House of Flying Daggers

[CFuller]

1 minute ago, JayR2003 said:

Prayers for your grandfather and your family, Chris.

But enjoy the break over Christmas!  May Santa bring you many Arsenal wins in December (but not over Newcastle...we need all the help we can get).

You spelt Santi Cazorla's name wrong (and forgotten that he's injured). 

In all seriousness, thanks for your very kind message. I'll still be around with my other stories for a couple of weeks until I take a full break for Christmas, but rest assured that this'll be back next month.

[oche balboa]

Best wishes to your Grandad 

[CFuller]

Just now, oche balboa said:

Best wishes to your Grandad 

Cheers. Thankfully, he has been getting better in recent days.

If my grandfather's condition does take a turn for the worse in the coming weeks, I will provide any future updates in the Community Thread. I don't want to clog this story thread up with news about my family.

[CFuller]

JULY 2038

Dagenham & Redbridge were now a Premier League force to be reckoned with. Successive top-six finishes and a League Cup win had consolidated our position at the upper end of English football's elite. It would soon be time for us to push on further, and hopefully get ourselves into the UEFA Champions League for the first time.

 

I felt that we were still one year away from being ready to seriously contend for a top-four finish. That said, I was hoping for another strong league campaign, and a deep run in the UEFA Europa League, where we'd fallen at the Round of 32 last time out.

 

A few things were in our favour as the 2038/2039 season began. Most significantly, we were back at our Rainham Road ground after a year away for expansion work. Our wonderful support had helped us to go undefeated in the league at home when we were last there, and with more fans now able to fill the ground, we would surely be even tougher to beat.

 

In addition, we'd given some much-needed TLC to a leaky defence over the summer. Veteran left-back Juan Francisco Luperdi and bargain-buy centre-half Siphesihle Gumede would hopefully make us more resilient, while Joe Lawlor added some extra English steel to our midfield. I was now fairly content with my squad, though I still had £30million left in the transfer budget, just in case.

 

Another exciting development over the summer was that our captain Mark Washington had signed a new four-year, £36,000-per-week contract with the Daggers. Washington's previous deal had just 12 months left to run, but with no rival clubs coming in for his services, I made sure that he got signed up to fresh terms sharpish.

 

Mark had missed the back end of last season with a serious knee injury, and there were some doubts over whether he'd ever return to his lethal best. Mind you, I'm a firm believer that form is temporary, yet class is permanent. As far as I'm concerned, Washington has class.

 

A number of potentially classy players in our reserve team went out on loan for the season. Striker Toby Faithfull continued his development by moving to Scottish Premier League giants Celtic, while goalkeeper Alex Lund and midfielder Lee Allen went to Championship sides Hull City and Sheffield Wednesday respectively.

 

Right-winger Niall Nash was sent to League One outfit Wrexham on a season-long loan. Another recent graduate from our youth team - left-back Keith Hamilton - joined Scunthorpe United in the same division until January.

 

Also absent from the Daggers squad for pre-season - or at least a large chunk of it - were three teenage talents who travelled to Italy for the UEFA European Under-19s Championship. Bradley Charles and Elliot Cook were both selected for England, and Michal Twardzik was in the Czech Republic team.

 

Back on home soil, we began our pre-season with a trip to Buckinghamshire. Awaiting us at Adams Park were Wycombe Wanderers, who'd finished 10th in their first season as a Championship club. Unfortunately, we went into that match without new recruit Gumede, whose settling-in period had been hampered by a groin strain.

 

13 July 2038: Wycombe Wanderers vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Though Greg Killick put a spectacular half-volley over Wycombe's crossbar in the first minute, we wouldn't have to wait long for our opening goal. After five minutes, left-back Thulani Mazibuko hit the ball halfway up the pitch and into the Chairboys' penalty area. Jonas Kjaerulff then latched onto it and evaded a slide tackle from Nick Briggs before drilling us into an early lead.

 

A series of excellent interceptions by the Wycombe defence stopped us from doubling our advantage before the hosts launched their first attack in the 20th minute. Veteran midfielder Robin Gould - a Daggers loanee once upon a time - saw his close-range strike from right-winger Aaron Salmon's cross blocked by our vice-captain Kieran Whalley. Tommy Ellis' follow-up strike was then met by a brave interception from young Dagenham centre-half Jameel Bailey.

 

Ellis' luck continued to elude him in the 38th minute, when Whalley tipped behind his header from another excellent delivery by Salmon. Though we carried a narrow 1-0 lead into the break, we were looking far from comfortable.

 

Two of my half-time substitutes had chances to strengthen our position early in the second period. Enrico Messina powered a 48th-minute strike just over the crossbar, while Wycombe goalkeeper Peter Feeley pushed away another fierce strike - from Daggers debutant Joe Lawlor - two minutes later.

 

In the 53rd minute, Kjaerulff was badly hurt in a firm sliding challenge from Gould. Wary of Jonas' injury record, I chose to take the Danish youngster off and throw on the experienced Joel Honeyball. Ironically, Gould's match would end with an injury in the 64th minute, when he came off worse in a clash with Killick.

 

After 67 minutes, we dismantled the Chairboys by scoring a second goal. Lawlor sprayed the ball out left to Messina, whose centre was met by a poacher's finish from Honeyball.

 

Sensing that the match was already won, I brought a few youngsters into our defence. That was a big mistake. Wycombe pulled one goal back after 74 minutes, when Wales Under-21s midfielder Jonathan Hopkins' lob was smashed into the net by a half-volley from right-winger Felix Oliseh.

 

The Chairboys then shook off their shackles and played with renewed freedom. On 78 minutes, left-winger and captain Tom Weait played a one-two with Hopkins and cut the ball inside to Robbie Beeston. The midfielder subsequently fed striker Mick Banks with an excellent delivery that the 30-year-old tucked away for 2-2.

 

Wycombe had turned the match around, and they would go close to grabbing an unlikely victory in the 90th minute. 16-year-old Daggers defender Michael Walters could only clear Banks' corner as far as Wanderers left-back Calvin Lynch, who drove it just over the bar. But for a bit of luck, we might well have come a cropper.

 

Wycombe Wanderers - 2 (Oliseh 74, Banks 78)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Kjaerulff 5, Honeyball 67)

Friendly, Attendance 9,331

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Whalley (Rowe), Pearson (Davies), Gridelli (Walters), Bailey (Darvill), Mazibuko (Pratt), Killick (Gross), McCann (Lawlor), Powell (Danchev), Sverrisson (Messina), Rubarth (Saric), Kjaerulff (Honeyball). BOOKED: Sverrisson.

 

We had been two goals up in that match before throwing it away. Considering how prone we had been to letting leads slip last season, that was not a good sign.

 

I missed the following morning's training session, but I had a very good reason for doing so. The Football Association had asked me to attend an interview at Wembley Stadium - with a view to succeeding the sacked Sylvain Marveaux as England manager.

 

Taking charge of the England national team would be the pinnacle of a managerial career that had seen me go from non-league to Premier League. I gladly attended the interview and put forward my plans to turn the Three Lions into world champions again, following the disappointment of the recent FIFA World Cup in Australia.

 

The FA obviously liked what they heard, because two days later - on the eve of the Daggers' first home friendly this pre-season - they offered me the most prestigious job in English football. I was offered a £42,500-per-week contract for two tournament cycles, encompassing UEFA Euro 2040 in Austria and Switzerland, and the 2042 World Cup in Portugal.

 

There was one major stipulation, though. If I was to become England manager, I would have to leave Dagenham & Redbridge.

 

As much as I wanted to take this challenge on, I wasn't ready to abandon the Daggers. There was still loads more I wanted to achieve here. I aspired to win the Premier League, the UEFA Champions League, and the FIFA Club World Championship before my time at Rainham Road was done.

 

I politely turned down the FA's offer, telling them, "I'm sure I'll be ready for this job one day, but now's not the right time." The FA respected my decision, and they subsequently named Manchester City's title-winning coach Rogier Molhoek as the next England manager instead.

 

After making one of the hardest decisions of my career, I faced one of the toughest challenges on the field. The Daggers' first match back at Rainham Road saw us come up against four-time European champions Juventus. The Old Lady had also won a record 46 Serie A titles, though they lost the scudetto to Empoli last season.

 

17 July 2038: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Juventus

Rainham Road was almost full for the visit of Juventus, and we almost sent our fans into raptures after just four minutes. Sadly, Tristan Egueh horribly miscued a shot after being played through by Joe Lawlor. Juve went close to taking the lead themselves two minutes later, with Argentina striker Sandro Sainz floating a free-kick just over the bar after midfielder Marco Maioli had been tripped by George Darvill.

 

The deadlock would be broken in the 8th minute... but not by Juventus. Tristan punished a poor headed interception by Juventus defender Antonio Biasini by sliding the ball across to attacking midfielder Dzenan Genjac, who fired a bullet past goalie Andrés González! 1-0 Daggers!

 

Our supporters could hardly believe that we were leading one of the strongest teams in Europe! Had Egueh not blazed over another scoring chance four minutes later, we might well have left them completely gobsmacked! The Bianconeri then tried to restore some sense of normality, but Germany midfielder Joachim Schwarz drove an effort wide in the 24th minute, and teenager Javier Casalinuovo flicked a diving header off target a minute later.

 

There were a couple more misses from an off-colour Egueh at the other end later on. On 40 minutes, Dagenham's holding midfielder Kenneth Jorgensen powered over what was a rare scoring chance for him. The half ended with Kenny's new colleague Joe Lawlor sustaining a dead leg in a challenge on Juve playmaker Paulo Leal, but our lead remained intact... for the time being.

 

Greg Killick replaced Lawlor during the break and forced González into an awkward save in the 48th minute. We'd started the second half strongly, but by the 51st minute, Juventus were showing their true class. Federico Martins put a right-wing cross into our box, and Dagenham centre-half George Darvill could only divert it towards Brazil midfielder Davidson Júnior, who took our lead away with a cool finish.

 

Though Juve couldn't push for another goal immediately, they were soon enjoying more possession than they had been. I looked to turn the tide after 58 minutes by switching from a 4-4-2 diamond to a 4-2-3-1. My decision to focus our attacks out wide almost paid off in the 66th minute, when left-back Thulani Mazibuko's cross was headed just over by Mark Washington.

 

This was captain Washington's first appearance for us since recovering from knee tendonitis... and it would be a scoring return for the American. A minute after that narrow miss, Mark received a sublime through-ball from young playmaker Orlando Salvador and powered it past González for a 2-1 Daggers lead!

 

This time, the Bianconeri could not bounce back. A dismally mishit shot from Júnior in the 81st minute was their best chance to get back in contention. Juve's fate would be sealed in the 84th minute, when Welsh winger Shaun Powell's free-kick cleared their wall and found the top-left corner of González's net. 3-1!

 

Juventus were stunned, and though Júnior and Ivan Brichetto each had late efforts saved by Kieran Whalley, they were unable to avoid an upset. This was the first time I had ever taken joy in mugging an Old Lady!

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (Genjac 8, Washington 67, Powell 84)

Juventus - 1 (Júnior 51)

Friendly, Attendance 26,456

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk (Whalley), Barber (Pearson), Darvill (Bailey), Gridelli (Walters), Luperdi (Mazibuko), Jorgensen (Gross), Fraser (Powell), Lawlor (Killick), Genjac (Salvador), Egueh (Messina), Washington (Kasongo).

 

Despite recording one of the most impressive results in our recent history, the bookmakers weren't going overboard when they drew up our title odds. Indeed, we'd been given the same 25-1 odds as last season. Managerless champions Manchester City were the Evens favourites, followed by Arsenal at 5-2, and Manchester United and Rochdale at 3-1 apiece.

[CFuller]

JULY 2038 (continued)

Our interest in the UEFA European Under-19s Championship ended prematurely, with Czech Republic and England both being eliminated at the Group Stage. Czech midfielder Michal Twardzik and England duo Bradley Charles and Elliot Cook all returned home in time for our next friendly, though Elliot had been struck down with illness and couldn't play for at least another fortnight.

 

That next friendly was our annual meeting with Leighton Town, who'd lost a League One Play-Off Semi Final on penalties a little over two months earlier. The Reds were now hotly-tipped to make amends and secure automatic promotion to the Championship.

 

20 July 2038: Leighton Town vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Former Daggers youth player Ollie Reynolds tried to give us a taste of what we were missing when he had a couple of headers at goal for Leighton within the first 11 minutes. Thankfully, Ben Perk was on hand to keep out each of Reynolds' efforts.

 

In the 12th minute, Neil McCann swung an excellent cross into Town's penalty area. Kenneth Jorgensen flicked it to Enrico Messina, whose header was only kept out by a fingertip save from Leighton goalkeeper Micky Ormondroyd. That save won us the first of two quick corners, the second of which was floated in by Jorgensen and nodded home at the near post by captain McCann.

 

We could've had another goal in the 25th minute, but attacking midfielder Orlando Salvador smacked Tristan Egueh's centre against the upright. There would be more frustration to come on the attacking front for the Daggers. Ormondroyd caught a hopeful long-range curler from young German midfielder André Gross in the 31st minute. The Leighton captain also managed to keep Messina and Egueh off the scoresheet before half-time.

 

At the other end, our defence looked fairly sturdy, except that 16-year-old Michael Walters was feeling somewhat nervous at centre-half. Michael's woes continued when he picked up a knock late on, so it perhaps wasn't surprising that he would not return for the second half.

 

Leighton claimed for a penalty in the 48th minute, when Daggers right-back Ross Pearson clashed with Reds striker Nikki McVinish in the area, but the referee gave our man the benefit of the doubt. A minute later, while Pearson was being treated for an injury sustained in the collision, McVinish drilled in a byline cross that Perk awkwardly parried away.

 

Leighton wouldn't attack us again for a while, and we could've put them further behind on 56 minutes, when McCann's 25-yard drive was caught by Ormondroyd. Jonas Kjaerulff came close to scoring for us in the 62nd minute, though fellow substitute Bradley Charles was less accurate with a header from Michal Twardzik's hanging-ball corner three minutes later.

 

We continued to create decent opportunities thereafter, but Ormondroyd was proving difficult to beat. He tipped behind a promising strike from Kjaerulff in the 88th minute and made a couple more saves even later on to deny 16-year-old Stevie Merson a first senior goal.

 

Meanwhile, Leighton's best chance to equalise was lobbed into our sub goalkeeper Kayo Rowe's hands by McVinish in the 90th minute. The Reds had given us yet another battle, but we emerged victorious... just about.

 

Leighton Town - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (McCann 13)

Friendly, Attendance 6,127

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk (Rowe), Pearson (Barber), Bailey (Mazibuko), Walters (Charles), Luperdi (Pratt), Gross (Jacobs), McCann (Fraser), Jorgensen (Killick), Salvador (Twardzik), Egueh (Kjaerulff), Messina (Merson). BOOKED: Salvador.

 

There was a time when a week in Camber Sands was as near as I'd got to China. That wasn't the case anymore when I took my Daggers team to the Far East, for a two-game tour of the most populous country in the world.

 

Actually, this wasn't my first visit to China. I went there a couple of years ago, when I was still managing the Norway national team, for a friendly match.

 

We were a couple of days into our Chinese tour when Dagenham chairman Neil Booth phoned me out of the blue. Premier League champions and title favourites Manchester City had made an approach for my services after losing Rogier Molhoek to the FA. I told Mr Booth, "Unless they're offering me 100 grand per week, they can shove it."

 

Funnily enough, I didn't hear back from Manchester City.

 

24 hours later, we played our first match on Asian soil against our feeder club Shanghai Shenxin at the Yuanshen Sports Centre. Shanghai played in the Chinese Super League but had spent the best part of a decade yo-yoing between that division and the second-tier League One.

 

24 July 2038: Shanghai Shenxin vs Dagenham & Redbridge

We attacked our opponents almost straight away, with Axel Rubarth firing wide a scoring opportunity just two minutes in. Mark Washington floated a fifth-minute free-kick into the hands of Shanghai Shenxin goalkeeper Qian Xi, and our captain then skimmed a half-volley over the bar two minutes later.

 

After a few more primitive advances towards goal, we would break the deadlock in the 19th minute. Axel's cross from the left wing evaded several Shanghai defenders and dipped towards Dzenan Genjac, who lashed in a superb left-footed volley!

 

Genjac was eager to make his mark again, firing another effort just wide in the 21st minute. His next two attempts at goal were rather less impressive... and his hopes of beating Qian again would soon be brought to a sudden halt.

 

After 38 minutes, Dzenan was sent crashing to the turf by a full-blooded but fair tackle from Shanghai centre-back Zuo Changming. When it became clear that his colleague was in serious trouble, Matthew put the ball out of play. Our medical team rushed onto the field, and the young Croat was stretchered off with a suspected hamstring injury.

 

Genjac's replacement Peguy Kasongo almost made an instant impact in the 41st minute. His long-distance drive struck the bar and rebounded off Qian's back, but the goalkeeper managed to smother the ball just before Washington could prod it over the line! In the 43rd minute, though, Washington gave Kasongo another scoring chance with an excellent through-ball. Peguy surged past Zuo and then powered his shot beyond the onrushing Qian for 2-0!

 

A minute after that, Mark closed Shanghai defender Kang Sien down and handed the Congolese youngster an opportunity to double his haul. Sadly, Kasongo's strike was pushed wide by Qian, and so the contest wasn't completely over at the halfway point.

 

Shanghai had only drawn one save out of Dagenham goalkeeper Kieran Whalley in the first half. That had come in the 26th minute, when our vice-skipper caught a bouncing header from midfielder Cheng Jianqiu. The home side were even less imposing in a second half that was, quite frankly, as memorable as a speech by Frank Pickle from 'The Vicar of Dibley'.

 

Our attackers lumbered through the searing Chinese heat and hardly looked like doubling the Daggers' 2-0 lead. The best chance to do that came from Orlando Salvador in the 76th minute, but Shanghai's substitute goalkeeper Shang Zhihao showed inhuman reflexes to divert Orlando's drive away from goal. Tristan Egueh and Joel Honeyball then missed the target before the final whistle blew on a tame 2-0 victory. Our threadbare opponents had to finish the match with only 10 men, as striker Rao Dongqing was forced off injured in stoppage time, when Shanghai had no more substitutes left to bring on.

 

Shanghai Shenxin - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Genjac 19, Kasongo 43)

Friendly, Attendance 13,404

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Whalley (Perk), Barber (Davies), Charles (Gridelli), Bailey (Darvill), Pratt (Luperdi), Lawlor (Jorgensen), Fraser (McCann), Powell (Danchev), Genjac (Kasongo (Salvador)), Rubarth (Honeyball), Washington (Egueh). BOOKED: Washington.

 

An unconvincing win had been overshadowed by a serious injury to Dzenan Genjac. The 20-year-old attacking midfielder had torn his hamstring - for the third time in his career. Genjac would be on the sidelines for the best part of three months, and I was now seriously worried that I'd signed the Croatian Darren Anderton instead of the next Luka Modric.

 

We then moved north from Shanghai to Jiangsu, where we expected Jiangsu Sainty to give us a more thorough examination. Based in the city of Nanjing, Sainty finished 4th in the Chinese Super League in 2037.

[CFuller]

JULY 2038 (continued)

28 July 2038: Jiangsu Sainty vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Enrico Messina was unlucky not to score within the first six minutes, as he was twice denied by Jiangsu Sainty's young goalkeeper Xu Xu. We were wasting little time in attacking our hosts with some silky possession football, and we would go on to take the lead after nine minutes. Orlando Salvador capped off an excellent move by finding Engilbert Sverrisson, who curled in a sublime shot from just inside the penalty area.

 

Two minutes later, Dagenham captain Neil McCann stole the ball from the feet of Jiangsu right-back Wen Haiming and crossed to the near post. Messina then got above a couple of Chinese defenders to meet the cross with a lethal header.

 

After going 2-0 up, we were looking good for a third early goal. Xu thwarted Ross Pearson in the 13th minute and then watched George Darvill head wide a minute later, but he would soon be beaten again. Engilbert was tackled on the edge of the Sainty area by Li Chenglong, but the centre-back knocked the ball on to Orlando, who smashed it beyond Xu for 3-0!

 

We then inexplicably stopped scoring... but only for eight minutes. When Darvill headed a Salvador corner into the net off Xu's right glove, any winning margin looked possible for us!

 

Messina was soon chasing what would've been his second goal, and our fifth. Sadly, Ricky was denied twice by excellent saves from Xu, and then THREE TIMES by the woodwork on the stroke of half-time! With a bit more luck, Messina could easily have made the scoreline look ridiculous.

 

That said, our match stats were already quite absurd! We had 23 shots at goal (10 on target) in the first half, 67% of possession, and a pass completion rate of 91%! This was Dagenham & Redbridge at their very best.

 

Truth be told, Jiangsu were completely out of their depth, and they must've feared further punishment when Mark Washington came off the bench for the second half. Four minutes after the restart, our captain lofted an outswinging corner across to fellow Dagenham sub Thulani Mazibuko, who nodded it just over their crossbar.

 

Thulani would later be joined in our defence by South African compatriot Siphesihle Gumede, who made his long-awaited Daggers debut. Coming on at the same time was another summer signing in midfielder Joe Lawlor, who would score his first goal for the club after 59 minutes. Joe volleyed in a right-wing cross from full-back Ross to prolong Jiangsu's agony.

 

On 63 minutes, Sainty's substitute keeper Lin Kunda pushed wide a header from Washington that could've made it 6-0! Mark's luck continued to elude him in the 79th minute, when another header rebounded off the crossbar and into Lin's hands. Mind you, the American would not be kept quiet for much longer.

 

A little under four minutes before full-time, Washington got above Jiangsu defender Luo Juzhan to flick in a deep cross from young Daggers left-back Carl Pratt. We had put SIX goals past Sainty's sinners! To put that into perspective, our hosts only mustered three shots at goal all game - and none of them remotely threatened either Ben Perk or Kayo Rowe.

 

Jiangsu Sainty - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 6 (Sverrisson 9, Messina 11, Salvador 16, Darvill 24, Lawlor 59, Washington 87)

Friendly, Attendance 31,336

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk (Rowe), Pearson (Barber), Gridelli (Mazibuko), Darvill (Gumede), Luperdi (Pratt), Killick (Lawlor), McCann (Fraser), Salvador (Washington (Kjaerulff)), Sverrisson (Twardzik), Messina (Honeyball).

 

Just to remind you, Jiangsu Sainty are apparently the 4th-best team in China, which isn't the footballing backwater it once was. If we could play the sort of football we produced against them in more meaningful matches, then I couldn't wait to see it.

 

After a very successful tour of China, we travelled back to Europe. Before returning home, though, we stopped in Serbia for one more away friendly.

 

We arrived in the western Serbian city of Uzice for a meeting with our new feeder club Sloboda Uzice. Sloboda famously won the Super Liga in 2019 but were now playing in the division below - the First League. Their two Daggers loanees - Raju Gomes and Eric Knox - were ineligible to play against us.

 

31 July 2038: Sloboda Uzice vs Dagenham & Redbridge

A golden opportunity for Jonas Kjaerulff to fill his scoring boots turned sour after only three minutes. He was brought down in the Sloboda Uzice area by defender Josip Delic and went down in agony. It looked at first that Jonas had pulled if not torn his hamstring, so the young Dane had to be stretchered off and replaced with Tristan Egueh. Shaken by their colleague's injury, Joe Lawlor and Mirko Saric each missed early chances to break the deadlock.

 

Sloboda then went close to taking a surprise lead in the 15th minute through Almir Mahmutovic, whose free-kick drifted just wide of the target. When the deadlock was broken five minutes later, though, it wasn't by a home player. Lawlor chested a left-wing cross from Carl Pratt and dinked it to Orlando Salvador, whose stunning half-volley silenced the home fans!

 

Had Orlando got his way, that wouldn't have been the only goal of the first half. Salvador wasted a chance for 2-0 in the 28th minute, when a cross from Pratt found its way into the side netting off the Portuguese's head. Egueh then spurned a couple of late chances to leave the outcome of this match still very much up in the air...

 

...until the 47th minute. Half-time substitute Shaun Powell took just two minutes to double our lead, getting away from Sloboda left-back Zivan Sadzakov to tap another sublime Pratt delivery into the net. I suspected that Shaun was offside, but the Welsh wing wizard's goal was allowed, and the hosts never looked like getting back in contention thereafter.

 

In the 53rd minute, Uzice's Nigerian goalkeeper Jude Emenalo needed to push behind a wicked left-wing cross from Saric. He then watched Jameel Bailey head Salvador's subsequent corner delivery past his far post. We remained in control of proceedings thereafter, though we didn't threaten to score again until Mark Washington came on midway through the half.

 

After 73 minutes, the outstanding Pratt caused Sloboda further problems with yet another incredible cross into their box. Washington then outmuscled Uzice's substitute goalie Ezeh Opara - another Nigerian - to head it home. However, Mark's strike was chalked off after the American was accused of impeding Opara.

 

We attacked again in the 80th minute, with teenage midfielder Neal Jacobs intercepting a poor clearance from home defender Jovan Mihajlovic and volleying it goalwards. The home keeper pushed Neal's strike clear, but he couldn't hold out for much longer.

 

In the 84th minute, Opara was beaten by another pinpoint header from Washington - legitimately, this time - as we sauntered to a three-goal win. We could've won by even more than that, as Engilbert Sverrisson and Washington each hit the woodwork in the closing stages, but this was still a job very well done.

 

Sloboda Uzice - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (Salvador 20, Powell 47, Washington 84)

Friendly, Attendance 5,953

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe (Whalley), Gridelli (Pearson), Gumede (Charles), Mazibuko (Bailey), Pratt (Luperdi), Lawlor (Jacobs), McCann (Fraser), Danchev (Powell), Salvador (Sverrisson), Saric (Rubarth), Kjaerulff (Egueh (Washington)).

 

Unfortunately, Jonas Kjaerulff had indeed become the second Daggers wonderkid to tear his hamstring in the space of eight days. As Jonas joined Dzenan Genjac on the treatment table for the next three months, I cursed my luck at seeing another exciting talent's development stunted by injury.

[CFuller]

AUGUST 2038

A few more Dagenham & Redbridge youngsters went out on loan as our pre-season drew towards a close. Right-back Mathew Davies was sent to League One side Dartford until January, while right-winger Milen Danchev would spend the season at Blackburn Rovers in the Championship.

 

Michal Twardzik returned to his native Czech Republic, with the 17-year-old attacking midfielder starting a season-long loan at Ceské Budejovice. However, striker Elliot Cook rejected the chance to join Twardzik at the Czech First League club, as he had his sights set rather higher. More on him later.

 

Our next friendly saw us play host to a Bordeaux team who had finished 13th in Ligue 1 last season. Les Girondins were managed by Rajiv van La Parra, who had previously coached the likes of AZ, Anderlecht and Feyenoord.

 

3 August 2038: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Bordeaux

If the home fans thought this would be a stroll in the park for us, they would be proven wrong after just five minutes. Bordeaux captain Niv Elkayam was felled in the penalty area by Daggers left-back Juan Francisco Luperdi, and the referee pointed to the spot. Elkayam - a 33-year-old right-winger with nearly 100 caps for Israel - then powered a penalty past Kieran Whalley to leave us trailing 1-0.

 

Our early nerves didn't ease in the 14th minute, when Matthew Fraser was booked for a push on Bordeaux's Brazilian attacking midfielder Terra. Two minutes later, a mistake from Greg Killick knocked the ball into our area, where Jakub Rada could've put Les Girondins 2-0 up. Kieran punched the Czech winger's shot behind, conceding a corner.

 

Bordeaux couldn't score from that set-piece, but in the 19th minute, we drew level through a corner of our own. Fraser's near-post delivery found Siphesihle Gumede, who drove the ball past goalkeeper Roger Roberto from a tight angle!

 

A further indication that the tide had turned came after 28 minutes. Engilbert Sverrisson drilled the ball across Bordeaux's six-yard box and picked out Tristan Egueh, whose first goal of pre-season gave us a 2-1 lead!

 

Sverrisson then missed opportunities to strengthen our position before Bordeaux hit us on the counter in the 35th minute. Rada played the ball past Dagenham right-back Nolan Barber and into the path of Terra, who terrorised us out wide before whipping a cross into the box. Elkayam then got ahead of both Gumede and George Darvill to flick in a lethal header!

 

I berated my defence following that Bordeaux equaliser, and then again in the 38th minute, when Xavier Thomas headed another away chance towards goal. Whalley caught the Belgian veteran's effort, and his save would prove significant. A topsy-turvy game took yet another turn in injury time, when Killick powered Fraser's corner into Les Girondins' net, sending us 3-2 up!

 

I was not at all happy with my team's first-half display, so I made no fewer than five substitutions during the interval. The changes didn't help us at first, as Bordeaux roared back two minutes into the second half with another incisive counter-attack. Right-back Mário Mendes cleared a Barber cross out of the visitors' area and out wide to Thomas on the left flank. Thomas held the ball up just outside our area as his team-mates streamed forward. When Elkayam advanced into our area, Thomas played the ball short to Rada, whose lob over the defence was slid home by the Israeli.

 

After Elkayam secured his hat-trick (and the game's third equaliser), I brought on a couple more subs and abandoned the 'diamond' for a 4-2-3-1. Three minutes after that, 16-year-old attacking midfielder Paddy Rattle had a cross tipped onto Bordeaux's crossbar by Roger Roberto.

 

Rattle then played a key role in us taking the lead once again in the 57th minute. Paddy moved the ball inside from the left to Engilbert, whose chip over Bordeaux defender Giuseppe Balestrieri found the run of Peguy Kasongo. Peguy then slotted in our fourth goal of the evening before rushing back to thank his Icelandic colleague.

 

Kasongo and Sverrisson would link up brilliantly again in the 62nd minute. The pair exchanged passes before Engilbert drilled the ball into the far corner of the net! At 5-3 up, this match had surely been won.

 

Bordeaux's first chance to strike back came in the 65th minute from Dan Rush. The 30-year-old United States midfielder sent a tame long-range shot safely towards his compatriot Ben Perk. Surprisingly, Ben would only have to make one more save for us in this match - from ex-Monaco midfielder Carlos Salinas in the 89th minute.

 

Dagenham Under-18s winger Alex Ketchell had wasted a chance to rubber-stamp victory in the 76th minute, when he miscued a through-ball from Rattle. Ketch's miss wasn't to be an important one, though, as we emerged victorious in one of the must pulsating friendly matches of my Daggers career.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 5 (Gumede 19, Egueh 28, Killick 45, Kasongo 57, Sverrisson 62)

Bordeaux - 3 (Elkayam pen5,35,47)

Friendly, Attendance 22,987

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Whalley (Perk), Barber (Gridelli), Darvill (Charles), Gumede (Cullen), Luperdi (Pratt), Gross (Jorgensen), Fraser (McCann), Killick (Ketchell), Sverrisson (Honeyball), Egueh (Rattle), Kasongo (Rubarth). BOOKED: Fraser, Pratt.

 

Our loan exodus continued over the next few days, with goalkeeper Bruno Rommel going to Championship side Watford for the season. Highly-rated centre-back Bradley Charles returned to League One for six months, joining recently-relegated Bolton Wanderers.

 

Meanwhile, the draw for the Play-Off round of the UEFA Europa League took place. Although we were seeded for that draw, our opponents would not be pushovers by any means.

 

We had been pitted against Serbian Cup holders Donji Srem, who'd finished runners-up in the Serbian Super Liga in the season before last. Though their squad didn't contain any big names, they were not to be underestimated when we played them home-and-away later in the month.

 

An even greater challenge awaited us at Rainham Road in our final pre-season friendly. Porto were THE dominant force in Portuguese football, having won 47 Primeira Liga titles, including the last eight consecutively. They had also lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy on seven occasions, most recently in 2035.

 

Porto's squad was chock-full of superstar players, and in Moanes Dabour, they had one of world football's most prominent managers. If we could avoid defeat against the Dragons and complete an unbeaten pre-season campaign, it would surely go down as a fantastic achievement.

 

7 August 2038: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Porto

We went into this match on the back of six successive wins, but Porto were without doubt the toughest opponents we'd encountered all pre-season. Just a minute after kick-off, their renowned striker Rui flicked wide a corner from midfielder Denis, who'd already been capped 11 times by Brazil at the age of 19.

 

Another member of Porto's strong Brazilian contingent was right-winger Júnior César, who had a header pushed away by Ben Perk after five minutes. Júnior César was denied again in the 19th minute, as Ben palmed away the 26-year-old's half-volley from a left-wing delivery by Jérémy Jossic.

 

The visitors' 17-year-old goalkeeper Armando Santos had been called into action five minutes earlier, blocking a shot from our homegrown striker Elliot Cook. That proved to be our only shot on target in the first half. There were also a host of wayward attempts at goal, including from captain Mark Washington, whose 38th-minute free-kick skimmed the bar.

 

Porto would eventually show their class and break the deadlock five minutes before half-time. Júnior César crossed to Rui, who knocked the ball through Dagenham centre-back Vicente Gridelli's legs and beyond Perk's dive. The Dragons were breathing fire, and I feared we would soon get burnt again.

 

I wasn't wrong. Eight minutes after the second half began, Júnior César broke clear of our defence to head home a long-distance free-kick from left-back Wilson Joao. Porto were 2-0 up, and they were soon looking good to score again.

 

After 56 minutes, Dagenham destroyer Greg Killick was booked for a clumsy challenge on Denis, whose subsequent free-kick only just missed the target. Thankfully, we settled down after that narrow escape and relaxed a bit more. Left-winger Axel Rubarth charged at the Dragons' defence in the 57th minute before drilling his shot inches wide.

 

We had another opportunity to hit back on 78 minutes, when Joel Honeyball lifted a free-kick into Porto's penalty area. Jameel Bailey met the delivery with a majestic header, which unfortunately came off the crossbar and deflected safely into Santos' grasp.

 

Three minutes after that, Honeyball dived onto a whipped delivery from Rubarth and sent it well off target. We sadly wouldn't score or keep the unbeaten run going, but our defence had done well to keep the deficit down to 2-0. We certainly hadn't disgraced ourselves against one of Europe's top teams.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 0

Porto - 2 (Rui 40, Júnior César 53)

Friendly, Attendance 26,428

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Barber (Pearson), Gridelli (Bailey), Darvill (Walters), Luperdi (McKeown), Killick (Jacobs), Jorgensen (Fraser), Lawlor (Powell), Salvador (Sverrisson), Washington (Honeyball), Cook (Rubarth). BOOKED: Luperdi, Killick, Powell.

 

Before the season got underway for real, two more Dagenham & Redbridge were loaned out, taking the total of Daggers loanees to 14. After agreeing to sign a professional contract on his 17th birthday later in the month, forward Paddy Rattle started a season-long stint with Leeds United in the Championship.

 

Another very exciting Daggers striker - 19-year-old Elliot Cook - was loaned to Ipswich Town for the season. Elliot would soon be getting his first taste of regular Premier League football, but not before making his England Under-21s debut in a goalless draw in Ukraine. Carl Pratt and Kayo Rowe were alongside him for that match.

 

Also getting some international experience in midweek was Croatian-born goalkeeper Bruno Rommel, who made his Under-19s debut for Germany - the country of his father's birth. Meanwhile, Orlando Salvador scored FIVE goals in Portugal Under-21s' 7-0 demolition of Lithuania.

 

Shortly after celebrating his 18th birthday, attacking midfielder Michal Twardzik made his senior debut for the Czech Republic - and scored in a 2-0 away win over Mexico! Centre-back Michael Walters was younger still when he received his first international cap for Wales during a goalless draw in Albania. At 16 years and 359 days old, Michael was the youngest player to be capped by Wales since the great Gareth Bale in 2006!

 

Axel Rubarth and Mark Washington played against one another in Stockholm, where Axel's Sweden lost 2-0 to Mark's United States team.

 

On the eve of the new season, I announced to the squad that Washington had retained the captaincy, and also that our other American - Ben Perk - had been promoted to vice-captain. Kieran Whalley was demoted to third-choice skipper, though the long-serving goalkeeper would still lead the team out when neither Mark nor Ben were playing.

[CFuller]

Dagenham & Redbridge squad - Start of 2038/2039 season

(All information correct as of 1 August 2038)

GOALKEEPERS

1. Kieran Whalley (age 27)

English [capped at Under-19s level]

Now in his tenth season at Dagenham, Kieran remains a solid goalkeeper for the top level.

13. Ben Perk (age 25)

American [24 caps, 0 goals]

Ben struggled for consistency at times last season, but the next 10 months will tell me a lot about our new vice-captain's class. If the big Californian can keep his composure more often, he could be magnificent.

DEFENDERS

2. Nolan Barber (age 29)

English [capped at Under-21s level]

Nolan's the archetypal model professional - he's cool, calm, hard-working, and selfless. Though he's not the most technically-gifted right-back in the league, his mentality more than makes up for that.

3. Thulani Mazibuko (age 24)

South African [3 caps, 0 goals]

This will be Thulani's first season as a fully-fledged left-back. His pace, crossing ability and aerial presence will surely make the versatile defender a danger to opponents at both ends of the pitch.

5. Siphesihle Gumede (age 24)

South African [1 cap, 0 goals]

Siphesihle, or 'Zippy', could become another bargain defensive signing from Austria. With his height, marking ability and - most importantly - acceleration, he can fill Tomo Kurtovic's boots and become a key centre-back.

6. George Darvill (age 25)

English [capped at Under-21s level]

Centre-back George just keeps getting better and better, though he apparently is still not good enough to earn an England cap! Expect Dagenham's poster boy to surpass 300 career league appearances this season.

19. Vicente Gridelli (age 20)

Argentinean [capped at Under-20s level]

Vicente is on the cusp of becoming a regular starter at centre-half. The brave and confident Argentine has a professional attitude that will surely help him on his way to the top of his profession.

21. Juan Francisco Luperdi (age 29)

Peruvian [79 caps, 2 goals]

Left-sided wing-back Juan has plenty of experience, but at £7.5million, I think I might've overspent on him.

25. Ross Pearson (age 22)

English [capped at Under-20s level]

If Ross is ever to become a regular starter at right-back, the homegrown star needs to do it this season.

27. Jameel Bailey (age 21)

English [capped at Under-21s level]

Jamaican-born covering defender Jameel is ready for his first full season in the Daggers first-team.

MIDFIELDERS

4. Kenneth Jorgensen (age 25)

Danish [33 caps, 2 goals]

Right now, we'd do very well to find a more astute defensive midfielder than Kenneth. Very seldom does the powerful Dane hit a terrible pass, let alone fail to live up to his club-record £9million price tag.

7. Shaun Powell (age 25)

Welsh [26 caps, 2 goals]

Shaun's a mighty-fine right-winger who almost always delivers whenever I need him.

8. Orlando Salvador (age 21)

Portuguese [capped at Under-21s level]

If Rudolf Nureyev has been reincarnated as a footballer, then silky-smooth Orlando is that man. 14 goals and 23 assists in two seasons with the Daggers says an awful lot about this exceptional young playmaker.

11. Axel Rubarth (age 24)

Swedish [18 caps, 4 goals]

Axel is an explosive left-winger who is still looking to discover his best form for the Daggers.

12. Neil McCann (age 23)

English [capped at Under-19s level]

Neil has bags of energy and is well on his way to becoming a solid deep-lying playmaker.

14. Matthew Fraser (age 31)

Scottish [34 caps, 3 goals]

Matthew's not a regular starter these days, but he'll always give his all whenever he's on the field. Only three players have made more league appearances for Dagenham than the Scottish playmaker.

16. Dzenan Genjac (age 20)

Croatian [capped at Under-21s level]

Attacking midfielder Dzenan is a footballing wizard who could join the world's elite. Unfortunately, he appears to have a serious hamstring problem and won't play for us this season until October at least.

17. Greg Killick (age 26)

English [capped at Under-21s level]

Cumbrian Greg has got plenty of strings to his bow. He can either sit just in front of the defence, or he can push further upfield as a ball-winning aggressor with a knack for starting attacks.

18. Joe Lawlor (age 24)

English [capped at Under-21s level]

Central midfielder Joe recently joined us from West Ham United and has a keen eye for a killer pass.

32. Engilbert Sverrisson (age 21)

Icelandic [10 caps, 0 goals]

Engilbert is still very raw for an attacking midfielder, though he did catch my eye in pre-season.

FORWARDS

9. Mark Washington (age 26)

American [23 caps, 5 goals]

Captain Mark's just getting back up to speed following a serious injury. I'm sure the pacey American will lead our line with distinction and add plenty more goals to his current Premier League haul of 50.

10. Enrico Messina (age 22)

Italian [2 caps, 0 goals]

Enrico has the ambition and drive to become one of European football's most feared frontmen. He's fully settled in at Dagenham now, so expect a significant improvement on his 15-goal tally from last season.

15. Joel Honeyball (age 30)

English

Joel recently joined our coaching staff, though the poacher will still play for the first-team periodically.

20. Jonas Kjaerulff (age 20)

Danish [capped at Under-21s level]

I hope to see Nordic wonderkid Jonas make a big breakthrough upon his recovery from a torn hamstring.

26. Tristan Egueh (age 22)

English [capped at Under-21s level]

Homegrown hero Tristan burst to life last season, racking up 25 goals in a Daggers jersey. Now that he's a bona-fide starter, this quick and composed striker will surely grow stronger still over the coming years.

 

RESERVE & YOUTH PLAYERS

Goalkeepers: Jordan Docker, Pete Gardner, Alex Lund (on loan at Hull City), Bruno Rommel (on loan at Watford), Kayo Rowe

Defenders: George Beadle, Bradley Charles (on loan at Bolton Wanderers), Jimmy Cullen, Mathew Davies (on loan at Dartford), Raju Gomes (on loan at Sloboda Uzice), Keith Hamilton (on loan at Scunthorpe United), Akin Mapes, Norrie McKeown, Carl Pratt, Michael Walters, Ian Williams

Midfielders: Lee Allen (on loan at Sheffield Wednesday), Milen Danchev (on loan at Blackburn Rovers), Sam Ellensohn, André Gross, Dan Handley, Tautis Harris, Neal Jacobs, Warren Johnston, Alex Ketchell, Eric Knox (on loan at Sloboda Uzice), Matty Maddison, Niall Nash (on loan at Wrexham), Mirko Saric, Michal Twardzik (on loan at Ceské Budejovice), Martin Williams

Forwards: Elliot Cook (on loan at Ipswich Town), Toby Faithfull (on loan at Celtic), Alex Hunter, Peguy Kasongo, Stevie Merson, Paddy Rattle (on loan at Leeds United), Hani Yehia

 

BACKROOM STAFF

Manager: Christopher Fuller

Assistant Manager: Fabio Saraiva

Coaches: Henry Cleminson, Richaee Derby, Daniel Poustka, Lee Rooney, Matt Warren, Marco Verratti

Fitness Coaches: Andy Boles, Godwin Okafor

Goalkeeping Coaches: Scott Carson, Andy Lonergan

Physios: John Alti, Adam Hutchings (head), Andrew Marks

Scouts: Mensur Begic, Callum Donnelly (chief), George Green, Chris Lewington, Dylan McGeouch, Kevin Mensah, Thierry Monteny, Antonino Pirozzi, Nicky Reynolds, Silva, Roscoe Young

 

Reserves Manager: Sean O'Callaghan

 

Head of Youth Development: George Elokobi

Under-18s Manager: Tom Ince

Under-18s Assistant Manager: Aaron McEwan

Under-18s Coaches: Mario Djokic, James Dunne, Joseph Yoffe

Under-18s Fitness Coach: Cameron Phillips

Under-18s Goalkeeping Coach: Tunde Shoretire

Under-18s Physio: Ben Wheeler

[CFuller]

And the depth chart...

