House of Flying Daggers

[CFuller]

1 minute ago, mark wilson27 said:

Again well done sir, another great trophy to win.

By my counting if I am wrong you only have the one trophy to get

Yes - only the Premier League eludes us now.

Well, technically, we haven't won the Community Shield, but I'm not too bothered about that. Just to reiterate, once Dagenham & Redbridge have won the league, that'll be the end of the story. That could happen this season, maybe next, or it may even take a bit longer, but I can sense that the finishing line is close.

[CFuller]

DECEMBER 2041 (continued)

Three days after our FIFA Club World Championship triumph, we enjoyed a somewhat low-key homecoming at Rainham Road. We were about to play Burnley for a place in the League Cup Semi Finals.

 

This was the last remaining Quarter Final, having been postponed by a fortnight because of our escapades in Europe and beyond. The victors could look forward to a two-legged Semi against Southampton. Incidentally, the other teams who had made it through to the last four were Manchester City and Liverpool, who would also provide the opposition in our next two home league games.

 

Burnley were second-from-bottom of the Premier League, yet the League Cup had offered them hope of some silverware. As far as former Daggers coach Nathan Howe was concerned, though, he was simply looking to register his first victory since succeeding Vladimir Weiss as Clarets manager.

 

With those aforementioned league matches against City and Liverpool on the horizon, I gave most of my key men some much-needed rest. Could our second-string get us through another round?

 

18 December 2041: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Burnley

It didn't take Burnley long to rip up the form book. After just five minutes, right-winger Aaran Chadwick sent a deep delivery into our six-yard box. Clarets stalwart Peter Edwards then outjumped Daggers centre-half Bradley Charles to head in a very early opening goal.

 

We were jolted into life by that early setback. Hicham Martin - playing in central midfield - set up an equalising chance for Milen Danchev just two minutes later. Danchev took too long to weigh up his options, allowing Burnley goalkeeper Djoko Gajic to parry the Bulgarian's shot wide. A frustrated Martin went for goal himself in the 13th minute, hitting the bar from out wide.

 

In the 18th minute, Dagenham captain Mark Washington miscued a shot from Gianfranco Torre's left-wing cross. Burnley could've boosted their lead three minutes later, but Edwards' free-kick was caught by our teenage goalie António. Gajic then saved shots from two other Dagenham youngsters in midfielders Warren Johnston and Michal Twardzik. However, our most experienced player Washington continued to miss chances, leaving me questioning my decision to have him lead the attack on his own.

 

Attacking midfielder Twardzik looked more of a threat, as his 44th-minute drive was tipped over by Gajic. Clarets midfielders Takis Kalykas and Barry Gray had earlier come close to sending us 2-0 behind. As things stood, though, we were still heading for a first home defeat this season, and a Quarter Final exit from the League Cup.

 

Six minutes into the second half, our widemen produced a much-needed breakthrough. Left-back Juan Esteban Olvera's throw-in deep in the Burnley half found Torre, who swung it across the penalty area. That was when right-back Enrique Álvarez popped up to head in just his second competitive goal for Dagenham!

 

One man who was an even less prolific scorer than Álvarez was Martin, who messed up another attempt to pop his Daggers cherry in the 53rd minute. Washington did muster a shot on target in the 61st minute, but his free-kick was the only one of his seven minutes to remotely trouble Gajic. The Montenegrin then got his fingers to a promising low drive from Twardzik two minutes later.

 

Burnley briefly threatened us for a while afterwards, but several great interceptions from Daggers defender Michael Walters kept them at bay. Charles too had settled down after his early lapse, though he was booked in the 73rd minute for tripping Kalykas.

 

Then, after just over 75 minutes, a fantastic exchange of passes between Martin and Torre saw us turn the match around. Franco broke clear of Burnley skipper Kyle Richards to collect Hicham's weighted ball into the box, where the Italian smashed home his first goal in two-and-a-half months!

 

After we took a 2-1 lead, I took Twardzik and Washington off to give some gametime to Eric Knox and Peter Mikkelsen. The latter had a shot parried by Gajic in the 85th minute, but it was Knox who would help to clinch the win four minutes later. The Canadian's through-ball found Danchev, who had his initial shot parried back to him by Gajic before the follow-up was dispatched. 3-1 to the Daggers, and no way back for Burnley.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (Álvarez 51, Torre 76, Danchev 89)

Burnley - 1 (Edwards 5)

League Cup Quarter Final, Attendance 24,825

DAG & RED LINE-UP: António, Álvarez, Charles (Cullen), Walters, Olvera, Martin, Johnston, Danchev, Twardzik (Knox), Torre, Washington (Mikkelsen). BOOKED: Charles, Olvera.

 

We could now look forward to yet another League Cup Semi Final - our third on the trot. We would stage the first leg against Southampton at Rainham Road on 7 January, before travelling to St Mary's for the rematch a fortnight later.

 

Speaking of two-legged cup ties, that brings us onto the draw for the UEFA Champions League Round of 16. As winners of Group F, we would take on a group runner-up in the first knockout phase. That didn't necessarily mean we would face an easy ride, mind.

 

Paris Saint-Germain had finished 2nd to Borussia Dortmund in Group B, and as luck would have it, we would be facing the Ligue 1 champions yet again. PSG took four points off us in the group phase last term, but we then schooled them in the Quarter Finals on our way to an unlikely triumph.

 

The first leg of this latest Anglo-French battle would take place at the Grand Stade Paris on 25 February. Three weeks later, on 19 March, we would welcome the likes of Mario and Matteo Caurla back to Rainham Road for the second leg.

