The unstoppable rise of Ethan Pinnock
“Ethan’s hitting diags for fun”
We used to joke about how easy Ethan Pinnock could make it look at Dulwich Hamlet. He could win it in the air, or win it on the ground. Control it and take it out from the back. And our favourite, a raked diagonal pass to create an attacking option.
But it wasn’t always so easy. When Pinnock’s career at Dulwich started 10 years ago, he was originally a winger and was yet to really grow into himself. He had spells at left back and in centre midfield. Neither felt quite right, but it was all part of a footballing education that focused on technique first. When Ethan’s growth spurt came, he was shifted to centre back. Season upon season, there’s been a marked improvement ever since.
Ethan could sometimes cut an awkward figure in those days but with his work-rate and determination, you always wanted him to do well. He wasn’t overawed by the situation, but just a little cautious to impose his own stamp on a game. That would come with time. Watching him mature was a joy. His rise was so steady and he grew into becoming one of the most reliable and talented centre-backs in non-league.
By the time of his final season at Dulwich, he really was making it look easy. The obvious comparison was a fellow South Londoner, Rio Ferdinand. His ease on the ball, his tactical awareness, his leadership. We knew by this point that he would go far, it was just a question of where to next.
Forest Green probably wasn’t the first club on everyone’s minds but he did well there, an integral part of a side that won promotion to League Two through the Playoffs. It was gratifying to see a player who only a year ago had been in the Isthmian Premier, step up and lift a trophy at Wembley. But Ethan was only really just getting started.
Moving to Barnsley, he wasn’t an instant starter like he had been previously. He had to knuckle down again and fight for his place. When he got in the team though, he made himself known. There was a 90th minute equaliser against Reading, and in the following game he scored a winner away at Sunderland (you can see it on Sunderland Til I Die). We were used to seeing Ethan head one in away at Margate. Watching him do it at the Stadium of Light was something else.
He couldn’t help Barnsley survive the drop that year, but the next season in League One was a key stage in his development and where he really won over the fanbase. Hearing of his new nickname, ‘the Barnsley Maldini’, you couldn’t help but smile. A defender with that amount of technical prowess stands out, and clubs further up the pyramid were taking note.
Brentford made sense for a lot of reasons. Known for playing attractive football and for their intellect in the transfer market, it also meant that Ethan was coming home to London. I had to see him play, in what would likely be my first and last trip to Griffin Park.
On a chilly February Tuesday night, best described as ‘Bovril weather’, a friend and I found ourselves tucked into the main stand at Griffin Park watching Ethan play against Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United. Thinking back to all the times we had seen him play for Dulwich, it was hard to know which part of the situation was most surreal.
I remembered interviewing a 21-year-old Ethan in a corridor of Champion Hill and seeing how far he had come. Truthfully it is moments like these that make football so special. When talent is combined with focus and dedication, dreams can become a reality and there’s so much joy to be taken from watching a story like his unfold.
The Leeds game was intense, as you would expect from a Bielsa side. There were few clear cut chances for either side which meant Ethan had to be switched on for 90 minutes, but Brentford certainly looked like they are among the Championship’s best sides. His track record should inspire confidence in Brentford fans: he has won promotion with every club he’s played for.
Hard work doesn’t go unnoticed in non-league and any young footballer would do well to follow Ethan’s example. He’s never been closer to playing at the highest level of all.