GK: Perk / Whalley / Rowe

D/WB L: Mazibuko / Luperdi / Pratt
D C: Darvill / Gumede / Gridelli / Mazibuko / Bailey / Walters
D/WB R: Barber / Pearson / Mazibuko / Gridelli

DM: Jorgensen / Killick / McCann / Gross

M/AM L: Rubarth / Honeyball / Saric
M C: Killick / Jorgensen / Lawlor / Fraser / McCann / Salvador / Gross
M/AM R: Powell / Mazibuko

AM C: Salvador / Sverrisson / Powell / Honeyball

F C: Messina / Washington / Egueh / Kjaerulff / Kasongo / Honeyball

[CFuller]

AUGUST 2038 (continued)

Our Premier League campaign kicked off on 14 August, when we travelled to Carrow Road for a meeting with Norwich City. The Canaries finished 12th last season after losing to us on three occasions. That said, they appeared to have turned a corner under returning manager Ange Diallo, who'd won all five of his pre-season fixtures.

 

Vicente Gridelli was ruled out of this opening fixture with a strained wrist, so summer signing Siphesihle Gumede partnered George Darvill in the centre of our defence. I really hoped that George and Zippy wouldn't 'Bungle' it up on the first day.

 

14 August 2038: Norwich City vs Dagenham & Redbridge

After a slow start from both teams, Norwich striker Joe Shepherd headed wide Eros Guzmán's corner delivery in the 11th minute. Our first few attacks would also leave an awful lot to be desired.

 

After 13 minutes, City's Chinese defender Gu Minghua's back-pass to midfielder Toshiyuki Inoue on the halfway line was cut out by Enrico Messina, who had a clear run at goal for the Daggers. Alas, Ricky could only pull it well wide from a difficult angle. Orlando Salvador fired another Dagenham opportunity off target just moments later.

 

We barely got close to the Canaries after that, as we were forced back into our half. Goalkeeper Ben Perk needed to catch a Guzmán free-kick in the 35th minute before blocking a Luis Soares shot with his feet four minutes later. Meanwhile, defenders Nolan Barber and George Darvill each sustained knocks in strong challenges from Mathieu Retailleau and Shepherd respectively. We also had Messina booked just before half-time for pushing Norwich keeper Stuart Burns.

 

I switched from a 4-4-2 diamond to a 4-2-3-1 during the break, moving Messina out to the left flank and bringing on Shaun Powell to play on the opposite side. The idea was to bypass Norwich's midfield and stretch their defence out a bit more with our wingers.

 

Seven minutes after the restart, that tactical switch was looking rather stupid. Barber tripped City left-back Retailleau deep in our half to concede a free-kick. Guzmán chipped the set-piece over wall, and his set-piece deflected off midfielder Mick Roberts before falling to Gu, who powered it into the top corner of our net. 1-0 to the Canaries.

 

Another six minutes passed, and then things got even worse for us. When Messina tripped Guzmán off the ball, the referee blew his whistle and almost immediately drew out his yellow card for a second time. Ricky was dismissed, and I had to rethink my tactics once more. I opted for a narrow 4-4-1, with Salvador and Powell behind lone striker Mark Washington, and debutant Juan Francisco Luperdi replacing Thulani Mazibuko at left-back.

 

Mazibuko had struggled badly early in the second half, but none of his colleagues would fare much better in the latter stages. Perk needed to keep out a couple of shots from Norwich's French playmaker Omar Guessoum in the 62nd and 66th minute. Our American goalie produced another heroic save in the 68th minute, blocking a follow-up strike from Gu after Canaries captain Rubén Palma had rattled the crossbar.

 

Ben then came under real pressure in the 77th minute, after his newest colleague had shot himself in the foot. Siphesihle Gumede bundled Palma over in the six-yard box as both men sought an outswinging corner from Guzmán. The ref pointed to the spot, from which Shepherd fired Norwich into a 2-0 lead. I immediately subbed Gumede off for Jameel Bailey, but it was too little, too late.

 

The Canaries really were on song, and they would condemn us to defeat with another excellent set-piece in injury time. Aldin Hodzic swung a corner towards former Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Garry Steadman, who nodded in Norwich's third goal. We had not so much threatened our opponents with a shot on target.

 

Norwich City - 3 (Gu 52, Shepherd pen77, Steadman 90)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 0

Premier League, Attendance 27,224 - POSITIONS: Norwich 2nd, Dag & Red 19th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Barber, Darvill, Gumede (Bailey), Mazibuko (Luperdi), Jorgensen, McCann (Powell), Lawlor, Salvador, Washington, Messina. BOOKED: Messina. SENT OFF: Messina.

 

"I don't know why, lads, but everything that could've gone wrong in the second half did go wrong. I expect much better in the next couple of games, otherwise I won't be afraid to make major changes."

 

I also wasn't afraid to lay down the law on some of my underperforming stars. Thulani Mazibuko and Shaun Powell were both lambasted for their unacceptable displays, while Enrico Messina's dismissal earned him a one-match league suspension and an official warning. The Italian would also be left out of the squad for our opening match in this season's UEFA Europa League.

 

Donji Srem arrived from Serbia with the potential to cause an upset and end our continental challenge before it had really begun. It was vital that we nipped them in the bud with a strong performance in Leg 1 of our Play-Off tie.

 

19 August 2038: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Donji Srem

'Christmas tree' went up against 'Christmas tree' in this match, which worryingly began with a scoring chance for Donji Srem. Kieran Whalley was quite thankful that the Serbs' Chinese attacking midfielder Yuan Ruopeng fired off target in the fourth minute.

 

Yuan's Daggers counterpart would fare rather better three minutes later. Orlando Salvador slipped behind the away defence to receive a byline cross from left-back Thulani Mazibuko, which he headed into the net for a 1-0 lead!

 

Donji Srem tried to respond in the 10th minute, when Romanian right-back Jackie Utfineant squared a ball into our box. Dagenham centre-back Jameel Bailey could only head it on to opposing midfielder Federico Benitez, whose volley whistled past Whalley's right-hand post.

 

Six minutes later, Salvador played a beautiful pass to our other attacking midfielder Engilbert Sverrisson deep in the Donji Srem half. Engilbert knocked the ball past Benitez on his way to the penalty area, where he drilled in our second goal of the evening!

 

Sverrisson could've scored again in the 26th minute, when he unfortunately struck the post. A mini-scramble ensued before striker Tristan Egueh slid the ball into the hands of away goalkeeper Miguel Antonio.

 

Tristan wasn't having a great game, but things would get better for him in the 38th minute. Another fine delivery from Mazibuko caused panic amongst the Serbian defenders before Egueh drove in the 50th competitive goal of his Dagenham & Redbridge career! We were 3-0 up and cruising to victory, though Oleg Yarullin fired wide a chance for Donji Srem just before half-time.

 

We tried to play it a bit safer in the second half, in the knowledge that depriving Donji Srem of any away goals would put us in a great position to qualify for the Group Stage. All the pressure was on our opponents to score, and that showed when striker - and dyslexics' nightmare - Srboljub Matijasevic screwed a dreadful shot wide on 63 minutes.

 

Two minutes later, I had my first moment of real concern. Greg Killick appeared to hurt himself when he intercepted a clearance from Donji Srem defender Marcos Bianchi. Greg thankfully wasn't too badly injured, though I did take him off shortly afterwards, just to stay on the safe side.

 

By the 74th minute, our defence really was living dangerously. Kieran blocked a fierce strike from Jean Pierre Ghysel, and he had to make another vital save moments later. Kenneth Jorgensen almost headed visiting midfielder Lerato Dhlamini's corner into his own net, but Whalley pushed the ball away just in time! Kieran then preserved his clean sheet with two more saves in the closing moments from Ghysel and Aleksandrs Lapkovskis.

 

Strong goalkeeping ensured that Donji Srem would not get their away goal, and Sverrisson's brilliance at the other end ensured that they would go into the second leg with a massive 4-0 deficit. Daggers winger Axel Rubarth's 90th-minute cross was cut out Bianchi, but Engilbert nicked the ball off the Argentine's feet and smashed in his second goal! That was surely the tie already won!

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 4 (Salvador 7, Sverrisson 16,90, Egueh 38)

Donji Srem - 0

UEFA Europa League Play-Off Leg 1, Attendance 21,854

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Whalley, Pearson, Gumede, Bailey, Mazibuko, Killick (Kasongo), Jorgensen, Fraser (McCann), Salvador (Rubarth), Sverrisson, Egueh. BOOKED: Egueh.

 

That was just what the doctor ordered. Barring an unforeseeable catastrophe in Serbia the following week, we would be heading into the Europa League Group Stage without breaking much sweat.

[CFuller]

AUGUST 2038 (continued)

My retweaked 'Christmas tree' formation was working a treat, so I fielded it again when we welcomed Fulham to Rainham Road for our first home league match this season. You may remember that the Cottagers defeated us in our final game at the New Boleyn Ground three months ago, but I was hopeful that a repeat performance wouldn't be on the cards.

 

22 August 2038: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Fulham

Fulham midfielder Daniel Chávez didn't exactly have the best of starts to this match. After three minutes, the El Salvador international blazed a close-range shot clean over the bar. Seven minutes later, he was guilty of an even costlier mistake at the other end.

 

Daggers captain Mark Washington's run towards the Fulham penalty area was halted by a slide-tackle from left-back Ivo Vogel that knocked the ball on to Chávez. Washington then closed a very hesitant Chávez down to nick the ball and drill it into the net!

 

A couple of minutes after our opener, our other American - goalkeeper Ben Perk - caught a header from Fulham's long-serving Romanian winger Victor Berceanu. That was the visitors' best chance to equalise in a first half that we were very much on top of. Daggers duo Greg Killick and George Darvill were each kept off the scoresheet in the 19th and 39th minutes by Fulham keeper Djibril Abdoulaye, who was arguably the main reason why we weren't streets ahead at the break.

 

Abdoulaye was called into action again shortly after the second half kicked off, punching away an early strike from our left-back Thulani Mazibuko. The Niger international then watched Washington miscue a couple of opportunities to double his and our tally.

 

Mark was at least proving to be a real attacking threat, which couldn't be said of Fulham's frontman. Captain Martyn Thomas had barely posed any danger to our backline, and he was even less imposing after sustaining a knock in a 49th-minute challenge from Daggers centre-back Siphesihle Gumede. Berceanu was also having a bad day for the Cottagers, and that day worsened for him in the 62nd minute, when he was booked for tripping our young playmaker Orlando Salvador.

 

The referee would draw his yellow card again five minutes later, issuing it to Killick after the Daggers hardman fouled Chávez close to our penalty area. That would be a costly foul from Greg. Bouziane Bentoucha chipped the free-kick into our box, where Chávez got through a crowd of defenders and nodded it past Perk. 1-1.

 

Fulham had barely deserved that leveller, in all honesty, but they could've snatched another goal in the 73rd minute. Our old nemesis Daniele Gatti cut inside from the right and struck a shot that forced his fellow Californian Perk into a vital acrobatic save.

 

Strong defending from South African defenders Thulani and Zippy allowed us to withstand a couple of late Fulham corners before we launched one last bid to win the game in the 81st minute. Alas, Matthew Fraser's low drive was diverted wide by Abdoulaye, and so we had to settle for a share of the points.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Washington 10)

Fulham - 1 (Chávez 67)

Premier League, Attendance 26,722 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 17th, Fulham 12th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Barber, Gumede, Darvill, Mazibuko, Killick (Fraser), Jorgensen, Lawlor, Salvador (Egueh), Sverrisson, Washington. BOOKED: Killick.

 

I felt that we were a little unlucky there. We'd played some excellent passing football at times - it was just that we didn't create enough chances to put the match beyond Fulham's reach.

 

Some more worrying news came in midweek. Our reserve team's defence of the Essex Senior Cup collapsed at the very first hurdle, as they suffered a shock 2-1 defeat at Wivenhoe Town in Round 1. Ah well... I'm sure we'll regain the cup next season. We usually win it every other year.

 

My senior team then made their second trip to Serbia in a little under a month, as we looked to finish off our UEFA Europa League Play-Off against Donji Srem. We'd convincingly won our home leg 4-0, and thus it would take a spectacular change in fortunes to keep us out of the Group Stage.

 

Donji Srem were based in the tiny northern Serbian village of Pecinci, situated an hour's drive south from Novi Sad. The SC Suvaca stadium's capacity of 5,000 was around double the population of the entire village.

 

26 August 2038: Donji Srem vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Just one away goal for the Daggers would leave Donji Srem with an almost impossible task. We took just four minutes to grab that away goal. Enrico Messina sprayed out a crossfield ball to left-winger Axel Rubarth, who drilled it into the hosts' penalty area. The ball deflected off left-back Misa Gmitrovic and fell to Messina, whose strike put us 5-0 up on aggregate!

 

Donji Srem now needed at least SIX goals to stay in contention, but Srboljub Matijasevic missed two early chances to get the first of them. Indeed, he wouldn't cause our defence any damage until he took centre-back Vicente Gridelli out with a rough tackle on the halfway line. Vicente injured his ankle and had to be taken off. Starting left-back Thulani Mazibuko moved into the centre to allow Juan Francisco Luperdi to come on and take Gridelli's place.

 

In the 15th minute, Donji Srem's right-back Jackie Utfineant was involved in a scrap with Shaun Powell that resulted in our right-winger receiving a yellow card. Four minutes later, Utfineant intercepted a cross from Powell and nodded it back to goalkeeper Miguel Antonio. Much to the Romanian's horror, Messina intercepted the back-pass, got beyond the keeper, and cut the ball into the net!

 

Ricky would secure his hat-trick in even flukier circumstances on 24 minutes. The Italian striker ran onto an incisive pass from Powell and slid it through the onrushing Miguel Antonio's legs. The ball then trundled across the line as the home defenders simply watched on in horror!

 

We were ahead by three goals on the night, and seven in all, but Donji Srem's misery didn't end there. When Shaun was pulled back by Yuan Ruopeng in the hosts' penalty area, we were awarded a spot-kick, which Ricky hammered past Miguel Antonio for his quadruple!

 

The rest of the tie had effectively been rendered academic, though Donji Srem pushed on to try and get at least one goal back. In the 29th minute, Peruvian winger Rubén Prado forced Kieran Whalley into what would be the Dagenham skipper's only save of an otherwise quiet first half for him.

 

We understandably took things easier in the second half, with youngsters André Gross and Peguy Kasongo both coming on for extra first-team experience. I kept Messina on in the hope that he would get a fifth goal, but Ricky's first chance to make Daggers history was tipped over by Miguel Antonio in the 52nd minute. Centre-back Jameel Bailey sent a header just over in the 61st minute, while German midfielder Gross pulled wide an awful shot three minutes later.

 

Shortly after that latter miss, the post denied Matijasevic a consolation strike for Donji Srem. Substitute midfielder Lerato Dhlamini chipped an effort into Whalley's hands in the 68th minute, but Kieran's clean sheet would be dirtied two minutes later. It was Romanian centre-half Alin Dumitrescu who did the honours, volleying in a Prado corner to give the home supporters something to crow about.

 

We would silence our hosts again barely a minute later. Rubarth provided the assist for the Daggers' fifth goal... but much to my 'disappointment', it was Killick who scored, and not Messina!

 

After a few more Donji Srem shots were fired off target, Ricky resumed his bid to wrap up a historic quintuple of Dagenham goals in the 82nd minute. Rubarth would've had an impressive hat-trick of assists had Messina met his latest delivery with a cleaner headed connection than he actually did.

 

Messina sensed another opening in the dying seconds, when he tried to run onto a long ball over the home defence from Bailey. Sadly, Miguel Antonio got to the ball before the Italian hotshot, who had to settle for 'only' four goals. I wasn't exactly devastated, mind, as we were safely into the UEFA Europa League Group Stage, the draw for which would take place in September.

 

Donji Srem - 1 (Dumitrescu 70)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 5 (Messina 4,20,24,pen28, Killick 72)

[Dagenham & Redbridge win 9-1 on aggregate]

UEFA Europa League Play-Off Leg 2, Attendance 5,000

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Whalley, Pearson, Gridelli (Luperdi), Bailey, Mazibuko, Killick, McCann (Gross), Powell (Kasongo), Sverrisson, Rubarth, Messina. BOOKED: Powell.

 

Vicente Gridelli was unfortunately ruled out until mid-September with a twisted ankle, but that was the only bad news to come from this match.

 

The following day, though, we received some terrible news as far as our League Cup defence was concerned. The Round 3 draw had been taken place, and we'd been given a nightmare match against Manchester United - at Old Trafford. That's us out, then...

 

There would be no outs or ins at Dagenham & Redbridge in the last few days of the transfer window. I'd once again done all my business early, and I felt no need to add any more players, not even after our shaky start to the Premier League campaign.

[CFuller]

SEPTEMBER 2038

September began with the draw for the UEFA Europa League Group Stage. We were among the second seeds for this stage, so I expected us to get a somewhat easy group. UEFA's drawmasters obliged... to a degree.

 

We were drawn into Group F, which was headed by none other than Barcelona - the six-time UEFA Champions League winners. This was the first time in 13 seasons that Barca had missed out on qualification for Europe's top continental competition and had to enter this event instead.

 

We and Barca were the clear favourites to qualify from Group F, as the other two teams were unlikely to cause much in the way of damage. Bulgarian champions CSKA Sofia and Swiss Super League outfit Servette would surely need to play out of their skins if either of them were to reach the knockout phase.

 

Our first group match would be away to CSKA on 16 September. Before then, we had an international break and a home league game to get through.

 

That international break didn't provide much to write about. Matthew Fraser (Scotland), Kenneth Jorgensen (Denmark), Thulani Mazibuko (South Africa), Ben Perk (United States), Shaun Powell (Wales) and Axel Rubarth (Sweden) all represented their countries, as did a host of Under-21s and Under-19s internationals. However, George Darvill was once again an unused member of the England squad!

 

After that break, we cranked up our preparations for the visit of Liverpool to Rainham Road. The Reds may have narrowly avoided relegation last season, but Igor Plastun's side were unbeaten after their first three league matches of this campaign.

 

11 September 2038: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Liverpool

A confident start from the Daggers saw midfielder Kenneth Jorgensen have a fierce drive tipped behind by Liverpool goalkeeper Gavin Stopforth in the opening minute. Stopforth then caught Enrico Messina's 7th-minute header after his centre-back Joao Alexandre had struggled to clear Thulani Mazibuko's cross out of the box. Liverpool pressed forward shortly afterwards, though captain Dave Weaver's piledriver flew off target.

 

In the 11th minute, Messina flicked another header towards goal, only to see Reds left-back Erick Rodriguez clear it off the goal line. A minute later, Daggers captain Mark Washington's attempted cross to Ricky in the penalty area was knocked clear by Joao Alexandre. Matthew Fraser got to the loose ball and drove it goalwards, but Stopforth got down and made another excellent early save.

 

Our attack ran low on steam after that, and by the 29th minute, we looked to be in trouble. Ball-winning midfielder Greg Killick hurt himself quite badly in a slide tackle on Javier de Gregorio and had to come off briefly for treatment. Killick had barely returned to the pitch when a well-worked Liverpool set-piece saw us fall 1-0 behind in the 31st minute.

 

From near the Daggers byline, right-back Christoph Kerstiens played a free-kick back to de Gregorio, who found his midfield colleague Rodolfo in the box. The Brazilian turned past Orlando Salvador and then unleashed a fierce drive that took a deflection off Jorgensen before crossing the line. We remained on the back foot at half-time, though an excellent save from Ben Perk denied Liverpool a second goal after 44 minutes.

 

I subbed off two players at half-time - Killick, who'd been booked late in the first half, and Nolan Barber, who'd underperformed at right-back. Captain Washington wasn't pulling his weight either, but I kept faith in him. That faith would be repaid after 50 minutes. Mark picked up a pass from Kenny on the edge of the Liverpool 'D' and went past Joao Alexandre before slipping his shot beyond Stopforth!

 

That equaliser brought our confidence back, and we were soon looking good to go ahead. Substitute midfielder Joe Lawlor teed up a 60th-minute chance for Salvador, whose drive ended up in the hands of England goalkeeper Stopforth. In the 70th minute, Stopforth kept out Darvill's close-range header from a dangerous Washington corner.

 

We were certainly creating chances, but not enough of them for my liking. After Perk retained parity at the other end by catching a deft header from Weaver in the 73rd minute, I looked to galvanise our attack by bringing on Tristan Egueh for Messina.

 

The plan didn't work. Liverpool kept us in our own half for the closing stages, with Holland midfielder Dave Jansen driving wide a game-winning opportunity in the 81st minute. After a last-minute hit-and-hoper from Weaver blew on target, Igor Plastun's side settled for a point, and we had to do likewise.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Washington 50)

Liverpool - 1 (Rodolfo 31)

Premier League, Attendance 26,398 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 17th, Liverpool 4th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Barber (Pearson), Gumede, Darvill, Mazibuko, Jorgensen, Killick (Lawlor), Fraser, Salvador, Washington, Messina (Egueh). BOOKED: Killick.

 

This was the first Premier League season in which we had failed to win any of our opening three games, but I was still in reasonably good spirits... until Tuesday afternoon.

 

Centre-back Jameel Bailey, who'd played superbly in our UEFA Europa League Play-Off matches, damaged his Achilles tendon just two days before our opening match in Group F. He would be out for three months, thus missing virtually the entire Group Stage.

 

We then travelled to Sofia - the capital city of Bulgaria - for what was already likely to be a pivotal match in terms of qualification for the knockout phase. An away win over CSKA Sofia, who won the A Group last season, would leave us in a strong position to qualify from our group.

 

16 September 2038: CSKA Sofia vs Dagenham & Redbridge

CSKA Sofia's starting line-up featured 35-year-old former Sunderland defender Yordan Kalchkov, and his centre-back partner Ognyan Boev was also on the slow side. We looked to exploit that vulnerability from the outset. In the third minute, Orlando Salvador skipped past a slide tackle from Kalchkov on the edge of the box and played the ball ahead of Tristan Egueh. Tristan then beat goalkeeper Boyko Tomov for an early opener that left the Reds fuming.

 

The Armymen went on the offensive in the sixth minute, with veteran attacking midfielder Slavi Slavov hitting a powerful effort that was well caught by Daggers skipper Kieran Whalley. After that scare, we gave CSKA a real fright of their own in the 17th minute. Left-winger Axel Rubarth's through-ball to Salvador was agonisingly cannoned off the post by our young Portuguese midfielder.

 

Egueh was similarly unlucky not to double our lead in the 18th minute, when he met Shaun Powell's right-wing cross with a header that went behind off the bar. Tristan would suffer more agony four minutes later, as he hurt himself in heading a long ball from left-back Thulani Mazibuko. Our young striker wasn't quite the same player afterwards, and Salvador also looked badly shaken after missing two golden opportunities in the next couple of minutes.

 

CSKA Sofia looked to capitalise, and they thought they'd equalised when Lyudmil Apostolov powered captain Georgi Zlatinov's pass into the net in the 27th minute. The offside flag went up against Apostolov, and we breathed a sigh of relief.

 

We would fall victim to an offside decision ourselves in the 41st minute, when Orlando's point-blank finish from a cross by Axel was chalked off. That said, we were still very much on top of this match, especially with CSKA's left-back Norihiro Yoshida now nursing a wrist injury.

 

An excellent solo run from Rubarth in the 47th minute should've seen us go 2-0 up, but his shot was blocked by Tomov and then hacked into touch by CSKA right-back Rajko Romih. We tried again in the 55th minute, when Joe Lawlor chipped an excellent ball past Boev and to Mark Washington - a half-time replacement for Tristan. Mark hooked his shot wide, but he would try his luck again a minute later.

 

Lawlor's pass to the right slipped past a hampered Yoshida and found Powell, whose subsequent delivery into the box found Washington. The American made no mistake this time, and at 2-0 up, an away win looked to be in the bag for the Daggers.

 

In the 68th minute, I decided to save some of the excellent Salvador's energy and bring Engilbert Sverrisson on to replace him. Very soon afterwards, though, I would have to make my third and final substitution. Lawlor crashed to the turf after a sliding tackle from CSKA midfielder Kosta Ivanov, with his hamstring bearing the brunt of the challenge. Greg Killick came on for the stricken Lawlor, but some of our other players appeared disconcerted at the loss of another team-mate to a serious injury.

 

Whalley's mind certainly appeared to have drifted away when, in the 74th minute, he screwed a dreadful goal kick to the feet of Dobromir Nikolov. The striker then raced away and smashed in a goal that gave the Armymen fresh hope.

 

Seven minutes later, another defensive disaster from the Daggers saw our lead disappear completely. Brazilian winger Welkinho lifted a ball forward to Slavov, who got past centre-half Siphesihle Gumede and crossed the ball from the byline. Zlatinov beat our other South African defender Mazibuko to the centre, which he tapped in for 2-2.

 

A full-scale invasion from the Armymen was underway. Ivanov sent a long-range drive over the bar in the 85th minute, while a similarly hopeful effort from Nikolov three minutes later was kept out by Whalley.

 

Then, in the last minute of normal time, Nikolov dribbled into our half and towards the penalty area. He squared the ball to Slavov, who was being closely marked by Darvill. George tried to intercept the pass... but Slavov got to it first and struck a one-touch shot that was too quick for Kieran. In the space of 16 minutes, we had gone from cruising to a 2-0 victory to LOSING 3-2! Goodness me!

 

There was similar late drama in the other Group F game at the Nou Camp. Barcelona went 2-0 up at home to Servette, who replicated CSKA Sofia by battling back to lead 3-2. However, the Swiss Super League side then conceded an 87th-minute equaliser to Francisco Cristaldo, and so the match finished 3-3. That left CSKA top of the pile after the opening round of fixtures... and us at the bottom of the heap.

 

CSKA Sofia - 3 (Nikolov 74, Zlatinov 81, Slavov 90)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Egueh 3, Washington 56)

UEFA Europa League Group F, Attendance 21,872 - POSITIONS: CSKA Sofia 1st, Dag & Red 4th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Whalley, Pearson, Gumede, Darvill, Mazibuko, Lawlor (Killick), Jorgensen, Powell, Salvador (Sverrisson), Rubarth, Egueh (Washington). BOOKED: Powell.

 

"I can't believe what just happened, guys," I said in the away dressing room at full-time. "You were 2-0 ahead and in complete control, and then you lost your F***ING HEADS!

 

"Kieran, Thulani, George... your mistakes might well have ended our hopes of qualifying, in the FIRST F***ING MATCH! YOU ALL SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES!"

 

I was particularly angry with Kieran Whalley, whose shoddy goal kick in the 74th minute started off the collapse. "I expected a lot better from you, Kieran," I told him. "You can forget about playing for the first-team again for a while. Once we get back to England, you'll be training with the reserves."

 

Whalley then stood up from the bench, walked over towards me, and retorted, "No way. I'm not letting you push me around!

 

"I've been at this club for nine years - NINE YEARS - and I've become sick of you trying to bully us! We give everything to this club week in, week out, and then when we have one bad game, you fly off the handle and turn into a dictator!"

 

I was rather taken aback by Kieran's tirade, but I refused to back down. "My decision stands, Kieran. You're dropped to the reserves, whether you like it or not."

 

I left the dressing room still steaming, and I was soon followed out by head physio Adam Hutchings, who had some bad news about Joe Lawlor. The midfielder had torn his hamstring, becoming the third Daggers player to do so in less than two months. My anger then spilled out completely.

 

"WHAT THE HELL'S WRONG WITH THIS F***ING TEAM???"

[CFuller]

SEPTEMBER 2038 (continued)

Three days after our capitulation in Bulgaria, we returned to Premier League duties with a sense of trepidation. Defeat at the Madejski Stadium against Reading would send us back into the bottom three, and leave us seriously contemplating a relegation battle for the first time in ages.

 

While we were down in the dumps, Reading were on cloud nine. The Royals started their Premier League campaign with a 7-1 demolition of Tottenham Hotspur, and they followed up with two further wins and a draw. Ryan Galbraith was top of the league's Golden Boot standings with eight goals, though I was relieved that a sprained ankle would keep him out of this match.

 

19 September 2038: Reading vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Free-scoring Reading could've found the net once again just four minutes after kick-off. Right-winger Andrew James crossed deep to his left-wing colleague Adam McNamara, whose back-post volley was kept out by a brave save from Daggers keeper Ben Perk.

 

Our first chance to open the scoring came in the 12th minute. Enrico Messina was brought down in the area by Royals defender Colin Allen as he tried to reach a cross from Nolan Barber - a former Madejski Stadium favourite. Messina only had to beat Patrick Braspenning from 12 yards to give us the lead... but the Dutchman acrobatically tipped his spot-kick wide! Ricky winced in agony, but we had to stay strong, especially with Reading looking as good as their start to the season had suggested.

 

Perk had to shut the Royals out again in the 20th minute by saving a low drive from James. Strikers Justin Middleton and Carl Hubert then missed the target in the 25th and 27th minutes. Messina found time to hit the post for Dagenham in between those misses, though it was our woodwork that took a beating in the 31st minute from a cross by James. Both sides wasted further opportunities before a tense encounter reached the halfway point with the scores still at 0-0.

 

I replaced Neil McCann with Engilbert Sverrisson during the break, but I was soon having to contemplate bringing on another midfielder. The second half was four minutes old when tough-tackling Greg Killick bruised his rib in a typically full-blooded challenge on James. Greg played on until the 63rd minute, by which point George Darvill had gone close to heading in an opener for the Daggers.

 

Centre-half George and left-back Juan Francisco Luperdi were both in fine fettle for us, though two other defenders looked rather less impressive in the 72nd minute. Firstly, Barber was outpaced by Reading's substitute left-winger Pete Russell, who ran onto an excellent long pass from McNamara before crossing into our box. Siphesihle Gumede's intercepting diving header could only divert the ball on to Reading legend Ricky Hales, who would surely have hammered it home were it not for Perk's quick reflexes.

 

The Royals stretched us out again in the 78th minute, with Hubert taking the ball out to the right before supplying a cross to Geoff Clark. The ball was flicked on to McNamara at the back post, which diverted the 24-year-old's shot behind. I then took off Mark Washington, who'd done hardly anything up front for us, and sent on Tristan Egueh for the closing stages.

 

Tristan almost turned the game in our favour after 81 minutes, when he slipped beyond defender Keith McDonagh before firing his shot straight at Braspenning. That was a crucial save, as was Perk's injury-time stoppage of a 20-yard drive from Royals midfielder Nikki McKay, which kept the teams deadlocked at full-time.

 

Reading - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 0

Premier League, Attendance 21,290 - POSITIONS: Reading 1st, Dag & Red 17th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Barber, Gumede, Darvill, Luperdi, Jorgensen, McCann (Sverrisson), Killick (Fraser), Salvador, Washington (Egueh), Messina.

 

At the final whistle, most of our players looked like they had gone 12 rounds with Anthony Joshua. They had worked their socks off, simply to secure a goalless draw against one of the weaker teams in the league. That was arguably more concerning than the fact we were still winless.

 

A little over 48 hours later, we played out our first match in the League Cup since lifting the trophy at Wembley in February. We would have to do very well simply to get past Round 3 this time, as we were at Old Trafford, where we'd never beaten Manchester United in six previous visits.

 

I'd effectively given up hope of another lengthy League Cup run, so I rested most of my key men ahead of what would be a massive home league game against Rochdale over the weekend. Among those players who did travel to Old Trafford was Welsh centre-back Michael Walters, who made his first competitive senior start for the Daggers at the ripe old age of 17.

 

21 September 2038: Manchester United vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Manchester United also rested several big-name players, but not England striker Shaun Murray, whose 4th-minute header at goal was nodded away by Daggers defender Thulani Mazibuko. Murray attacked us again in the 13th minute, dribbling past right-back Ross Pearson before unleashing a powerful drive. That effort was pushed wide by Kayo Rowe for a corner. Pablo López's delivery was flicked to the far post by Mazibuko, who was relieved to see Murray hit the outside of the post.

 

Two minutes later, though, we finally succumbed to the inevitable. Murray sprayed the ball out left to Stuart Thompson and then made his way to our penalty area, where he headed in the return cross from the 18-year-old left-winger.

 

Murray was on fire, and he would soon get a chance to double his and United's money. Craig Aitken - another very promising 18-year-old in the Red Devils' ranks - was hacked down by Mazibuko just before he could make it 2-0. Thulani's gamble in conceding the penalty was not worth it, as Murray beat Rowe from the spot, and we now faced a real uphill struggle.

 

When United midfielder Leszek Michniewicz twisted his knee in the 27th minute, manager Alexander Mejía brought on South Korean superstar Kim Chang-Hoon as a replacement. In the 33rd minute, Kim found Aitken unmarked on the left wing. The young Scot then crossed to England Under-21s winger Nigel Smith, who made it 3-0 with his first senior goal for Manchester United. Any hope we had of defending the League Cup appeared to have ebbed away.

 

It'd been quite a while since I last fielded a 3-5-2 formation, but I used the second half of this match to experiment with that again. Putting an extra man in the centre of our defence didn't prevent Manchester United from continuing to hammer shots at us.

 

Rowe could've wilted under the constant pressure, but our young goalkeeper made excellent saves in the 50th and 51st minutes to prevent Smith or Matheo Honoré from piling on the misery. Kayo then diverted a header from United captain José Luis against his crossbar in the 52nd minute. Alas, he would eventually be beaten for a fourth time after 56 minutes. Moses Penfold had only been on the pitch for a couple of minutes when his strike from Murray's centre hammered the final nail in our League Cup coffin.

 

Pearson had blazed over a potential Dagenham consolation just before then, and we would waste another big opportunity on 68 minutes. Matthew Fraser's hopeful 25-yard strike was pushed on by Red Devils goalkeeper Seán Rooney to Peguy Kasongo, but the Congolese striker could only slide it out of play for a goal kick.

 

Rooney only needed to make one more save, from attacking midfielder Engilbert Sverrisson in the 84th minute. Engilbert was perhaps our best player on the night, but our largely inexperienced backline had quite simply been outclassed. The only surprising aspect about this result was that United hadn't won by more than four goals.

 

Manchester United - 4 (Murray 15,pen22, Smith 33, Penfold 57)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 0

League Cup Round 3, Attendance 48,153

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Pearson, Walters, Mazibuko, Pratt, McCann (Fraser), Gross, Powell (Honeyball), Sverrisson, Rubarth (Gridelli), Kasongo. BOOKED: Pearson, Walters.

 

I wasn't too disappointed with that. I'd already written off the League Cup for this season to focus on our next Premier League game, where I would try out another tactical experiment.

 

While the 3-5-2 had helped us to limit Manchester United to only one goal in the second half, it wasn't attacking enough for my liking. My plan was to push the wing-backs up and turn them into defensive wingers, while I would have an attacking midfielder just behind the front two. Essentially, this was a high-pressing, high-risk 3-4-1-2.

 

I didn't know what to expect when I trialled that new formation against an underachieving Rochdale side who'd won only one of their first five league matches this season. The Dale had once again invested heavily in personnel over the summer, including forking out a club-record £17.5million on a certain Tomo Kurtovic, but they hadn't yet gelled into a coherent team.

[CFuller]

SEPTEMBER 2038 (continued)

25 September 2038: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Rochdale

Our first match with the new system began promisingly, with Orlando Salvador heading a Mark Washington free-kick just wide in the second minute. Two minutes later, Enrico Messina knocked the ball through a dishevelled Rochdale defence and to Kenneth Jorgensen, who was denied a first Premier League goal by a strong catch from Dale keeper Romário.

 

We absolutely dominated play in the opening stages, with Rochdale allowed very little time on the ball or in our half. The visitors' defenders were struggling to cope, and two of them - left-back Adán Paz and centre-half Tomo Kurtovic - sustained minor knocks in the first 15 minutes. They really were looking vulnerable, but for all our possession, we weren't getting enough shots on target.

 

An overhit effort from left-winger Thulani Mazibuko in the 20th minute summed up our shooting. Salvador and Messina also missed chances later in the first half, but the biggest disappointment was captain Mark Washington, who thundered a drive over the bar four minutes before the break. Washington had been booked for pushing Rochdale defender Darren Howarth not long before then, so I opted to replace our misfiring striker with Tristan Egueh during the interval.

 

After 48 minutes, Egueh's first shot of the afternoon rebounded off Howarth and to Mazibuko. Thulani then struck a first-time effort that was acrobatically tipped over by Romário. Our South African wideman created another golden opportunity in the 50th minute, but an unusually disappointing Salvador fired his centre against the post.

 

Both sides then had their frontmen pick up yellow cards - Egueh for diving in the 53rd minute, and Rochdale's Mario Tortora for pushing Daggers defender Vicente Gridelli a minute later. One of them would finally break the deadlock in the 59th minute... but it wasn't our old friend Mario. Instead, Tristan got through the Dale defence to stab in a wicked right-wing delivery from Nolan Barber and put us 1-0 up!

 

The 3-4-1-2 was working... but I wouldn't be sticking with it for much longer. When Rochdale pushed their wide players further forward, I reverted to a more conventional 4-2-3-1. That looked like being a major miscalculation in the 69th minute, when Dale's substitute striker Dave Blake took the ball off midfielder Matthew Fraser and dribbled towards goal. Blake then hit a shot from 25 yards out, but Dagenham goalkeeper Ben Perk pushed it away for what would be his only save in this match.

 

Blake blazed over Rochdale's only other scoring chance in the 77th minute, by which point his team were already 2-0 down. Messina effectively secured the Daggers' first league win of the season after 75 minutes, when he thundered in an excellent pass from Fraser.

 

Ricky would later make way for Swedish winger Axel Rubarth, who provided the assist for our third goal in the 89th minute. Egueh neatly controlled Rubarth's cross before stroking it past Romário, thus putting the seal on what had been a truly delightful display from the Daggers!

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (Egueh 59,89, Messina 75)

Rochdale - 0

Premier League, Attendance 26,285 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 14th, Rochdale 19th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Gumede, Gridelli, Darvill (Powell), Barber, Jorgensen, Fraser, Mazibuko, Salvador, Messina (Rubarth), Washington (Egueh). BOOKED: Washington, Egueh, Jorgensen.

 

Beating Rochdale at home was one thing, but defeating our next opponents would be quite another.

 

It had been almost exactly 16 years since I first stepped into the manager's shoes at Dagenham & Redbridge. Very few Daggers supporters back then could even have imagined that the mighty Barcelona would one day be arriving at our place for a competitive European fixture.

 

Admittedly, this wasn't the all-conquering, fear-inducing Barcelona team of the Lionel Messi 'tiki-taka' era, or even of the Nando Ribas era. The Catalan giants had only finished 5th in La Liga last season, and sat in a pitiful 9th position after the first six games of this league campaign. They'd also stumbled to a 3-3 draw at home to Servette in their opening UEFA Europa League fixture.

 

Barca were certainly vulnerable. This was a wonderful opportunity for us to not only claim a major scalp, but also repair the damage we'd inflicted on ourselves in Sofia a couple of weeks earlier.

 

30 September 2038: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Barcelona

Barcelona might not have been at their best, but they still looked very imposing in the first half. The first sign of potential problems for us came after 10 minutes. Brazilian-born left-winger Walter Candido, who'd just been called up to the Spain squad for the first time, unleashed a vicious effort that forced Daggers captain Ben Perk into a difficult fingertip save. Shortly after that, Perk watched the former Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Sabri Ozturk blaze a shot high over his crossbar.

 

Another Barca shot that cleared the bar was Leonel Aguilar's header from a Marcelo Villar cross in the 17th minute. Aguilar had over 200 goals on his Barcelona career record, but the Argentine wasted another chance to add to that haul in the 19th minute. After controlling a long punt from goalkeeper Dawid Wisniewski, Aguilar showed Daggers defender Siphesihle Gumede a clean pair of heels and then had a pop at goal. Perk came up with another strong save, and then one more from Candido in the 36th minute.

 

Our defence was holding up well, but we barely got a chance to push forward and threaten Barcelona at their end. The first half passed by without a single home chance at Rainham Road, while frontman Tristan Egueh got himself in the referee's book for a shove on Ozturk.

 

"We're defending really well, guys, but we look like being railroaded at the moment," I told my team at half-time. "Barcelona are a team full of goals, and I'm sure they'll break through if the second half is anything like the first. We have to shake off the shackles and take the game to them. Don't let them push you around!"

 

During the interval, I also subbed off our two wingers and reverted to a 4-3-2-1, with Orlando Salvador joining Engilbert Sverrisson just behind our lone striker Egueh. Engilbert and Tristan would each send shots wide in the first three minutes of the second half, though we were at least showing a bit more ambition. It could've been to no avail had Barcelona midfielder Rafael Fernandes made the most of a Nico Albert free-kick in the 54th minute. Fernandes met Albert's chipped set-piece with a delicate diving header, but Perk caught it just before it could cross his goal line.

 

Ben's opposite number Wisniewski would make his first save a couple of minutes later to keep out a 25-yard drive from Engilbert. The young Icelander tried again in the 59th minute... and this time, he was more successful. Salvador intercepted a pass from Barca left-back Villar in the area and played it first-time to Sverrisson, whose low drive beat Wisniewski and sent our supporters into ecstasy!

 

The Rainham Road faithful would have been even more delighted had Engilbert scored again a minute later, but Wisniewski palmed his next effort wide. That being said, the momentum was now ours, and with our brand of fast-paced possession football, we were playing more like Barcelona than Barcelona were! The Catalans could barely cope with the threat of Sverrisson, who was the victims of fouls that led to Barca duo Etienne Tafani and Ozturk receiving yellow cards.

 

In the 73rd minute, Sverrisson set up an opportunity for Egueh, who ran at the defence before firing his shot into Wisniewski's hands. Two minutes later, Salvador - who had himself been booked earlier on - decided that it was time to make his mark. Right-back Nolan Barber weighted a one-touch lob to Orlando, who glided past Barca midfielder Tafani and beautifully stroked the ball home with his magical left foot!

 

We were 2-0 up... but only for another four minutes. Egueh then piled on the misery for Barcelona by beating three defenders and Wisniewski to a wicked cross from Barber, which he tapped in to secure an unbelievable 3-0 victory!

