill hailed Forest Green Rovers’ first class performance as they produced a spirited comeback to topple fellow high-flyers Eastleigh at the Silverlake Stadium.
SKIPS STEER HEED'S SHIP
GATESHEAD captains of the past and present are playing a lead role in helping the National League club move on from the departure of FA Trophy-winning manager Rob Elliot.
FA CUP PREVIEW: SWEET! 'DREAM' DRAW IS CHANCE OF OUR LIFETIME
DAVE NORTHFIELD says minnows Biggleswade FC were like 'kids in a sweet shop' when they drew out York City in what he describes as the 'draw of a lifetime'.
PARKER'S HEART IS STILL AT HOME
FORMER England right-back Paul Parker has revealed he would never completely rule out a return to management – but says he would only do so for one of his beloved local clubs.
LOCALS RALLY TO REBUILD BRIDGE
WHEN committee members at Bamber Bridge set out to raise £30,000 to protect the club's future, they were apprehensive about the response they'd get.
RUTHLESS BEES FIND THEIR FEET
ASTERLING second-half performance resulted in league leaders Barnet brushing aside a Boston United outfit that led at the interval through Keaton Ward’s early strike.