Well, Rickie Lambert played lower league before England and Liverpool, Ashley Williams played non league with Hednesford before Swansea & Wales. Even our own Wes Hoolahan has graced several smaller stages before his recent sojourn in the top club level. And if Williams at Bristol carries his L1 form into the Championship next year, people will be looking at him.
I take your point, and these are exceptions, but we are operating from a small base and these lads only have to move up a level or two to be on our radar, this is our lot and its not going to alter dramatically very soon and it can happen. The option, the alternative is them plummeting through the leagues and out of sight and mind, like Henderson, Clifford and so many more.
Its nice to see them get in a side and lower league contracts are just as hard to come by if in a different way than Prem ones, because budgets are airtight and deals tend to be performance, appearance and result loaded after the basic weekly sum.