 

We had been so incredible in the second period that I could afford to take Sverrisson off for the final 10 minutes and give 17-year-old winger Alex Ketchell his first taste of European football. Even with a rookie on the pitch, we still managed to keep a clean sheet, with Francisco Cristaldo's narrow miss in the 80th minute proving to be Barcelona's last chance to take a consolation goal back home to Spain.

 

A momentous win lifted us to 2nd place in Group F - one point behind our old foes CSKA Sofia, who were held to a 1-1 draw at Servette. That was Servette's second successive draw, so the Swiss side must not be underestimated when they arrive at Rainham Road for our next UEFA Europa League match on 21 October.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (Sverrisson 59, Salvador 75, Egueh 79)

Barcelona - 0

UEFA Europa League Group F, Attendance 25,516 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 2nd, Barcelona 4th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Barber, Gumede, Gridelli, Mazibuko, Jorgensen, Killick, Powell (Salvador), Sverrisson (Ketchell), Rubarth (McCann), Egueh. BOOKED: Egueh, Salvador.

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.          CSKA Sofia             2     1     1     0     4     3     +1    4
2.          Dag & Red              2     1     0     1     5     3     +2    3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          Servette               2     0     2     0     4     4     0     2
4.          Barcelona              2     0     1     1     3     6     -3    1

 

Well... I wasn't expecting that!

 

In the space of six days, the clouds of doom and gloom had drifted away from Rainham Road, and it was all sunshine and rainbows again at Dagenham & Redbridge... but for how long?

[CFuller]

Premier League Table (End of September 2038)

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.          Reading                6     4     2     0     14    3     +11   14
2.          Arsenal                5     4     1     0     11    4     +7    13
3.          Liverpool              6     3     3     0     12    5     +7    12
4.          Chelsea                6     3     2     1     8     7     +1    11
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.          Derby                  6     3     1     2     12    7     +5    10
6.          Tottenham              6     3     1     2     13    12    +1    10
7.          Man Utd                6     2     3     1     6     3     +3    9
8.          Man City               6     2     2     2     11    6     +5    8
9.          Everton                6     2     2     2     7     9     -2    8
10.         West Ham               6     1     4     1     6     4     +2    7
11.         Nottm Forest           6     2     1     3     8     16    -8    7
12.         Southampton            6     1     3     2     6     5     +1    6
13.         Norwich                6     1     3     2     10    10    0     6
14.         Dag & Red              5     1     3     1     5     5     0     6
15.         West Brom              6     1     3     2     10    12    -2    6
16.         Fulham                 6     1     3     2     6     10    -4    6
17.         Wolves                 6     2     0     4     10    15    -5    6
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18.         Burnley                6     1     1     4     7     11    -4    4
19.         Rochdale               6     1     1     4     2     9     -7    4
20.         Ipswich                6     1     1     4     6     17    -11   4

 

[mark wilson27]

Bloody cracking result against Barcelona Mr.CFuller...Well done sir

[CFuller]

18 hours ago, mark wilson27 said:

Bloody cracking result against Barcelona Mr.CFuller...Well done sir

It was a cracking second-half performance, Mr mark wilson27. Like I said, this wasn't a Barcelona team at the very top of their game, but any win against them is a fantastic result.

[CFuller]

OCTOBER 2038

Dagenham & Redbridge's next league fixture saw us travel to the City Ground to face newly-promoted Nottingham Forest. The Tricky Trees had got their season off to an inconsistent start, winning twice but also shipping five goals against Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton.

 

3 October 2038: Nottingham Forest vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Captain Mark Washington returned to the side in an unusual attacking midfield role, and he almost created a goal after just five minutes. His chipped free-kick into the Nottingham Forest area was flicked past the far post by lone striker Enrico Messina. Mark created another chance for Ricky in the 11th minute, but the youngster was again unable to hit the target.

 

Midfielder Neil McCann fired a low drive towards goal in the 18th minute, only for Forest's Cypriot goalkeeper Giorgos Michail to parry it wide. Two minutes later, though, our own George would get the better of Michail. George Darvill towered over Forest striker Aarran Bryant to flick an Orlando Salvador corner home and open the scoring!

 

We could've doubled our lead on 23 minutes, but Washington hit the side netting after Messina was tackled by home defender Yarden Tubul. That would be a big miss, as Forest retaliated a minute later. When Colombian striker Miguel Ortíz beat Daggers centre-back Sipheshile Gumede to a cross from Walid Yilmaz and headed it past Ben Perk, our lead was gone... but not for long.

 

In the 28th minute, Messina played the ball out left to full-back Juan Francisco Luperdi deep in Forest territory. Ricky then advanced into the six-yard box, where he received a return cross from Juan and headed it in off the bar!

 

That began a 10-minute scoring spree for our 22-year-old Italian frontman. The second of Messina's goals came after 37 minutes, when he nodded in a Washington free-kick and doubled our lead. He would pull us even further clear a minute later.

 

Luperdi started an incisive breakaway by dispossessing Forest winger Alex Higgins and knocking the ball up to Washington. As our players surged forward, the ball was moved on to Salvador and then to Messina, whose fierce strike secured a first-half hat-trick - his second of the season! We would head into the break comfortably leading 4-1, though we worryingly lost McCann to a pulled hamstring after he was tackled by Bryant in the 40th minute.

 

Though we were three goals up, I told my players at half-time to stay focussed and not get cocky. I was wary of a second-half fightback from Nottingham Forest and wanted us to push further ahead before they could peg us back. Washington was unlucky not to build a 5-1 Daggers lead in the 56th minute, when Michail caught the American's swerving free-kick.

 

Michail and his Forest team-mates still had faith, and a mistake from one South American in the 59th minute would see another reduce the hosts' deficit. Peru left-back Luperdi lost the ball to 'Hurricane' Higgins, who breezed past him and floated a cross towards Perk's right-hand post. Forest's captain - the 34-year-old former Paraguay winger Aleluia - then stabbed it home for 4-2.

 

Four minutes later came further evidence that the Tricky Trees had turned a (different) corner. Higgins snookered us again when his centre was knocked on by Gumede to Forest midfielder John Woods, who suddenly whittled our lead down to 4-3!

 

I made a desperate change of tactics to try and stop the home comeback in its tracks, but Nottingham Forest just kept on going. We were very much on the defensive again in the 72nd minute, when Salvador had to block a shot from Forest substitute Kyle Allcock. The next six minutes then saw Woods and Ortíz pull wide chances to double their hauls and complete the recovery.

 

With the opposition seemingly on the edge of heaven, I pulled out one final stop - and replaced the inconsistent Luperdi with Thulani Mazibuko. An earlier substitute - right-winger Shaun Powell - could've eased my fears with a killer pass to Messina in the 89th minute. Tubul intercepted the pass, only for Ricky to close him down and strike a shot that Michail saved at his near post.

 

I then spent the last few minutes praying for full-time. Thankfully, Nottingham Forest could not have one more try at an equaliser, and so we finished a hard day as 4-3 victors. That win took us up into the Premier League's top half for the first time this season.

 

Nottingham Forest - 3 (Ortíz 24, Aleluia 59, Woods 63)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 4 (Darvill 20, Messina 28,37,38)

Premier League, Attendance 18,873 - POSITIONS: Nottm Forest 15th, Dag & Red 9th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Barber, Gumede, Darvill, Luperdi (Mazibuko), Killick, Jorgensen (Powell), McCann (Fraser), Salvador, Washington, Messina.

 

Though we'd won, I was not pleased with our second-half performance, and I warned my players at full-time, "You almost threw that away, lads. When we were 4-1 up at half-time, I told you to keep your heads and not get complacent? And what did you go? You took your feet off the pedals and got complacent!

 

"We've been here before with CSKA Sofia - the only difference here was that you got away with it this time. You've got to take lessons from this and show a lot more composure in future.

 

"I won't tolerate another Jekyll & Hyde performance. You got that?"

 

As the players heeded my words, I sought the physio's prognosis on Neil McCann's hamstring injury. The bad news was that he would be on the sidelines for three weeks. The good news was that he wouldn't have to miss a load of games, as it was now time for another international break.

 

Left-back Juan Francisco Luperdi won his 80th cap for Peru in a friendly win over Cuba. Meanwhile, reserve winger Mirko Saric joined our growing crop of senior internationals by winning his first full cap for Croatia in a 6-0 thrashing of Iceland. Iceland had inexplicably left Engilbert Sverrisson out of their squad, even though he'd torn Barcelona apart just a couple of weeks earlier!

 

The fast-improving Bruno Rommel kept goal for Germany's Under-21s for the first time, though his team succumbed to a surprising 1-0 away defeat against Michael Walters' Wales. Orlando Salvador scored his 15th goal for Portugal Under-21s and would surely have to be a contender for the next senior squad.

 

Back at home, I allowed 18-year-old midfielder Neal Jacobs to go out on loan for the first time. He would spend the next three months playing for Preston North End in League Two.

 

Next up for us was another road trip to the Midlands - this time to The Hawthorns, where we played West Bromwich Albion. Baggies boss Tom Schaap was under pressure after a shocking start that had seen his team win only one league game thus far.

 

16 October 2038: West Bromwich Albion vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Stalwart winger Luis Sevilla volleyed West Brom's first shot over the crossbar in the fifth minute. The Baggies would go close again in the 10th minute, when captain Justin Gibbs got his head to an excellent corner delivery from Sevilla. Were it not for Ben Perk's fingertips, we would surely have fallen behind.

 

A minute later, West Brom midfielder Kemal Bakan went down after a tackle from Orlando Salvador. Bakan sprained his ankle and had to come off. We then had an injury scare of our own in the 14th minute, when attacking midfielder Engilbert Sverrisson collided with Alan Hare. Engilbert was not too seriously injured and played on, but our attacking threat to Albion in the first half would be somewhat limited.

 

German midfielder André Gross - making his first league appearance of the season - pulled a long-range effort well wide in the 16th minute. Our only other scoring chance of the half was nodded wide by George Darvill five minutes before the break. Frankly, things could only get better from here.

 

Salvador and Enrico Messina each received bookings in the first half, but I took neither of them off at the break. Instead, I subbed off André and Engilbert in favour of winger Shaun Powell and striker Tristan Egueh. Orlando moved over to the left flank, where he supplied Ricky with an excellent cross in the 50th minute. Sadly, Messina's header ended up safely in the grasp of West Brom keeper Mark Thomas.

 

We continued to threaten the Baggies regularly thereafter, though Gibbs and Badouin Mabwete were proving tough nuts to crack in the centre of their defence. Meanwhile, Egueh was struggling to find his range, as he miscued a shot in the 65th minute after dribbling past Gibbs.

 

The hosts' own substitute striker Stephen Walsh spurned an opportunity two minutes later, nodding Ionut Anca's flick-on harmlessly to Ben Perk. Albion midfielders Nathan Allard and Hare were narrowly off target in the 71st and 74th minutes, but the deadlock would finally be broken in the 78th. Powell skilfully dribbled inside Baggies left-back Manu Torbellino before squaring the ball to Messina, who thrashed in his fifth goal in three games! West Brom argued for an offside call, but to no avail.

 

Sadly, our lead only lasted for a couple of minutes. An unusually stressed Darvill made a meal of a cross from ex-Daggers playmaker Billy Stevenson, with his heavy first touch allowing Walsh to take the ball and power it past Perk. Our old fallibilities would soon resurface as West Brom looked to complete the comeback.

 

Stevenson sent a vicious shot just off target in the 82nd minute, and he missed again in the 89th minute. Albion's biggest opportunity to win the game came in injury time, when Walsh dispossessed Greg Killick and made a run for the penalty area. He then latched onto a sublime through-ball from Stevenson, only to scoop it over the bar. The match would finish 1-1, but in truth, neither team had really played strongly enough to win.

 

West Bromwich Albion - 1 (Walsh 80)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Messina 78)

Premier League, Attendance 30,898 - POSITIONS: West Brom 16th, Dag & Red 10th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Barber, Gridelli, Darvill, Mazibuko, Killick, Jorgensen, Gross (Egueh), Salvador (Honeyball), Sverrisson (Powell), Messina. BOOKED: Salvador, Messina, Barber.

 

Though we were unbeaten in six league games since our opening-day defeat to Norwich City, that was our fourth draw. We were dropping quite a lot of points in games that we arguably should have won. That didn't happen a lot last season... or the season before last, for that matter.

 

We certainly couldn't afford to drop any points in our midweek UEFA Europa League match at home to Servette. Les Grenats had recorded admirable draws against Barcelona and CSKA Sofia earlier in Group F, but we really had to get a couple of wins against them if we were to qualify for the knockout stages.

 

20-year-old Dzenan Genjac made his first competitive start of the campaign in this match, having recovered from the hamstring tear he'd suffered in pre-season. He was the attacking midfielder in my trusty 4-4-2 diamond, which I'd switched back to after a few weeks experimenting with other formations.

[CFuller]

OCTOBER 2038 (continued)

21 October 2038: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Servette

Servette were a mid-table Swiss Super League side who'd only qualified for Europe after winning the Swiss Cup last season. Tristan Egueh really should've caused their defence all sorts of problems, and he did just that in the fourth minute... by tripping right-back Aleksander Agolli. For that, Egueh received his third yellow card in this season's UEFA Europa League, which meant he would be suspended from our return trip to Switzerland two weeks later.

 

It looked doubtful that Dzenan Genjac would get through this match when our fragile playmaker was injured in a tackle from Philip Carlsson in the 11th minute. Genjac thankfully survived that scare, and we got through another in the 15th minute, when Servette striker Wagner's header from a Sven Bottger cross bounced off our bar and back into play.

 

Bottger would lay on a superb assist two minutes later, but for comeback kid Genjac! The German intercepted a firm first touch from Daggers skipper Mark Washington but diverted it into his own penalty area, where Dzenan gleefully smashed it past keeper Graziano Barozzi!

 

Our young Croat hoped to produce another goal in the 22nd minute, but Egueh slipped Genjac's knock-on just past the post. Servette left-back Joao Serpa's game came to an end seven minutes later after he stubbed his toe in a challenge on Dagenham right-back Ross Pearson. Los Grenats would do well to keep the deficit down to 1-0 at half-time, as Barozzi saved late efforts from Tristan and Dzenan.

 

Much to my annoyance, Washington had done barely anything in the first half. I wouldn't tolerate his slackness, so I brought Orlando Salvador on during the break and went back to a 4-3-2-1. That did us a fat lot of good, as we would hardly ever get into Servette's box during the second period. A wayward shot by midfielder Matthew Fraser in the 51st minute was just the first of several hopeless attempts from distance by the Daggers.

 

To be fair, Les Grenats were defending quite deep and limiting the space we could exploit. At the other end, they were also starting to test Dagenham keeper Kayo Rowe with a bit more regularity. The 20-year-old needed to show plenty of composure to catch a header from Wagner after 58 minutes, and then again to deny Servette captain Marcello Casini a goal ten minutes later.

 

In the 72nd minute, Kayo produced a fine acrobatic save and caught another Wagner header, this time from Bottger's deflected cross. Two minutes after that, Salvador was tripped by Servette midfielder Boris Simons 30 yards from goal. Orlando floated an ambitious free-kick towards goal, but narrowly cleared the crossbar.

 

Our Swiss visitors' last equalising chance would come from a free-kick of their own in the first minute of injury time. Veteran right-winger Lorenzo Cantelli curled his set-piece over our wall and looked set to find the top-left corner of Rowe's net, but Kayo stopped the ball just in time, and we held on for an unconvincing 1-0 win.

 

We went to the top of Group F with that victory, overtaking CSKA Sofia after the Bulgarian champions lost 2-1 to Barcelona on home soil. That left us two points clear of both CSKA and Barca at the halfway stage, with winless Servette another couple of points adrift.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Genjac 17)

Servette - 0

UEFA Europa League Group F, Attendance 24,265 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 1st, Servette 4th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Pearson, Gridelli, Gumede, Luperdi, Jorgensen, Killick, Fraser (Gross), Genjac (Kasongo), Washington (Salvador), Egueh. BOOKED: Egueh.

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.          Dag & Red              3     2     0     1     6     3     +3    6
2.          Barcelona              3     1     1     1     5     7     -2    4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          CSKA Sofia             3     1     1     1     5     5     0     4
4.          Servette               3     0     2     1     4     5     -1    2

 

Yes, we won, but that was just dire. We were just hitting and hoping against Servette when we really should've been more clinical.

 

Another cause for concern was that, following a strong start to the season, Mark Washington had gone through four successive matches without scoring. Our captain looked a pale shadow of the goal machine he used to be, and if he couldn't knuckle down quickly, I would have to seriously consider his long-term future at the club.

 

I hoped to see a more convincing Daggers display when Derby County set foot on Rainham Road. The Rams had won four of their first eight league matches, but we beat them three times last season and were strong favourites to keep that run going.

 

24 October 2038: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Derby County

Thulani Mazibuko was unlucky not to score in the second minute, when his header from Matthew Fraser's free-kick looped over the Derby crossbar. We would give the Rams their next scare after nine minutes. In-form Enrico Messina fearlessly ran at the defence before driving a shot into the hands of goalkeeper Maguila. Six minutes later, Messina got ahead of County right-back Aidan Bobbins to reach a cross from our own right-back Nolan Barber, but he could only head it wide.

 

We were once again failing to make the most of our opportunities, so I was especially annoyed when Derby found the net from their first attempt after 16 minutes. Midfielder Paul Sherwood headed in a free-kick from veteran defender Jabu Pila, but we were relieved to see the offside flag go up.

 

We attacked again in the 19th minute, only for Messina to be floored by a firm but fair tackle from Rams left-back Ntesang Phiri. Ricky appeared to have pulled a hamstring in the challenge, though he played on until full-time. By then, we had wasted even more chances to break the deadlock.

 

Maguila did have to make a couple of saves, from Kenneth Jorgensen in the 27th minute and Messina in the 34th, but the Daggers looked blunter than usual. Derby were unable to take advantage, with our captain Ben Perk denying winger Mohamed Mahmoud an away goal on the stroke of half-time.

 

Derby's first two attacks of the second half saw them go close to scoring. Yassine Allali pulled a shot into the side netting on 48 minutes, shortly after a sloppy pass from Jorgensen allowed the Rams to counter. Four minutes later, a deep cross from Mahmoud found Sherwood, whose header was caught just short of the goal line by Perk.

 

Fraser was rather less threatening for us, putting a couple of hit-and-hopers well off target. In the 60th minute, though, Matthew set up Orlando Salvador for a through-ball to Greg Killick, whose shot was beaten away by Maguila.

 

Salvador would later be joined in the attacking midfield section of our 'Christmas tree' by Dzenan Genjac, who powered his only shot well wide in the 63rd minute. That was still one shot more than substitute striker Tristan Egueh mustered in arguably his most anonymous performance of the season.

 

To put Egueh's shocker into perspective, even Barber went closer to scoring than our homegrown frontman. After 75 minutes, Nolan received an excellent pass from our final substitute - 18-year-old senior debutant Warren Johnston - and cut inside before drilling his shot across goal and out of bounds. That proved to be our last scoring opportunity in a pitiful goalless draw.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 0

Derby County - 0

Premier League, Attendance 24,710 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 11th, Derby 8th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Barber, Gridelli, Darvill, Mazibuko, Killick, Jorgensen, Fraser (Johnston), Salvador, Sverrisson (Genjac), Messina (Egueh).

 

After the match, Enrico Messina - who'd scored nine goals in his first eight games this season - was ruled out for three weeks with a pulled hamstring. Yeah, that was just what I needed when the goals were drying up!

 

Another ill-timed injury was suffered by Engilbert Sverrisson, who sustained a head injury that ruled him out of our next match. Our fit attackers would need to be on their game there, as we were playing host to the reigning Premier League champions - Manchester City.

 

This was the first time we'd taken on a Manchester City team that wasn't managed by Rogier Molhoek, who was now in charge of the England national team. City had subsequently brought back Nemanja Covic, who'd won a famous treble during his only previous season at the club in 2029/2030. Mind you, the Serbian's return wasn't going to plan, as the Sky Blues had already lost three league games and were playing catch-up with the leaders.

 

30 October 2038: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Manchester City

I went back to the 3-4-1-2 formation that had worked wonders against Rochdale late last month, but Manchester City put us on the back foot almost immediately. In the fifth minute, Holland midfielder René Wijmer - a £16.75million summer signing from Liverpool - attempted to lob the ball over Daggers keeper Ben Perk from out wide. Perk competently tipped the ball over his bar, but his clean sheet would soon be blotted.

 

A sloppy long pass from Daggers left-winger Thulani Mazibuko would result in the Citizens hitting us on the break. Midfielder Lloyd Mulvaney's interception began a quickfire passing move that ended with Portugal striker George Mkhwanazi - another of City's big-money buys in the off-season - driving an effort towards goal. Though Perk parried it away, he was unable to keep out Peter Jakubicka's vicious rebound drive. 1-0 to the champions.

 

That being said, City weren't having things all their own way. Goalkeeper Sergio González produced a couple of strong saves in the 16th minute to deny Dagenham frontmen Tristan Egueh and Mark Washington. Shortly after that, visiting forward Jozef Kral gashed his leg in a strong challenge from our holding midfielder Kenneth Jorgensen. Kral briefly left the field to receive some treatment before continuing.

 

Ominously, City were soon pushing for a second goal. They won a handful of corners and had several chances to score again, with Perk having to make a couple of saves from Wijmer in the 32nd minute and Kral in the 41st.

 

Two minutes before half-time, Mulvaney was booked for pushing Greg Killick. The England international didn't learn his lesson, as he carelessly tripped our right-back Nolan Barber just moments later. Mulvaney was swiftly shown a second yellow card, and Manchester City would have to play the entire second half with only 10 men!

 

Sadly, 11 Dagenham & Redbridge players could not get the better of 10 Manchester City aces. An immensely frustrating second half for us began when Vicente Gridelli headed captain Washington's free-kick over the City bar after 47 minutes. The visitors won a corner two minutes later, with Kral heading Wijmer's delivery into Perk's hands.

 

We then pushed forward again on 53 minutes, only to see González make a couple more saves from Mazibuko and George Darvill. As City sat back deeper to try and preserve their lead, we struggled to crack them open. Not even replacing the off-colour Egueh with the returning Jonas Kjaerulff could do the trick for us.

 

The Citizens' ball-winning midfielder Mohammed Ali was in simply devastating form, coming in with vital challenges whenever we got near the opposition goal. Indeed, Ali and his colleagues would only allow us one more shot at goal - a dismal one from Orlando Salvador after 84 minutes. We were shut out for the second match in succession, and our unbeaten record in the Premier League since the opening day was over.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 0

Manchester City - 1 (Jakubicka 9)

Premier League, Attendance 25,776 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 14th, Man City 3rd

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Gumede (Salvador), Gridelli, Darvill, Barber, Killick, Jorgensen (McCann), Mazibuko, Genjac, Egueh (Kjaerulff), Washington.

 

That was our first league defeat at Rainham Road in two-and-a-half years, ending an incredible run that had lasted for 25 consecutive matches. It was also the first competitive reverse we'd suffered at that ground since City knocked us out of the League Cup in September 2036.

 

Our proud home record was in tatters, and our overall Premier League form was looking quintessentially mediocre. While we'd only conceded 10 goals in our first nine PL matches, we'd also only scored 10 goals. A much more compact defence had come at the expense of a more inconsistent frontline.

 

This Dagenham & Redbridge team has forgotten how to play the Daggers way. It's time to re-educate them.

[JayR2003]

I feel bad for Sverrisson because all the injuries just leave him sitting there, dreaming about...

I apologize, but every time I see his name, all I can think about is Engelbert Humperdink...

[CFuller]

12 minutes ago, JayR2003 said:

I feel bad for Sverrisson because all the injuries just leave him sitting there, dreaming about...

I apologize, but every time I see his name, all I can think about is Engelbert Humperdink...

I'm not sure embedded videos are allowed in FMS... but yes, I was wondering when someone would make that observation!

Engilbert's parents (let's call them Hildur and Sverrir) must be great fans of Mr Humperdinck and/or atrocious spellers! 

I do like Sverrisson, even if he's a tad injury-prone. He's a resolute player with a cool head on his young shoulders, so I can't really justify nicknaming him 'The Hump'. I'm also not expecting him to beg, "Please, release me, let me go", if he ever drops out of first-team contention.

Would any other readers like to compare a Daggers hero of past or present to a music/TV icon? And no, I won't accept any Rainbow clips for Zippy Gumede - that's already been covered! 

[CFuller]

NOVEMBER 2038

"Listen, lads. You're one of the stronger teams in the Premier League now. 14th place, and two wins in nine league games, is just not good enough for a team of your abilities.

 

"It's about time you got your ruthless streak back. You need to bully opposing teams and push them back into their own half - you know, like we were doing a year or two ago."

 

Those were the words I gave to my team ahead of a pivotal month, certainly where the Premier League was concerned. Unless we started playing like our usual selves again and returned to form, we would likely be battling just to stay in the top flight, as opposed to challenging for another top-six finish.

 

We had five Premier League games to play this month, but before then, we began the second half of our UEFA Europa League group campaign.

 

We went into our Group F match in Servette with our attacking threat badly depleted. For starters, Tristan Egueh and Enrico Messina missed the flight to Switzerland through suspension and injury respectively, leaving the out-of-form Mark Washington as our best available striker. We were also without attacking midfielder Orlando Salvador, who'd strained his knee ligaments in training and would be out for six weeks.

 

Our opponents were based in Geneva - the second-largest city in Switzerland. Les Grenats had won the Swiss top flight on 17 occasions, but not since 1999, and they were ranked only 7th in the current Super League standings.

 

Servette had proven surprisingly difficult to beat in our last meeting at Rainham Road, restricting us to just a single goal from Dzenan Genjac. We needed to be much more convincing at the Stade de Geneve to consolidate our position at the top of Group F.

 

4 November 2038: Servette vs Dagenham & Redbridge

I had a cause for concern after just five minutes, when our young goalkeeper Kayo Rowe suffered a suspected elbow injury. Kayo played on, but Servette were soon looking to capitalise on his vulnerability. Belgian midfielder Boris Simons had their first shot at goal in the seventh minute, blazing it well off target.

 

We then won a corner in the 12th minute, but Greg Killick's header from Mark Washington's delivery was easily caught by Graziano Barozzi. The hosts had a purple patch after that, culminating in left-winger Sven Bottger cutting inside and drilling a shot just wide on 23 minutes.

 

We would go even closer to breaking the deadlock in the 25th minute, as winger Shaun Powell surged past Servette left-back Joao Serpa before smashing a shot against the crossbar. Serpa then conceded a corner, from which we would hit the woodwork again through centre-back Siphesihle Gumede.

 

Then, after 27 minutes, a series of Servette errors gifted us the long-awaited opener. Winger Lorenzo Cantelli intercepted a pass from Dagenham playmaker Matthew Fraser, but he could only slide it towards his own penalty area. Mark Washington then beat Roland Zaitsev to the loose ball and dribbled past the Russian's centre-back partner Luca Silvestri before powering in the goal that ended his recent drought!

 

Sadly, Washington would only keep us ahead for five minutes. Daggers right-back Ross Pearson clumsily brought Bottger down in the area, and Brazilian striker Wagner powered the subsequent penalty past a hampered Rowe to draw Servette level. At half-time, we certainly didn't look like we had the 'X Factor'.

 

I unleashed my wrath on the Dagenham players during the interval, and they launched the perfect riposte. Barely a minute into the second half, Greg headed Thulani Mazibuko's corner in at the near post for a 2-1 away lead!

 

Killick and fellow midfielder Dzenan Genjac later missed chances to put us two goals ahead before Rowe was given his next scare in the 56th minute. Kayo displayed no ill effects from his elbow injury when he pushed Bottger's shot behind after a cunning pass from Serpa had played the German through. Servette captain Marcello Casini's corner was unconvincingly cleared by Gumede, but Cantelli looped the follow-up shot harmlessly wide.

 

The action then died down for a little while, with Greg suffering a knock in a tackle from Silvestri after 64 minutes. Killick was replaced seven minutes later by Neil McCann, and our other scorer Washington would also come off late on, though not before spurning a couple more openings.

 

Captain Mark blazed a shot well over after 80 minutes, and his final attempt a minute later was palmed wide by Barozzi. Substitute striker Peguy Kasongo failed to impress during his cameo, but we still ground out another narrow win that was tougher than it really should've been.

 

We remained at the summit of Group F, though Barcelona were still breathing down our necks after a 4-1 home win over CSKA Sofia in which Leonel Aguilar scored a hat-trick. CSKA were now five points behind us in 3rd, meaning that a draw against them in our final home group game would see us through to the Round of 32, even before our daunting visit to the Nou Camp.

 

Servette - 1 (Wagner pen32)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Washington 27, Killick 47)

UEFA Europa League Group F, Attendance 17,609 - POSITIONS: Servette 4th, Dag & Red 1st

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Pearson (Gridelli), Gumede, Mazibuko, Luperdi, Killick (McCann), Fraser, Powell, Genjac, Rubarth, Washington (Kasongo).

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.          Dag & Red              4     3     0     1     8     4     +4    9
2.          Barcelona              4     2     1     1     9     8     +1    7
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          CSKA Sofia             4     1     1     2     6     9     -3    4
4.          Servette               4     0     2     2     5     7     -2    2

 

Kayo Rowe's elbow injury would see him miss the next fortnight, and our regular Premier League goalkeeper Ben Perk went back between the sticks when we visited last-placed Ipswich Town over the weekend.

 

Ipswich may have recently returned to the PL as champions of the Championship, but they were seriously struggling to adapt to the top flight. The Tractor Boys had only recorded two wins and a draw thus far - all away from home - and were still looking for their first point at Portman Road.

 

7 November 2038: Ipswich Town vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Against arguably the worst team in the league, it was paramount that we asserted ourselves on the match quickly. We did just that after six minutes. Mark Washington's hanging-ball corner was flicked across the goalmouth by centre-back George Darvill, whose partner Vicente Gridelli deftly flicked it over the line!

 

That was Vicente's first Premier League goal for the Daggers... but Ipswich would cancel it out two minutes later after one of their players popped his PL cherry. On-loan Tottenham Hotspur striker Calum Gordon rose above our defence to head in a cross from winger Bradley Rees and leave our lead in tatters.

 

I was fuming, and my rage could've intensified had Ben Perk not saved a crashing drive from ex-Daggers forward Elliot Hernández in the 9th minute. By the 13th minute, though, my face was as red as our shirts. Gordon outmuscled Gridelli to win another Rees cross and thunder it into the net, thus taking Ipswich from 1-0 down to 2-1 up within about five minutes! The Tractor Boys were bottom of the league, for heaven's sake!

 

Our first attempt to restore parity came after 19 minutes. Town defender Moses Langton could only head Nolan Barber's cross as far as Greg Killick, whose volley was parried by Australian goalie Joshua Regan. A better opportunity would arise on 26 minutes, as Kenneth Jorgensen hit a long pass over Ipswich's defence and ahead of Mark Washington. The Dagenham captain raced away before being forced into a difficult angle, but he still managed to beat Regan for 2-2!

 

I thought things would be just fine for us thereafter, but Ipswich had other ideas. After 31 minutes, Regan punched away Neil McCann's header just before Washington could flick it home. After 43, Hernández blazed wide an opportunity to restore Town's advantage.

 

Then, in injury time, Gordon did precisely what Elliot could not. A poor clearance from Barber was intercepted by Gordon, who volleyed in his third PL goal of the afternoon - and his entire career!

 

A dressing-room rant and a change of tactic were required of me during the interval. We switched back to the 3-4-1-2 formation, which had shown plenty of promise in previous airings, and we started to seriously threaten Ipswich's advantage. Washington missed a chance in the 50th minute, though attacking midfielder Engilbert Sverrisson did have a shot saved by Regan four minutes later. In the 63rd minute, a clever one-two between Mark and Thulani Mazibuko resulted in our South African left-flanker having a shot, which Regan again saved.

 

Our promising start to the half could've been meaningless had Neil Cable scored for Ipswich on 66 minutes, but Perk pushed the former Norwich City midfielder's drive away. Killick hobbled off with a knock shortly afterwards, while I also subbed Sverrisson off for Dzenan Genjac at the same time.

 

It was the Tractor Boys who had the next major scoring opportunity, in the 74th minute. Chinese midfielder Geng Haoran played a sublime weighted ball to Irish winger Anthony Whittle, who struck from a narrow angle and clipped the far post.

 

Having narrowly avoided going 4-2 down, we desperately pushed forward for an equaliser in the 82nd minute. The counter-attack began when Gridelli headed a Gordon cross out of our box and towards Jorgensen, who flicked it up to Genjac. Dzenan then sought out Tristan Egueh, who dribbled inside from the right and was unchallenged as he made his way into the penalty area. Egueh awaited the run of Washington, who smashed in his colleague's square pass to equalise for the second time in this match!

 

Mark had saved one point for us, but he could've grabbed two more in injury time. Sadly, the captain's free-kick drifted just off target, and we would have to settle for yet another draw.

 

Ipswich Town - 3 (Gordon 8,13,45)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (Gridelli 6, Washington 26,82)

Premier League, Attendance 18,732 - POSITIONS: Ipswich 19th, Dag & Red 15th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Barber, Gridelli, Darvill, Mazibuko, Killick (Fraser), Jorgensen, McCann (Gumede), Sverrisson (Genjac), Egueh, Washington. BOOKED: Barber.

 

We've been draw-tastic in the Premier League this season - that was our SIXTH tie in only 10 games! If we'd converted even half of those draws into wins, we could've easily been in the European places, rather than only four points clear of the relegation spots!

[CFuller]

NOVEMBER 2038 (continued)

The last of our three successive away trips at the start of November was to the AIA Stadium - the home of another newly-promoted side. Tottenham Hotspur had been wildly inconsistent upon their return to the Premier League - of their first 11 games, they had won five and lost five.

 

10 November 2038: Tottenham Hotspur vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Tottenham's 20-year-old defensive midfielder Tumelo Mofokeng was on my shortlist of potential January signings. The England Under-21s international got stuck into the game after eight minutes, bringing down Dzenan Genjac with a firm but fair challenge. Fortunately, our midfield wonderkid was not too badly hurt.

 

Two minutes later, Jonas Kjaerulff - another exciting Daggers youngster - miscued a shot, sending it well off target. That would be a costly miss, as Tottenham took the lead after 16 minutes through a greater, not to mention more experienced Dane. Captain Daniel Poulsen got above Daggers defender Siphesihle Gumede to head in Petr Musil's corner and leave us trailing 1-0.

 

Our plight didn't get any better over the next few minutes, and neither did Kjaerulff's nerves. A 28th-minute half-volley from Kenneth Jorgensen's lobbed pass ended up safely in the hands of Spurs keeper Richard Malmborg. Jonas was still looking like a rabbit in the headlights three minutes later, so I turned to my assistant Fabio Saraiva and said, "The lad needs to come off - it's for his own good."

 

Peguy Kasongo came on for a devastated Kjaerulff, and he won us a free-kick in a promising position after being felled by Dirk-Jan Boer in the 39th minute. Sadly, Mark Washington's set-piece bounced just wide. Jorgensen and Kasongo then had shots saved by Malmborg before an anxious Daggers team retreated to the dressing room still 1-0 behind.

 

"You're probably expecting me to rip you all to shreds right now," I told the players at half-time. "But that's not going to do you any good right now. It's clear to me that you need a confidence boost. You've been playing some good stuff so far tonight, and I'm sure that you can keep it going and get yourselves back into the match. Just relax a little, and play your natural game."

 

The Daggers returned for the second half looking more composed, but the opposite was true for Tottenham. After 49 minutes, centre-half Andrew Locke's attempt to play the ball from the back was intercepted by Jorgensen. The ball was then moved on to Washington and then Genjac, who calmly teed up Kasongo for the Congolese-born youngster's first Premier League goal!

 

That equaliser was just the tonic for us, and we would strike again in the 53rd minute. Kasongo played the ball past Spurs right-back Billy Short to find the run of Dagenham left-winger Axel Rubarth, whose drilled cross was tidily tapped in by Washington!

 

We were now 2-1 up, and we would remain ahead after ex-Liverpool striker Liam Baldwin messed up an attempt to draw Tottenham level on 55 minutes. Our confident start to the second period continued into the 63rd minute, with substitute André Gross almost setting up a goal for fellow midfielder Matthew Fraser. Matthew's piledriver was pushed wide by Malmborg, but the Scottish stalwart would help us pull further ahead a minute later. Fraser's attempted cross to Gumede at the back post was diverted into the net by the unfortunate Spurs winger Jean Maa Boumsong for a 3-1 Daggers lead!

 

Another goal would surely have put victory beyond doubt, but Shaun Powell narrowly missed out on it after firing Gross' through-ball into the side netting in the 66th minute. Eight minutes later, Powell's miss was looking very significant. Maa Boumsong was fired up after his own goal, and he beat both Shaun and Zippy to a delivery from Spurs right-winger Cezao, which he slid in to cut our advantage down to 3-2.

 

I was now fearing another collapse, and even more so when Genjac failed to recover from another strong Mofokeng challenge in the 76th minute. I riskily brought on 16-year-old striker Stevie Merson to replace the midfielder... and the gamble almost paid off when Stevie narrowly missed the target in the third minute of injury time.

 

There was still one more additional minute to go, though, and Tottenham still had time to salvage a point. My heart was in my mouth when Spurs left-back Jon Falt Ohr floated a last-ditch cross to Cezao... but the 30-year-old Brazilian flicked it harmlessly wide. We had held on for just our third league win of the season!

 

Tottenham Hotspur - 2 (Poulsen 16, Maa Boumsong 75)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (Kasongo 49, Washington 53, Maa Boumsong og64)

Premier League, Attendance 42,427 - POSITIONS: Tottenham 10th, Dag & Red 12th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Gumede, Gridelli, Darvill, Powell, Jorgensen (Gross), Fraser, Rubarth, Genjac (Merson), Washington, Kjaerulff (Kasongo).

 

Next on the schedule was a home game against Chelsea, who were 5th in the standings, although they'd failed to win any of their last four league fixtures. They were also without superstar striker Gianni Improta, who'd gashed his leg a few days earlier against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

 

13 November 2038: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Chelsea

The opening stages saw a real battle of pragmatism, as our defence worked hard to stop Chelsea from taking the initiative early on. The Blues had their first shot at goal in the 19th minute, but midfielder Emanuel Hontoria's strike was inadvertently blocked by his team-mate Alun Harding.

 

Daggers goalkeeper Ben Perk faced his first proper test in the 22nd minute, tipping behind a low drive from right-winger Manuel Paiva. Ben also saved a long-distance attempt a couple of minutes later from Harding, who was arguably Chelsea's biggest goalscoring threat in the absence of Gianni Improta. Consistently wasteful passing from both sides meant that there would be very few openings thereafter until half-time.

 

Our only chance to give our visitors the Blues came after 39 minutes, but Engilbert Sverrisson's drive was fired straight at goalkeeper Humberto Cano. Another of our Nordic contingent - left-winger Axel Rubarth - was very unimpressive and would be replaced during the interval.

 

The second half was arguably even scrappier, at least to begin with. Chelsea's England defender Karl Marsh was booked in the 50th minute for a sliding foul on Tristan Egueh. Four minutes later, Daggers midfielder Kenneth Jorgensen barged into Hontoria and received a yellow card of his own.

 

Chelsea then started to play some football and looked likely to break the deadlock first, especially after Paiva won a corner off Kenny in the 58th minute. Shortly afterwards, I decided to take off striker Peguy Kasongo, who'd frozen on only his second ever Premier League start, and throw Mark Washington on for the final half-hour.

 

The introduction of our captain would have a galvanising effect on us. An incisive pass from Killick in the 69th minute found Washington on the left flank. Mark then dribbled past Chelsea centre-back Sébastien Etoundi and into the area, where he lashed in his fifth goal in four matches this month!

 

One American had given us the lead, but now it was up to another to defend it. Perk proved up to the task, acrobatically tipping behind a fierce drive from Harding on 75 minutes. Two minutes later, Perk saved another Harding strike before centre-back Siphesihle Gumede brilliantly slid the rebound off the Welshman's feet. That was one of many vital interceptions in a 'man of the match' performance from Zippy. Ben rivalled him for that accolade by saving a couple of injury-time strikes from Paiva and Paolo Lacroix en route to another invaluable win.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Washington 69)

Chelsea - 0

Premier League, Attendance 26,479 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 10th, Chelsea 7th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Gumede, Gridelli, Mazibuko, Barber, Jorgensen (Fraser), Killick, Rubarth (Luperdi), Sverrisson, Egueh, Kasongo (Washington). BOOKED: Jorgensen.

 

When you're underachieving, a couple of victories can make all the difference and turn your season around.

 

I was now feeling much more optimistic, especially with Enrico Messina now back from a hamstring injury. The Italian striker made his comeback in a reserve match against Coventry City... but he lasted just 12 minutes before breaking his arm.

 

Messina's senior comeback had to be postponed for another month. Great.

 

Another fragile Dagenham youngster - attacking midfielder Dzenan Genjac - twisted his knee on his senior Croatia debut against Finland in midweek. Genjac came off at half-time and was subsequently ruled out of action for two weeks. Reserve winger Mirko Saric also featured for the Vatreni in a 6-1 win.

 

Meanwhile, Shaun Powell created two goals for Wales in a comfortable 3-1 win over a Peru side that included Juan Francisco Luperdi. Scotland's Matthew Fraser, Denmark's Kenneth Jorgensen and the United States' Mark Washington also added to their caps. Rising star Stevie Merson scored his first England Under-19s goal against Switzerland in a match that saw winger Alex Ketchell make his international debut.

[CFuller]

NOVEMBER 2038 (continued)

After the mid-November interlude, we prepared for 15th-placed Everton's visit to Rainham Road. The Toffees had one of the leakiest defences in the league, but they were hoping to find a bit more solidity under new manager Ryan Fulton, who'd just left Rangers to take over at Goodison Park.

 

What happened to Everton's previous manager, you ask? Well, Ross Barkley had scarpered off a couple of weeks earlier to take the reins at former club West Bromwich Albion, who were now rock-bottom. Yep, that sure made a lot of sense.

 

20 November 2038: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Everton

Everton lost their right-back Jan Jurco in the fifth minute after he hurt his shin in a slide tackle from Dagenham left-winger Thulani Mazibuko. Despite that, the Toffees had the first chance to open the scoring after eight minutes, when Marsel Dragusha curled a long-distance free-kick wide.

 

Four minutes later, the Albanian right-winger created a shock opener for the visitors. His Daggers counterpart Shaun Powell lost the ball to veteran Everton midfielder Danny Reid in the middle of the pitch, and things would get more farcical for us moments later. Striker James Rudd was left completely unmarked as he picked up a cross from Dragusha and rounded Daggers goalkeeper Ben Perk before carrying the ball across the line!

 

That was one of the worst goals we'd conceded in a long time... and our subsequent shooting wasn't any better. Attacking midfielder Peguy Kasongo miscued an equalising attempt a minute after Rudd's opener, while centre-back George Darvill also missed the target in the 17th minute.

 

Tristan Egueh's shot in the 24th minute was easily caught by Everton captain Christian Allinson, who would remain untested for the rest of the half. The Toffees wouldn't add to their lead before the break, although they did go close through Joe Pritchard-Ellis, whose 34th-minute drive was pushed away by Perk.

 

I persevered with our attacking 3-4-1-2 during the second half, but Everton continued to outplay us. Although Dragusha pulled a hamstring in the 53rd minute, his team-mates won several corners before the hour mark.

 

Our first attack post-interval came after almost exactly 60 minutes, with Egueh playing an excellent short pass ahead of Mark Washington in the Everton box. Captain Washington should surely have drawn us level there, but his Toffees counterpart Allinson tipped his shot behind for a corner that quickly went to waste.

 

Allinson would deny Washington again in the 68th minute before our Nordic midfielders Engilbert Sverrisson and Kenneth Jorgensen each blasted hopeless long-rangers wide in the 71st and 73rd minutes. We were making one of the worst defences in the league look like it had been coached by Helenio Herrera!

 

Meanwhile, Everton continued to make us look like amateurs. Perk caught Stacy Palmer's header from Dragusha's free-kick in the 74th minute, but the American could not keep us in the game for much longer. Dragusha's hamstring appeared to heal miraculously when he glided past a tackle from Mazibuko on 80 minutes. He then whipped in a cross that Rudd headed home to kill the game off.

 

Everton were 2-0 up, and they were soon looking good to increase their winning margin. After 82 minutes, Dragusha hit the post with a volley from teenage left-back Evan Gallagher's cross. Palmer and Dragusha then had two more efforts saved by Perk before the final whistle blew on what was undoubtedly our most pathetic home performance this season.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 0

Everton - 2 (Rudd 12,80)

Premier League, Attendance 24,543 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 10th, Everton 14th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Gumede, Gridelli, Darvill, Powell (Sverrisson), Jorgensen, Killick, Mazibuko, Kasongo (Sverrisson), Egueh (Honeyball), Washington.

 

I asked my players at full-time, "How can you go from beating Chelsea to not scoring against Everton - bloody EVERTON - in the space of a week? There's just no consistency with you lot, is there?"

 

We spent the next week brushing up on our finishing before travelling up to the north-west to take on high-flying Burnley. 41-year-old Kenny Robinson was renowned as one of the best young managers in the country, and the former Hibernian boss had worked miracles since succeeding Lee Clark at Turf Moor. The Clarets were in 6th place and looking good to qualify for Europe.

 

I reverted to a 4-2-3-1 for this match, and one of my player selections was particularly risky. Mirko Saric hadn't yet played a competitive match for the Daggers, but I decided to start the 19-year-old Croatian on left-wing ahead of Axel Rubarth.

 

27 November 2038: Burnley vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Each side had a header at the other's goal within the opening four minutes, but neither Burnley's Zdravko Toplak nor Dagenham's Tristan Egueh could give their team an early lead. The first shot on target would come after 11 minutes... and, rather ominously, it went the Clarets' way.

 

An incisive ball from right-back M'peti Akuku found Rodrigo Vázquez, who struck a swerving effort that was palmed behind by Ben Perk. Mark Dobson's subsequent corner was nearly diverted across our goal line by Peter Edwards, but Daggers right-back Nolan Barber cleared it just in time. We had another close shave on 15 minutes, with Perk just about getting ahead of Edwards to catch a cross-shot from Tomislav Gusic.

 

That wasn't the last time Gusic would cause us bother. In the 26th minute, shortly after Perk caught a header from Toplak, the Bosnian winger launched a one-man crusade towards Ben's goal. He dribbled inside from the right flank and into the penalty area, prompting me to yell expletives at my statuesque defenders. I for one was relieved to see Gusic's shot cannon off the bar before Vicente Gridelli finally removed the danger.

 

My heart skipped a few more beats in the 34th minute, as ex-Manchester City striker Toplak flicked another dangerous Dobson corner inches over. As Burnley continued to rip our defence apart, Perk somehow managed to keep his clean sheet intact, palming away a Vázquez volley on 35 minutes. The scoreline remained 0-0 at half-time, but goodness knows how one-sided it could've been were it not for our fantastic vice-captain.

 

We'd survived 45 minutes without conceding in the first half, but our second-half resistance was broken after less than 20 seconds. Crosses from Edwards and then Gusic were finished by experienced midfielder Wayne James, whose 13th league outing for Burnley bore him his first goal. Daggers left-back Juan Francisco Luperdi's inability to catch up with Gusic had cost us dear.

 

I was in utter despair after that goal, and things didn't get better in the 51st minute, when Daggers captain Mark Washington miscued an opportunity to level. It would be at least another 20 minutes before we next got close to scoring. In the meantime, we were reliant on Perk tipping over another Gusic shot to stop the Clarets from moving 2-0 up.

 

Ben's Burnley counterpart Djoko Gajic had relatively little to do until three different Dagenham players forced him into saves between the 74th and 79th minute. Centre-backs Gridelli and George Darvill, both of whom were excellent defensively, each had attacking headers saved by the Montenegrin before Washington's powerful strike was clawed away.

 

We were now throwing everyone forward, and our gung-ho approach could've been punished on 87 minutes. Fortunately, Perk showed great reactions to stop Toplak's header from a deep cross by Akuku. Unfortunately, Gajic was similarly alert in the closing moments, when Mark and substitute Engilbert Sverrisson were both thwarted in their attempts to save a draw. Despite a brave effort from the Daggers, we went down to back-to-back league defeats for the first time this season.

 

Burnley - 1 (James 46)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 0

Premier League, Attendance 21,942 - POSITIONS: Burnley 5th, Dag & Red 13th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Barber, Gridelli, Darvill, Luperdi (Mazibuko), Fraser, Killick, Powell, Washington, Saric (Rubarth), Egueh (Sverrisson). BOOKED: Killick.

 

And so a month that had started so positively ended on a couple of low notes. A Dagenham & Redbridge team that had seemingly got back on track was now veering off the rails again.

 

Assistant manager Fabio Saraiva had an idea about why we were underachieving. "This team needs some stability," he said to me. "I've lost count of how many formations and systems you've used this season. It's as if you've become 'Formation Fuller'! The players don't know what they're supposed to be doing half the time!

 

"Another thing - we seem to be playing with too much fluidity. Most of our flair players are injured or out of form, but we're still trying to play like a Barcelona team on steroids. Perhaps you should go back to basics for the time being."

 

Those are some good pointers, Fabio. I'll take them on board.

[CFuller]

Premier League Table (End of November 2038)

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.          Man City               15    9     3     3     32    12    +20   30
2.          Arsenal                13    9     3     1     30    12    +18   30
3.          Liverpool              15    8     5     2     27    13    +14   29
4.          Man Utd                13    8     4     1     29    8     +21   28
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.          Burnley                15    7     3     5     23    23    0     24
6.          Wolves                 15    7     1     7     27    28    -1    22
7.          Chelsea                15    6     4     5     17    18    -1    22
8.          Derby                  15    6     3     6     23    19    +4    21
9.          Reading                15    6     3     6     25    26    -1    21
10.         West Ham               14    4     8     2     13    9     +4    20
11.         Everton                15    6     2     7     19    29    -10   20
12.         Southampton            15    4     6     5     23    17    +6    18
13.         Dag & Red              14    4     6     4     17    18    -1    18
14.         Tottenham              15    5     2     8     25    30    -5    17
15.         Nottm Forest           15    5     1     9     24    41    -17   16
16.         Norwich                15    4     3     8     20    24    -4    15
17.         Fulham                 15    3     6     6     20    29    -9    15
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18.         Rochdale               14    3     3     8     14    21    -7    12
19.         Ipswich                14    3     3     8     16    30    -14   12
20.         West Brom              15    2     5     8     15    32    -17   11

 

[CFuller]

DECEMBER 2038

For Dagenham & Redbridge, this season had had more ups and downs than a Vengaboys song from the late 1990s. November had been a typically inconsistent month, though one player had impressed. Argentine centre-back Vicente Gridelli picked up the Premier League's Young Player of the Month award after a string of excellent defensive performances.

 

Right-winger Shaun Powell's form had been rather less pleasing. When Chelsea's new manager Musa Nizam offered £8million to take the out-of-sorts Welshman out of our hands in January, I happily accepted it. However, Shaun rejected the Blues' contract offer and vowed to win me over again.

 

While we didn't know whether we were coming or going in the Premier League, our situation in the UEFA Europa League was more clear-cut. A draw in our penultimate Group F match at home to CSKA Sofia would send us through to the Round of 32 with one game to spare. However, defeat would leave us having to beat Barcelona at the Nou Camp a fortnight later in order to qualify.

 

Our last meeting with Bulgaria's champions had not ended well for us, to put it lightly. Goalkeeper Kieran Whalley had not played for the first-team since our collapse in Sofia three months ago, but I offered the Mancunian a chance to redeem himself here.

 

2 December 2038: Dagenham & Redbridge vs CSKA Sofia

This match began with a couple of excellent Dagenham corners. The first of them, in the fourth minute, saw Siphesihle Gumede head Mark Washington's delivery against the crossbar. Two minutes later, it was Thulani Mazibuko's turn to whip a set-piece into the CSKA Sofia area. Greg Killick flicked it across the six-yard box, and CSKA striker Dobrimir Nikolov's interception only diverted the ball on to Engilbert Sverrisson, who powered us into a 1-0 lead!

 

Another Nordic midfielder threatened to score again in the 14th minute, but Kenneth Jorgensen's drive was secured by visiting goalkeeper and captain Krasen Venkov. The 34-year-old also caught a sliding effort from Greg Killick four minutes later.

 

The Armymen had an opportunity to strike back after 21 minutes, but Ognyan Boev headed wide a free-kick from Martin Marinov, who would later be forced off with a sprained ankle. Meanwhile, Venkov saved a couple more Dagenham attempts midway through the half from Washington and Sverrisson.

 

Engilbert was thriving in a new 'trequartista' role, and he would produce the goods again after 39 minutes. Daggers midfielder Neil McCann intercepted an errant long pass from CSKA defender Yordan Kalchov and rolled it forward to Sverrisson. The ice-cool Icelander then exchanged passes with young Danish striker Jonas Kjaerulff before blasting home for 2-0! Of course, we had a two-goal lead against the Bulgarians in September, but I couldn't see us frittering this one away!

 

Unlike three months earlier, we stayed switched on throughout the second period. McCann kept CSKA Sofia on the back foot in the 48th minute with a long-distance strike that forced Venkov into a bit more work. Centre-back George Darvill was also looking for a third Daggers goal, though his headers in the 55th and 65th minutes failed to hit the target. Sverrisson then blazed over an opportunity to secure his first senior hat-trick after 68 minutes.

 

Another major difference between the first game and the rematch was that, despite enjoying their fair share of possession, CSKA could not get their attack going at all. Dagenham goalie Kieran Whalley, whose late meltdown had proven costly in Bulgaria, had very little to do in the second period other than simply keep his kicks straight and accurate.

 

Dagenham substitute Stevie Merson couldn't keep his shot straight and accurate in the 78th minute, thus missing out on a maiden senior goal. That didn't really matter, and neither did a last-minute chance that Kjaerulff dribbled straight into Venkov's path.

 

Those two first-half goals from Sverrisson were enough to eliminate CSKA Sofia and get us into the UEFA Europa League's Round of 32 again. Barcelona also only needed a couple of goals to see off Servette in Switzerland and secure their qualification for the next round. That meant our final-round meeting at the Nou Camp on 16 December would simply determine who topped Group F. As we were two points clear of our opponents, we could afford a draw, while Barca had to go for the win.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Sverrisson 6,39)

CSKA Sofia - 0

UEFA Europa League Group F, Attendance 23,889 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 1st, CSKA Sofia 3rd

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Whalley, Pearson, Gumede, Darvill, Mazibuko (Pratt), Jorgensen (Fraser), Killick, McCann, Sverrisson, Washington (Merson), Kjaerulff.

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    Q     Dag & Red              5     4     0     1     10    4     +6    12
2.    Q     Barcelona              5     3     1     1     11    8     +3    10
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          CSKA Sofia             5     1     1     3     6     11    -5    4
4.          Servette               5     0     2     3     5     9     -4    2

 

After that match, it was announced that holding midfielder Kenneth Jorgensen - arguably the best player at Dagenham & Redbridge - had signed a new long-term contract with us. Kenny would now be earning a club-record £45,000 per week until the end of the 2041/2042 season.

 

Also agreeing fresh terms with us was 16-year-old striker Stevie Merson, who'd played in the final 20 minutes of our win over CSKA Sofia. Stevie had signed a pre-contract agreement and would turn professional upon his 17th birthday in March.

 

Meanwhile, three of our injured players - Jameel Bailey, Dzenan Genjac and Joe Lawlor - resumed full training following their enforced absences. Midfielders Dzenan and Joe weren't quite ready to return to action, but centre-back Jameel was named in the 18-man squad for our next Premier League home game.

 

Southampton were a bit like us, in that they had a squad capable of qualifying for Europe yet found themselves in mid-table. Mind you, Thomas O'Brien's Saints had gone five matches unbeaten and were moving up the table rather than down it.

 

5 December 2038: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Southampton

Mark Washington won us a corner in the very first minute, and our captain sure would make the most of it. The American striker floated his set-piece to the head of George Darvill, who delighted the home fans at Rainham Road by flicking us into a 1-0 lead!

 

Southampton needed a quick response, but star forward Maurice Hockley was unable to keep his sixth-minute header from captain Jason Pack's cross on target. A host of Daggers then missed chances to strengthen our lead, including both of Darvill's defensive colleagues - Vicente Gridelli and Siphesihle Gumede. Zippy was particularly unlucky, nodding a Washington corner just over the top after 18 minutes.

 

Our profligacy was matched, if not 'bettered', by Southampton, for whom Dutch midfielder Peter Huisman was particularly wasteful. The Saints did find the net in the 29th minute, when Hockley headed Pack's cross home. However, the officials ruled the goal out, claiming that striker Andrija Lazic was pulling our goalkeeper Ben Perk back. Southampton again missed out on an equaliser in the 32nd minute, when skipper Pack's drive from midfielder Franco Osorio's lobbed pass was parried by Perk.

 

Southampton began the second half rather strongly. In the 55th minute, Daggers left-winger Thulani Mazibuko was forced to concede a corner, which we struggled to clear away. Lazic sprayed the ball back out to full-back Peter Beardsley, whose centre to Pack resulted in a shot that Perk did well to block.

 

The Saints were coming on strong, but we then had a purple patch of our own at around the hour mark. Kenneth Jorgensen powered a shot off target in the 59th minute, but Engilbert Sverrisson went much closer two minutes later. Striker Tristan Egueh found Sverrisson in space, and the Icelandic midfielder's swerving effort from just outside the area unluckily clipped the far post.

 

Southampton's next attack, after 65 minutes, would see Pack fire a shot over our bar. Jason wasn't really packing a punch, but one hitherto out-of-form Dagger would deliver a knockout blow to the Saints on 77 minutes. A cheeky free-kick routine started off by Washington would end with Darvill playing Egueh clean through. Tristan then drilled it home to end an eight-match goal drought.

 

There was no way back for Southampton from 2-0 down, though they did their best to try and take something back home to Hampshire. Long-distance drives from 18-year-old midfielder Wes Thorpe and the rather more experienced Pack went off target.

 

The Saints would eventually dirty Ben's clean sheet in injury time. Huisman's corner was headed home at the near post by substitute Fatmir Malaj, not that it made any difference to the result. We were still heading back into the top half after a 2-1 win.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Darvill 1, Egueh 77)

Southampton - 1 (Malaj 90)

Premier League, Attendance 23,124 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 10th, Southampton 13th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Gumede, Gridelli, Darvill, Powell (Barber), Fraser (Killick), Jorgensen, Mazibuko, Sverrisson (Kjaerulff), Washington, Egueh.

 

We were now a bit further clear of the relegation battle, and so our sights turned back towards the top six. Another victory at Rainham Road against local rivals West Ham United would certainly help us in that regard.

 

West Ham used to be renowned for producing delightful attacking football and giving youth a chance, but they'd rather abandoned those principles under Sanel Jahic. The French-born Bosnian had spent heavily on established foreign players in his first full season at the Olympic Stadium. He'd also turned the Hammers into masters of pragmatism - they were in 8th place, yet had the lowest goals scored and conceded in the league!

 

11 December 2038: Dagenham & Redbridge vs West Ham United

I expected West Ham's defence to be very tight, but our early attempts to break them open were not convincing at all. Shaun Powell's banana shot in the seventh minute flew dreadfully high, while Hammers keeper Guillermo Santana made light work of a deflected Mark Washington free-kick three minutes later.

 

In contrast, our visitors would score from their first shot on target after 14 minutes. Shocking defensive positioning from a Martín Salcedo free-kick allowed West Ham centre-back Álvaro Oliveira to rise above Greg Killick and head in the opening goal.

 

I knew that drawing first blood would only make United even tougher to break through, and so it proved. A horribly miscued strike on the edge of the area from Thulani Mazibuko actually represented a high point for us. Dzenan Genjac wasted another shot from distance in the 38th minute. We didn't have a meaningful attempt from inside the West Ham box until Santana kept out a low drive from Tristan Egueh four minutes before half-time.

 

The half-time break saw the return of 'Formation Fuller', and a switch from 3-4-1-2 to a 4-4-2 diamond. Winger Shaun Powell was replaced with fit-again midfielder Joe Lawlor, but just as Joe was coming off the injured list, another Dagger was going on it.

 

Vicente Gridelli, who'd switched to right-back before the second half, was brought down by a rash challenge from West Ham winger Robert Dekker barely half a minute after the restart. Vicente had to be stretchered off with a knee injury, and Nolan Barber replaced him in our defence.

 

That Dekker challenge started a feisty second half in which tackles flew in from both sides of the East London divide. Dagenham midfielder Kenneth Jorgensen and West Ham counterpart Arjan Krasniqi were both booked for their respective sides shortly before the half-hour. At around the same time, Hammers striker Marcus Menke had an effort saved by Ben Perk, and Oliveira went dangerously close to heading in another Salcedo corner.

 

Thankfully, the visitors rarely troubled us again in the final half-hour. We had chances to level in the 70th minute, but Mark's free-kick deflected behind off the United wall before Santana caught a header from Daggers defender Siphesihle Gumede moments later. Gumede had been a major disappointment for me, as indeed had most of our attackers. We were quite simply not sharp enough to cut into the most disciplined of defences.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 0

West Ham United - 1 (Oliveira 14)

Premier League, Attendance 26,772 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 11th, West Ham 6th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Gumede (Bailey), Gridelli (Barber), Darvill, Powell (Lawlor), Jorgensen, Killick, Mazibuko, Genjac, Egueh, Washington. BOOKED: Jorgensen, Killick.

 

Vicente Gridelli would now be out for three weeks with a damaged kneecap, but that wasn't my biggest concern at the final whistle.

 

We'd now lost three home league games this season. To put that into context, we didn't lose any in the season before Rainham Road was expanded. And with just 21 points from 16 games, we were barely on course to surpass our lowest ever Premier League points tally - 46, from the 2035/2036 season.

 

After two seasons of unbelievable success, it appeared that we were drifting back into mid-table mediocrity.

[CFuller]

DECEMBER 2038 (continued)

Although our chances of qualifying for European competition next season were now looking rather slim, we would at least take our current UEFA Europa League campaign into the New Year. Qualification for the Round of 32 had already been secured by the time we arrived in Spain for our final Group F match.

 

An away draw against Barcelona, whom we had dismantled 3-0 at home in September, would guarantee that we finished top of the group, thus earning a favourable seeding for the Round of 32 draw. Barca needed to win to deny us that honour.

 

I didn't really mind whether we finished 1st or 2nd, so I left my leading lights at home and fielded a largely second-string team at the Nou Camp. Barcelona, who were 10 points adrift of La Liga leaders Real Sociedad, were also missing some key men, though not by choice. Striker Leonel Aguilar, winger Walter Candido, and centre-backs Rafael Aullón and Sabri Ozturk were all out of the running with an assortment of injuries.

 

16 December 2038: Barcelona vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Barcelona won a couple of early corners, but failed to take advantage of them. We almost punished their wastefulness in the 13th minute, when midfielder Dzenan Genjac intercepted a weak cross from Barca left-back Marcelo Villar. Daggers right-back Ross Pearson played the ball upfield to striker Jonas Kjaerulff, who squared it for Engilbert Sverrisson. Engilbert was now clean through with only goalkeeper Antoni Giménez to beat... but he pulled his shot into the side netting.

 

Barcelona went back on the offensive after 25 minutes, with Brazil right-winger Alex putting a cross into our box. Siphesihle Gumede's attempted interception was quickly nodded back towards goal by Barca striker Francisco Cristaldo. Kieran Whalley fumbled Cristaldo's header behind, though our captain looked rather more assured when he kept out another attempt from the Argentine striker five minutes later.

 

Villar - who is also Argentinean - then hit the crossbar with a 34th-minute free-kick after Neil McCann had tripped Barca's teenage attacking midfielder Héctor just outside our area. Seven minutes after that, Daggers midfielder Matthew Fraser broke into the hosts' penalty and floated a cross towards the far post. Gumede got above young Barca defender Patricio Bogado and nodded the cross down to Sverrisson, who stunned the Nou Camp with a delightful half-volley!

 

We would go into the break 1-0 up away to the mighty Barcelona - but we could've been even more comfortable! Injury time saw a couple more scoring chances for the Daggers, as Giménez caught a long-range drive from Fraser shortly before Jameel Bailey headed Matthew's corner against the woodwork.

 

Gumede may have been rock-solid at the back for us in the first half, but he looked quite fallible early in the second. Four minutes after the restart, a mis-step from Zippy allowed Cristaldo to get past him and reach a cross from Alex. Much to our South African centre-half's relief, Cristaldo drilled it against Whalley's right-hand post.

 

In the 50th minute, Kieran had to catch Alex's header to keep our noses in front. Another lapse from Gumede three minutes later saw Cristaldo intercept his pass and bear down on goal. Fortunately, Bailey was in place to block the strike from Cristaldo, who later collided with Daggers hardman Greg Killick and broke his nose.

 

We settled back down after those scares, while Barca's passionate supporters became increasingly restless. As we entered the final quarter of the match, several Daggers had chances to double our lead and effectively seal top spot.

 

Fraser's thunderous drive missed in the 69th minute, as did a sublime solo effort from Sverrisson in the 71st. Substitute striker Tristan Egueh's 77th-minute free-kick was also off target, but he would be more clinical five minutes later.

 

Genjac's cross into Barcelona's six-yard box forced Bogado into a difficult clearance, which Killick nodded to Giménez's right-hand post. Greg's header bounced past Bogado and Barca right-back Ilija Duspara before finding Tristan, whose tidy finish effectively won the game!

 

As the home fans waved handkerchiefs at under-pressure coach José Ángel, their side spurned several opportunities to at least get on the scoreboard. The last of them was fired wide by Germany winger Nico Albert just seconds before the final whistle confirmed another incredible result in Europe for Dagenham & Redbridge! Not only had we recorded shut-out wins over Barcelona home and away, but we had also finished top of our UEFA Europa League group for the second season on the trot!

 

Barcelona - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Sverrisson 41, Egueh 82)

UEFA Europa League Group F, Attendance 76,569 - POSITIONS: Barcelona 2nd, Dag & Red 1st

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Whalley, Pearson, Gumede, Bailey, Pratt (Mazibuko), Killick, McCann (Lawlor), Fraser, Genjac, Sverrisson, Kjaerulff (Egueh).

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    Q     Dag & Red              6     5     0     1     12    4     +8    15
2.    Q     Barcelona              6     3     1     2     11    10    +1    10
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          CSKA Sofia             6     1     2     3     6     11    -5    5
4.          Servette               6     0     3     3     5     9     -4    3

 

Engilbert Sverrisson had now scored six goals this season - all in the UEFA Europa League! I quickly rewarded the Icelandic midfielder's excellent form in Europe with a new three-and-a-half-year contract.

 

Our attention now turned to the draws for the first two knockout rounds - and boy, did they throw up some potentially mouth-watering ties!

 

Firstly, the Round of 32 draw pitted us in a 'Battle of Britain' against Scottish Premier League runners-up Rangers. We would travel to Glasgow for the first leg at Ibrox on 17 February, with the second leg coming at Rainham Road on 24 February.

 

The Daggers will perhaps be slight favourites to win that tie and get to the Round of 16, where we could potentially face West Ham United, providing they see off Serie A giants Roma. An East London derby in the Europa League - now that would be special!

 

For the next two months, though, we could fully focus on domestic matters, starting with a Sunday afternoon trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League. The middle of the table was so congested that a win would potentially see us rise to 8th place, whereas a defeat would leave us in 14th - and just four points clear of the drop!

 

I went back to a 3-4-1-2 for this match, with 17-year-old Michael Walters making his full Premier League debut in the heart of our defence. I also had Enrico Messina and Orlando Salvador on the bench, ready to return from their recent injuries.

 

19 December 2038: Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Dagenham & Redbridge

We were still on a high after beating Barcelona at the Nou Camp, and that showed early on. For starters, left-winger Axel Rubarth went within inches of getting us off the mark after just 20 seconds! We launched another attack a minute later, with Kenneth Jorgensen playing the ball ahead of Mark Washington's run towards the left flank. Wolves' defenders were at sixes and sevens as Mark approached the byline and then drilled the ball across to Dzenan Genjac, who finished it with ease!

 

Wolves tried to hit back in the fifth minute, as Brazilian-born forwards Roger and Ferreira attempted to exchange crosses in our penalty area. Daggers defender Sipheshile Gumede managed to block Ferreira's delivery to Bosnia & Herzegovina international Roger, but he could've easily diverted it into the net had Ben Perk not been perfectly placed to push it clear.

 

Having almost squandered our lead, we would strengthen it after 10 minutes. Washington turned past Wanderers skipper Amine Ben Said to pick up a through-ball from strike partner Tristan Egueh and looked odds-on to poke it home. That was until Ben Said came in with a slide tackle that instead allowed right-winger Shaun Powell to finish the move off and make it 2-0 to Dagenham!

 

Captain Washington would get on the scoresheet in the 18th minute, following a move that had begun with Joe Lawlor dispossessing Wolves' Danish midfielder Morten Larsen. Our 'great Dane' Kenneth Jorgensen collected the loose ball and squared it first-time to Tristan, who then provided Mark with the assist for his ninth goal of the season!

 

Washington was unlucky not to reach double figures on 25 minutes, when his shot from another excellent Egueh pass was pushed away by home goalkeeper Antonio. Our attack was in lethal form, and our backline also looked assured, although young Michael Walters did have one lapse in the 33rd minute.

 

Bosnian striker Bruno Vukcevic took the ball past Michael and was only denied a goal by Perk, who then showed incredible reflexes to catch the follow-up from Adel Hassan. We then struck Wolves on the counter a minute later, and another fine left-wing cross from Washington provided Powell with his second goal of the afternoon! We were 4-0 up at half-time - away from home!

 

The introduction of Molineux favourite Marcelo Galeano Zarza at half-time failed to save Wolves from humiliation. The 33-year-old Paraguayan pulled wide what would be his only shot at goal in the 50th minute. Truth be told, Wanderers were not necessarily playing awfully in a fiercely-contested match; they were just very wasteful when going forward.

 

That said, our attacks in the second half were unconvincing, which was perhaps understandable, considering how far ahead we were. Gumede and Egueh each missed the target in the 52nd and 64th minutes, though a 67th-minute counter-attack saw us go close to making it 5-0.

 

One of substitute midfielder Orlando Salvador's first acts since returning from a knee injury was to lift an excellent pass over the Wolves defence and towards Washington. Mark was clear of Ben Said and had just Antonio to beat, but the Brazilian goalie came forward to parry his strike just in time.

 

Salvador then fired a shot inches over the bar after 72 minutes. Fellow sub Enrico Messina was also unable to make it a scoring comeback, though he did play a role in us finding the net for a fifth time. Seven minutes before the final whistle, Messina moved the ball outside to Powell, who dribbled up the right flank before whipping in a centre that Washington volleyed home!

 

Mark was now on 10 goals for the season, and another could've followed just a minute later. Had he been a few inches closer to the target when he fired Greg Killick's through-ball goalwards, he would've come away with a hat-trick. Nevertheless, this was a true five-star performance against a decent Wolves team. To their credit, our opponents were very unlucky not to score, with Vukcevic having hit the post three minutes before Washington finished them off.

 

Wolverhampton Wanderers - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 5 (Genjac 2, Powell 10,34, Washington 18,83)

Premier League, Attendance 27,545 - POSITIONS: Wolves 7th, Dag & Red 8th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Gumede, Walters, Darvill, Powell, Lawlor (Killick), Jorgensen, Rubarth, Genjac (Salvador), Egueh (Messina), Washington. BOOKED: Lawlor, Jorgensen.

 

That emphatic win put us into the top eight... but only for a few days. Most Premier League teams were in action in the days leading up to Christmas, and results meant that we'd slipped back to 12th by the time we'd tucked into our turkeys and watched the King's festive message on television. Perhaps, though, it was now a matter of when - rather than if - we would consolidate a top-half position.

[CFuller]

DECEMBER 2038 (continued)

We finished off 2038 with a couple more home games, the first of which was against 9th-placed Norwich City on Boxing Day. Our 3-0 thrashing at the Canaries' hands (or should that be wings?) on the opening day was still fresh in our memory banks, and we wanted to set the record straight.

 

One thing in our favour was that this unstable Norwich team was now on its fourth manager in less than 15 months. Ange Diallo's return to Carrow Road had proven to be the worst sporting comeback since Lance Armstrong's, and so the Ivorian was replaced in November by one of the Premier League's youngest ever managers. 35-year-old former Scotland striker Russell Hendry had since masterminded four wins in his first six matches with City.

 

26 December 2038: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Norwich City

Norwich threatened us after just two minutes, with Portuguese striker Luís Soares firing in a free-kick that Daggers skipper Ben Perk did well to tip behind. Left-back Mathieu Retailleau then pulled a long-distance drive off target in the fourth minute. That would've been Retailleau's first Premier League goal for Norwich had it gone in.

 

After 16 minutes, though, another Frenchman would break his PL duck for Norwich. 32-year-old playmaker Omar Guessoum ran onto the ball after striker Richard Fishlock had knocked it past Daggers defender Siphesihle Gumede, and he duly stroked it into the corner of the net! 1-0 to the visitors.

 

Things had started ominously poorly for us, especially with midfielder Joe Lawlor having sustained a knock six minutes before that opening goal. Lawlor played on, though, and we could've drawn level through another middleman after 20 minutes. Engilbert Sverrisson's excellent solo run towards the Norwich area ended with his shot being parried by goalkeeper Stuart Burns.

 

In the 28th minute, however, we went perilously close to falling 2-0 behind. Only Perk's fingertips prevented Arsenal loanee Fishlock from powering the ball into the net from 25 yards out and giving the Canaries daylight.

 

We then punished a poor corner from Retailleau, with Jameel Bailey heading it away to start off a counter-attack. Our players streamed forward as Enrico Messina picked up the loose ball before seeking the run of an unmarked Orlando Salvador. Orlando had acres of time and space to figure out how to beat Burns before pulling the trigger and doing just that!

 

Ricky's incredible anticipation had helped us to draw level, and the Italian could've given us the lead after 37 minutes, but he headed full-back Carl Pratt's cross wide. We launched another attack on the stroke of half-time, with Burns having to palm away a vicious drive from a reinvigorated Salvador.

 

Thulani Mazibuko replaced Lawlor in midfield before the second half, but I would soon have a couple more potential injury problems to deal with. In the 52nd minute, shortly after blazing a shot into the stands, Messina was left the worse for wear following a clash with Norwich defender Mehmed Pavlin. Wary of Ricky's patchy fitness record, I subbed him off shortly afterwards and brought Mark Washington on.

 

Concerns were also raised about Sverrisson after a 59th-minute slide-tackle on Canaries captain Rubén Palma only served to hurt himself. Engilbert carried on until the 75th minute, when he was replaced with Dzenan Genjac. By then, Soares had missed a couple of opportunities to restore Norwich's advantage.

 

Dagenham substitutes Genjac and Washington later wasted chances to turn the match in our favour before a less likely scorer almost made it 2-1 in the 81st minute. Of all people, it was centre-half Bailey who struck an edge-of-the-area piledriver that Burns frantically pushed over his bar.

 

Jameel had only scored once in his Daggers career, while German midfielder André Gross had been even less prolific... until the 82nd minute. When Pavlin miscontrolled the ball in the Norwich area, Genjac took it and drilled it across the penalty area. The cross evaded Mark and Orlando, but not André, who tucked away his first competitive goal in a Dagenham jersey and - more importantly - gave us a 2-1 lead!

 

20-year-old Gross was coming of age, and his best performance yet would end on an even brighter note five minutes before the final whistle. André deftly knocked the ball ahead of Mark, who rounded Burns and completed a 3-1 home win for the Daggers!

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (Salvador 29, Gross 82, Washington 85)

Norwich City - 1 (Guessoum 16)

Premier League, Attendance 25,386 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 7th, Norwich 13th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Pearson, Gumede, Bailey, Pratt, Lawlor (Mazibuko), McCann, Gross, Salvador, Sverrisson (Genjac), Messina (Washington). BOOKED: Salvador.

 

After rising to our highest league position this season, we prepared to welcome Arsenal to Rainham Road just 48 hours later. It seemed fitting that we should end the year in which we won our first major trophy by taking on our League Cup Final victims.

 

28 December 2038: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Arsenal

Arsenal's eccentric Russian goalkeeper Marat Lepilov almost made a costly mistake after just four minutes. He came way out of his six-yard box to clear a wayward long ball from Daggers midfielder Greg Killick, but only managed to find another in Dzenan Genjac. Dzenan nodded the ball on to captain Mark Washington, who unleashed a volley that an embarrassed Lepilov got to just in time.

 

That set the tone of a first half in which we would be in total control in every aspect, expect on the scoreboard. Barely 10 minutes in, Killick won the ball off Arsenal left-back Tommy Watters, exchanged passes with Genjac, and then went for goal. Lepilov punched the ball away before Watters conceded a corner, which centre-half Jhon Jairo Pena headed out of harm's way.

 

Washington then struck an excellent shot in the 15th minute, only to see the ball hit the post TWICE - the second time after deflecting off the diving Lepilov's back - before the keeper secured it! Mark really couldn't have gone any closer without scoring!

 

We then survived a handful of Arsenal corners midway through the half before going back on the offensive. Tristan Egueh had four attempts at goal in the final 15 minutes of the first period... but two of them were saved by Lepilov, and the other two went narrowly wide. Washington's own misfortune continued when his 35-yard free-kick in the 33rd minute skimmed the crossbar. I was now losing count of how many chances we'd had to go in front! Would our inability to convert them prove costly?

 

Yes, it would. A 49th-minute Dagenham attack was in full flow when Genjac underhit a square pass to substitute striker Enrico Messina, allowing Arsenal captain Liam Wood to intercept. The Gunners countered quickly and incisively, taking the lead half a minute later through a lethal finish from ex-Liverpool striker Javier Montenegro. That was the visitors' first shot on target, and it had sent us 1-0 down.

 

Genjac would pay the price for his mistake, being substituted a few minutes later. His replacement Orlando Salvador was sadly unable to make an impact. Apart from sending a 72nd-minute drive into Lepilov's hands, Orlando could do little against a tightened Arsenal backline. Colombia international Pena was particularly impressive for the Gunners, though he had missed an opportunity to flick in a second away goal after 66 minutes.

 

Speaking of misses, our consistently inconsistent skipper Washington was having another off-day, firing a couple more shots off target before full-time. By the time Mark had wasted his final chance, the match had already slipped from us.

 

Ben Perk may have kept out Arsenal's second shot on target - from Austria left-winger Gustavo - in the last minute of normal time, but he couldn't do anything about their third. Gunners right-winger Shane Hay had made a habit of scoring against us, and 29-year-old England superstar's hot streak continued when the he flicked Gustavo's injury-time corner home. 2-0 to the Arsenal.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 0

Arsenal - 2 (Montenegro 49, Hay 90)

Premier League, Attendance 26,772 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 8th, Arsenal 2nd

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Mazibuko, Gumede, Darvill, Powell (Barber), Killick, Jorgensen, Rubarth, Genjac (Salvador), Washington, Egueh (Messina).

 

How did we lose that match? We'd been utterly dominant in the first half at least, yet we'd failed to take our chances. That was pretty much the story of our season.

 

I am seriously considering making a few new signings in the January transfer window. One incoming has already been confirmed, and he will join us as soon as the New Year kicks in.

 

I was in the transfer market for another left-back, because - to be honest - signing Juan Francisco Luperdi in the summer was a mistake. In my right mind, I surely wouldn't have spent £7.5million on a right-footed left-back who was past his peak and about to turn 30. He couldn't have been any more different from a typical Christopher Fuller signing.

 

As a man, I have nothing but good words to say about Juan. The Peruvian was always professional in his attitude, and he never complained about a lack of first-team football. Unfortunately, his performances did not justify the large transfer fee. Luperdi made eight appearances in total, but he rarely looked comfortable.

 

I decided to take a £3.5million hit on Luperdi and sell him to Feyenoord for £4million. His replacement would come in the other direction from the Eredivisie.

 

Joining us from Ajax for £6.25million in the New Year would be Tom Drost - a 23-year-old former Holland Under-21s international. Though he'd only made a handful of league appearances for 'De Godenzonen' this season, he'd impressed me enough to take a punt on him.

 

Tom's a resolute character and a hard-worker on the pitch, so I'm sure he'll fit right in at Dagenham & Redbridge. We'll certainly need him to hit the ground running straight away, as we'll be without two key defenders in January.

 

Siphesihle Gumede and Thulani Mazibuko have both been named in South Africa's squad for the 2039 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia. 'Bafana Bafana' are ranked 8th in the world and will be among the favourites to win what would be their first continental title since 1996. If all goes to plan for them, we might be without Zippy AND Thulani for as many as EIGHT Premier League matches. Yeah, that could be a problem...

[CFuller]

Premier League Table (End of December 2038)

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.          Man City               21    13    4     4     45    17    +28   43
2.          Man Utd                19    12    5     2     44    14    +30   41
3.          Arsenal                18    12    4     2     37    15    +22   40
4.          Liverpool              21    11    6     4     33    19    +14   39
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.          West Ham               19    8     8     3     19    12    +7    32
6.          Derby                  21    9     4     8     30    23    +7    31
7.          Reading                21    8     4     9     35    36    -1    28
8.          Southampton            21    7     6     8     34    29    +5    27
9.          Dag & Red              19    7     6     6     27    23    +4    27
10.         Chelsea                21    7     6     8     24    28    -4    27
11.         Wolves                 20    8     3     9     33    39    -6    27
12.         Everton                21    8     3     10    24    37    -13   27
13.         Fulham                 21    6     8     7     31    34    -3    26
14.         Norwich                21    7     4     10    26    32    -6    25
15.         Burnley                21    7     4     10    27    34    -7    25
16.         West Brom              21    6     6     9     26    39    -13   24
17.         Ipswich                20    5     6     9     23    37    -14   21
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18.         Tottenham              21    5     4     12    28    41    -13   19
19.         Nottm Forest           21    5     2     14    26    49    -23   17
20.         Rochdale               20    3     7     10    20    34    -14   16

 

[CFuller]

JANUARY 2039

For us, the final year of the 2030s kicked off with us entertaining 13th-placed Fulham at Craven Cottage. The west Londoners were on fire under new manager Will Grigg, who'd won three and lost just one of his six matches since leaving Nottingham Forest to succeed Kenneth Vermeer. Ironically, Vermeer was now battling against relegation with his successor's old club Forest!

 

I gambled on fielding a very young back four, of which 22-year-old right-back Ross Pearson was its oldest member. I did, though, have a couple more experienced options on the bench, including our new left-back Tom Drost, who was in line to make his debut after signing from Ajax.

 

1 January 2039: Fulham vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Neither side was particularly impressive in the opening 15 minutes of a tense match. Dagenham midfielder Joe Lawlor created the first scoring opportunity with a through-ball to Enrico Messina in the 13th minute, but Ricky pulled it just past the post.

 

Fulham's first shot was blazed high and wide by Daniele Gatti a minute later. Gatti's team-mate Daniel Chávez missed even more spectacularly in the 18th minute after a couple of unconvincing headed clearances from Daggers defenders Jameel Bailey and Michael Walters. Another Gatti shot flew into the stands after 26 minutes, but the Cottagers would eventually get their act together four minutes later.

 

A string of precision cutting passes from Fulham ended with Chávez's square ball being thrashed into the net by 34-year-old captain Martyn Thomas. With that strike, the Welsh icon ensured that he reached double figures in terms of Premier League goals for a 12th consecutive season at Craven Cottage.

 

Fulham would take a 1-0 lead into the break, and with goalkeeper Luka Jishiashvili having hardly been troubled at all. So much had to change for the Daggers if this match wasn't to pass us by.

 

I made sweeping changes, switching from 4-3-2-1 to 3-1-4-2 and using up all my substitutions at once. Among those who came on was George Darvill, who not only shored up our defence, but also provided our first shot on target. In the 62nd minute, George got his head to an excellent corner delivery from Orlando Salvador and flicked it towards the near post, where Jishiashvili made a comfortable catch.

 

Our goalkeeper would make his first - and only - save two minutes later to stop a low drive from Fulham veteran Victor Berceanu. Ben remained calm and composed throughout this match... but Jishiashvili did not.

 

In the build-up to the Cottagers' opening goal, the 25-year-old Georgian had come out of his area to clear a loose ball and start a quickfire attack. He tried the trick again in the 70th minute, when Salvador's attempted long ball to substitute striker Tristan Egueh went long. However, Jishiashvili could only hook it to Lawlor, who volleyed his first Dagenham goal into an empty net from 40 yards out!

 

That freak equaliser completely turned the game around. After Jishiashvili tipped a shot from Messina over his bar in the 72nd minute, another Cottager made a costly mistake from the resulting Daggers corner. Chávez's clearance of Shaun Powell's delivery only went as far as Lawlor, who drove the ball home for a second time! All of a sudden, we'd gone from 1-0 down to 2-1 up!

 

We even pushed for a third goal, but Jishiashvili managed to save a couple of Darvill headers, while strikers Messina and Egueh each missed opportunities of their own. Fulham also had two players booked in the closing stages what had been a disastrous second half for them. The Cottagers' capitulation had been great news for us, as we racked up three invaluable away points and surged back into 7th!

 

Fulham - 1 (Thomas 30)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Lawlor 70,73)

Premier League, Attendance 29,679 - POSITIONS: Fulham 13th, Dag & Red 7th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Pearson (Darvill), Bailey, Walters, Pratt, Gross, McCann (Powell), Lawlor, Salvador, Sverrisson (Egueh), Messina. BOOKED: Pratt.

 

Our year was off to a good start, but one player's time at Dagenham & Redbridge was perhaps coming towards an end. Midway through his 13th season with the Daggers, Scotland midfielder Matthew Fraser told me that it was time for him to look for a new challenge. I wouldn't stand in his way.

 

Fraser's contract had six months left to run, and with his 32nd birthday imminent, I had no plans to offer him an extension. I told Matthew that he would be free to move on in the summer.

 

Tom Drost was at the other end of his Dagenham career trajectory. Having been an unused substitute against Fulham, the Dutch full-back made his Premier League debut as a left-winger in our next away match against Arsenal. The Gunners had won our last encounter at Rainham Road just eight days earlier, but could we turn the tables at the Emirates Stadium?

 

5 January 2039: Arsenal vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Despite his poor performance against Fulham, I kept faith in striker Enrico Messina, who would threaten to open the scoring after only four minutes. Ricky controlled a first-time pass from strike partner Mark Washington and hit an excellent drive that was just as impressively tipped over by Arsenal keeper Marat Lepilov. Daggers custodian Ben Perk passed his first test three minutes later, palming away a strike from the Gunners' Austrian winger Gustavo.

 

Another three minutes passed before the deadlock was broken... at Arsenal's end. Kenneth Jorgensen's slide tackle on home full-back Romaric Mawéné in our area started off a counter-attack that was subsequently finished by captain Washington. It was a deft pass from Dzenan Genjac that teed up the American for his 10th goal of this Premier League season.

 

Mark sought another goal on 20 minutes, when he headed an excellent Nolan Barber cross into Lepilov's hands. Arsenal could've cancelled Washington's goal out after 22 minutes, when captain Liam Wood's long-distance drive prompted Perk into an outstanding fingertip save. Ben demonstrated excellent reflexes again moments later, diverting away Shane Hay's header from a centre by Gustavo.

 

Then came another big moment. After 29 minutes, Arsenal defender Álvaro José was accused of pushing Darvill in the Gunners' area, prompting the referee to point to the spot. Though he'd missed his most recent penalty, Messina confidently powered this effort past Lepilov for a 2-0 lead.

 

Sadly, we would not be in such a comfortable position for long. All three of our centre-halves - George, Jameel Bailey and Michael Walters - were guilty of suspect positioning in the 33rd minute, thus allowing Marc Bennett to drill in Arsenal's first goal of the evening. Would it also be their last?

 

If the early stages of the second half suggested anything, it was that we were the more likely team to score next. A few elementary errors crept into the Arsenal defenders' games, and Genjac sent a 30-yard shot off target for us after 55 minutes.

 

Eight minutes later, though, the momentum shifted to the Gunners. Manager Thomas O'Ware's half-time change of strategy had the desired effect when substitute left-back Tommy Watters' floating delivery cleared our defence and found Bennett. The 26-year-old England forward's header looped over a despairing Perk, pegging us back from 2-0 to 2-2.

 

Watters had hurt himself in the process of assisting Bennett, forcing him off temporarily for some treatment. Our left-back Tom Drost wouldn't be so lucky when our Dutch debutant hurt himself in a lunge on Mawéné after 76 minutes. That was the last thing I wanted, as I'd already substituted Walters - the only other Dagger in the matchday squad who could fill in at left-back - as part of a tactical rejig after Bennett's equaliser. I now had little choice but to shunt Darvill over to the left, and throw on 17-year-old central defender Jimmy Cullen for his senior debut.

 

Goodness knows how we went through the final quarter-hour without conceding a late winner... or even without scoring one. Messina and Washington had chances to do just that, but we would have to take a draw - not a terrible result at the Emirates Stadium, all told.

 

Arsenal - 2 (Bennett 33,63)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Washington 10, Messina pen30)

Premier League, Attendance 60,361 - POSITIONS: Arsenal 2nd, Dag & Red 7th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Bailey, Walters (Lawlor), Darvill, Barber, Killick, Jorgensen, Drost (Cullen), Genjac (Salvador), Messina, Washington.

 

Unfortunately, Tom Drost had pulled his hamstring in that match, thus ruling him out for three weeks. That injury meant I had to cancel my plans to loan out Carl Pratt - our only other available left-back - to Championship side Watford.

 

Drost's injury coincided with the end of teenage left-back Keith Hamilton's six-month loan at Scunthorpe United. Were anything to happen to Pratt over the coming weeks, Hamilton would be next to step in, even though his performances at Scunthorpe had not been impressive by any means. Meanwhile, midfielder Neal Jacobs returned from a three-month stint at Preston North End.

 

The draw for Round 3 of the FA Cup had not been as cruel as last season, when we ended up crashing and burning against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Mind you, it could have been a lot better.

 

Since their takeover by Argentine multi-millionaire Federico Chiaraviglio in 2032, Coventry City had been strongly tipped to win promotion to the Premier League sooner or later. That surprisingly hadn't materialised yet, as the Sky Blues suffered two successive Championship Play-Off Semi Final defeats before dismally finishing 15th last season.

 

Now, though, Coventry appeared to be on their way to the promised land. Jordan McGhee's troops were 3rd in the Championship and seriously contending for automatic promotion, even if a five-game winless run had seen them fall adrift of Brighton & Hove Albion and Crewe Alexandra.

 

City would be tough to beat, especially at the Ricoh Arena. With a league match at title-chasing Liverpool just four days away, I couldn't risk fielding all my best players in this FA Cup match, though the likes of George Darvill, Tristan Egueh and Greg Killick did feature. I hoped that their quality would help us to avoid an upset.

 

8 January 2039: Coventry City vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Coventry gave us a fright in the seventh minute, when midfielder Rob Jordan's cross was volleyed just past the far post by winger Nicky Smith. Three minutes later, a City counter-attack saw Smith go clean through on the right flank. Daggers defender Vicente Gridelli got back to block Smith's cross, but the ball could've easily deflected into our net were it not for a last-ditch clearance from Jameel Bailey!

 

Surprisingly, it would take us 16 minutes to register our first shot on target. Even then, Peguy Kasongo's close-range header from Greg Killick's flick-on was easily caught by Sky Blues keeper Jonathan English. The goalie blocked a shot from our other striker Tristan Egueh in the 25th minute before Coventry launched another counter-attack, which ended with Edwin Day heading Ben Jackson's cross wide.

 

Former Bristol City midfielder Jackson then had a pop from distance in the 34th minute, though Dagenham skipper Kieran Whalley was unflustered. Coventry's plans would be in disarray three minutes from half-time, when another midfielder - Montenegro international Slavko Busara - broke his foot in an innocuous challenge from Daggers playmaker Engilbert Sverrisson. Would Busara's absence prove telling in the second period?

 

Erm... no, because the second half was about as scrappy as they came. The referee had already doled out one yellow card to Egueh in the first half, and he would hand out three more between the 60th and 67th minute. Day was cautioned for tripping Daggers left-back Carl Pratt, and Carl's team-mates Killick and Matthew Fraser would end up in the book later on.

 

Egueh did have an opportunity to score on 61 minutes, but his direct free-kick was comfortably held by English. Tristan had once again flattered to deceive, so with about a quarter of an hour to go, I subbed him off in favour of the more reliable Mark Washington.

 

Well, at least I thought Mark would be reliable. On 78 minutes, shortly after Washington entered the field, Sverrisson laid the American, a sitter on a plate. Washington's low drive beat English, but the ball came back off the post before Coventry defender Terryl Pierre removed the danger. Another chance went begging for Mark in the 88th minute, when his free-kick was blocked by Smith in the City wall. A dire FA Cup encounter ended with only three shots on target, and no winner.

 

Coventry City - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 0

FA Cup Round 3, Attendance 31,999

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Whalley, Bailey, Gridelli, Darvill, Powell (McCann), Fraser, Killick, Rubarth (Pratt), Sverrisson, Kasongo, Egueh (Washington). BOOKED: Egueh, Killick, Fraser.

 

This Round 3 tie would have to be decided in a replay at Rainham Road on 19 January. Whoever did win at the second time of asking would earn themselves a trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers for Round 4 later in the month.

 

In the meantime, I sorted out loan deals for three of our fringe players. Croatian left-winger Mirko Saric went north of the border to Celtic, where he'd link up with Toby Faithfull for the remainder of the Scottish Premier League season. Midfielder Neal Jacobs was farmed out again, this time to League One strugglers Wrexham, where he'd play alongside promising right-winger Niall Nash.

 

Third-choice goalkeeper Kayo Rowe returned to Huddersfield Town for a second spell until the end of the season, having also concluded the previous campaign at the John Smith's Stadium. I also opted to recall our other reserve goalie Alex Lund, whose season-long stint at Hull City was cut short after only nine Championship appearances.

 

We ended our four-game New Year road trip at Anfield - the home of 3rd-placed Liverpool. The Reds had lost just once there all season long and would take some stopping, especially with the Premier League's top scorer Dave Weaver leading their attack.

[CFuller]

JANUARY 2039 (continued)

11 January 2039: Liverpool vs Dagenham & Redbridge

When George Darvill intercepted a cross from Liverpool winger Diogo Dias in the opening seconds, we prepared to launch an early counter-attack. Captain Mark Washington took the ball from our half to the edge of the hosts' penalty area, but his shot lacked finesse. Mark's opposite number Dave Weaver also lacked a killer instinct in the fourth minute, when his close-range header from Dave Jansen's corner went straight into the hands of Dagenham keeper Ben Perk.

 

Ben then kept out further attempts from Jansen and Weaver just before the 15-minute mark. The latter chance had come about after Daggers centre-half Vicente Gridelli miscontrolled a pass from right-back Nolan Barber, allowing Weaver to break away and bear down on goal before Perk came to our rescue.

 

We'd got a couple of shots on target earlier on, with midfielders Dzenan Genjac and Neil McCann each seriously testing Liverpool skipper Gavin Stopforth. The Daggers would go one better after 19 minutes. Washington's corner was flicked on by Darvill to the far post, where Gridelli stabbed in just his second Premier League goal!

 

Finding themselves in the rare position of being behind at home, Liverpool quickly went on the attack, with Jansen seeing a header saved by Perk in the 22nd minute. Five minutes later, Jansen's Dutch compatriot Leo Veenboer miscued a half-volley after Daggers midfielder Kenneth Jorgensen had failed to head away another troublesome Dias cross. We remained on edge for the rest of the first half, but somehow survived without conceding our lead.

 

Barber had been booked late in the first period, and our right-back looked very suspect in the 47th minute, when Veenboer pressured him into clearing the ball to Liverpool left-back Kim Sang-Il. Though Nolan got away with that error, our other full-back would be left badly exposed a minute later.

 

The inexperienced Carl Pratt was closed down by 107-cap Portugal winger Dias, who burst forward and curled the ball into our six-yard box. Barber got his head to the cross, but he couldn't keep it away from Veenboer, who smashed in Liverpool's equaliser.

 

From then on, the Reds looked like a different proposition. Though a number of their players sent headers off target over the next 20 minutes, Veenboer did go close to getting a second goal midway through the half. In the 66th minute, the flying Dutchman dribbled from the halfway line to 20 yards from our goal, where he fired a bullet that Perk did well to push away.

 

Five minutes later, Jorgensen's through-ball presented McCann with an opportunity to turn the match back in our favour. Sadly, Neil's shot was too close to Stopforth, who palmed it away for Kim to hack upfield. Another Daggers attack moments later ended with two excellent tackles from Reds defender Joao Alexandre, and then a devastating counter from the Scousers. Veenboer hit a 55-yard lob from the halfway line to Weaver, who outmuscled Pratt and smashed in a shot that raised the roof off Anfield!

 

Perk couldn't have done much about that, to his credit, but our keeper did at least prevent Liverpool from storming further ahead by saving subsequent efforts from Kim and Weaver. At the other end, substitute striker Enrico Messina was unable to make his mark, leaving our midfielders with the responsibility of trying to draw us level.

 

Lawlor, McCann and Shaun Powell were all off target, but the most agonising miss came from Genjac after 82 minutes. Dzenan did brilliantly to break through Liverpool's backline and run onto a majestic lofted pass from Shaun, but the young Croatian's shot fizzed just past the post. That miss would prove especially significant when our hosts killed the game off in the last minute of normal time.

 

Pratt's naivety came into play again, as he failed to close Dias down before the ball was crossed into our six-yard box. Gridelli blocked that cross, but neither he nor Darvill could keep the rebound away from Weaver, who beat Perk again for 3-1.

 

The 33-year-old Reds skipper would then secure his hat-trick - and his 20th Premier League goal this season - in stoppage time. Weaver's jinking and dribbling left both Vicente and Kenny flat-footed before the ball was blasted beyond Ben. Liverpool had turned on the style in the second half, and what had been a 1-0 Daggers advantage had turned into a somewhat harsh 4-1 defeat.

 

Liverpool - 4 (Veenboer 48, Weaver 71,90,90)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Gridelli 19)

Premier League, Attendance 56,179 - POSITIONS: Liverpool 3rd, Dag & Red 7th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Barber (Pearson), Gridelli, Darvill, Pratt, Lawlor, Jorgensen, McCann, Genjac, Salvador (Powell), Washington (Messina). BOOKED: Barber, Salvador.

 

On the face of it, the reasoning behind our second-half collapse was obvious - our young left-back Carl Pratt just could not handle the pressure put on him by Liverpool's attackers. However, the more experienced George Darvill had no excuse for the mistakes he'd made, especially for Dave Weaver's second goal.

 

I'd also expected better from my more attacking players. Once again, the problem of creating many scoring opportunities yet not converting enough of them had reared its ugly head. Our three main strikers - Tristan Egueh, Enrico Messina and Mark Washington - had all gone off the boil. With Jonas Kjaerulff on the fringes and ready for more first-team action, those three - Messina especially - would need to kick on over the coming weeks.

 

I expected Ricky and Mark to return to form when we hosted mid-table Reading the following weekend. The Royals both scored and conceded goals by the bucketload, though their main attacking threat Ryan Galbraith was absent with a knee injury.

 

15 January 2039: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Reading

Reading almost gifted us a goal after two minutes, when winger Steen Thomsen's attempted clearance from the Royals' penalty area came off Axel Rubarth and looped into their six-yard box. Daggers captain Mark Washington's attempt to head the ball past goalkeeper Patrick Braspenning didn't quite pan out, but we would take the lead just a minute later. Right-winger Shaun Powell did the donkey work by cutting inside and playing in Orlando Salvador, whose daisy-cutter found the corner of the net!

 

Salvador hoped to score again from a deflected Rubarth cross in the sixth minute, but Braspenning made an assured catch for Reading. Moments later, Braspenning pushed a vicious shot from Enrico Messina on to Powell, who tucked it into the net, though only after the offside flag had been raised against him. We then racked up a handful of corners, from one of which George Darvill came close to doubling our lead after 17 minutes.

 

We would find the net again on 27 minutes, with Messina getting above Royals defender Keith McDonagh to head home another excellent delivery from Rubarth. The linesman's offside flag went up again, even though it looked to me that Ricky had done nothing wrong! Our frustration grew further late in the first half, as Braspenning kept out attempts from Mark Washington and then Matthew Fraser to double our lead.

 

Reading would then score from their first shot on target - two minutes before half-time. As if I couldn't be more annoyed, it was a former Dagger who returned to Rainham Road to silence our home fans. Thomsen's deep cross was flicked across our area by Colin Allen to Dave Hutchinson, who marked his first Premier League start for the Royals by driving in the equaliser. Oh, Hutch - why'd you have to do that to us?!

 

I fired the lads up in the dressing room at half-time, and they responded by retaking the lead four minutes after the resumption. Centre-half Jameel Bailey's long ball was flicked into the Reading area by Powell. Messina got past McDonagh to reach the header, and he then rounded the onrushing Braspenning before delighting our supporters with a cool finish!

 

After 53 minutes, though, Reading were looking good to draw level for a second time. Substitute midfielder Adam McNamara's through-ball played in Bulgaria winger Dimitar Mihaylov, who had a crack from a difficult angle. Ben Perk blocked that shot, but he couldn't stop the former Celtic wideman's next attempt on 61 minutes. Mihaylov beat our young defender Michael Walters to a whipped delivery from Thomsen, and a lethal header made it 2-2.

 

Michael had looked shaky all game, and I opted to replace him with Vicente Gridelli before things could get worse for the 17-year-old. We were rather more assured with Vicente at the back, even though McDonagh nodded wide a chance to give Reading the lead after 72 minutes. The Republic of Ireland defender and his Royals team-mate Justin Middleton would later be booked in a tense climax.

 

Braspenning had to make three important saves for Reading in the 15 minutes - specifically from substitute striker Tristan Egueh and wingers Powell and Rubarth. It seemed that the Berkshire side would hold us to another draw... until Shaun swung a corner into their penalty area in the 90th minute. A bout of head tennis broke out before - in literally the last second of normal time - Bailey lashed a half-volley into the net! 3-2 to the Daggers!

 

That late goal rocked the Royals, whose last-ditch attempt to salvage a point in injury time would backfire spectacularly. Just seconds before full-time, Reading midfielder Ricky Hales lost the ball on the halfway line to André Gross, who played a first-time pass to Egueh. Tristan dribbled upfield before looking to his left and finding Axel, whose early cross was then thrashed in by Messina! That made it two goals for tricky Ricky, and an impressive 4-2 win for Dagenham & Redbridge!

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 4 (Salvador 3, Messina 49,90, Bailey 90)

Reading - 2 (Hutchinson 43, Mihaylov 61)

Premier League, Attendance 23,660 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 7th, Reading 12th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Bailey, Walters (Gridelli), Darvill, Powell, Fraser (Lawlor), Gross, Rubarth, Salvador, Messina, Washington (Egueh).

 

Jameel Bailey's match-winner continued his recent excellent form, but the young covering defender would have to keep on impressing if he was to stay in my long-term plans. That's because I'd agreed to sign another up-and-coming player in his position - someone who could become world-class.

 

France Under-19s centre-back Arnaud Rousseau will join us on a free transfer when his contract at Auxerre expires in the summer. 18-year-old Rousseau has already made his Ligue 1 debut for AJA and looks solid enough, but what could really make him stand out in his personality. My scouts say that he's a very ambitious lad, but also that he's a strong leader and has a fairly professional attitude. That combination of qualities really excites me.

 

Juventus saw enough in Rousseau to offer him a contract, but I swooped in from under their noses to make Arnaud our player. Just like Orlando Salvador before him, this could be another free signing that pays huge dividends.

 

I was now focused on an FA Cup Round 3 Replay at home to Championship high-flyers Coventry City. The winner of that match would travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers three days later to play out their Round 4 tie.

 

The Sky Blues had shut a mish-mash Daggers team out last time around, but I wouldn't take any chances with my team selection for the rematch.

 

19 January 2039: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Coventry City

Coventry had the game's first scoring opportunity after five minutes, when centre-back Neal Moody headed Nicky Smith's corner into the hands of our goalkeeping skipper Kieran Whalley. The Sky Blues' ex-Dagenham defender John Moser was lucky not to put the ball into his own net just moments later. An angled strike from Daggers winger Axel Rubarth came off the Frenchman and ricocheted towards goal, but Jonathan English was in just the right place to catch the deflection.

 

A minute later, Moser's central defensive partner Ian Lea limped off briefly with a dead leg. Though he returned to the field, Lea was clearly hampered in the 10th minute, when Orlando Salvador beat him to a Nolan Barber, which our Portuguese playmaker headed against the top of the bar.

 

Salvador's next attempt in the 14th minute was caught by English, who also saved from Greg Killick four minutes later. Orlando did bring about a goal in the 23rd minute... but the officials ruled that Enrico Messina was offside when he volleyed his free-kick into the net. Replays later found their decision to be incorrect, and thus Coventry were incredibly fortunate not to be 1-0 down.

 

We were so aggrieved by such a bad call that it took us a while to get our attack going again. Tristan Egueh and Messina each had shots saved by English either side of the 45-minute mark, while Salvador hit the woodwork for the second time. Forget 'Johnny English' - this felt more like a farcical remake of 'Groundhog Day' starring Mr Bean!

 

Egueh and Messina caused Coventry's defence a few more problems early in the second half, but for different reasons. Tristan collided with Moser while trying to reach long pass from Vicente Gridelli in the 58th minute, thus leaving his former team-mate the worse for wear. A minute later, Ricky controlled a pass from substitute left-winger Carl Pratt and drilled it towards the far corner of the City goal. English just about turned it behind, thus continuing to keep us at bay.

 

We were dominating in almost all aspects, yet we simply weren't taking our chances. It was just as well that Coventry didn't look like taking a shock lead until five minutes from half-time, when Daggers defender Jameel Bailey was caught dallying on the ball for too long. Sky Blues midfielder Ben Jackson tackled the ball off Jameel's feet and floated in a shot that was heroically tipped behind by Kieran.

 

Captain Whalley would save another attempt from Jackson in the 87th minute before kicking off a last-ditch counter-attack. As Pratt whipped the ball into Coventry's box, Egueh went to ground, apparently under a push from the Sky Blues' left-winger Louis Hogan. The referee was convinced enough to point to the spot, and award us a potentially crucial penalty!

 

Messina surely had to score from 12 yards if we were to win this replay without the need for extra-time. Much to my relief, the Italian sent English the wrong way! Coventry's brave 178-minute resistance had been broken at last, and we were through to the next round of the FA Cup!

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Messina pen88)

Coventry City - 0

FA Cup Round 3 Replay, Attendance 20,761

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Whalley, Bailey, Gridelli, Darvill, Barber (Pearson), Jorgensen, Killick (McCann), Rubarth (Pratt), Salvador, Messina, Egueh. BOOKED: Killick.

 

Though we'd left it late, we were now into Round 4, where we would take on another West Midlands team in Wolverhampton Wanderers. After a couple of days' rest, we were on our way up to Molineux - the setting of our heaviest win of the season just five weeks earlier.

 

The five-goal thrashing we doled out on Wolves before Christmas sent them into freefall. They hadn't won a league match since then, with manager Josh Carson losing his job after another heavy home defeat to Liverpool. Darren Bent was now in caretaker charge, but his team were very much the outsiders for this cup tie.

 

I had hoped to play Dzenan Genjac in this match after benching him for the previous two games. Unfortunately, the Croatian playmaker suffered yet more injury woe when he strained his calf in the build-up. That was him out for another two or three weeks, then. (Sigh)

[CFuller]

JANUARY 2039 (continued)

22 January 2039: Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Dagenham captain Mark Washington tried to give us the perfect start by dribbling towards goal in the first minute, but his shot was easily caught by Wolves keeper Barrie Pollitt. The hosts were also unsuccessful with their first attack, which saw left-winger Alan Smith rifle a half-volley well off target.

 

Wolves then had to defend deep to dispel several Dagenham attacks after the opening 15 minutes, with 17-year-old Danish left-back Heine Gron making a couple of great interceptions. Pollitt did his bit as well, stopping three excellent shots from Washington, George Darvill and Enrico Messina between the 25th and 27th minutes. He might have only been Wolves' second-choice goalkeeper, but Pollitt was more than proving his worth here.

 

To his credit, our goalie Kieran Whalley also looked solid, catching Wanderers' only shot on target of the first half. That had come after 32 minutes. Wolves captain Janusz Blaszczyk - who'd replaced fellow midfielder Ciprian Chis after just 20 minutes - met Smith's inswinging corner with a header that Whalley did well to catch.

 

With the deadlock still intact, Wolves' caretaker boss Darren Bent riskily used his remaining two substitutions during the half-time break. One of those who came on was veteran forward Marcelo Galeano Zarza, whose 47th-minute free-kick prompted Whalley into another catch. Galeano Zarza would try again two minutes... and this time, Lady Luck was shining down on him.

 

Galeano Zarza got behind Daggers defender Jameel Bailey to reach a long ball from Wolves centre-half Arnes Haracic. At first, it looked like the 33-year-old Paraguayan had horribly mishit his header. Then, much to our astonishment, the ball looped over an unwitting Whalley and into the net! An incredible fluke had sent Molineux into raptures!

 

We desperately pushed forward to try and eradicate our deficit, but Messina was not having as much good fortune as his opposite number. Pollitt made another excellent save in the 56th minute from the young Italian, whose long-range punt two minutes later bent well wide. Though I tried to reinvigorate our attack later on with a host of substitutions, none of them paid off.

 

Of the countless shots we had at goal, most were brilliantly blocked or otherwise intercepted by Wolves, for whom Haracic was particularly impressive. Right-back Stef de Haan also did very well for the home side, even after bruising his rib in a late collision with Daggers defender Vicente Gridelli. Thanks to a very resilient defence and an enormous stroke of (mis)fortune, Wolves blew us out of the FA Cup at Round 4.

 

Wolverhampton Wanderers - 1 (Galeano Zarza 49)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 0

FA Cup Round 4, Attendance 20,290

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Whalley, Bailey, Gridelli, Darvill, Powell, Jorgensen, Lawlor, Rubarth (Pratt), Salvador (Sverrisson), Messina, Washington (Kjaerulff). BOOKED: Rubarth.

 

Sometimes you can play really well and dominate your opponent, yet one moment of bad luck can turn the game against you. That was just one of those matches.

 

I hoped for better luck three days later, when we faced Rochdale at their new stadium for the first time. Dale owner Adrian Roznik had paid good money for the 27,309-capacity Slovalco Arena, not to mention £66million on new players this season, yet his team found themselves right in the thick of a relegation battle.

 

Rochdale were bottom of the table not that long ago until they went on a five-game unbeaten streak in the league. Admittedly, only one of those matches ended in a victory, but Joe Doyle's side were steadily working their way back into form. We had to be on our guard.

 

25 January 2039: Rochdale vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Dagenham playmaker Orlando Salvador's through-ball in the ninth minute gave Tristan Egueh the opportunity to open the scoring. Tristan couldn't take it, as Rochdale goalkeeper Romário came off his line to push his shot wide.

 

The big-spending hosts then scored from their first shot after 20 minutes, thanks to one of their more modest summer purchases. Former England Under-21s left-back Hicham Martin - a £7.25million steal from Manchester City - got clear of Daggers right-back Nolan Barber to drive in a deft lob from Jordan Connor and send us behind.

 

There would be more frustration to come for us, especially in Rochdale's half. A promising run from Egueh in the 28th minute ended with him shooting far too early from too far out. Strike partner Tristan Egueh was guilty of the same mistakes upon latching onto a free-kick from George Darvill in the 34th minute, though his shot did at least give Romário some work.

 

While our 3-4-1-2 had helped to tear Rochdale apart in our previous meeting in September, the Lancastrians had now figured out how to counter it. Croatian striker Luka Kero dribbled through our backline on 37 minutes, forcing Ben Perk into an awkward save. Kero's fellow Dale frontman Connor got to the loose ball and drilled it to two-time England midfielder Marcel Game, who finished for a 2-0 home lead. By half-time, it was abundantly clear that one team was firmly switched on, and the other team... wasn't.

 

The 3-4-1-2 went out of the window at half-time, with young midfielders André Gross and Engilbert Sverrisson replacing the lacklustre Darvill and Messina in a 4-3-2-1. Switching our focus to a more composed passing game started to reap the rewards in the 52nd minute, when Greg Killick's strike was parried by Romário.

 

Three minutes later, Game tripped Gross just outside Rochdale's area to give us a free-kick that Salvador made the most of. A fantastic delivery into the top corner put us right back in the match!

 

We then looked for an equaliser in the 58th minute, when left-back Carl Pratt floated the ball towards Egueh on the edge of the six-yard box. Tristan beat Dale defender Adán Paz to the delivery, but his header bounced harmlessly wide, summing up his recent form. Egueh was replaced midway through the half by Mark Washington - another Dagenham striker experiencing a crisis of confidence. A wayward free-kick on 70 minutes would prove to be Mark's only scoring opportunity in this cameo.

 

Game's game came to an end in the 77th minute upon hurting himself in a slide tackle on Gross. That injury didn't upset Rochdale too much, mind you. By the 89th minute, it really was game over for the Daggers.

 

You could probably have counted the mistakes Perk had made this season on one finger until our goalkeeper came out of his six-yard box to clear a wayward through-ball from Dale captain Darren Howarth. Ben had to get the clearance right... and he didn't, as former Manchester United right-back Dewi Gray volleyed it into a gaping goal from 30 yards out. Our first visit to the Slovalco Arena had ended in a 3-1 pasting - and another dressing-down for my underperforming stars.

 

Rochdale - 3 (Martin 20, Game 37, Gray 89)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Salvador 55)

Premier League, Attendance 14,143 - POSITIONS: Rochdale 17th, Dag & Red 7th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Gridelli, Walters, Darvill (Gross), Barber, Killick, McCann, Pratt, Salvador, Messina (Sverrisson), Egueh (Washington). BOOKED: Darvill.

 

We had ONE shot in Rochdale's penalty area all game. That showed how impotent we were. Tristan Egueh had indeed been so hopelessly out of sorts that I docked him a week's wages and told him that he'd be playing reserve-team football for the next few weeks.

 

As it so happened, Egueh strained his groin while we were preparing for our next home match against Nottingham Forest. He would be out of action for... yep, a few weeks, two or three to be more precise. I guess some footballers will do anything to get out of playing for the stiffs!

 

As our most 'in-form' striker, I trusted Enrico Messina to lead the Dagenham & Redbridge frontline when Forest came to Rainham Road in our final match of the month. Forest were third-from-bottom and still feeling the aftershock of a 6-0 home thrashing by Southampton in their previous fixture.

 

Before this match, I sent reserve right-back Mathew Davies out on loan to another League One team. Davies had only just returned from a six-month-long spell at Dartford when high-flying Oxford United requested his services for the remainder of the season.

 

29 January 2039: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Nottingham Forest

Joe Lawlor was one of our more injury-prone players, so I was concerned when the midfielder was involved in a heavy collision with Nottingham Forest winger Luiz Gustavo in the third minute. Lawlor had to come off for a while to be assessed before he was given the all-clear to continue.

 

Meanwhile, Enrico Messina pulled wide a dreadful opening shot in the fourth minute before having three more efforts saved by Forest keeper Glenn Nordh. Messina's day didn't get any better on 14 minutes, when the referee booked our Italian striker for diving.

 

We'd already had right-back Ross Pearson booked earlier in this match, which would soon start to turn against us. After 15 minutes, the visitors' own Italian stallion Leo Cortesi - who'd joined the club from Fulham earlier this month - headed in a cross from Tom Dakin to put them in front.

 

We launched the perfect response two minutes later. Messina tackled the ball off Forest defender Said Tran and knocked it on to Engilbert Sverrisson, who dribbled to the byline and then floated a cross into the box. Receiving Engilbert's delivery at the back post was Joe, who battled through the pain to draw us level!

 

The rest of the first half was a rather dour affair, save for a chance each for either side. In the 23rd minute, returning Daggers left-back Tom Drost curled a first-time ball to Ricky, whose half-volley was brilliantly blocked by Nordh.

 

The Tricky Trees would get even closer to tripping us up in the 43rd minute, when Bosnia & Herzegovina international Luiz Gustavo's cross was headed against the upright by on-loan Rochdale striker Aarran Bryant. Considering that Forest were in the relegation zone, a 1-1 half-time scoreline was not an encouraging one from our perspective.

 

Messina's continued misfortune in Nottingham Forest's penalty area continued early in the second half. On 51 minutes, a promising delivery to Orlando Salvador was headed straight at Nordh by the Portuguese playmaker. A minute later, Messina's header from a Drost cross also ended up safely in Nordh's hands. While Forest's Swedish goalkeeper deserved some credit for saving five close-range efforts from Ricky, our young frontman really should've converted at least one of them.

 

One final chance at redemption for Messina went awry on 55 minutes, when he nodded Salvador's cross over after Orlando had brilliantly dispossessed Tran. The misfiring Italian would be replaced in the 64th minute by Mark Washington, shortly after an earlier Dagenham substitute - Matthew Fraser - had a free-kick tipped behind by Nordh. We really were so unfortunate not to have ended the stalemate.

 

Thankfully, Forest's attacking threat in the second half was limited to a wayward long-range effort from Luiz Gustavo after 68 minutes. While our defence had a somewhat quiet afternoon, Forest's had to dig deep in the closing stages. An excellent header from Dagenham centre-half Jameel Bailey in the 79th minute almost found the net before being cleared off the line by Bryant. Shortly afterwards, visiting midfielder Anthony Whitton blocked a fierce strike by Daggers counterpart Kenneth Jorgensen.

 

It would take until the 88th minute for the match to be won. Moments after Jorgensen intercepted a header from Luiz Gustavo, Salvador laid forward a pass to our young middleman André Gross, who smashed in a beautiful strike from the edge of the area! The 20-year-old German had clinched us another hard-fought home win!

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Lawlor 17, Gross 88)

Nottingham Forest - 1 (Cortesi 15)

Premier League, Attendance 23,647 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 8th, Nottm Forest 18th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Pearson (Barber), Gridelli, Bailey, Drost, Lawlor (Fraser), Jorgensen, Gross, Sverrisson, Salvador, Messina (Washington). BOOKED: Pearson, Messina.

 

We'd won, but I was still not convinced that this team could get us back on track for European qualification. Transfer deadline day would be rather busier than usual for me.

 

Youth midfielder Warren Johnston got his first taste of loan experience, joining League One outfit Dartford for what remained of this campaign.

 

Striker Peguy Kasongo was loaned to La Liga side Málaga until the end of the season, in the knowledge that could be his final chance to stake a claim for regular first-team football with us. If Peguy's time in Spain doesn't pan out, I might be tempted to sell him in the summer. Kasongo is 23 years old now - he's not a promising youngster anymore.

 

Neil McCann's time at Rainham Road was up, though. McCann was a solid Championship-level midfielder, but he wasn't the penetrative passer required to be a playmaker, and neither did he have the aggression to be an efficient ball-winner. In other words, he didn't really have a role in my team.

 

I offered Neil out to a host of clubs, several of whom made rather derisory offers. It wasn't until Championship leaders Brighton & Hove Albion offered £4.8million that I decided to sell up. After 43 league appearances in five-and-a-half years with the Daggers, McCann was heading to the south coast.

 

McCann's sale freed up room for a proper midfield dynamo. That was when I discovered that Frédéric Pereira - a fully-fledged France international, no less - had been transfer-listed by Marseille. The 26-year-old was exactly what I wanted - he was very strong defensively, supremely accurate with his passing, and he could work just as tirelessly as any typical Daggers player.

 

Marseille's £21million asking price was a bit on the steep side for my liking, but Les Phocéens did agree to loan Pereira to us until the end of the season for £3.5million. We'd also have to pay half of his £56,000-per-week wages during his time at Rainham Road, but we had more than enough money in the bank, so I thought, "Why not?"

 

Frédi was publicly paraded as a Dagenham & Redbridge player at 6:00pm. About half an hour later, just as I'd finished all the press work regarding his signing, chief executive Chris Langley rushed over to me with a startled look across his face.

 

"Chris, I've just had Fabio Paratici on the phone. He's the Sporting Director at Juventus... and he's made an offer for Ricky Messina. £25million."

[CFuller]

Premier League Table (End of January 2039)

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.          Arsenal                24    16    6     2     54    20    +34   54
2.          Man City               26    16    5     5     61    21    +40   53
3.          Man Utd                22    14    5     3     48    15    +33   47
4.          Liverpool              26    13    8     5     43    24    +19   47
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.          Derby                  26    13    4     9     42    29    +13   43
6.          West Ham               23    11    9     3     28    15    +13   42
7.          Southampton            26    10    8     8     45    32    +13   38
8.          Dag & Red              25    10    7     8     39    36    +3    37
9.          West Brom              26    9     7     10    35    46    -11   34
10.         Chelsea                25    8     7     10    29    34    -5    31
11.         Wolves                 26    9     4     13    44    57    -13   31
12.         Everton                25    9     3     13    29    46    -17   30
13.         Burnley                26    8     5     13    33    44    -11   29
14.         Reading                26    8     4     14    41    52    -11   28
15.         Norwich                25    7     7     11    31    42    -11   28
16.         Fulham                 25    6     9     10    35    42    -7    27
17.         Rochdale               24    6     8     10    28    37    -9    26
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18.         Nottm Forest           25    7     2     16    33    59    -26   23
19.         Tottenham              25    6     4     15    31    50    -19   22
20.         Ipswich                24    5     6     13    25    53    -28   21

 

[CFuller]

FEBRUARY 2039

The news that Juventus had invoked the £25million minimum fee clause in Enrico Messina's contract just five hours before the transfer window was potentially devastating. Ricky was by some margin the most talented striker we had at the club, and in a season in which poor finishing had cost us dearly, he was the last player I wanted to lose.

 

But lose Messina I had to. After 28 goals in 53 appearances over the course of 19 months at Dagenham & Redbridge, he was on his way back home to Italy. At 22 years of age, Ricky is surely destined to become one of world football's most lethal finishers - it's just a shame that he won't reach those heights in a Daggers jersey.

 

Messina's departure left me with enough currency to fill Scrooge McDuck's money bin. But instead of diving head-first into a pool of coins, I decided to use that money to invest in a replacement striker.

 

Over the next couple of hours, I submitted bids for several dangerous frontmen from the Premier League and elsewhere. Portugal international Luís Soares was one of them, but Norwich City rejected our £15million offer for the 27-year-old. Attempts to bring in strikers from Borussia Dortmund and Napoli also ended in failure.

 

Two of my transfer bids were accepted, though, and after successfully negotiating contracts with said players, I had to decide which one of them I would sign...

 

Would it be Player Number 1 - a 26-year-old English-based striker with 65 career Premier League goals to his name, including 26 in the 2036/2037 season alone? He would cost Dagenham & Redbridge a club-record £17.5million, and he would sign a three-and-a-half-year contract worth £55,000 per week. This would be a very expensive signing, but it was also likely to be a safe one.

 

Or would it be Player Number 2 - a 21-year-old wildcard from the Cypriot top flight who had the potential to become an excellent Premier League frontman? He was very quick on his feet and powerful in the air, yet he was unproven in a top league and somewhat volatile. He would cost us only £4.9million, and he'd agreed a modest £20,000-per-week deal that'd run until 2043.

 

Essentially, it was a straight choice between an established top-level striker and a raw but exciting young goal-getter. In the end, I went with the former.

 

I had turned down the opportunity to recruit Greece international Antonis Siafos from Cypriot champions APOEL Nicosia - at least for the time being. I needed a striker who could do a job immediately, and I was not yet convinced that Siafos was ready for such a big step up. That said, I might go back in for him in the summer, so watch this space...

 

And that means, ladies and gentlemen, I can now introduce you to Dagenham & Redbridge's new number 10 - costing us a whopping £17.5million from Chelsea, it's Wales international Alun Harding!

 

Harding is an ice-cool finisher at the peak of his powers, and he should stay at the top for a few more years at least. Alun had found the net 44 times in the previous two Premier League seasons, and though he'd only scored eight goals for Chelsea this term, that was only because his team had seriously underperformed. There was no reason why he could not hit the heights again with the Daggers.

 

Harding went straight into the starting line-up when we visited 5th-placed Derby County at Pride Park in midweek, with fellow deadline-day signing Frédéric Pereira on the bench. I was also delighted to welcome back Siphesihle Gumede and Thulani Mazibuko, who'd returned from the Africa Cup of Nations following South Africa's elimination at the Quarter Finals to DR Congo.

 

Before I jump into the Derby game, here's a quick word on attacking midfielder Orlando Salvador, who was named as the Premier League Young Player of the Month for January. Another up-and-coming Daggers midfielder - André Gross - was also nominated for that award.

 

2 February 2039: Derby County vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Our new on-loan French midfielder Frédéric Pereira would make his debut much earlier than anticipated. Just six minutes into the match, Daggers hardman Greg Killick picked up a knock in a challenge from Derby skipper Paul Sherwood and limped off. That meant a very swift introduction to proceedings for Pereira, who would help to settle us down after a very shaky start.

 

We didn't register our first shot at goal until the 15th minute, when captain Mark Washington hopelessly missed the target from long range. Five minutes later, Pereira searched out fellow newcomer Alun Harding with an excellent pass into the Derby area. Alun then fed the ball to Daggers winger Shaun Powell, who dribbled into the Rams' area before being blocked by defender Chris Moss. Harding reacted quickly to stab the loose ball into the net and secure a debut goal!

 

Our new-found lead looked precarious after 27 minutes, when Ben Perk had to catch a close-range header from Yassine Allali. The Belgian couldn't draw Derby level, but his Danish striker Nikolaj Gyldenohr was more clinical in the 28th minute. The pacey frontman latched onto a through-ball from Mike Husband and thrashed it past the onrushing Perk to erase our advantage.

 

Gyldenohr's 21-year-old compatriot Kasper Dupont Kjaer could've turned the match firmly in County's favour two minutes later, but Perk got his hands to the midfielder's excellent low drive. Kjaer missed another chance to put the Rams ahead before half-time, as did Sherwood and Allali, the latter of whom had a header saved by Allali in the 44th minute.

 

Derby may have ended the first half strongly, but they couldn't keep up the pace in the second period. When Daggers centre-back Vicente Gridelli headed away an underhit cross from Sherwood in the 56th minute, we launched a quick counter-attack. That move ended with Harding exchanging passes with Orlando Salvador, who smashed the ball past Maguila for a 2-1 Dagenham lead!

 

Sadly, we would only stay in front for a couple of minutes. Gyldenohr notched up his brace with an excellent finish from Derby right-back Aidan Bobbins' cross to make it 2-2. While Gridelli was having an excellent game in the heart of our defence, his colleagues Siphesihle Gumede and George Darvill were struggling on yellow cards. I quickly took George off and sent Jameel Bailey on, but the Rams would continue to terrorise us in the final half-hour.

 

Husband's excellent 63rd-minute delivery into the box evaded our trio of defenders and ended up at the feet of Sherwood, whose volley was somehow saved by Perk. Ben bailed us out once more on 69 minutes, getting his fingers to a strike from Allali after the Belgium forward weaved his way past Vicente.

 

A minute later, though, we were countering Derby again. Frédi's incisive lob over Derby defender Jamie Collett found captain Mark, who only needed to beat Maguila for 3-2. A couple of years ago, Washington would've buried his shot plum into the corner... but he could only hook into the sponsor boards.

 

That miss looked like becoming a costly one after 78 minutes. Bobbins found Allali with an excellent cross to the far post, but Allali's shot went across the goalmouth rather than into the net. Thulani Mazibuko's subsequent clearance was an unconvincing one, and the Rams had another great opportunity moments later. Fortunately, 17-year-old substitute midfielder Matty Holmes was unable to get his shot on target.

 

Holmes and Sherwood had further attempts saved by Perk before we had one final roll of the dice in the 88th minute. Pereira could've made himself an instant Daggers hero had he converted a 20-yard screamer, but Maguila's fingertips denied the Frenchman his moment at glory. This four-goal thriller would end with the spoils being shared.

 

Derby County - 2 (Gyldenohr 28,58)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Harding 20, Salvador 56)

Premier League, Attendance 33,352 - POSITIONS: Derby 5th, Dag & Red 8th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Gumede, Gridelli, Darvill (Bailey), Powell, Killick (Pereira), Jorgensen, Mazibuko, Salvador (Sverrisson), Harding, Washington. BOOKED: Gumede, Darvill, Salvador.

 

While I was somewhat alarmed to see Derby dominate that match and almost take the win, Alun Harding's debut had been very encouraging. If he could keep that form up on his first Daggers appearance at Rainham Road, our hopes of qualifying for Europe again next season would receive a massive shot in the arm.

 

West Bromwich Albion were breathing down our necks in 9th place and had won four of their last five league fixtures. If they could inflict a fifth home league defeat of the season on us, they would leapfrog us in the standings.

 

5 February 2039: Dagenham & Redbridge vs West Bromwich Albion

One of my main reasons for signing Alun Harding on deadline day was because of his lethal long-distance shooting. The Welsh wonder would demonstrate that just five minutes into his home debut. Nolan Barber knocked a Joe Lawlor pass into the path of Harding, who was in a somewhat difficult angle just inside the penalty area. Alun was still able to drive the ball past Mark Thomas and into the net, sending our fans into ecstasy!

 

Harding had now scored in back-to-back matches, but he wasn't simply going to settle for that. After 12 minutes, he agonisingly drove over a vicious effort that could've doubled our advantage.

 

Alun's miss wouldn't matter, as we did take a 2-0 lead in the 19th minute. Thulani Mazibuko's corner was flicked wide by Vicente Gridelli to Lawlor, who crossed to the back post. Siphesihle Gumede was there to power in his first competitive Dagenham goal, and he nearly ripped the net open in doing so!

 

Zippy and Vicente then showed great defensive tenacity four minutes later to prevent Miljan Todorovic from grabbing a quick reply for West Brom. Gridelli's slide tackle diverted the ball on to left-winger Luis Sevilla, whose follow-up shot fizzed wide.

 

The Baggies would have a couple more opportunities to get back in the game just before half-time, but Daggers skipper Ben Perk made two fine saves to deny Ionut Anca and Sevilla. By then, we had ourselves missed several chances for 3-0, with Gumede going closest after 36 minutes.

 

A fantastic chip from Daggers left-back Tom Drost in the 53rd minute opened the door for Orlando Salvador to potentially score his third goal in four matches. Orlando beat West Brom defender Badouin Mabwete to the through-ball, but he was unable to get his shot past Baggies keeper Thomas. The Wales international then prevented Zippy from grabbing a second goal through Joe's free-kick in the 60th minute.

 

The Daggers were looking as confident as they had done in weeks... well, at least most of them were. Young striker Jonas Kjaerulff was again struggling with nerves, so after 66 minutes, I took him out of the pressure cooker and gave stalwart Joel Honeyball his first home appearance of the season. Joel can barely do anything except sprint these days, so it was perhaps too much to expect him to clinch victory.

 

Nevertheless, our defence was doing more than enough to keep our lead at a solid 2-0. West Brom captain Justin Gibbs had a header saved by Perk in the 69th minute, eight minutes before midfielder Nathan Allard sent his free-kick wide.

 

There would be no bouncing back for the Baggies, so I felt confident enough to throw rising stars André Gross and Stevie Merson onto the field for the closing stages. André and Stevie each missed chances to grab a third Daggers goal, as did Orlando when he hit the bar in injury time, but victory was never really in doubt.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Harding 5, Gumede 19)

West Bromwich Albion - 0

Premier League, Attendance 26,772 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 7th, West Brom 10th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Gumede, Gridelli (Gross), Mazibuko, Barber, Lawlor, Pereira, Drost, Salvador, Harding (Merson), Kjaerulff (Honeyball).

 

The Daggers were back in business... but how long would that last?

[CFuller]

FEBRUARY 2039 (continued)

We might have won our last four home matches, but that record was sure to come under real pressure when Manchester United arrived at Rainham Road. The Red Devils sat 3rd in the Premier League and desperately needed to keep winning if they were to sustain a challenge to the top two - Arsenal and Manchester City.

 

While we'd had a week's rest before this match, United had needed to get through a gruelling 3-2 away win at Derby County in midweek. Most of Alexander Mejía's star assets were struggling for fitness, but the Colombian's squad was short on depth, so he persisted with them instead of promoting players from the reserve and youth teams. Mejía was already without centre-back Leszek Michniewicz and winger Kim Chang-Hoon through injury.

 

As far as we were concerned, on-loan Frédéric Pereira had been ruled out of contention with a strained wrist. Frédi was also cup-tied for our upcoming UEFA Europa League matches against Rangers, so the French midfielder wouldn't be back in first-team action until at least the end of the month.

 

12 February 2039: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Manchester United

Our fresher legs would be very telling in the opening stages of this match. When Thulani Mazibuko headed Manchester United midfielder Denis Bosnjak's free-kick out of our penalty area in the eighth minute, we were ready to hit the visitors on the break. Kenneth Jorgensen took the loose ball forward and searched out Mark Washington on the left flank. Mark played an excellent centre towards Greg Killick, who couldn't meet it with a clean enough header to keep it on target.

 

During that counter-attack, United defender Michel hurt his thigh whilst rushing back. The Italy international played on, but the Red Devils would develop an even greater concern after 17 minutes. Mazibuko swung a corner to South African compatriot Siphesihle Gumede, who was pushed by United midfielder Sebastián Núnez. Referee Gary Ashley awarded us a penalty, which Alun Harding coolly drilled past goalkeeper Seán Rooney for his third goal in as many Daggers appearances!

 

We could've built on our lead in the 23rd minute, when a bout of head tennis resulted in Killick's half-volley being tipped wide by Rooney. A minute later, though, we were 2-0 in front. Captain Washington came good with a fantastic corner delivery to Mazibuko, who flicked it over Rooney to send our fans into hysterics!

 

Mind you, Manchester United hadn't won three of the last four Premier League titles for nothing. An excellent solo run from American ace Sean Jordan in the 31st minute ended with him cutting the ball into the bottom corner, and cutting our lead in half.

 

Another striking sensation from across the pond could've restored our two-goal cushion after 37 minutes, but Washington's free-kick was caught by Rooney. Mark hadn't scored in any of his last seven matches, though he hadn't lost his eye for a killer pass. Just moments later, he found Alun in space, teeing up the Welshman for his FOURTH Dagenham goal in less than a fortnight!

 

We went into the break with an incredible 3-1 lead over Manchester United, who'd lost their right-winger Dudu Ashkenazi to injury in the 43rd minute. The 34-year-old Israeli megastar fell awkwardly after being floored by a slide challenge from Dagenham left-back Tom Drost and ended up breaking his wrist.

 

Inevitably, Manchester United roared back in the second half. After 48 minutes, Shaun Murray knocked Moses Penfold's long ball on to Jordan, whose volley was stopped at the near post by Perk. Ben made three more excellent saves over the next three minutes, with Penfold, Murray and substitute midfielder Pablo López being kept at bay.

 

Our goalkeeper would come under pressure again in the 60th minute, after the Red Devils were given a controversial penalty. Mazibuko seemed to win the ball fairly in a slide tackle on Jordan in the Daggers area, but Mr Ashley felt otherwise. Penfold then beat Perk from 12 yards out, with his 24th goal of the season reducing our advantage to a more fragile 3-2.

 

The momentum was now on United's side, particularly after Drost was booked for tripping their right-back Matheo Honoré. I swiftly replaced Tom with Axel Rubarth, but a couple of poor clearances from the Swedish winger would keep us under the cosh. The Red Devils' first opportunities to equalise came when Jordan blazed a shot over the bar in the 71st minute, and Penfold headed a Núnez cross into Perk's hands a minute afterwards.

 

After that, though, we briefly looked good to go two goals up once more. Rooney saved a promising effort from Rubarth on 79 minutes, while strikers Harding and Washington also went close late on.

 

Manchester United then launched one final attack deep in injury time. A mistake from Daggers substitute Joe Lawlor knocked the ball into our area, where Núnez played the ball short to 18-year-old striker Craig Aitken - a late replacement for Jordan. Aitken was ready to drag the ball across our six-yard box to either Penfold or López... but Thulani stopped him with an excellent block tackle. The away team's protests for a second penalty fell on deaf ears, and we held firm for a historic first Premier League win over Manchester United!

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (Harding pen18,37, Mazibuko 24)

Manchester United - 2 (Jordan 31, Penfold pen60)

Premier League, Attendance 26,681 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 7th, Man Utd 3rd

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Gumede, Gridelli, Mazibuko, Powell, Killick (Lawlor), Jorgensen, Drost (Rubarth), Salvador (Genjac), Harding, Washington. BOOKED: Drost.

 

Beating Manchester United is always bound to boost confidence, and we were very much on a high when we resumed our UEFA Europa League campaign five days later.

 

I'd been to plenty of countries throughout my coaching career, but I'd never visited Scotland before we travelled north of the border. Awaiting us in Glasgow were the mighty Rangers, who'd won the Scottish league championship on a record 57 occasions, most recently in 2036.

 

The latter-day Gers were more like 'Teddy Bears' than, say, the all-conquering force of the 1990s. Though Vladimir Weiss' charges were 2nd in the Scottish Premier League, they were miles adrift of runaway leaders Hibernian.

 

Their Europa League form was slightly better, as they lost just once in qualifying from Group H ahead of Rochdale. That said, I was confident that we could take the initiative in this Round of 32 clash and win the first leg at Ibrox.

 

17 February 2039: Rangers vs Dagenham & Redbridge

I gave another start to Engilbert Sverrisson, who'd excelled in the UEFA Europa League this season without ever really taking that form into the Premier League. The Icelandic attacking midfielder played a promising through-ball to Alun Harding in the seventh minute, but our record signing blazed it over the crossbar.

 

In the 8th minute, Rangers had left-winger Giorgi Kashia booked for handling a long kick by his own goalkeeper Frederik Bisgaard. The Gers then had their first pop at goal two minutes later, with ex-West Ham United midfielder Nathaniel Yiadom dribbling through our defence before seeing Kieran Whalley block his shot.

 

Rangers' lone striker was Eddie Harrop, who'd been touch-and-go to play in this match, having sustained a rib injury five days earlier against Ross County. Harrop's injury problems continued after 22 minutes, when he twisted his knee in a firm but fair slide tackle from Dagenham defender George Darvill. Harrop was swiftly replaced by Rangers captain Igor Grasic - and the 33-year-old Slovenian would go on to make quite the impact.

 

In the 25th minute, Grasic swung in an excellent free-kick that was just as brilliantly tipped away by Whalley. Two minutes after that, he got behind our defence and met Gers defender Tyrone Jenkins' cross with a header that looped over Kieran and into the net. Some of our players argued that Grasic was offside, but the goal stood, and we would have to battle back from behind. Unfortunately, we couldn't do that before half-time, as another long-range punt from Harding in the 32nd minute went wayward.

 

A half-time reshuffle saw Ross Pearson come into a three-man Daggers defence and Mark Washington partner the below-par Harding up front. Captain Mark had Rangers' defenders running in circles in the 58th minute, but after laying the ball off to Thulani Mazibuko, he watched the South African screw an awful shot wide.

 

Darvill did at least hit the target in the 62nd minute, when he flicked a Washington corner into the hands of Denmark goalie Bisgaard. That would be our best equalising chance in a match that saw Rangers boss Vladimir Weiss deliver a masterclass in game management.

 

After seeing star striker Grasic miss two chances to score for a second time (including one glaring miss from point-blank range in the 83rd minute), Weiss instructed his team to go more defensive and protect their lead. We huffed and puff in search of a potentially vital away goal, but with Rangers sitting much deeper, it wasn't to be. After Washington's last-minute header from a Mazibuko cross was caught by Bisgaard, we resigned ourselves to a first-leg defeat.

 

Rangers - 1 (Grasic 27)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 0

UEFA Europa League Round of 32 Leg 1, Attendance 49,424

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Whalley, Barber, Gridelli, Darvill, Mazibuko, Killick, Jorgensen, Lawlor (Pearson), Sverrisson (Genjac), Salvador (Washington), Harding. BOOKED: Lawlor.

 

That showed us up, alright. We arrogantly thought that we could waltz to victory five days after outplaying Manchester United, but Rangers had other ideas. We now had it all to do in the reverse fixture if our European campaign wasn't going to meet an early watery end.

[CFuller]

FEBRUARY 2039 (continued)

One week on from a surprise 1-0 reverse at Ibrox, we returned to Rainham Road on a mission to save our UEFA Europa League hopes. We quite simply had to beat Rangers on home soil, and beat them well, as just one away goal from the Glaswegians would leave us needing a two-goal victory at least.

 

When it came to formations, I'd grown accustomed to using either a 3-4-1-2 or a 'Christmas tree' in recent months, but I doubted that either of those tactics would be effective against the Gers. There was no point in having three centre-backs defending against one Rangers striker and two attacking wingers, while the festive 4-3-2-1 was too narrow for a team that desperately needed goals.

 

I'd had very mixed fortunes with the wide 4-2-3-1 before abandoning it mid-season, but I felt that now was the right time to switch back to what was arguably our most attacking tactic. I'd rely heavily on wingers Axel Rubarth and Shaun Powell creating scoring opportunities for our lone striker Alun Harding, while Orlando Salvador would sit just behind Alun in an attacking midfield role.

 

Mark Washington wasn't in the best of moods after our defeat in Glasgow, so I left our captain out of the squad altogether. Replacing him on the bench would be Tristan Egueh, who was back from a groin strain and looking for his first goal since we famously won our final group game in Barcelona two months ago.

 

24 February 2039: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Rangers

Our bid to battle back from losing the first leg could not have started off any worse. In the sixth minute, following a foul on Nathaniel Yiadom from Dagenham defender Vicente Gridelli, Rangers found themselves with a free-kick on the edge of our area. Gers captain Igor Grasic fired the set-piece against Joe Lawlor in the Daggers wall and deflected back to the Slovenian. Grasic's follow-up shot then trundled past Ben Perk, who'd been completely caught out by the initial strike, and across our goal line.

 

Our fans were in utter despair at watching us fall 1-0 behind, which meant we now needed THREE goals to save our skins. Orlando Salvador tried to get the first of them after 16 minutes, but his strike was well off target. Another attempt from Lawlor four minutes later was well blocked by Gers midfielder Shane Phillips.

 

We were struggling to crack the visitors open, but the most disappointing player on the pitch was our left-back Tom Drost. Tom was already carrying an early yellow card when he shoved Rangers winger and Dutch compatriot Elson de Leeuw in the 23rd minute. Though Drost narrowly avoided a sending-off, I almost immediately subbed him off and replaced him with Thulani Mazibuko.

 

After 31 minutes, a foul from de Leeuw on Lawlor gave us a much-needed lifeline. Orlando floated the free-kick over Rangers' wall, and goalkeeper Thomas Vasileiadis could not quite keep it out. One goal down, two to go?

 

Alun Harding and Shaun Powell had opportunities to get those two goals before half-time, but the Welsh duo were dismally off target. We were now 45 minutes from elimination.

 

'Formation Fuller' came back from the dead at half-time, replacing the 4-2-3-1 with a 4-3-1-2 and subbing off our wingers. Coming on were Tristan Egueh and Dzenan Genjac, the latter of whom had a diving header saved by Vasileiadis in the first minute of the second half. Tristan's first - and only - attempt at goal came from a 64th-minute free-kick, which he fired miles over.

 

We were soon throwing everything at Rangers, but the visitors - and centre-half Tyrone Jenkins especially - were defending for their lives. Vasileiadis himself showed great composure to catch a threatening cross from our right-back Nolan Barber. Egueh was more likely to run the ball out of play than blast it into the net, though a more positive contribution led to another chance for Genjac in the 84th minute. Tristan lobbed the ball through to Dzenan, who hit it on the half-volley, only to miss the target.

 

After that, we offered pretty much nothing. An impotent Daggers attack failed to knock the stuffing out of the Teddy Bears, who held out for a 1-1 draw and advanced 2-1 on aggregate. They would go on to play West Ham United in the Round of 16, while we were locked out of Europe for the rest of the season - call it 'Drexit', if you will.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Salvador 31)

Rangers - 1 (Grasic 6)

[Rangers win 2-1 on aggregate]

UEFA Europa League Round of 32 Leg 2, Attendance 26,053

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Barber, Gridelli, Darvill, Drost (Mazibuko), Jorgensen, Lawlor, Powell (Egueh), Salvador, Rubarth (Genjac), Harding. BOOKED: Drost.

 

This UEFA Europa League had promised so much for Dagenham & Redbridge, yet we'd been tamely dumped out at the first knockout round by a team from Scotland. SCOTLAND, for Christ's sake! As far as the most humiliating moments in the club's history went, that was certainly up there.

 

All we had to play for now was the Premier League. As mid-table West Bromwich Albion had won the League Cup, we basically needed to finish in the top six to have any chance of gracing Europe again next season.

 

A victory in our next PL fixture was paramount if we were to catch up with the likes of Liverpool, Derby County and West Ham United in those European spots. We were at home to Ipswich Town, who were rock-bottom with just one league victory since Boxing Day. Tractor Boys manager Sergey Mustafin was overseeing just his third match in charge since predecessor Jamal Fyfield jumped ship to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

 

27 February 2039: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Ipswich Town

You know how poor we were going forward against Rangers? Well, that was nothing compared to our first-half struggles at home to the weakest team in the Premier League. We were playing some beautiful possession football, but only very rarely did we actually get the ball into Ipswich's penalty area.

 

Our best chance of the opening half-hour saw Vicente Gridelli head wide a long-range free-kick from Dagenham captain Mark Washington in the 12th minute. From then on, it was simply a case of us having several audacious punts that were either fired wide or blocked by the Tractor Boys.

 

Alun Harding had a mean long-range strike in him, but not even he could realistically score from 35 yards, as he attempted to do twice in the 25th and 44th minutes. Ipswich goalie Joshua Regan's only save of the entire first half had come shortly before Harding's second miss. The shot came from a very unlikely source in Daggers right-back Nolan Barber, whose effort deflected heavily off Town centre-half Moses Langton before being picked up by Regan.

 

Our keeper Ben Perk also had to do some work in injury time, punching clear a long ball from Ipswich midfielder Neil Cable to stop what was essentially the Tractor Boys' only attack before the interval. With the deadlock still intact at half-time, I was starting to fear that we could lose a match in which we were the only real contenders!

 

"Look, lads - this is getting silly now," I told my team in the dressing room. "You're Dagenham & Redbridge, not the Harlem Globetrotters. Stop trying anything and everything to score, and just go back to basics. Keep the ball on the ground. Work it into the box. Exploit those gaps in the Ipswich defence. Most importantly, though, just get the f***ing job done!"

 

My other big change before the second period was to swap out defender George Darvill for midfielder André Gross and switch to a 4-3-2-1. Washington was now playing just behind lone striker Harding, and though Mark didn't particularly like being an attacking midfielder, he'd obviously been fired up by my stern words at half-time.

 

In the 56th minute, Washington was heavily involved in an 11-pass Dagenham move that started with a throw-in from Barber and featured most of our players. Harding collected the ball from our captain and then held it up in the Ipswich 'D'. He subsequently moved it on to midfielder Frédéric Pereira, who found Thulani Mazibuko first-time. Mark then got behind the defence to latch onto the final ball from Thulani and drill us into a 1-0 lead!

 

The rejuvenated American wasn't finished there, however, as he would get a second goal in the 58th minute. After Ipswich left-back Peter Filo unconvincingly blocked a centre from Pereira, Washington reacted quickly to lash in the rebound! We were now strolling to victory... or at least we were until an error from South African centre-half Siphesihle Gumede halved our 2-0 lead just two minutes later!

 

Ipswich winger Daniel Sykes drilled in a byline cross from the right, hoping to find target man Elliot Hernández in the six-yard box. Zippy tried to intercept the delivery... but in doing so, he diverted the ball past a stunned Perk and into the net! The Tractor Boys hadn't registered a single shot on goal, yet the scoreline now read 2-1! I turned to my assistant Fabio Saraiva and muttered, "If they're gonna screw this up, then I might as well take the Under-18s to Manchester City on Wednesday."

 

The final half-hour of a surprisingly tense match didn't start promisingly for us, as Pereira and Mazibuko picked up bookings within five minutes of one another. Ipswich also had midfielder Dan Hall booked in the 66th minute for pushing Washington, but they failed to show enough aggression in another sense.

 

A pitiful anti-climax consisted almost entirely of us stroking the ball around Town's half without ever really threatening to add to our lead. An underhit back-pass from Ipswich midfielder Alan Byrne in the 81st minute allowed Dzenan Genjac to win the ball and tee up Washington, whose edge-of-the-area drive fizzed past the post.

 

The Tractor Boys would make an even costlier mistake in stoppage time. Langton's square ball to his captain and central defensive colleague Aaron Wynne was cut out by Washington, who ruthlessly drilled in his third goal of the afternoon! The Daggers skipper had emphatically returned to form as we bounced back from our European exit with a 3-1 home league win!

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (Washington 56,58,90)

Ipswich Town - 1 (Gumede og60)

Premier League, Attendance 24,228 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 7th, Ipswich 20th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Gumede, Gridelli, Darvill (Gross), Barber, Pereira, Killick, Mazibuko, Genjac (Powell), Harding (Salvador), Washington. BOOKED: Pereira, Mazibuko.

 

Good grief - this team's going to put me in an early grave if they're not careful!

 

As difficult as things had looked for us in recent weeks, we'd actually picked up 13 points from our last five Premier League matches! Admittedly, all four of our most recent victories had come at home, but we were back on track - and just two points behind 6th-placed Derby County with a game in hand.

 

Don't write off the Daggers just yet.

[CFuller]

MARCH 2039

It seems that every season sees at least one young Dagenham & Redbridge player kick on and suddenly become an integral part of our team. This season's breakthrough star appeared to be Argentine centre-half Vicente Gridelli, whose performances in February saw him named Premier League Young Player of the Month for a second time.

 

Vicente's still only 21, yet he's shown incredible professionalism and maturity at the back and has hardly ever underperformed. He's also sharpened up on his passing abilities and is set to become a leading ball-playing defender in the future. I really do like this kid a lot.

 

Gridelli would be in the heart of our rearguard again in March, when we had just two fixtures to fulfil - both away from home. The first of them was at the Yaya Touré Arena against 2nd-placed Manchester City - the only Premier League team that we'd not yet figured out how to beat. Would we finally find the answer at the 12th time of asking?

 

2 March 2039: Manchester City vs Dagenham & Redbridge

We put Manchester City under pressure, winning a corner in the opening minute. Thulani Mazibuko's delivery was easily headed away by City's 18-year-old centre-half Leonardo Paiva, but our next attack in the sixth minute would be rather more promising. Alun Harding's through-ball to captain Mark Washington was met with an excellent low drive that Citizens goalkeeper Reece Flemming pushed away.

 

The hosts then had a handful of chances at around the 15-minute mark. Striker Hassan Ben Ayad and right-back Jay Allen each missed the target before Peter Jakubicka wasted a glorious opportunity on 16 minutes. Jakubicka dribbled goalwards after intercepting a slack goal kick from Ben Perk, who was relieved to see the Slovakian forward pull his shot wide.

 

A little over two minutes later, we threatened the wasteful Citizens through a low cross from centre-half George Darvill. George almost found Alun, but the ball clipped City defender Ciro Lattarulo's heel and deflected into the net, giving us a shock 1-0 lead!

 

The Premier League champions were smarting, and they would be even more annoyed when Perk saved no fewer than three of their shots between the 20th and 25th minutes. Josef Kral, Paiva and captain Kike Martínez were all denied by the in-form American gloveman.

 

City came at us again on 38 minutes. After his colleagues had a couple of crosses intercepted, left-back Mohammed Ali found Ben Ayad, who flicked a header just past the post. The 31-year-old Holland ace wasn't quite the unstoppable force of old, but he wouldn't have to wait much longer for his 75th league goal in a Sky Blues jersey. In the penultimate minute of first-half regulation time, Ben Ayad nodded home from Martínez's corner to break our resistance and level the match.

 

Buoyed by their late equaliser, Manchester City posed more of a threat to our defence in the second period. Ben Ayad got his head to another Martínez corner in the 54th minute, though he couldn't quite direct it into the net on that occasion. City's other flying Dutchman - midfielder René Wijmer - drove wide a shot from Jakubicka's square pass four minutes later.

 

That said, our defence was holding up well... for the most part. Mazibuko hadn't bounced back following his inability to track Ben Ayad for the equaliser, so I replaced him after half an hour with another South African in Siphesihle Gumede.

 

When City did break us open for a second time, though, it was left-winger Axel Rubarth who arguably cost us dear. On 67 minutes, Axel laxly allowed Allen to brush past him and pick up an incisive through-ball from Kral. The former England Under-21s full-back had his first shot parried back to him by Perk, who failed to keep out the rebound. 23-year-old Allen had broken into City's league team this season, and that goal was - naturally - his first in the top flight.

 

The momentum was now with the Citizens, for whom Wijmer was unlucky not to grab a third goal on 71 minutes. A minute later, however, we were looking to turn the tide again. Harding played a perfect pass for his fellow Welshman Shaun Powell, who got behind the defence before finding Dzenan Genjac in space. The Croatian attacking midfielder drilled home just his third goal of the campaign to make it 2-2!

 

Then, in the 74th minute, a long goal kick from Perk set the wheels in motion for another Dagenham attack. Ali could only knock it back towards his own goal, and Daggers substitute Jonas Kjaerulff outmuscled Citizens defender Mike Martin to dribble the ball upfield. Jonas hadn't yet scored a competitive for us this term... and a painfully narrow miss kept him waiting.

 

Even more unfortunately, another substitute would go one better just two minutes later. Ben Ayad's deep cross was flicked towards the far post by Ali, and left-winger Jonathan Gorman volleyed in what would be the decisive goal for Manchester City. Our poor record against the Citizens had continued with a 3-2 defeat at the Yaya Touré Arena, though we couldn't say that we hadn't given them a run for their money.

 

Manchester City - 3 (Ben Ayad 44, Allen 67, Gorman 76)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Lattarulo og19, Genjac 72)

Premier League, Attendance 81,506 - POSITIONS: Man City 2nd, Dag & Red 7th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Mazibuko (Gumede), Gridelli, Darvill, Powell, Jorgensen, Pereira (Lawlor), Rubarth, Genjac, Harding, Washington (Kjaerulff). BOOKED: Rubarth.

 

Our record against the champions now read as follows: Played 12, Won 0, Drawn 1, Lost 11, Goals For 14, Goals Against 37. I friggin' HATE Manchester City.

 

We usually had better luck against Chelsea, so I fancied our chances of causing a surprise when we travelled to Stamford Bridge ten days later. The Blues had floundered in mid-table for much of the season, even after former AC Milan boss Musa Nizam had been appointed to succeed Lee Nicholls at the end of November.

 

Rather worryingly, Alun Harding had not found the net in his last four matches since starting his Daggers career with four goals in three games. Would the man who'd scored 65 goals in 143 Premier League appearances for Chelsea rediscover his mojo at his old stomping ground?

 

12 March 2039: Chelsea vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Dagenham defender George Darvill brilliantly intercepted a free-kick from Chelsea winger Maximiliano Fernández in the sixth minute, nodding it out of our penalty area. Orlando Salvador flicked it on to Daggers skipper Mark Washington as we streamed forward for a quick breakaway.

 

Washington found the overlapping run of left-winger Thulani Mazibuko, who was free of defenders and left with just goalkeeper Humberto Cano to beat. Thulani hit the near post with his initial shot, but he retook the ball and had another attempt, which came back off the other upright! The race was on for the loose ball, which Washington got to just before Salvador to open the scoring for Dagenham & Redbridge!

 

Mark could've doubled his and our tally two minutes later, but he curled a free-kick wide after being fouled by Chelsea midfielder Khaled Fahim. Then, in the 18th minute, the Blues bit back. Our defensive players were passing the ball around precariously in our half when Vicente Gridelli miscontrolled it, gifting Chelseas captain Gianni Improta one of the simplest finishes of his Stamford Bridge career.

 

Vicente owned up to his mistake, but we couldn't regain our lead before half-time. French midfielder Frédéric Pereira had a long-ranger deflected wide in the 25th minute, while his next attempt five minutes later was blocked by Cano. Chelsea's Argentine-born goalkeeper would make an even more vital save after 41 minutes, tipping over Darvill's close-range header from a Washington free-kick. Thanks to that, the scoreline would remain 1-1 at half-time.

 

Alun Harding's return to Stamford Bridge had seen him contribute nothing except pick up a yellow card for shoving Chelsea defender Karl Marsh late in the first half. Harding would be subbed off before the second half, but when we did regain the lead in the 51st minute, it wasn't through his replacement Tristan Egueh. Blues right-back Rong Chuangyi couldn't deal with a long free-kick from Washington, deflecting it on to Darvill, who smashed it home for 2-1!

 

Sadly, yet more chaotic defending from the Daggers meant our second lead would be even shorter-lived than the first. Improta nodded a long ball from Manuel Paiva on to his Welsh strike partner Callum Lea, who dribbled through the centre of our defence and into the area. Lea then waited for Improta to sneak behind Gridelli, leaving the 28-year-old Italian free to bury the subsequent square pass for another equaliser.

 

Improta was now seeking a hat-trick. In the 59th minute, he played a one-two with Lea before turning sharply past Darvill and his defensive colleague Siphesihle Gumede and attempting to drill a shot into the far corner. Much to our relief, the ball fizzed past the post. Chelsea's next attack came six minutes later, when Paiva headed Lea's cross safely into the hands of Dagenham goalkeeper Ben Perk.

 

After 73 minutes, though, Pereira dealt the hosts a massive blow by slicing their defence open. Frédi fed the ball to Tristan in the Chelsea half before running through open space and collecting the return pass. The France international then spotted Washington, who was just about being played onside. Mark ran onto Frédi's killer ball and slipped it past Cano to reinstate our advantage! That was Mark's 100th career league goal, and his 65th for the Daggers!

 

Mind you, our 3-2 lead could have been wiped out in the 77th minute. The one mistake Darvill made in an otherwise spotless game could've seen him head Marsh's deep cross into his own goal, but Ben tipped the ball over to spare George's blushes! Marsh caused us problems with another cross two minutes later, which was flicked over by Improta.

 

We were narrowly clinging onto our lead, but when Darvill sustained a game-ending injury in an 84th-minute slide tackle on Paiva, it could very easily have gone Pete Tong for us. Thankfully, we had just the right option on the bench to help us see the match out. Kenneth Jorgensen came on for the final few minutes to protect our defence and grind out the Daggers' first ever victory at Stamford Bridge!

 

Chelsea - 2 (Improta 18,53)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (Washington 6,73, Darvill 51)

Premier League, Attendance 43,000 - POSITIONS: Chelsea 10th, Dag & Red 7th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Gumede, Gridelli, Darvill (Jorgensen), Barber, Pereira, Killick, Mazibuko, Salvador (Genjac), Harding (Egueh), Washington. BOOKED: Harding.

 

That win moved us up to 50 points - 11 ahead of Chelsea, with just seven matches left to play. Could we really be about to finish above the five-time English champions for the first time in our history?

 

George Darvill was thankfully not too badly hurt in the closing stages of that match, after which I opened negotiations with him about a new contract. Those talks would end with George signing a new £42,500-per-week deal that'll run until the summer of 2043, by which point our homegrown hero will be 30 years old.

 

George will probably be well into his 30s before he ever gets capped by England. He was once again selected in the Three Lions squad for the mid-March international break, and he was once again overlooked for action in matches against Ghana and Russia. He'd now been an England squad member for the best part of two years without ever getting any gametime.

 

Stevie Merson also signed a new contract this month, turning professional upon celebrating his 17th birthday on 10 March. Merse has been in fine scoring form for our reserve and youth teams this season, and it surely won't be too long before he gets his first goals at senior level.

 

Stevie was one of four Daggers who played for England's Under-19s during the international break. Also featuring were defender Jimmy Cullen, forward Paddy Rattle (who'd been developing reasonably well at Leeds United), and Niall Nash. Niall had already won a handful of Under-21s caps for the Republic of Ireland, but the Basildon-born right-winger - on loan at Wrexham - had now switched his allegiance back to his homeland.

 

All in all, 11 Dagenham & Redbridge players represented their countries at Under-19s or Under-21s level, and a full dozen played for their senior national teams. Amongst them was Kenneth Jorgensen, who reached 40 caps for Denmark in a 1-0 win over Romania.

 

Most of our internationals returned in time for the final week of an intensive three-week training camp, in preparation for our end-of-season run-in. Sadly, midfielder Joe Lawlor would play no part in our final seven fixtures after tearing his knee ligaments in training. His first season at Rainham Road had ended prematurely.

 

Oh yes, and I forgot to mention that we had our youth candidates' trial match earlier in the month. Eight schoolboy players were subsequently signed up to our Under-18s team, but none of them stand out as particularly promising, in all honesty. I guess we can't unearth an exceptional talent like Darvill or Merson every year...

[CFuller]

Premier League Table (End of March 2039)

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.          Arsenal                31    21    7     3     69    28    +41   70
2.          Man City               31    19    7     5     70    24    +46   64
3.          Man Utd                30    17    6     7     60    29    +31   57
4.          Liverpool              31    16    9     6     53    30    +23   57
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.          Derby                  31    15    7     9     52    34    +18   52
6.          West Ham               30    14    10    6     38    29    +9    52
7.          Dag & Red              31    14    8     9     54    46    +8    50
8.          Southampton            31    13    8     10    57    38    +19   47
9.    EL    West Brom              31    12    7     12    44    56    -12   43
10.         Chelsea                31    10    9     12    43    47    -4    39
11.         Wolves                 31    11    6     14    49    62    -13   39
12.         Reading                31    11    5     15    52    58    -6    38
13.         Burnley                31    9     8     14    38    49    -11   35
14.         Everton                31    10    4     17    36    57    -21   34
15.         Rochdale               31    7     11    13    33    45    -12   32
16.         Nottm Forest           31    10    2     19    42    66    -24   32
17.         Fulham                 31    7     10    14    39    53    -14   31
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18.         Norwich                31    7     9     15    37    55    -18   30
19.         Tottenham              31    7     6     18    39    63    -24   27
20.         Ipswich                31    6     7     18    32    68    -36   25

 

[CFuller]

APRIL 2039

The Premier League run-in was about to start. From this point on, every weekend would see us play a vital match in our battle to qualify for the UEFA Europa League, if not the UEFA Champions League.

 

With seven matches to go, we were seven points adrift of Manchester United in 3rd and Liverpool in 4th. Derby County and West Ham United weren't that far above us in the likely Europa League spots. We also had to be very wary of 8th-placed Southampton, who were only three points behind with a far superior goal difference, and hopeful of gate-crashing the European places.

 

Here were the run-ins all six of those teams would face:

 

Manchester United's run-in (3rd place, 57 pts, 8 matches to play)

2 April: vs Ipswich Town (H), 16 April: vs Tottenham Hotspur (H),

23 April: vs Everton (A), 30 April: vs Burnley (H),

4 May: vs West Ham United (H), 7 May: vs Southampton (A), 14 May: vs Dagenham & Redbridge (H)

 

Liverpool's run-in (4th place, 57 pts, 7 matches to play)

2 April: vs Nottingham Forest (H), 10 April: vs Derby County (A), 16 April: vs West Bromwich Albion (H),

23 April: vs Manchester City (H), 30 April: vs Ipswich Town (H),

7 May*: vs Chelsea (A), 14 May: vs Ipswich Town (H)

* Match to be rearranged if Chelsea reach FA Cup Final

 

Derby County's run-in (5th place, 52 pts, 7 matches to play)

3 April: vs Arsenal (A), 10 April: vs Liverpool (H), 16 April: vs Reading (A),

23 April: vs Rochdale (H), 30 April: vs Nottingham Forest (A),

7 May*: vs West Ham United (H), 14 May: vs West Bromwich Albion (H)

* Match to be rearranged if West Ham United reach FA Cup Final

 

West Ham United's run-in (6th place, 52 pts, 8 matches to play)

2 April: vs Burnley (H), 17 April: vs Southampton (H),

20 April: vs Rochdale (A), 23 April: vs Nottingham Forest (A), 1 May: vs Dagenham & Redbridge (H),

4 May: vs Manchester United (A), 7 May*: vs Derby County (A), 14 May: vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (A)

* Match to be rearranged if West Ham United reach FA Cup Final

 

Dagenham & Redbridge's run-in (7th place, 50 pts, 7 matches to play)

2 April: vs Tottenham Hotspur (H), 9 April: vs Everton (A), 16 April: vs Burnley (H),

23 April: vs Southampton (A), 1 May: vs West Ham United (A),

7 May: vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (H), 14 May: vs Manchester United (H)

 

Southampton's run-in (8th place, 47 pts, 7 matches to play)

2 April: vs Everton (H), 9 April: vs Burnley (A), 17 April: vs West Ham United (A),

23 April: vs Dagenham & Redbridge (H), 30 April: vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (A),

7 May: vs Manchester United (H), 14 May: vs Norwich City (A)

 

Good luck predicting who'll finish where!

 

If we were to qualify for Europe for a third successive season, it was imperative that we won the first match of our run-in. We were at home to a Tottenham Hotspur team who'd won just two matches since late October and were staring at the barrel of relegation back to the Championship.

 

2 April 2039: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Tottenham Hotspur

A fiesty all-London clash saw both sides develop injury concerns in the opening quarter-hour. First off, after eight minutes, Tottenham's young defensive midfielder Tumelo Mofokeng was hurt in a full-blooded slide tackle from Daggers hardman Frédéric Pereira. Five minutes later, one of our homegrown stars - right-back Ross Pearson - was upended by Spurs captain Daniel Poulsen and was temporarily forced off for treatment. Neither Mofokeng nor Pearson suffered any ill effects from their early encounters.

 

We launched our first bid for goal in the 15th minute, as Dzenan Genjac fed the ball through space to skipper Mark Washington, who pulled it wide. Orlando Salvador did register a shot on target in the 18th minute, when his low drive from Tom Drost's first-time pass was caught by Tottenham goalkeeper Richard Malmborg.

 

It took an even better save from our keeper Ben Perk to keep out the visitors' first shot on target after 32 minutes. Cameroon winger Jean Maa Boumsong chipped the ball to striker Liam Baldwin, whose vicious half-volley was diverted away by Ben's fingertips!

 

That save was bookended by a couple of disappointing misses from Salvador as we once again failed to convert chances into goal. Then, on 40 minutes, came our inevitable punishment. Maa Boumsong got ahead of Pearson to power forward a header from right-winger Petr Musil that clipped the woodwork before bouncing into the net. We went into the break trailing - somewhat unluckily, I might say - by a single goal.

 

While there was a real temptation to scream and shout at my players in the dressing room, I instead played it calm and reassured them that they were still right in contention for a win. My only change in personnel during the break was to swap out Genjac for Engilbert Sverrisson, who would be given plenty of creative freedom in a 'trequartista' role.

 

Engilbert's first contribution was not an encouraging one, as he was booked after 60 minutes for a reckless lunge on Poulsen. The Icelander quickly cooled down and would make his mark a minute later. Sverrisson's fancy footwork drew a foul out of Spurs right-back Mohamed Ali Zitouni deep in the visitors' area. The resultant free-kick would draw us level, as Salvador met Washington's deep delivery with a sublime bullet header!

 

Orlando's equaliser put a spring in our step, and Greg Killick swerved over a great chance to take the lead in the 65th minute. Four minutes later, Sverrisson picked up a pass from Pereira and played it out to Pearson on the right. Engilbert then advanced into the Spurs area to collect Ross' return pass and drill it past Malmborg! Sverrisson's first league goal this season had sent us 2-1 up!

 

Tottenham were badly shaken, and we went close to putting them further behind in the 83rd minute, when Washington's corner was nodded just over by substitute left-back Thulani Mazibuko. We then had to stand our ground for a while to withstand a couple of late Tottenham attacks, the last of which saw Brazilian striker Cezao swerve a shot wide in the 86th minute.

 

Cezao's strike partner Baldwin then sustained a rib injury two minutes later following a hefty collision with Kenneth Jorgensen. Baldwin couldn't continue, and as Spurs had used up all three substitutions, they went down to 10 men.

 

Baldwin's departure was a devastating blow for the away side, whose misery was compounded when defender Billy Short pulled Salvador down in the penalty area during stoppage time. Captain Washington then steadied himself to lash in the penalty, which earned the Daggers a 3-1 win!

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (Salvador 61, Sverrisson 69, Washington pen90)

Tottenham Hotspur - 1 (Maa Boumsong 40)

Premier League, Attendance 25,330 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 6th, Tottenham 19th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Pearson, Gumede, Darvill, Drost (Mazibuko), Pereira, Jorgensen, Killick (Gross), Genjac (Sverrisson), Salvador, Washington. BOOKED: Sverrisson, Washington.

 

Liverpool, Manchester United and West Ham United had all enjoyed comfortable home wins, though we jumped above Derby County, who wouldn't play their match until the following afternoon. That was when league leaders Arsenal did us a huge favour by beating Derby 2-1, keeping the Rams behind us by a single point.

 

Engilbert Sverrisson had played a significant role in helping us come from behind to beat Tottenham... but he couldn't feature in our next match, nor the one after that. Our Icelandic trequartista twisted his ankle on the morning after the Spurs game and would be on the treatment table for the next three weeks.

 

The following weekend saw us travel to Goodison Park for a showdown with Everton in 14th. We'd come unstuck against the Toffees when they visited us at Rainham Road in November, but this was an opportunity to set the record straight.

 

9 April 2039: Everton vs Dagenham & Redbridge

An exciting start to the match saw both sides show plenty of attacking intent. We had our first scoring chance after 10 minutes, but Welsh striker Alun Harding couldn't guide his header from a Nolan Barber cross beyond Everton keeper Christian Allinson.

 

Our disappointment would be compounded three minutes later. Daggers centre-half Siphesihle Gumede conceded a corner to Everton and then failed to keep track of ex-England midfielder Danny Reid, who headed in a fantastic delivery from Marsel Dragusha.

 

The Toffees were 1-0 up, and things were already turning sour for our defenders. When right-back Barber was brought down by Everton winger Stacy Palmer in the 15th minute, Nolan picked up a knock that would result in his substitution at half-time.

 

That was quickly followed by a couple of shots from our strikers, but while Mark Washington's effort did trouble Allinson, Harding's did not. That said, Alun would get another chance to end his goal drought in the 22nd minute. Our record signing fed the ball through to captain Washington, whose strike from the edge of the area was awkwardly parried by Allinson. Harding quickly rushed onto the rebound and stabbed in his first Daggers goal in nearly two months!

 

We were back level and looking good to score again, but we also had to be wary of the threat Everton posed. A couple of excellent Dragusha deliveries were headed wide by Palmer just before the half-hour. Another header, by Toffees striker James Rudd in the 40th minute, was impressively tipped over by Ben Perk.

 

Everton did regain the lead two minutes later, in a somewhat similar manner to how they'd lost it. Perk made an unconvincing save from a powerful shot by Reid, leaving Rudd free to bury the follow-up. We would go into the interval 2-1 down.

 

Barber and Gumede were both replaced at the break as we switched to the 4-3-2-1 formation and tried to pass our way back into the running. In the 52nd minute, Everton defender Emmanuel Yakubu deflected a promising cross from Daggers left-back Thulani Mazibuko on to Harding, whose header wound up safely in Allinson's hands. Allinson denied Alun again on 62 minutes, after which we went into a bit of a lull.

 

The lull would last until the 69th minute, when Harding's dribble into the Everton area was stopped by a firm tackle from Yakubu. The Welshman cried for a penalty, to no avail. Our attack continued for a while after that, and Mazibuko's cross found Orlando Salvador in a great position to get us back level. Sadly, Jan Urban was also well-positioned for the Toffees, as the Czech left-back deflected Orlando's strike behind at the expense of a corner.

 

Salvador was thwarted again in the 75th minute, when the playmaker's long-range drive was caught by Allinson. Shortly after that, I brought Shaun Powell on for Washington as a final throw of the dice. Though Powell was a right-winger by nature, I'd also trained him up to play in an attacking midfield role alongside Salvador.

 

Shaun's ability to turn a match around with his dribbling abilities would come to the fore after 84 minutes. He slipped past Urban and had a shot blocked by centre-back Petko Kereziev before volleying a rebound effort, which Allinson somehow clawed wide. Powell tried his luck again four minutes later, when he connected with a Mazibuko cross into the area. Our super sub then stroked in a beautiful finish to clinch a 2-2 draw and take a valuable point from Goodison Park!

 

Everton - 2 (Reid 13, Rudd 42)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Harding 22, Powell 88)

Premier League, Attendance 29,845 - POSITIONS: Everton 13th, Dag & Red 6th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Gumede (Pearson), Gridelli, Darvill, Barber (Pearson), Jorgensen, Pereira, Mazibuko, Salvador, Harding, Washington (Powell).

 

None of our European rivals were in action on Saturday, except Southampton, who defeated Burnley 2-0 at Turf Moor. The Saints remained three points behind us, having taken a draw and a win from their first two fixtures of the run-in.

 

Derby County had an opportunity to knock us back out of the top six on Sunday, when they hosted 4th-placed Liverpool. Nikolaj Gyldenohr gave County a 2-0 half-time lead, but Dave Weaver - the top scorer in the Premier League - bagged two late goals to salvage a draw for Liverpool. That was an excellent result from our perspective, as Derby remained behind us, and the top four wasn't beyond our reach quite yet.

[CFuller]

APRIL 2039 (continued)

Our penultimate home game of the season was against a Burnley side who'd started the campaign very strongly but were now battling just to stay clear of relegation. The Clarets hadn't won away from home since November, while we had triumphed in each of our last six league matches at Rainham Road.

 

16 April 2039: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Burnley

Burnley's first shot was pulled wide by their 35-year-old captain Li Jingdao after just three minutes. We launched our first attack six minutes later, and enjoyed much better luck. Frédéric Pereira lifted a long ball into the Clarets' penalty area, where Orlando Salvador got above Li to flick it further forward. Tristan Egueh then burst through and tucked away his first competitive goal in precisely four months!

 

After that quickfire start, we stunned Burnley again by taking a 2-0 lead in the 15th minute. Right-winger Nolan Barber squared the ball into the area for Salvador, who then drilled it across to Alun Harding. Alun beat visiting right-back Mohamed Danioko to the delivery, which he knocked into the net off Danioko's left-sided colleague Mark Dobson!

 

In the 18th minute, Pereira played a lovely pass to Harding, whose strike from the edge of the area came within inches of getting us another goal! Burnley really were struggling to cope with the pace of our strikers - and Egueh in particular. On 26 minutes, Tristan cut past ageing centre-half Kagiso Ngwenya and crossed to Thulani Mazibuko, who could only head it into the hands of goalie Djoko Gajic.

 

Daggers keeper Ben Perk made his first save in the 28th minute, but Clarets winger Peter Edwards was offside anyway when Ben tipped behind his header from a Danioko cross. Burnley wouldn't threaten us again before half-time, but I was quite concerned that we couldn't add to our lead. Gajic produced a string of determined saves in the Clarets goal late on, preventing Harding, Mazibuko and Vicente Gridelli from making it 3-0.

 

Burnley began to battle back three minutes into the second half, when right-winger Tomislav Gusic quickly drifted a free-kick towards the far post. Our defenders were slow to react, but the woodwork came to their rescue when striker Rodrigo Vázquez fired Gusic's delivery against the upright.

 

Vázquez would be in even more agony after 54 minutes, when he bore the brunt of a three-way collision with Danioko and Egueh. The Uruguayan sustained a rib injury but played on.

 

Dagenham midfielders Pereira and Greg Killick also picked up knocks in the second half. Greg had hurt himself in a 69th-minute tackle on Burnley substitute M'peti Akuku in the Daggers penalty area. The referee blew his whistle... and awarded us a free-kick before booking Akuku for diving.

 

That incident took place just moments after Perk had heroically tipped Vázquez's close-range header against his crossbar. Two minutes later, Gusic's free-kick for the Clarets was flicked just off target by veteran striker Zdravko Toplak. That was the last chance Kenny Robinson's side had of getting back into the match.

 

I then benched Pereira and gave long-serving midfielder Matthew Fraser his first taste of league football since late January. Two more Rainham Road favourites then combined to produce our next great scoring opportunity in the 90th minute. Though substitute Mark Washington's strike from Salvador's square pass was stopped by Gajic, the pair's next link-up - in injury time - would have a more devastating outcome.

 

Li's slide tackle on Fraser diverted the ball back towards the Burnley penalty area... and to Washington. Mark dribbled into the box before selflessly playing the ball to Orlando, who powered in our third and final goal of the afternoon. We would come away from this match with not just three more league points, but also a first clean sheet in nine attempts.

 

A comfortable win saw us rise to 5th place - above Derby County, who were soundly beaten 3-0 at Reading, and West Ham United, who would host Southampton the following afternoon. As far as our top-four ambitions were concerned, Liverpool remained seven points ahead of us by beating West Bromwich Albion, but Manchester United could only muster a home draw against Tottenham Hotspur. The Red Devils were now only leading us by four points, though they still had a couple of games in hand.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (Egueh 9, Dobson og15, Salvador 90)

Burnley - 0

Premier League, Attendance 25,664 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 5th, Burnley 14th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Bailey, Gridelli, Darvill, Barber, Killick, Pereira (Fraser), Mazibuko (Drost), Salvador, Harding (Washington), Egueh.

 

The match between West Ham United and Southampton on Sunday afternoon provided mixed news for us. The Saints won 2-1, leaving the Hammers two points behind us with two points in hand. However, 7th-placed Southampton now had the opportunity to leapfrog us on goal difference if they defeated us at St Mary's the following weekend.

 

Before then, West Ham recovered from their latest setback by recording a midweek away win at Rochdale to wrestle 5th place back from us. Manchester United also dealt our UEFA Champions League hopes a massive blow by winning 1-0 at Chelsea. As far as continental competitions were concerned, it looked like it would be either the UEFA Europa League or nothing for us next season.

 

As things stood, we were just about on course for the Europa League. That would change if Southampton - on a run of five wins in six matches - could continue their excellent form by overturning us on 23 April. This was St George's Day in more than one sense, as Daggers legend George Darvill was celebrating his 300th career league appearance.

 

23 April 2039: Southampton vs Dagenham & Redbridge

When Mark Washington fizzed a free-kick just over Southampton's crossbar in the third minute, it looked like this would have the makings of a feisty, competitive match. It was nothing like that. From the moment Saints captain Jason Pack blasted wide a vicious shot after we struggled to defend against a Peter Beardsley corner in the fifth minute, all the attacking momentum was with the home team.

 

Southampton first got the ball into our next after nine minutes. Another audacious drive from Pack was difficultly parried by Dagenham goalkeeper Ben Perk, square into the path of Fatmir Malaj. The Albanian finished the rebound, only to see his goal chalked off by the linesman's offside flag.

 

The referee's assistant couldn't come to Ben's rescue when our American custodian was beaten again five minutes later. Beardsley drifted in a fantastic free-kick that on-loan Rochdale defender Gílson ruthlessly flicked into our net. Southampton had drawn first blood.

 

The hosts continued to batter us in the 18th minute, when Pack troubled Perk with yet another strike from outside the box. A minute later, Saints right-back Bill Middleton left our defence in total disarray with a sublime cross. Vicente Gridelli and Siphesihle Gumede both failed to intercept the ball before it found Malaj, who dribbled it past Perk and then finished for 2-0.

 

Our 3-4-1-2 was being ripped to pieces, so I immediately switched to a 4-4-2 diamond and subbed Gridelli off to replace him with holding midfielder André Gross. I would have to make my second substitution just nine minutes later. Left-back Thulani Mazibuko suffered a suspected rib injury following a clash with Middleton, and Tom Drost had to come on in his place.

 

We somehow managed lasted the rest of the first half without conceding again, but at the same time, we'd done little to suggest that we could fight back. Would bringing on my final sub Tristan Egueh to replace Washington up front at half-time turn the tide?

 

I might've been better off throwing Kieran Whalley into our attack for all the difference Egueh's introduction made to our performance. Time and time again, Southampton's midfielders constantly snuffed out any service their Dagenham counterparts could give to either Tristan or Alun Harding.

 

Similarly, our defenders were depriving the Saints' lethal frontman Maurice Hockley of scoring chances. Hockley did get through our backline once - in the 59th minute - but his headed goal from Middleton's cross was annulled following a shove on Gumede. That was one of only five fouls the aptly-named Saints would concede in the entire match. The ill-disciplined Daggers conceded over quadruple that amount.

 

Pereira had already been booked in the first half, and when Drost and Kenneth Jorgensen followed suit midway through the second, I could sense that a red card was imminent. Before the red mist descended, though, the defence left me red-faced by conceding again in the 83rd minute.

 

Just after Tristan headed a Pack free-kick out of our penalty area, Zippy inexplicably nodded it back into our box! I could barely look as right-back Nolan Barber tried to knock the ball away, only to find Saints midfielder Antoni Tanev, who powered in the game-clinching third goal.

 

Two minutes after that shambles, we plumbed even greater depths. Drost was dribbling up the flank when he was blocked by Southampton right-back Nicky Till, prompting the Dutchman to mindlessly kick out at his adversary! The referee rushed over to issue Tom with his second yellow card, followed by a red! Drost's dismissal summed up a pitiful mismatch in which ABSOLUTELY NOTHING had gone right for us.

 

Southampton - 3 (Gílson 14, Malaj 19, Tanev 83)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 0

Premier League, Attendance 32,689 - POSITIONS: Southampton 6th, Dag & Red 7th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Gumede, Gridelli (Gross), Darvill, Barber, Jorgensen, Pereira, Mazibuko (Drost), Salvador, Washington (Egueh), Harding. BOOKED: Pereira, Drost, Jorgensen. SENT OFF: Drost.

 

File that under "How to ruin your entire season in 90 minutes".

 

Thulani Mazibuko's season was in ruins, as fractured ribs would rule the South African left-back out of our last three matches. As for our other left-back Tom Drost, well...

 

After directing criticism at virtually all aspects of the team's performance in general, I turned my fire specifically on Tom. "I told you to watch your step after that first booking, but you didn't listen. You need to control your discipline if you want to make it at this club. I'm fining you two weeks' wages."

 

Very rarely did I ever dock a player a fortnight's pay. Drost was shocked and enraged, shouting, "That's not fair! I'm not paying!"

 

I then suggested, "If you won't pay up, then maybe you should train with the Under-18s for the rest of the season!"

 

"F*** YOU!" came the response from Tom, who stormed out of the dressing room while still in full kit. I followed the Dutch defender out and yelled, "If that's your attitude, son, then YOU'LL NEVER PLAY FOR THIS CLUB AGAIN!"

 

That was both of our senior left-backs out of the run-in. To make matters worse, West Ham United had pulled further clear in 5th place by winning 2-0 at Nottingham Forest. That left the standings looking like this with three matches to play:

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
3.          Man Utd                34    19    7     8     66    33    +33   64
4.          Liverpool              35    18    10    7     60    35    +25   64
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.          West Ham               34    17    10    7     48    34    +14   61
6.          Southampton            35    16    9     10    64    39    +25   57
7.          Dag & Red              35    16    9     10    62    52    +10   57
8.          Derby                  35    15    9     11    56    42    +14   54

 

Just to remind you, our final three fixtures are West Ham away, Wolverhampton Wanderers at home, and Manchester United away.

 

I think we've blown it.

[CFuller]

MAY 2039

Before our final three matches of the season, we welcomed back a couple of loanees from League One. Right-back Mathew Davies had helped Oxford United to finish 3rd, though he'd play no part in their play-off campaign. Meanwhile, midfielder Warren Johnston had produced just one goal and one assist for a Dartford side who'd wound up in a more modest 16th position.

 

We then entered the final stretch with a Sunday afternoon derby at the Olympic Stadium against 5th-placed West Ham United - a critical match in our quest for UEFA Europa League qualification.

 

Saturday's results had gone disastrously for us. Comfortable wins for Manchester United and Liverpool snuffed out our fleeting hopes of sneaking into the UEFA Champions League, while Southampton consolidated 6th spot with a 3-1 victory at Wolverhampton Wanderers. Fortunately, 8th-placed Derby County slipped up, only managing a draw at Nottingham Forest.

 

Those results left us needing to beat West Ham on their own patch to keep in touch with both the Hammers and the Saints. The former would officially move out of our reach if they prevailed.

 

West Ham had beaten Napoli 3-0 in the first leg of a UEFA Europa League Semi Final just three days earlier. Did they have the stamina to get through another crunch game after such a short turnaround?

 

1 May 2039: West Ham United vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Earlier in the season, West Ham were a team who neither scored nor conceded goals with great regularity. Sanel Jahic's men had gradually become more entertaining at both ends, but I knew that if they scored first, they would quickly revert to their defensive ways.

 

Alun Harding tried to get us the opener with a long-range drive that flew just over their crossbar in the eighth minute. The Hammers countered a minute later, with Croatian striker Stanko Kovac forcing Daggers captain Ben Perk into his first save. The 12th minute saw our defenders hold firm and block a trio of West Ham shots, but they were rather less resilient in the 26th.

 

After Shaun Powell's free-kick into the West Ham box was headed clear by home skipper Nathan Guppy, we rushed back into our half to try and repel the subsequent counter-attack. Our attempts failed, as German striker Marcus Menke - on loan from Bayern Munich - got away from George Darvill to fire Hammers right-back Nassim Chergui's cross into the net

 

As George rued his poor positioning, we sought to peg West Ham back within five minutes. Left-winger Axel Rubarth drilled an excellent ball across to his right-wing colleague Shaun Powell, whose shot was clawed away by goalkeeper Rei before being hacked into touch by Chergui.

 

We tried again on 37 minutes, giving United a taste of their counter-attacking medicine shortly after Perk had saved another powerful effort from Menke. Orlando Salvador's slide tackle on Hammers midfielder Luke O'Leary diverted the ball to Harding, who dribbled out to the right until he was on the edge of the area. Alun then crossed to Tristan Egueh, who headed his first effort against the bar before nodding in the rebound! The Daggers were back level in arguably the most important east London derby in years!

 

Though Salvador and Harding each missed chances to give us a 2-1 lead early in the second half, we would enjoy more success from our next attack. Powell's 55th-minute corner was intercepted by Guppy, who could only head it as far as Egueh on the edge of the area. Tristan knocked the ball down to Shaun and then received the Welshman's return pass, which he smashed past Rei! Our fans went wild in the away end, but now we had to brace ourselves for the full brunt of West Ham's anger.

 

The Hammers furiously protested for a penalty after Darvill challenged their substitute striker Tim Higginbotham in the air in the 56th minute, but the referee said nothing doing. George was simply defending our goal much more forcefully than in the first half, as indeed were his fellow centre-backs Vicente Gridelli and Siphesihle Gumede. Vicente proved particularly adept at intercepting Martín Salcedo's crosses and corners from the right wing.

 

West Ham's main attacking threat on the left wing was a diminutive Brazilian who went by the nickname of Garrincha (how original). Garrincha almost made a name for himself in the 77th minute. The 19-year-old latched onto an excellent through-ball from veteran midfielder Andrea Broli, and was only kept off the scoreboard by Perk's outstretched fingertips!

 

Ben produced another impressive save in the 88th minute from Shaun Greaves' long-range drive. That would be West Ham's last chance to equalise in a feisty encounter that saw 39 fouls, the worst of which was committed by Menke just moments later.

 

Darvill was looking to play the ball out from the back when Menke charged wildly at him... and hacked him down with an appalling tackle! George was writhing in agony, and though he wasn't injured, his leg could easily have been broken on another day! Madman Menke was instantly sent off, leaving us with an extra player for the few minutes that remained. Unsurprisingly, 10-man West Ham caused us hardly any problems in the closing moments, and we held on for a massive victory!

 

West Ham United - 1 (Menke 26)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Egueh 37,55)

Premier League, Attendance 41,958 - POSITIONS: West Ham 5th, Dag & Red 7th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Gumede, Gridelli, Darvill, Powell, Pereira, Killick, Rubarth (Pratt), Salvador (Genjac), Harding, Egueh (Honeyball).

 

What a result that was! Our European dream was still on!

 

We now needed to build on that win by producing a similar performance in our final home fixture this season. The last visitors to Rainham Road for the time being were a mid-table Wolverhampton Wanderers side who had little left to play for.

 

Former Ipswich Town chief Jamal Byfield was the third different Wolves manager I had pitted my wits against this term. Back in November, we thrashed the Wanderers 5-0 at Molineux - that result was part of a poor run of form which would see Josh Carson sacked by mid-January. Caretaker boss Darren Bent was at the helm when we returned to Molineux later that month, only to lose 1-0 and crash out of the FA Cup.

 

7 May 2039: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Wolverhampton Wanderers

Dagenham defender Siphesihle Gumede came under real pressure in the sixth minute, when he attempted to head a cross from Wolves right-winger Ferreira out of our area. Visiting midfielder Ciprian Chis intercepted the clearance and rolled it out to left-winger Adel Hassan, who skimmed a shot wide.

 

We had our first scoring chance through a corner from Orlando Salvador in the 9th minute. George Darvill got a foot to it, but his shot was blocked by 16-year-old goalkeeper Robbie Bampfield, who was playing between the sticks following injuries to Wolves' senior custodians Barrie Pollitt and Antonio.

 

Bampfield's relief would be short-lived. Four minutes later, Salvador cut the Wanderers defence open with a fantastic pass ahead of Daggers winger Axel Rubarth, who surged past Ferreira and slotted us into the lead with his first goal of the season!

 

We would dominate the first half from that point onwards, but were unfortunate not to add to our advantage. Shaun Powell's 14th-minute header was one of several Daggers shots to be saved by Bampfield, who was really giving a good account for himself. Frontmen Tristan Egueh and Mark Washington were also among those who were somehow kept off the scoreboard.

 

Further back, I was delighted to see Kenneth Jorgensen keep us ticking over with some consistently crisp passing from midfield. Our defence also looked rock-solid, even after we lost Vicente Gridelli to injury on the stroke of half-time. Gridelli twisted his ankle in a tackle from Wolves midfielder Janusz Blaszczyk and had to be replaced in the middle of our backline with Ross Pearson.

 

Wolves boss Jamal Byfield shook things up in the second half, throwing Marcelo Galeano Zarza into his attack and pushing his wingers further forward. His riskier approach almost backfired in the 48th minute, when only another fine save from Bampfield prevented Washington from drilling Egueh's killer ball into the net.

 

Wanderers went close to equalising just moments later through Bruno Vukcevic, whose powerful drive was palmed behind by Perk. Ben's next save in the 56th minute was from a long-distant attempt by Blaszczyk, who was playing through the pain of an elbow injury he had sustained earlier on. Four minutes later, Gumede beat Galeano Zarza to a cross from Wolves defender Abubakari Badu, leading to an unsuccessful penalty claim from the visitors.

 

Though we were still 1-0 up, our opponents were starting to stretch us out, so I looked to turn the tide with some tactical changes in the 64th minute. Wingers Rubarth and Powell were taken off as I switched to the 'Christmas tree', with Pearson and Carl Pratt moving to the full-back positions. I also threw on Dagenham stalwart Matthew Fraser for his 362nd and final league appearance for the club.

 

After 73 minutes, another Dagger was celebrating a milestone of their own. In his 51st league game for us, Pearson finally found the net with his volley from Frédéric Pereira's deflected flick-on! 2-0 to the Daggers!

 

Ross was understandably ecstatic at having broken his duck. Matthew would've been even more delighted had he marked his Rainham Road farewell with a goal seven minutes from full-time. Sadly, the crossbar deflected Fraser's piledriver away from goal and denied him a fitting finale. That said, we'd already done enough to secure a 2-0 win - our eighth successive Premier League victory at home.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Rubarth 13, Pearson 73)

Wolverhampton Wanderers - 0

Premier League, Attendance 26,634 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 5th, Wolves 12th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Gumede, Gridelli (Pearson), Darvill, Powell (Fraser), Pereira, Jorgensen, Rubarth (Pratt), Salvador, Washington, Egueh. BOOKED: Gumede, Pratt, Salvador.

 

You might've noticed that the win over Wolves had lifted us up into 5th. That was because Southampton had lost 3-0 at Manchester United, thus ending their nine-match unbeaten run and leaving them three points behind us going into the final weekend!

 

Because of their UEFA Europa League exploits, West Ham United still had two games to play before the big climax. This was a chance for the Hammers to not only jump back above us, but also secure a top-five finish.

 

Imagine my delight when our London rivals suffered a devastating 5-1 defeat at Derby County on Sunday afternoon, and then lost 1-0 at Manchester United three days later! That made it three reverses in a row for the Hammers, who were still trailing us on the eve of the season finale!

 

Remember when I said after our defeat at St Mary's that I'd feared we'd blown it? Well, West Ham and Southampton had only gone and shot themselves in the foot! All of a sudden, 5th place was now ours to lose!

[CFuller]

MAY 2039 (continued)

Once again, the Premier League season was coming to a thrilling conclusion. Arsenal had already won the league at a canter, and the other UEFA Champions League qualifying places had been nicely sewn up, but there was still plenty at stake on the final day.

 

Ipswich Town and Tottenham Hotspur had been condemned to relegation, and one of Fulham, Rochdale and Nottingham Forest would join them in the 2039/2040 Championship. But who would join League Cup winners West Bromwich Albion in next season's UEFA Europa League?

 

The team finishing 5th would go through to the Group Stage of the Europa League. 6th place would yield a spot in the Playoff round. 7th would give you nothing, at least not where continental football was concerned.

 

Three teams were vying for those last two Europa League spots. This was how they stood before the final day:

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
5.          Dag & Red              37    18    9     10    66    53    +13   63
6.          West Ham               37    17    10    10    50    42    +8    61
7.          Southampton            37    17    9     11    67    43    +24   60

 

• Dagenham & Redbridge were away to Manchester United and effectively needed a draw to guarantee European football next season.
• West Ham United would secure a top-six finish if they could win at Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Hammers would overtake us if they won and we lost to the Red Devils. If we took a draw from Old Trafford, however, West Ham would need to batter Wolves by at least six goals.
• Southampton travelled to Norwich City in the knowledge that they needed to better West Ham's result to overtake them. In terms of leapfrogging the Daggers, they needed to win, while also hoping that we lost.

 

We may have been in the best position to qualify at kick-off, but Old Trafford was not a place where you wanted to try and get a big result on the final day. Just two seasons ago, we arrived at Manchester United's hallowed ground knowing that a draw would take us into the Champions League. We lost 4-2, and Chelsea subsequently overtook us at the finish line.

 

I was hopeful that things would be different this time, and not just because we need two teams to win to deny us our end-of-season prize. While we had a full week to prepare for this final match, Manchester United had needed to play a game in hand in midweek against West Ham, which they narrowly won 1-0. Their legs would be somewhat wearier than ours, much like when we beat them at Rainham Road back in February.

 

If we could battle through these last 90 minutes and retain our top-six spot, the toil and frustration of the previous nine months would have been worth it. Were we to falter and slip out of the European places, we would need to go back to the drawing board.

 

14 May 2039: Manchester United vs Dagenham & Redbridge

With Manchester United already assured of finishing 3rd, manager Alexander Mejía decided to give just a second league appearance to one of his academy's brightest prospects. 15-year-old right-back Kieran Cassidy displayed the composure of a much older man when he laid the ball first-time to right-winger and fellow youth product Nigel Smith. The England Under-21s starlet then swung an excellent cross to Shaun Murray, whose header went just off target.

 

Murray's next attempt, from another Smith cross two minutes later, was saved by Ben Perk, who'd been ever-present in goal for us in the Premier League this season. His hopes of a ninth clean sheet were threatened when Kim Chang-Hoon hit the side netting in the 23rd minute.

 

Then, in the 25th minute, our resistance was broken. George Darvill played a pressurised back-pass to fellow Dagenham centre-half Siphesihle Gumede, who was quickly closed down by Craig Aitken. The young Scot's slide tackle diverted the ball on to his strike partner Murray, who surged clear and blasted in an emphatic finish for the Red Devils.

 

That goal had come just moments after we'd heard that Southampton had taken the lead at Norwich City. Were West Ham United to do likewise at Wolverhampton Wanderers, we would be slipping out of the top six. The deadlock would be broken at Molineux in the 30th minute... and we were very relieved to hear that Roger had broken it for Wolves!

 

Back at Old Trafford, United were threatening to run riot. Perk had to catch a dangerous header from Aitken in the 33rd minute. Four minutes later, the American tipped behind a powerful strike from 34-year-old Canadian midfielder Denis Bosnjak, who was playing in his final league match before retirement.

 

Ben's counterpart Seán Rooney would only be tested once before half-time. That was two minutes from half-time, when the Irishman got his gloves to Mark Washington's vicious shot from an excellent Orlando Salvador through-ball. To be honest, a Daggers comeback wasn't looking highly likely.

 

The scorelines elsewhere remained unchanged heading into the final 45 minutes of the season. Southampton were still leading Norwich and would move above us into 5th, but West Ham continued to trail at Wolves. As things stood, we would finish two points ahead of our east London rivals and claim that final UEFA Europa League berth.

 

We showed a little more attacking intent in the second half, as we knew that an equaliser would get us back above Southampton in the standings. Manchester United's defence was holding as well as could be expected from one of the country's footballing superpowers... but at the other end, our backline was still looking rather suspect.

 

Gumede was again tackled off the ball deep in Daggers territory in the 58th minute. This time, it was Bosnjak's slide tackle that diverted the ball to 18-year-old wonderkid Aitken, who looked set to make it 2-0 until Darvill got back to block his shot at the last second!

 

There would be agony for another United prospect in the 58th minute, when Smith hurt himself in a collision with Daggers midfielder Kenneth Jorgensen. Smith would soon be leaving the field, but not because of his injury. You see, Smith had already been booked in the first half, and a clumsy trip on Dagenham winger Axel Rubarth after 67 minutes saw him receive another yellow card! The Red Devils were down to 10 men!

 

Club-record signing Alun Harding had once again gone missing for the Daggers, so I replaced him with Tristan Egueh after 69 minutes. Just four minutes later, Tristan's timely end-of-season renaissance continued. Captain Washington produced his 13th assist of the season with a sublime cross to Egueh, whose header brought him his fourth goal in five games! That equaliser lifted us into 5th place, and though Southampton would double their lead over Norwich a few minutes later, their win would only be enough for 6th... unless Manchester United scored again.

 

Mejía showed his intent immediately after Tristan's leveller by taking off Aitken and bringing on Old Trafford hero, who'd scored 25 league goals thus far this season. Though there was no chance of Penfold beating Liverpool's Dave Weaver to the Premier League Golden Boot, he still wanted to add to his impressive tally.

 

Five minutes before full-time, Bosnjak found Cassidy in acres of space on the right flank. The homegrown schoolboy's comic-book story then became reality, as he supplied Penfold with the cross that put United 2-1 ahead. We dropped below Southampton once more, and there was potentially worse to come at Molineux, where Luke O'Leary had drawn West Ham level. Were the Hammers to score again, we would be out of Europe altogether!

 

We went for broke in the closing stages, with right-winger Nolan Barber winning a corner off Tarek Taider three minutes from the end. Unfortunately, Washington's corner was headed away by Red Devils skipper José Luis. We then had to defend against a corner of our own before some big news filtered through from the West Midlands.

 

A third goal had been scored at Molineux in the 90th minute... and Brazilian winger Ferreira had restored Wolves' advantage! A collective roar of delight mixed with relief went up amongst our supporters at the away end. We were now bang on course to finish in 6th place and keep our Europa League spot.

 

We could now relax, even after Manchester United finished the game by scoring again in the fourth minute of injury time. Penfold beat a hesitant Gumede to a long clearance from the very impressive Cassidy before drilling in his second goal of the afternoon. That didn't matter a jot to us, as we'd got what we wanted. With a little help from our friends at Wolverhampton Wanderers, Europa League football would be coming to Rainham Road again in 2039/2040!

 

Manchester United - 3 (Murray 25, Penfold 85,90)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Egueh 73)

Premier League, Attendance 93,419 - POSITIONS: Man Utd 3rd, Dag & Red 6th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Perk, Bailey, Gumede, Darvill, Barber, Pereira, Jorgensen (Gross), Rubarth, Salvador (Genjac), Harding (Egueh), Washington. BOOKED: Jorgensen.

 

Fillipe de Deus Ferreira... if I wasn't a heterosexual, I could kiss you!

 

We had finished 6th in the Premier League for the second year in a row, thus guaranteeing us a third successive season in Europe. In fact, we had recorded precisely the same number of points as last season (63), and we'd improved our goal difference by six (+11 this season, compared to +5 last time).

 

As for our shellshocked local rivals, West Ham United actually fell to 8th place, with Derby County moving ahead of them on goal difference! Their astonishing late-season collapse resulted in Sanel Jahic being ordered to pack his things and get the frig out of the Olympic Stadium!

 

However, West Ham would be in next season's Europa League... as the defending champions. With assistant manager Jugurtha Hamroun at the helm, they recorded a famous 4-3 extra-time win over Napoli in Basel to lift their first European title since 1965. Good for them...

 

The end of another season meant that it was time for the Premier League and the PFA to hand out their annual awards. Unfortunately, we would come away empty-handed.

 

We did have a reason to celebrate, though. Our reserve team won the Professional Development League 2 title for the first time, beating Middlesbrough 1-0 thanks to a late extra-time goal from Michael Walters. The 17-year-old Welsh defender has developed nicely this term and can expect more first-team football upon his return in the summer.

 

However, another Daggers prospect's progress suffered a huge setback in that same match. An innocuous challenge from Boro left-back Kieran Megson in extra-time left Danish striker Jonas Kjaerulff with an injury that many footballers fear - a broken leg.

 

20-year-old Kjaerulff had really struggled for both fitness and form this term, and this latest long-term injury could potentially set him back a great deal. He'll be facing an absence of at least six months, after which I fear he may struggle to reach the heights that were expected of him a few years back.

 

Jonas' bad break had come just over a week after he'd signed a new four-year contract at Rainham Road. He was one of several players to pen fresh long-term deals with the Daggers. Vicente Gridelli, Thulani Mazibuko and Orlando Salvador also re-committed their futures to the club.

 

Reserve players Bradley Charles, Warren Johnston, Alex Ketchell and Michael Walters were next to renew their deals. After them came striker Alex Hunter and defender Ian Williams - a couple of Under-18s players who would now be turning professional.

 

Finally, for the time being, I gave fresh contracts to three players who'd spent the majority of this season out on loan. Winger Milen Danchev, goalkeeper Bruno Rommel and attacking midfielder Michal Twardzik were all likely to be loaned out again next term following their respective spells at Blackburn Rovers, Watford and Ceské Budejovice.

 

Those three were among about a dozen loanees who would return to Dagenham for pre-season. Elliot Cook looks the most likely to become a first-team regular at Rainham Road next term, having scored nine goals in his valiant but unsuccessful bid to keep Ipswich Town in the Premier League.

 

Kayo Rowe conceded a mere 13 goals in 12 games during his second spell at Huddersfield Town, who again lost in the Championship play-offs. The young Liverpudlian, who turned 21 at the end of May, will become my second-choice goalkeeper when the new season begins.

 

Yes, that does mean Kieran Whalley will shortly be leaving Dagenham & Redbridge. He and fellow stalwart Matthew Fraser are among several players who'll be moving on to pastures new in the summer. It's high time I cleared out the dead wood and turned this team into a side that's truly capable of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League.

[CFuller]

Premier League Table (End of 2038/2039)

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    C/CL  Arsenal                38    28    7     3     85    33    +52   91
2.    CL    Man City               38    24    7     7     84    33    +51   79
3.    CL    Man Utd                38    23    7     8     78    36    +42   76
4.    CL    Liverpool              38    20    10    8     68    38    +30   70
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.    EL    Southampton            38    18    9     11    69    44    +25   63
6.    EL    Dag & Red              38    18    9     11    67    56    +11   63
7.          Derby                  38    17    10    11    65    44    +21   61
8.    EL    West Ham               38    17    10    11    51    44    +7    61
9.          Chelsea                38    13    10    15    52    54    -2    49
10.         Reading                38    14    7     17    62    66    -4    49
11.   EL    West Brom              38    13    10    15    50    66    -16   49
12.         Wolves                 38    13    8     17    59    75    -16   47
13.         Burnley                38    12    8     18    48    64    -16   44
14.         Everton                38    12    6     20    45    66    -21   42
15.         Norwich                38    10    9     19    45    65    -20   39
16.         Nottm Forest           38    12    3     23    49    77    -28   39
17.         Rochdale               38    7     14    17    40    56    -16   35
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18.   R     Fulham                 38    7     13    18    42    66    -24   34
19.   R     Ipswich                38    8     8     22    42    87    -45   32
20.   R     Tottenham              38    7     9     22    44    75    -31   30

 

[CFuller]

Dagenham & Redbridge Player Statistics (2038/2039)

(Includes stats from all first-team matches & 1 Essex Senior Cup match)

 

GOALKEEPERS               APPS    CON  CLN  MOM  P%   TR   ST%  Y    R    AV RAT
Ben Perk                  40      57   9    0    77%  -    -    0    0    7.05
Kayo Rowe                 4       7    1    0    70%  -    -    0    0    6.85
Kieran Whalley            9       6    5    0    75%  -    -    0    0    7.06
OUTFIELD PLAYERS          APPS    GLS  AST  MOM  P%   TR   ST%  Y    R    AV RAT
Jameel Bailey             13 (3)  1    0    0    74%  2.42 50%  0    0    7.48
Nolan Barber              26 (5)  0    6    2    81%  7.18 0%   3    0    7.16
George Beadle             1       0    0    0    69%  3.00 -    1    0    6.70
Jimmy Cullen              1 (1)   0    0    0    65%  2.65 -    0    0    6.90
George Darvill            39 (1)  3    2    3    75%  3.15 50%  2    0    7.39
Tom Drost                 6 (2)   0    0    0    75%  8.43 -    4    1    6.76
Tristan Egueh             19 (13) 11   4    2    75%  2.38 45%  5    0    7.10
Matthew Fraser            12 (10) 0    2    0    85%  4.92 50%  1    0    6.97
Dzenan Genjac             13 (9)  3    3    0    81%  3.56 31%  0    0    7.21
Vicente Gridelli          33 (3)  2    0    0    80%  3.10 56%  0    0    7.32
André Gross               7 (9)   2    2    1    78%  5.06 33%  0    0    7.02
Siphesihle Gumede         33 (2)  1    2    3    75%  3.64 36%  2    0    7.39
Alun Harding              13      5    1    1    74%  2.27 31%  1    0    7.20
Joel Honeyball            0 (5)   0    0    0    52%  1.98 0%   0    0    6.70
Neal Jacobs               1       0    0    0    77%  8.00 -    1    0    7.00
Warren Johnston           0 (1)   0    0    0    100% 0.00 -    0    0    6.80
Kenneth Jorgensen         37 (1)  0    2    3    85%  7.89 37%  6    0    7.37
Peguy Kasongo             5 (5)   1    2    0    70%  4.65 42%  0    0    6.81
Alex Ketchell             0 (1)   0    0    0    71%  0.00 -    0    0    -   
Greg Killick              32 (4)  2    1    1    84%  7.55 48%  6    0    7.20
Jonas Kjaerulff           4 (4)   0    1    0    76%  3.50 25%  0    0    6.84
Joe Lawlor                13 (7)  3    2    1    83%  8.27 29%  2    0    7.17
Juan Francisco Luperdi    5 (3)   0    1    1    78%  4.49 -    0    0    6.97
Matty Maddison            0 (1)   0    0    0    72%  0.00 -    0    0    6.60
Akin Mapes                0 (1)   0    0    0    59%  0.00 -    0    0    5.70
Thulani Mazibuko          30 (6)  1    7    2    74%  5.36 40%  1    0    7.20
Stevie Merson             0 (4)   0    0    0    86%  2.14 0%   0    0    6.70
Enrico Messina            16 (3)  13   1    3    78%  3.21 64%  4    1    7.27
Neil McCann               12 (6)  0    0    0    86%  7.79 50%  0    0    6.94
Ross Pearson              12 (6)  1    1    0    83%  4.19 50%  2    0    6.96
Frédéric Pereira          11 (1)  0    2    0    83%  8.28 38%  2    0    7.13
Shaun Powell              21 (8)  3    9    0    76%  5.21 44%  2    0    7.04
Carl Pratt                7 (6)   0    0    0    76%  6.94 -    2    0    6.74
Axel Rubarth              18 (4)  1    6    0    75%  3.17 57%  2    0    6.91
Orlando Salvador          31 (7)  9    9    2    82%  4.82 43%  6    0    7.26
Mirko Saric               2       1    0    0    77%  2.21 80%  0    0    7.25
Engilbert Sverrisson      17 (8)  7    1    2    77%  3.95 47%  1    0    7.25
Michael Walters           7       0    0    0    70%  3.42 -    1    0    7.00
Mark Washington           32 (8)  18   13   2    72%  2.25 47%  2    0    7.19
Martin Williams           1       0    0    0    71%  0.00 -    0    0    6.10

APPS - Appearances (Substitute apps), GLS - Goals, AST - Assists,
CON - Goals conceded, CLN - Clean sheets, MOM - Man of the Match awards,
P% - Pass completion %, TR - Tackles per 90 mins, ST - Shots on target %,
Y - Yellow cards, R - Red cards, AV RAT - Average match rating

 

[CFuller]

JUNE 2039

Our supporters' Dagenham & Redbridge Best XI for 2038/2039 was pretty much the exact line-up I would've picked. Ben Perk, George Darvill, Siphesihle Gumede, Vicente Gridelli, Nolan Barber, Kenneth Jorgensen, Greg Killick, Thulani Mazibuko, Orlando Salvador, Mark Washington and Tristan Egueh had all been selected.

 

The voting for the Fans' Player of the Year award was close, but George Darvill (who else?) narrowly came out on top. George has now won that accolade FIVE times, matching Mark West's club record. I'm expecting the 26-year-old defensive rock to set an insurmountable benchmark before he hangs up his boots.

 

Attention now turned to the 2039/2040 season, in which I hoped to take Dagenham & Redbridge to the next level - in other words, qualification for the UEFA Champions League.

 

The board had already given me their backing by offering me a new five-year contract worth a whopping £60,000 per week. This new deal would make me the second-best paid manager in the Premier League, behind only Alexander Mejía of Manchester United. It was a far cry from the days when I was barely making £50,000 per year at Victoria Road in the Conference Premier!

 

Chairman Neil Booth and co had also agreed to my request to upgrade our youth team's training facilities. They would spend £3.8million on the ground improvements, which would take around five months to complete.

 

Despite those extra expenses, the board still saw fit to offer me a transfer war chest of £32.5million, not to mention a weekly wage budget increase to £875,000. Those figures would be swelled further by a number of significant sales.

 

First off, I allowed a couple of youth products to move north of the border. Though right-back Ross Pearson had made 51 league appearances for the Daggers, he was now 23 years old and was never going to become a regular starter. I accepted a £2million from the Scottish Premier League's sleeping giants Celtic for Pearson, whose long-term future now lay on the green side of Glasgow.

 

Striker Toby Faithfull had spent the previous season on loan at Celtic, scoring 14 goals in 36 SPL matches. He would quickly return to Scotland on a permanent basis after joining champions Hibernian for an initial £2.4million. Toby only made six league appearances for us and hadn't developed as well as I'd hoped, so I was happy to let him go.

 

The departure of a third, more successful youth academy graduate from Dagenham & Redbridge was slightly more regrettable. Rochdale had taken quite a few players off our hands in recent years, and I knew that the tycoon-owned Lancastrians would always pay good money for them. When Dale manager Joe Doyle inquired about the availability of Tristan Egueh, I told him, "Put your money where your mouth is. I want £20million - no less."

 

Much to my astonishment, Doyle stumped up the £20million. Tristan was arguably even more shocked when I told him the news, but a four-year contract worth £67,000-per-week convinced him to take the money and move to the Slovalco Arena.

 

I was quite sad to see Tristan go. The 23-year-old Djibouti-born refugee had overcome a tough upbringing to emerge from our academy and score over 50 senior goals for the Daggers, including three at Wembley in the 2038 League Cup Final.

 

Unfortunately, Egueh's form last season was a bit patchy, and £20million was a lot of money for a talented but inconsistent striker. We also had Elliot Cook coming back from loan, ready to establish himself as a first-team regular in Tristan's place. I honestly think we've got a very good deal out of this.

 

We also said goodbye to goalkeeper and former vice-captain Kieran Whalley. After 223 league appearances in a decade with the Daggers, the 28-year-old Salfordian was sold to Southampton for £3.5million. Just like with Tristan, I have a ready-made replacement for Kieran in the fast-improving Kayo Rowe, who will deputise for Ben Perk next season.

 

We then sold off Sweden winger Axel Rubarth, whose two-year stint with the Daggers ended in a £6million transfer to Bundesliga mid-tablers Hamburg. Rubarth had been very hit-and-miss for us, but we still recouped more than double his initial transfer fee.

 

Scottish midfield playmaker Matthew Fraser had epitomised our ascent up the leagues more than any other Dagenham & Redbridge player during his 13 seasons with us. The first of his 362 league appearances with the Daggers had come as a scrawny, naive teenager in League Two. His last had come as a wily 32-year-old who could boast plenty of European and international experience on his CV.

 

All good things must come to an end, though, and Matthew had mutually agreed with me earlier in the year that it was time to part ways. He would seek a fresh challenge upon the expiration of his contract, in the knowledge that he'd be more than welcome to return to Rainham Road as part of the coaching staff when the time's right. Fraser was perhaps not saying "goodbye" to Dagenham, but simply "farewell".

 

I hoped that we hadn't seen the last of Frédéric Pereira at Rainham Road. The France midfielder returned to Marseille following a very productive loan spell with us, though I'd love to bring him back on a permanent basis if we can agree a reasonable price with L'OM.

 

Reserve right-back Mathew Davies had a couple of loan stints at Dartford and Oxford United next season, but his next move from Dagenham would be permanent. Davies agreed to join Linfield - 13-times back-to-back champions of the IFA Premiership - for a Northern Irish-record transfer fee of £750,000.

 

We also received an £8million bid from PSV for our transfer-listed left-back Tom Drost, which was £1.5million more than we'd paid for him in January. I turned it down, though - partly because I wanted to give Tom a second chance next season, and also because I couldn't find a top-quality replacement for him.

 

Three more players who did leave Dagenham during the off-season were Sam Ellensohn, Akin Mapes and Hani Yehia. Neither of them would receive professional contracts after completing their youth scholarships.

 

All those sales increased my transfer budget to over £55million, so it was about time I started to use some of it.

[CFuller]

JUNE 2039 (continued)

My first major signing of the new season saw me smash the club's transfer record... to recruit a right-back. But before you start tweeting me saying that I'm off my rocker (in which case the joke is on you, because I don't have a Twitter account!), let me explain why I splashed the cash in this way.

 

Enrique Álvarez was Spanish football's newest boy wonder. The pacey right-back had only made 10 league appearances for his hometown club Valencia, yet he'd already been fast-tracked to the Spain national team, winning his first senior cap against Ukraine in March. He doesn't celebrate his 20th birthday until August.

 

I'd had Álvarez earmarked as a potential rival for Nolan Barber for several months, and I submitted a £10million bid for him shortly before the La Liga season concluded. Valencia rejected our offer, but Enrique kicked up a fuss and demanded that he at least be given the opportunity to speak to us.

 

Two weeks of tense negotiations with Los Ches followed before we finally agreed to meet their asking price of £19.5million. We then spent another week discussing personal terms with Álvarez and his agent. The player eventually accepted a four-year deal for an initial £45,000 per week.

 

Enrique now had a decision to make. Would he stay at his beloved Valencia, who were in the UEFA Champions League but couldn't yet guarantee him regular first-team football? Or would he come to Dagenham, where he'd be allowed to reach his full potential playing in the Premier League and the UEFA Europa League? He chose the latter.

 

I was ecstatic to welcome Álvarez to the Daggers. For someone who's still in his teenage years, he has a very professional attitude that will help him settle into the first-team quickly. While the huge transfer fee could be a burden to begin with, I have no doubt that he will go on to become one of the leading right-backs in world football over the next decade.

 

I also have high expectations of our next summer signing, though it may take a while for Denmark Under-19s striker Peter Mikkelsen to break into the senior team. The skilful 16-year-old poacher was bought from Lyngby for £675,000 and will play for our Under-18s next term. I'm hoping that Peter will be more successful than compatriot Jonas Kjaerulff, who's had a string of issues with injuries and anxiety during his five years with us so far.

 

Then there's Paolo Zoppe - another overseas recruit for our youth team. The tiny but very talented 16-year-old midfielder, who is adept with either foot, has signed from Serie A mid-tablers Atalanta for £650,000.

 

And let's not forget the 19-year-old centre-back Arnaud Rousseau, who's now completed his free transfer from Auxerre. Since signing a pre-contract agreement with us in January, the covering defender has been capped by France Under-21s and made a few more league appearances for AJA. Arnaud still looks quite raw and is perhaps not ready for regular first-team football with the Daggers, so I could loan him out after pre-season.

 

Before the month was out, I raided north London for a couple of English first-teamers at opposite ends of their career trajectories. We nabbed 21-year-old defensive midfielder Tumelo Mofokeng from relegated Tottenham Hotspur for a cut-price £5.5million. The South African-born England Under-21s international is quick and powerful, though his technical skills perhaps need some honing.

 

Mofokeng would be joined at Rainham Road by a former Spurs icon who'd scored 99 goals in 250 Premier League appearances for Tottenham. Just two years after his controversial and ill-fated £10.75million transfer to Arsenal, ex-England poacher Gerald Parsons was sold on to the Daggers - for just £2.8million.

 

I hadn't planned to sign a new first-team striker in this window, but I just could not turn down this bargain deal. Parsons is a consistently composed finisher who, at 31 years of age, should remain in prime physical condition for at least another couple of seasons. He's contracted to us until 2041, after which our younger strikers - such as Elliot Cook and Stevie Merson - should be ready to step forward and take up the goalscoring mantle.

 

On the staff front, there were a couple of new recruits. Frenchman Kamel Meftah joined our scouting set-up and will mostly be scouring Western Europe. Former Brentford and Gillingham midfielder Ellis Chant was appointed as an Under-18s coach to replace Joseph Yoffe, who left us amicably after 12 years.

 

And that just leaves us with the fixtures for the 2039/2040 Premier League campaign. We'll start off on 13 August at Southampton before hosting top-flight newcomers Crewe Alexandra a week later. Another newly-promoted team await us early on, as we'll face Coventry City at the Ricoh Arena on 27 August.

 

We've got a Boxing Day derby to look forward to when West Ham United visit Rainham Road just after Christmas. We'll return the favour and visit the Olympic Stadium on 5 May before concluding the season at home to sleeping giants Chelsea on 12 May.

 

Looking at our early fixtures and our current squad fills me with hope that we can get off to a strong start. If we can do just that, then we could certainly stake a claim for a top-four finish. That's got to be our next target.

[CFuller]

Dagenham & Redbridge's classes of 2029 and 2034: Where are they now?

It's now been five years since we won promotion to the Premier League, courtesy of Stipo Brkic's dramatic winner against Blackburn Rovers in the Championship Play-Off Final. That got me thinking - what have Stipo and his contemporaries been up to since that momentous match at Wembley on 20 May 2034?

 

2034 Fans' Team of the Year

Kieran Whalley (Goalkeeper, Daggers 2029-2039) - Kieran was our first-choice goalkeeper for much of his decade-long spell at Dagenham, making 223 league appearances. However, I decided to sell him to Southampton for £3.5million to make room for rising star Kayo Rowe.

John Moser (Defender, Daggers 2031-2036) - John had moderate success as a right-back with the Daggers before being sold to ambitious Championship side Coventry City. He's now an established centre-half for the Sky Blues, who finally won promotion to the Premier League in May.

George Darvill (Defender, Daggers 2029-present) - George is 'Mr Dagenham & Redbridge' - a local boy done very good who has played in over 300 league games for the club. He is an outstanding covering defender who really should have been capped for England by now.

Velimir Radosavljevic (Defender, Daggers 2032-2037) - Velimir was a solid defensive stopper for the Daggers, but after a disappointing loan spell at Saint-Étienne, he was sold to Levante two years ago. Since then, the Serbian has become a semi-regular for the Valencia-based La Liga side.

Daniel O'Reilly (Defender, Daggers 2026-2035) - Daniel became our regular left-back in League One and was still around for our first season as a Premier League club. Now in his early 30s, he's spent the last four seasons at Celtic but looks set to leave Glasgow in the not-too-distant future.

Matthew Fraser (Midfielder, Daggers 2026-2039) - Matthew recovered from an injury-hit start to life at Victoria Road and became a Daggers hero across 13 seasons. Though he was an integral part in our rise through the divisions, time has caught up with the 32-year-old Scotsman, who's now been released.

William Barnes (Midfielder, Daggers 2027-2036) - William was a versatile midfielder who served as well as captain until it became apparent that the PL was a step too far for him. He moved on to Corby Town but spent the latter part of last season on loan at Swansea City in League Two.

Dave Hutchinson (Midfielder, Daggers 2031-2038) - Dagenham-born Dave came through our youth set-up and was a decent backup midfielder before I sold him to Reading last summer. He's played in 10 PL games for the Royals thus far, with his only goal ironically coming against us.

Stipo Brkic (Midfielder, Daggers 2033-2036) - Stipo's late winner in the Play-Off Final was the highlight of three wonderful years with the Daggers. The Bosnian-born Danish attacking midfielder ended his career in Sweden with Orebro and is now managing Djurgarden Under-19s.

Jacques Polomat (Forward, Daggers 2030-2035) - Jacques' story post-Dagenham is a real tragedy. He spent one below-average year at Ajaccio and was bought by Nice, where he rotted for four seasons without playing a single Ligue 1 match and was then callously released.

Robbie MacKenzie (Forward, Daggers 2033-2037) - Target man Robbie was a cult hero amongst some Daggers fans, scoring 31 league goals in four seasons. He's thus far failed to replicate that minor success at Blackburn Rovers, for whom he's only found the net eight times in two years.

 

Other notable players

Souleymane Nomaou (Forward, Daggers 2032-2035) - Souleymane left Dagenham after our first top-flight season and spent the final two years of his career at Leighton Town and Cardiff City.

Tom Virgo (Midfielder, Daggers 2028-2036) - Holding midfielder Tom joined York City on a free transfer three years ago but has thus far been unable to hold a regular starting place.

Arran Banton (Defender, Daggers 2029-2035) - Arran has established himself as a solid right-back at Corby Town and was a regular starter in the Championship until recently.

Joel Honeyball (Forward, Daggers 2023-present) - You don't really need me to tell you where Dagenham & Redbridge stalwart Joel is now, do you?

Shaun Powell (Midfielder, Daggers 2031-present) - Shaun's had an up-and-down eight-year career with the Daggers, though his long-term future is far from certain.

Leon Curran (Forward, Daggers 2033-2034) - Leon scored five league goals in his only season with us and then joined Coventry, where he ended his career in 2036 at the age of 34.

Zola Casey (Defender, Daggers 2031-2034) - Zola had brief stints at Derby County and Saint-Étienne and is now a backup option for Belgian champions Sint-Truiden.

 

It has also been 10 years since we went up TO the Championship, as the champions of League One. Most of our key men from that era are long gone from Dagenham and now retired, but how about we catch up with them and see where they are now?

 

2029 Fans' Team of the Year

Daryl Ryan (Goalkeeper, Daggers 2023-2033) - Our regular keeper in the lower leagues, Daryl departed before what would be our final season in the Championship. After three unhappy years at Dundee United, the Irishman hung up his gloves and is now a goalkeeping coach for Hull City's youth team.

Tim Beech (Defender, Daggers 2021-2029) - Loyal right-back Tim was the last survivor from the team that I inherited in 2022. He moved on to St Mirren, Grimsby Town and Cambridge United after our promotion from League One, but he's now back in Essex as manager of Isthmian Premier side Thurrock.

Josh Charles (Defender, Daggers 2026-2032) - Josh served us brilliantly at centre-half for six years, but the next seven years have not been kind. After spells at Mansfield Town and non-league Sheffield, he signed for Bishop's Stortford, where he retired at the end of this season aged 38.

Gavin Dalton (Defender, Daggers 2025-2030) - Gavin's big-money move to Huddersfield Town ended unhappily after only a few appearances in five years. Thankfully, he's since resurrected his career as a Championship regular for Leicester City, Crewe Alexandra and now Notts County.

Matt Warren (Defender, Daggers 2025-2031) - Left-back Matt had a professional personality that made him a joy to manage during his six-season stint at Victoria Road. He retired from playing about a year after leaving the Daggers, but he returned in 2036 as a defensive coach.

Geraint Harding (Midfielder, Daggers 2024-2030) - Unsung midfield hero Geraint played for five more Football League clubs after leaving Victoria Road nine years ago. The Welshman began his management career at non-league Newport County in 2037, but was sacked after two poor seasons.

William Barnes (Midfielder, Daggers 2027-2036) - See above.

Troy Hands (Midfielder, Daggers 2025-2029) - Troy was a forward and occasional midfielder who played on for a few more years following his departure from Dagenham. He started his coaching career in 2036 and has spent the last two years managing Waltham Abbey in the Isthmian North.

Victor Dam (Midfielder, Daggers 2027-2033) - Attacking midfielder Victor is still going strong at the age of 34 in his native Denmark. After briefly returning to the UK with Kidderminster Harriers and Motherwell, he signed for Superliga side Aalborg last summer.

Mark West (Forward, Daggers 2025-2032) - Mark is still our all-time record league goalscorer, with 131 goals in 261 appearances. He has been Peterborough United's Director of Football for the last five years, but don't rule out the prospect of him returning to Dagenham in some capacity one day.

Max Hicks (Forward, Daggers 2028-2030) - Max had two very different seasons with the Daggers, after which he never scored a competitive goal again. He is now a renowned attacking coach who has worked for Newcastle United since joining them from Notts County in 2035.

 

Other notable players

Dean Martin (Midfielder, Daggers 2024-2033) - Dean badly struggled in three-and-a-half years at Heart of Midlothian and more recently suffered relegation to League Two with Northampton.

Benjamin Ashton (Defender, Daggers 2028-2029) - Former loanee Benjamin is now one of the Championship's most solid centre-backs, playing for Sheffield United.

Daniel O'Reilly (Defender, Daggers 2026-2035) - See above.

Ollie Pert (Forward, Daggers 2027-2030) - Ollie failed to live up to expectations at Derby County and was even less successful at Sheffield United before he quit football suddenly aged just 28.

Alex Busetto (Defender, Daggers 2027-2032) - Central defender Alex has spent the last seven seasons yo-yoing between Serie A and Serie B with AlbinoLeffe.

Matthew Fraser (Midfielder, Daggers 2026-2039) - See above.

Marvin Green (Midfielder, Daggers 2028-2032) - Left-winger Marvin is a popular man at Dunfermline Athletic, for whom he's played in close to 200 Scottish Premier League games.

[CFuller]

Romford watch: 2038/2039

Romford finished 12th in the Conference Premier last season but were only a few points off the play-off places. Manager Dominic Shimmin went into this campaign full of hope that the Boro could push on further.

 

Conference Premier: 6th

Despite a narrow opening-day victory over Harrogate Town, Romford made an unconvincing start to the season, losing away to Hitchin Town and then at home to Horsham. The Boro soon found their rhythm again, and three wins from their next five matches shot them up to 7th place. Within a week, however, they had slumped back into the bottom half, courtesy of worrying shut-out defeats to Crawley Town and Matlock Town.

 

Romford's autumn form was very patchy, with four wins, four defeats and three draws leaving them firmly in mid-table. The turning point for them was a 2-0 win on Merseyside against newly-promoted Marine. The Boro racked up three more wins consecutively was followed by three draws in the Christmas period, and a very impressive narrow victory over league leaders Eastleigh. Shimmin's side were now right in the play-off picture.

 

Romford's first match of the New Year wasn't until midway through January, and their rustiness was apparent when they lost 2-0 at home to play-off rivals Darlington. A 4-0 thrashing of Crawley preceded two more defeats, which sent the Boro back down to 13th. A mixed spell then followed before successive 3-0 demolitions of Hartlepool United and Altrincham reinvigorated the Boro's charge towards the top five.

 

Torquay United, St Albans City, Marine and Boston United were all dispatched in the run-in as Romford climbed into the Conference Premier's play-off spots for the first time this season - with just one round to go. The Boro now simply had to beat Barnsley at Oakwell to secure progression to the play-offs. Leading scorer Cunningham got them off to the perfect start after 14 minutes, but Barnsley soon equalised before winning the game 2-1 through a 77th-minute strike from Peter Corbin. The Boro's slip-up meant that Port Vale's 1-1 draw with Darlington allowed the Valiants to pip them to 5th place on goal difference. Romford's season had ended in heartbreak.

 

FA Cup: Qualifying Round 4

Yet another FA Cup campaign ended prematurely for Romford, who were beaten 1-0 at stadium:mk by Conference North side Milton Keynes Dons.

 

FA Trophy: Round 3

Romford's FA Trophy run started with a 2-0 defeat of Bath City in Round 1. They then avenged their FA Cup defeat to MK Dons, beating the Buckinghamshire side by the same scoreline. The Boro now had to get past Queens Park Rangers to reach the Quarter Finals. However, following a 0-0 draw at Ship Lane, it was the ex-Premier League side who won the replay 3-1 at Loftus Road.

 

Essex Senior Cup: Runners-Up

Round 3 of the Essex Senior Cup saw Romford come through a battle against Canvey Island, winning by the odd goal in five. Burnham Ramblers were defeated rather more comfortably in Round 4, as were Chelmsford Town Reserves in the Quarter Finals. The Boro then travelled to Heybridge Swifts for the Semi Finals, only to fall behind after just 14 minutes. Midfielder Billy Traynor got Romford back level in the 33rd minute, and a tense match went to extra-time, where two goals from substitute Phil Holmes fired the Boro into the Final.

 

Awaiting Romford in the 2039 Essex Senior Cup Final were Southend United Reserves, who welcomed them to Roots Hall. Both teams scored in the opening 10 minutes, with Steven Studley cancelling out a 6th-minute opener from Southend teenager Danny Powell. The Boro then sadly lost Holmes to a foot injury early in the second half before they had on-loan Colchester United right-back Aidan Driver sent off for two bookable offences. Despite that, Romford held firm to take the Shrimpers to extra-time, and then to penalties after a 1-1 draw.

 

Southend converted their first four spot-kicks, but Dion Hicks missed Romford's third. The Boro now needed winger Carl Callander to score their fifth penalty to make it 4-4 and keep them in the tie, at least for a bit longer. It wasn't to be, as Callander's effort was saved by Shrimpers goalkeeper Lewis Amery - a first-half replacement for the injured Shaun Brathwaite. The Boro had painfully missed out on what would've been their first Essex Senior Cup since 2031.

 

Best Players

Cunningham led the way on goals again, scoring 27 of them - two more than last season. The 25-year-old was third overall in the Conference Premier, while his regular strike partner Holmes chipped in with a handy 15 goals. Assistant manager Stewart Thomson was the only other player to score at least 10 times for Romford. Three Boro boys reached double figures in terms of assists, though Callander and Traynor were both heavily outdone by Studley, who set up 17 goals from central midfield.

 

In a break from tradition, Romford had one of the meanest defences in the Conference Premier. Loanee left-back Driver was quite impressive, as was centre-half Ross Warren, who was playing in the Championship for Chesterfield just two seasons previously. Evergreen goalkeeper Mickey Latham kept 12 league clean sheets and has now signed a new contract, which will keep him at Ship Lane beyond his 39th birthday next April.

 

The Future

The Football League is probably not just a pipe dream for Romford anymore. Shimmin will have undoubtedly been disappointed at missing out on the play-offs at the death, but there's no reason why his charges can't go one step further next time around. Romford are financially relatively stable, and chairman Quentin Vranken has taken the brave decision to turn the club professional, so expect big things in 2039/2040.

[CFuller]

2038/2039 season round-up: Part 1

Premier League

Arsenal lifted the Premier League title for the first time in 18 years, and in stunning fashion too. Marc Bennett and Shane Hay were both in fine scoring form, while captain Liam Wood ran the midfield superbly. Manager Thomas O'Ware only saw his team lose three league games - all at home - before clinching the FA Cup with an extra-time win over deposed champions Manchester City. A domestic Double provided a fitting end to the Gunners' final season at the Emirates Stadium before they move into the new 80,190-capacity Thierry Henry Arena next term.

 

City finished 12 points behind Arsenal in their first season since Nemanja Covic returned to the club to replace new England boss Rogier Molhoek, but they did pip fierce rivals Manchester United to 2nd place. The Red Devils had the last laugh, though, regaining the UEFA Champions League with a fantastic 4-1 triumph over Benfica at Old Trafford. Meanwhile, a rejuvenated Liverpool team completed the top four as 34-year-old captain Dave Weaver enjoyed his most prolific campaign yet, winning the Golden Boot award with 30 goals.

 

Southampton and Dagenham & Redbridge narrowly pipped Derby County and West Ham United to the top six, and qualification for the UEFA Europa League. The Hammers will join them in that competition as holders, having beaten Napoli 4-3 in the Final in Basel. Chelsea finished in a dismal 9th position for the second time in four seasons, while Rochdale had a dreadful first campaign at the Slovalco Arena and were lucky not to be relegated.

 

Tottenham Hotspur and Ipswich Town were both ripped to shreds upon their return to the Premier League and were subsequently sent packing. The final relegation place was decided on the final day, which ended in tears for Fulham fans after the Cottagers lost 3-1 at home to Burnley. The Cottagers' 38-year spell in the top flight was over, while Rochdale and Nottingham Forest both lived to fight another day.

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    C/CL  Arsenal                38    28    7     3     85    33    +52   91
2.    CL    Man City               38    24    7     7     84    33    +51   79
3.    CL    Man Utd                38    23    7     8     78    36    +42   76
4.    CL    Liverpool              38    20    10    8     68    38    +30   70
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.    EL    Southampton            38    18    9     11    69    44    +25   63
6.    EL    Dag & Red              38    18    9     11    67    56    +11   63
7.          Derby                  38    17    10    11    65    44    +21   61
8.    EL    West Ham               38    17    10    11    51    44    +7    61
9.          Chelsea                38    13    10    15    52    54    -2    49
10.         Reading                38    14    7     17    62    66    -4    49
11.   EL    West Brom              38    13    10    15    50    66    -16   49
12.         Wolves                 38    13    8     17    59    75    -16   47
13.         Burnley                38    12    8     18    48    64    -16   44
14.         Everton                38    12    6     20    45    66    -21   42
15.         Norwich                38    10    9     19    45    65    -20   39
16.         Nottm Forest           38    12    3     23    49    77    -28   39
17.         Rochdale               38    7     14    17    40    56    -16   35
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18.   R     Fulham                 38    7     13    18    42    66    -24   34
19.   R     Ipswich                38    8     8     22    42    87    -45   32
20.   R     Tottenham              38    7     9     22    44    75    -31   30

 

Championship

Brighton & Hove Albion soared back into the Premier League by comfortably winning the Championship. After a tense three-way battle between Crewe Alexandra, Blackburn Rovers and Coventry City, it was Crewe who wrapped up 2nd place to finally break into the top flight.

 

Though Thierry Laurent had scored 31 goals for them this term, Blackburn crumbled in the Play-Off Semi Final against Plymouth Argyle. The Pilgrims sailed on to Wembley to face Coventry City, who'd seen off Huddersfield Town. The Final finished 1-1 after extra-time before Plymouth - whose midfielder Jon Pryce was sent off in the first half - lost the penalty shoot-out 5-4. Nicky Smith's spot-kick sent Coventry into the PL for the first time since 2001!

 

In their first ever Championship season, AFC Telford United missed the play-offs by a mere two points. Aston Villa would've been in the top six had they not gone into administration in January, thus incurring a 10-point deduction. Sunderland started the season under control of administrators, and though they survived comfortably, the Black Cats' 10-point penalty - and a bevy of draws - meant they only finished 17th.

 

Notts County had the league's worst attack and most vulnerable defence, so it was no surprise to see them finish rock-bottom. It was also a bad season for Yorkshire clubs Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United, who joined County in dropping into League One. Relegation spelled the end for Leeds boss Gary Rowett's 30-year coaching career.

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    C     Brighton               46    28    10    8     88    44    +44   94
2.    P     Crewe                  46    25    7     14    68    53    +15   82
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          Blackburn              46    23    11    12    91    59    +32   80
4.    P     Coventry               46    22    12    12    86    63    +23   78
5.          Huddersfield           46    21    12    13    78    63    +15   75
6.          Plymouth               46    20    11    15    61    62    -1    71
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.          AFC Telford            46    20    9     17    71    64    +7    69
8.          Aston Villa            46    22    12    12    83    57    +26   68 *
9.          Wycombe                46    19    11    16    67    65    +2    68
10.         Bradford               46    19    10    17    68    64    +4    67
11.         Stoke                  46    16    18    12    69    69    0     66
12.         Hull                   46    18    7     21    60    68    -8    61
13.         Sheff Utd              46    15    15    16    69    69    0     60
14.         York                   46    16    12    18    68    74    -6    60
15.         Newcastle              46    15    14    17    72    64    +8    59
16.         Watford                46    17    7     22    65    75    -10   58
17.         Sunderland             46    15    20    11    75    69    +6    55 *
18.         Charlton               46    13    15    18    71    81    -10   54
19.         Corby                  46    13    12    21    51    68    -17   51
20.         Chesterfield           46    13    10    23    62    74    -12   49
21.         Stockport              46    11    15    20    50    73    -23   48
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22.   R     Sheff Wed              46    12    10    24    52    75    -23   46
23.   R     Leeds                  46    10    11    25    53    78    -25   41
24.   R     Notts County           46    10    7     29    36    83    -47   37

* Aston Villa and Sunderland deducted 10 points for entering administration

 

League One

Cardiff City and Crystal Palace swiftly hit the front in League One and comfortably secured automatic promotion back to the Championship. The Eagles couldn't quite catch the free-scoring Bluebirds, though, and it was Cardiff who clinched the divisional title by a mere two points.

 

Penalty prowess proved significant for Kidderminster Harriers, who beat Leicester City on spot-kicks in the Play-Off Semi Final and then emulated that success in the Final. Gillingham might have accounted for 3rd-placed Oxford United in the Semis, but they couldn't hang onto a 1-0 half-time lead at Wembley. Kidderminster equalised early in the second half and then prevailed 3-0 in the penalty shoot-out to reach the Championship for the first time.

 

Millwall, Aldershot Town and Ashford Town all endured relegation just 12 months after celebrating getting out of League Two. Northampton Town also plummeted into the Football League's bottom tier, having been overtaken by Luton Town on the final day of the season.

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    C     Cardiff                46    29    11    6     97    48    +49   98
2.    P     Crystal Palace         46    30    6     10    79    39    +40   96
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          Oxford                 46    25    5     16    74    58    +16   80
4.          Leicester              46    24    8     14    65    54    +11   80
5.    P     Kidderminster          46    21    9     16    59    49    +10   72
6.          Gillingham             46    21    7     18    59    58    +1    70
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.          Middlesbrough          46    19    12    15    71    50    +21   69
8.          Bournemouth            46    20    9     17    71    68    +3    69
9.          Exeter                 46    18    14    14    55    53    +2    68
10.         Peterborough           46    20    6     20    51    54    -3    66
11.         Bolton                 46    19    7     20    60    53    +7    64
12.         Scunthorpe             46    17    13    16    62    59    +3    64
13.         Oldham                 46    17    13    16    63    65    -2    64
14.         Leighton               46    18    9     19    73    67    +6    63
15.         Hereford               46    17    11    18    53    59    -6    62
16.         Dartford               46    17    10    19    51    59    -8    61
17.         Southend               46    16    7     23    54    70    -16   55
18.         Wrexham                46    14    12    20    47    65    -18   54
19.         Doncaster              46    14    11    21    55    68    -13   53
20.         Luton                  46    14    10    22    50    68    -18   52
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21.   R     Northampton            46    13    11    22    53    65    -12   50
22.   R     Ashford Town           46    12    9     25    43    65    -22   45
23.   R     Aldershot              46    11    11    24    40    59    -19   44
24.   R     Millwall               46    8     15    23    37    69    -32   39

 

League Two

Things were quite tight at the top of League Two, but it was Wigan Athletic who prevailed in the race for the title. They will be accompanied in League One next term by Cambridge United and Rotherham United, who edged out Shrewsbury Town for the other automatic promotion spots.

 

Shrewsbury defeated Birmingham City to progress into a Play-Off Final against Swansea City, who'd put six goals past Fleetwood Town without reply. It was the Shrews who started quickest at Wembley, taking a 2-0 lead within 24 minutes. Though Swansea did pull one goal back, a rare goal from left-back Neil King restored Shrewsbury's two-goal cushion and put the Shropshire side on track for promotion.

 

Bristol City, Kingstonian and Lincoln City were all at risk of relegation from League Two heading into the final round of fixtures. However, it was Grimsby Town and Colchester United who were left in the bottom two when the music stopped, thus condemning them to the Conference Premier.

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    C     Wigan                  46    25    8     13    72    45    +27   83
2.    P     Cambridge              46    23    9     14    58    48    +10   78
3.    P     Rotherham              46    23    8     15    66    50    +16   77
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.    P     Shrewsbury             46    21    12    13    59    45    +14   75
5.          Swansea                46    19    16    11    64    49    +15   73
6.          Fleetwood              46    19    16    11    63    53    +10   73
7.          Birmingham             46    21    10    15    54    49    +5    73
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8.          Cheltenham             46    19    14    13    70    54    +16   71
9.          Chester                46    18    14    14    55    47    +8    68
10.         Gateshead              46    17    13    16    48    49    -1    64
11.         Southport              46    17    12    17    58    60    -2    63
12.         Walsall                46    17    11    18    51    50    +1    62
13.         Morecambe              46    15    15    16    53    57    -4    60
14.         Bristol Rovers         46    16    10    20    53    50    +3    58
15.         FC Halifax             46    15    13    18    51    65    -14   58
16.         Yeovil                 46    14    14    18    47    51    -4    56
17.         Portsmouth             46    13    17    16    41    49    -8    56
18.         Preston                46    15    11    20    44    55    -11   56
19.         AFC Wimbledon          46    14    13    19    55    62    -7    55
20.         Kingstonian            46    13    11    22    50    58    -8    50
21.         Bristol City           46    12    14    20    45    53    -8    50
22.         Lincoln                46    13    11    22    35    59    -24   50
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23.   R     Colchester             46    11    15    20    40    55    -15   48
24.   R     Grimsby                46    11    15    20    42    61    -19   48

 

Conference Premier

Eastleigh may have lost last season's Play-Off Final, but they bounced back in the best possible fashion. The Spitfires flew into League Two after pipping Mansfield Town to the Conference Premier title on goal difference.

 

Mansfield's promotion hopes ended with an extra-time Play-Off Semi Final defeat to Port Vale, who faced unfancied Matlock Town at Wembley. Against all odds, Matlock followed up their Semi victory over Darlington by vanquishing the Valiants 3-1 and earning a dream ticket into the Football League!

 

An impotent Macclesfield Town team was quickly cut adrift at the bottom of the Conference Premier. Hitchin Town, St Albans City and - most surprisingly - Swindon Town were also relegated into the regional Conferences.

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    C     Eastleigh              46    23    13    10    70    47    +23   82
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2.          Mansfield              46    24    10    12    61    45    +16   82
3.          Darlington             46    21    14    11    75    55    +20   77
4.    P     Matlock                46    21    13    12    68    53    +15   76
5.          Port Vale              46    21    12    13    66    53    +13   75
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.          Romford                46    22    9     15    60    49    +11   75
7.          Boston Utd             46    21    11    14    58    47    +11   74
8.          Barnsley               46    20    12    14    66    57    +9    72
9.          Tranmere               46    19    13    14    53    44    +9    70
10.         Harrogate              46    19    11    16    62    54    +8    68
11.         QPR                    46    19    10    17    68    59    +9    67
12.         Horsham                46    16    15    15    61    64    -3    63
13.         Barrow                 46    15    16    15    49    52    -3    61
14.         Crawley                46    15    15    16    51    58    -7    60
15.         Torquay                46    15    14    17    64    61    +3    59
16.         Altrincham             46    15    14    17    61    58    +3    59
17.         Marine                 46    14    12    20    46    70    -24   54
18.         Hartlepool             46    12    16    18    37    52    -15   52
19.         Boreham Wood           46    11    18    17    41    51    -10   51
20.         Brentford              46    13    10    23    45    53    -8    49
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21.   R     Swindon                46    14    7     25    47    62    -15   49
22.   R     St Albans              46    13    10    23    41    63    -22   49
23.   R     Hitchin                46    11    15    20    48    61    -13   48
24.   R     Macclesfield           46    7     12    27    33    63    -30   33

 

Conference North

Promoted: Stalybridge Celtic (1st, 92 pts), Mossley (2nd, 74 pts).

Also in Play-Offs: Sheffield (3rd, 73 pts), Blackpool (4th, 68 pts), Alfreton Town (5th, 67 pts).

Relegated: Stevenage (20th, 46 pts), Market Drayton Town (21st, 43 pts), Hednesford Town (22nd, 41 pts).

 

Conference South

Promoted: Chelmsford City (1st, 74 pts), Potters Bar Town (3rd, 66 pts).

Also in Play-Offs: Maidstone United (2nd, 69 pts), Bromley (4th, 65 pts), Dorchester Town (5th, 65 pts).

Relegated: Woking (20th, 46 pts), Tiverton Town (21st, 40 pts), Farnborough (22nd, 28 pts*).

* 10 points deducted

 

Regional Premier Divisions

Promoted from Northern Premier League Premier: Ossett Town (1st), Radcliffe Borough (4th).

Promoted from Isthmian League Premier: Cambridge Regional College (1st), AFC Hornchurch (2nd).

Promoted from Southern League Premier: Solihull Moors (1st), Tamworth (2nd).

[CFuller]

2038/2039 season round-up: Part 2

Major Transfers

• Arsenal raided Liverpool for a couple of players early in July, signing striker Javier Montenegro and centre-back Christian Keller for a combined £31.25million. Though Keller struggled to hold down a starting place at the Emirates Stadium, Montenegro became an immediate hit, scoring 27 goals in all competitions this term. That was the same number as Marc Bennett, and only one fewer than Shane Hay.
• Liverpool invested over £90million in new players after narrowly avoiding the drop last season. The likes of Ajax right-back Christoph Kerstiens and Ajax playmaker Dave Jansen made the desired impact, as Igor Plastun's side shot back into the top four. The Reds' resurgence was even more impressive when one considered that star midfielder René Wijmer had moved to Manchester City for £16.75million.
• Nemanja Covic's shock return to City, and his adoption of a narrow 4-3-2-1, meant that there was no longer any room at the Yaya Touré Arena for two superstar wingers. Right-sided Diogo Dias was sold to Liverpool for £16million, while left-wing wizard Domenico Papa took his magic wand to Real Madrid on a free transfer. Besides Wijmer, the Citizens' only other major summer signing was that of Portugal striker George Mkhwanazi, who scored 17 Premier League goals after his £23million purchase from West Ham United.
• Manchester United replaced retired goalkeeper Carl Baker with Irish gloveman Seán Rooney, who joined them in a £6million part-exchange deal with Rochdale that saw right-back Dewi Gray go the other way. Chelsea beefed up their defence by signing a couple of centre-backs - Rong Chuangyi from Brighton & Hove Albion for £14.5million, and Karl Marsh from Burnley on a free. Neither man was particularly impressive.
• Real Madrid paid in excess of £15million each for three PL players in the summer. Strikers Ewerton and Massimo Bruscaglia were both snapped up from Manchester United, while goalkeeper Djibril Abdoulaye deserted the sinking ship that was Fulham. Meanwhile, Dirk Orlishausen continued the Germanisation of Real Betis by forking out £20.5million for Valencia left-winger Kosi Mbele.
• Paris Saint-Germain acquired a new left-back in the summer, acquiring 23-year-old Argentina star Carlos Alí from Boca Juniors for £29million. However, Juventus waited until January to make their biggest signings. Montenegrin centre-half Damir Avdic cost the Old Lady £29.5million from Real Betis, while Enrico Messina scored 12 goals in his first 20 games for Juve after his £25million move from Dagenham & Redbridge.

 

Managerial Movements

• England's dismal FIFA World Cup campaign resulted in the dismissal of Sylvain Marveaux as national team manager. He was succeeded by Dutchman Rogier Molhoek, whose old job at Manchester City went to Covic - a very familiar face to fans of the Three Lions and/or the Citizens. Marveaux quickly got back on his feet and took over at Real Madrid, following Gianni Bruno's decision to leave the Santiago Bernabeu and replace Javi Castellano as Spain's head coach.
• Chelsea had shown plenty of faith in Lee Nicholls since winning the Premier League in 2033/2034, despite failing to follow up that success. However, the 46-year-old Liverpudlian was finally dismissed in November, with the Blues mired in mid-table. Former AC Milan manager Musa Nizam took over at Stamford Bridge but couldn't guide them back into Europe at the first attempt.
• Ange Diallo regretted going back to Norwich City last summer, lasting barely five months before being dismissed in November. Russell Hendry was the surprise choice to succeed Diallo, but the 35-year-old Scotsman managed to keep City up. Ross Barkley was another manager who returned to familiar ground, succeeding Tom Schaap at former club West Bromwich Albion. Barkley was subsequently replaced at Everton with former Rangers boss Ryan Fulton.
• There was a pre-Christmas exchange of managers between Fulham and Nottingham Forest. Fulham sacked Kenneth Vermeer late in November and hired Will Grigg, whose direct predecessor succeeded him at Forest a few days later! Early in the New Year, Wolverhampton Wanderers dispensed with Josh Carson and hired Jamal Byfield, who was replaced at Ipswich Town with Sergey Mustafin - a former Wolves manager, no less!
• Another poor season for Barcelona meant another change of manager at the Nou Camp. José Angel was in the role for just nine months before being axed in favour of Luca Maniero, who'd been raided from Ligue 1's surprise packages Laval. Meanwhile, in his first season since replacing José Angel at Real Sociedad, former Real Zaragoza coach Adria Carmona ensured that the La Liga title would stay with 'Los Txuriurdin'.
• Incredibly, Ajax secured a third successive Eredivisie title after changing manager mid-season for the third campaign in a row! Rachid Bouaouzan's move to AC Milan in November prompted 'De Godenzonen' to bring in the much-travelled Abdoulaye Soumaré from Saint-Étienne. Oh, and do you remember the former Ajax, Chelsea and Real Madrid manager Ard van Peppen? He ended a two-and-a-half-year sabbatical in March to replace Luca Lezzerini at Serie A giants Napoli.

 

Other Major Stories

• Manchester United matched Manchester City's English record of six European Cups by winning the UEFA Champions League Final... and on home soil, to boot. Shaun Murray's early double and another goal from Moses Penfold put United 3-0 up over Benfica after just 21 minutes at Old Trafford. Pavel Kolesnikov then claimed one goal back for the Portuguese champions, who'd halted Arsenal's defence in the Round of 16. However, midfielder Pablo López secured a 4-1 win for the Red Devils midway through the second half.
• Benfica beat Porto to the Primeira Liga by three points, thus ending the eight-year dominance of the Dragoes. That wasn't the only lengthy European title streak to end this season. Dinamo Zagreb had ruled the roost in Croatia for a decade before Hajduk Split finally overtook them. Even more incredibly, The New Saints missed out on the Welsh Premier League title for the first time since 2015, with Bangor City smashing the 23-year monopoly in the principality!
• Paris Saint-Germain scored a whopping 108 goals en route to retaining the Ligue 1 title, though Monaco pushed them all the way and only missed out on goal difference. Unsurprisingly, Spanish megastar - and 2038 FIFA Ballon d'Or winner - Mario was once again in imperious form for PSG. Mario bagged 48 goals in the French championship this term, narrowly bettering his record tally from last season, though his 55-goal haul in all competitions wasn't quite as impressive as in the previous campaign.
• Borussia Dortmund won back-to-back Bundesliga championships for the first time in 15 years, though only just. Borussia Moenchengladbach - who'd missed out on the title by two points last season - were just a single point adrift this time. Hansa Rostock very impressively finished in 6th place after winning promotion, but Bayer Leverkusen had a dreadful season and just about avoided relegation.
• The La Liga season was a Real two-horse race, with Sociedad pipping Madrid on head-to-head. The Spanish top flight was also dominated by German strikers, three of whom got 101 goals between them! Sociedad's Rolf Schmadtke led the way with 35 to clinch the Pichichi, while Madrid's William Schmidt and Real Betis' Erdinc Gundogdu 'only' found the net on 33 occasions apiece!
• 'Der Rottweiler' was put to sleep, as Betis' iconic playmaker Andrzej Wolanski retired at the age of 35. Chilean midfielder Danilo Labbé ended his long Real Sociedad career on a high, while 33-year-old Bayern Munich striker Sancak Turhan finished as the Bundesliga's Top Goalscorer in his final season.

 

Cup Winners

FA Cup: Arsenal 2-1 Manchester City (aet).

League Cup: West Bromwich Albion 3-2 Manchester United.

Community Shield: Manchester City 3-0 West Ham United.

Football League Trophy: Oldham Athletic 1-1 Hereford United (4-3 aet).

 

UEFA Champions League: Manchester United 4-1 Benfica - at Old Trafford, Manchester.

UEFA Europa League: West Ham United 4-3 Napoli (aet) - at St Jakobspark, Basel.

UEFA Super Cup: Austria Wien 2-2 Arsenal (4-2 penalties) - at La Rosaleda, Málaga.

FIFA Club World Championship: Arsenal 3-0 San Lorenzo - at Cairo International Stadium, Cairo.

 

Major European Leagues

Dutch Eredivisie: Ajax (1st), Feyenoord (2nd), Vitesse (3rd).

French Ligue 1: Paris Saint-Germain (1st), Monaco (2nd), Marseille (3rd).

German Bundesliga: Borussia Dortmund (1st), Borussia Moenchengladbach (2nd), Bayern Munich (3rd).

Italian Serie A: Juventus (1st), Empoli (2nd), AC Milan (3rd).

Portuguese Primeira Liga: Benfica (1st), Porto (2nd), Sporting CP (3rd).

Russian Premier League: Alania Vladikavkaz (1st), Anji Ramenskoye (2nd), Lokomotiv Moscow (3rd).

Scottish Premier League: Hibernian (1st), Rangers (2nd), Celtic (3rd).

Spanish La Liga: Real Sociedad (1st), Real Madrid (2nd), Real Betis (3rd).

 

Award Winners

PFA Player of the Year: Kike Martínez (Manchester City).

PFA Young Player of the Year: Yassine Allali (Derby County).

FWA Footballer of the Year: Shane Hay (Arsenal).

Premier League Manager of the Season: Thomas O'Ware (Arsenal).

PFA Premier League Team of the Year:

• Seán Rooney (Manchester United and Republic of Ireland)
• Lloyd Mulvaney (Manchester City and England)
• Nathan Guppy (West Ham United and England)
• Ciro Lattarulo (Manchester City and France)
• Willy Danza (Manchester City and Italy)
• Shane Hay (Arsenal and England)
• Kike Martínez (Manchester City and Spain)
• Jozef Kral (Manchester City and Slovakia)
• Maurice Hockley (Southampton and England)
• Javier Montenegro (Arsenal and Argentina)
• Dave Weaver (Liverpool and England)

 

FIFA Ballon d'Or: Mario (Paris Saint-Germain).

World Soccer World Player of the Year: Joachim Schwarz (Juventus).

European Golden Shoe: Mario (Paris Saint-Germain).

UEFA Best Player in Europe: Mario (Paris Saint-Germain).

FIFA/FIFPro World XI:

• Dawid Wisniewski (Barcelona and Germany)
• Matheo Honoré (Manchester United and France)
• José Luis (Manchester United and Spain)
• Bernardo Sierra (Real Madrid and Argentina)
• Damian Escudero (Juventus and Argentina)
• Joachim Schwarz (Juventus and Germany)
• Leszek Michniewicz (Manchester United and Germany)
• Nico Albert (Barcelona and Germany)
• Rafael Pinau (Lyon and France)
• Adrián Gil (Bayern Munich and Argentina)
• William Schmidt (Real Madrid and Germany)