 

We finally resumed our Premier League four days before Christmas - a little under a fortnight after that capitulation at Carrow Road. All of our seven - yes, SEVEN - title rivals had been in league action in the meantime, and this was how the table stood:

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.          Man Utd                16    9     6     1     31    19    +12   33
2.          Wolves                 15    9     3     3     29    17    +12   30
3.          Man City               16    9     2     5     38    20    +18   29
4.          Rochdale               15    9     2     4     22    20    +2    29
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.          Arsenal                16    8     4     4     29    15    +14   28
6.          Liverpool              16    8     4     4     28    19    +9    28
7.          Derby                  16    8     3     5     30    23    +7    27
8.          Dag & Red              13    8     2     3     31    17    +14   26

 

For us, the chase was well and truly on. It began with us hosting defending champions Manchester City, whose last trip to Rainham Road had seen them get spanked to the tune of five goals. Though Nemanja Covic's Citizens had a terrible recent away record, I was expecting a much closer match this time around.

 

21 December 2041: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Manchester City

We quickly had Manchester City on the back foot, with a cross from captain Orlando Salvador setting up a chance for Antonis Siafos in the fifth minute. Unfortunately, Siafos' header was just too close to Citizens goalkeeper Sergio González.

 

With City's attacking threat, we knew that we couldn't afford to push too far up the pitch too often. We played it safe and sat deep to frustrate the visitors. George Mkhwanazi almost made us look silly in the 13th minute, but Daggers keeper Antoni Giménez showed great resolve to catch the Portugal centre-forward's header.

 

Three minutes later, Giménez was looking less dependable. The Citizens played a series of one-touch passes around our area before Dutch midfielder Dave Jansen played in Belgian magician Karim De Vuyst, who then beat Antoni at his near post. However, the offside flag went up against De Vuyst, and the scoreline stayed at 0-0. That call incensed Jansen, who would soon be booked for arguing with the referee's assistant.

 

The referee handed out another yellow card in the 23rd minute, cautioning Mkhwanazi for tripping defender Kevin Schaeffer in the Daggers area. While Kevin and co kept things tight at their end, our attackers started to threaten City at the other. Attacking midfielder Dzenan Genjac had an angled half-volley pushed wide by González in the 27th minute. Striker Siafos and midfielder Lee Allen would miss further opportunities for the Daggers later on.

 

Manchester City then gave us a real scare in the 36th minute, when young France midfielder Abdoulaye Traoré crossed to Mkhwanazi on the edge of our area. Mkhwanazi's header looked almost certain to find the net until Giménez tipped it behind.

 

Antoni's save would become even more important when a mis-step from Yu Yupeng opened the door for Elliot Cook to score against the run of play six minutes later. Genjac cleverly knocked the ball past the onrushing City centre-back and into the path of an unmarked Cook, who burst through before drilling us into a 1-0 half-time lead!

 

Unfortunately, Allen had picked up a groin strain late in the first half, prompting me to make some changes for the second period. Left-back Hicham Martin moved into the midfield, Thulani Mazibuko switched from the right side of our defence to the left, and right-back Enrique Álvarez took Lee's place in our line-up.

 

Our reshuffled defence looked vulnerable early on, particularly in the 49th minute. A vicious half-volley from Mkhwanazi rebounded off Martin and fell towards Traoré, who then flicked a tame header into a relieved Giménez's hands. De Vuyst was also unable to find a way past our Spanish goalkeeper in the 59th minute, following a mazy dribble into our area with a rather disappointing shot.

 

Cook had been booked just before that attack, but he had a great opportunity to double our lead in the 63rd minute. Elliot got his head to a centre from Tony before González used his vast experience to turn the ball round his post.

 

I then made my second substitution, bringing on Michael Walters to replace Schaeffer before the Frenchman's wasteful passing from the back could cost us the lead. Worryingly, in the 72nd minute, Walters was left for dead by some skilful dribbling from Mkhwanazi, who then hammered a shot inches wide.

 

City were wasting a lot of good openings, but some clumsy tackling was also wrecking their chances of a comeback. The Sky Blues would finish the game with 20 fouls and three yellow cards - the last of which was issued to Mohammed Ali in the 84th minute for tripping Dagenham substitute Gianfranco Torre. About four minutes before then, Ali had committed an even costlier foul on Salvador just outside the City half. The man who took the resulting free-kick was Torre, who'd replaced Cook just moments earlier. Franco curled it over the defensive wall and into González's top-left corner, putting us two goals ahead!

 

A rejuvenated Torre then sought a second goal in injury time, only to be denied by González. That didn't really matter, in truth. We'd recorded another invaluable victory against the champions, and an improved defensive display even saw us keep our first clean sheet in eight games!

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Cook 42, Torre 81)

Manchester City - 0

Premier League, Attendance 26,772 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 6th, Man City 5th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Giménez, Mazibuko, Schaeffer (Walters), Darvill, Martin, Jorgensen, Salvador, Allen (Álvarez), Genjac, Cook (Torre), Siafos. BOOKED: Cook, Jorgensen.

 

Despite recording such a significant victory, our league position hadn't improved a great deal. With most of those teams around us also collecting victories, the Daggers would finish the weekend in 7th place. Of course, we still had those games in hand, so there was no need to panic.

 

Lee Allen would now be absent for a fortnight with a groin strain. As Frédéric Pereira was still working his way back to fitness after a thigh injury, that meant Hicham Martin would again have to play in the ball-winning midfield role in our next home league game.

 

Liverpool were the visitors to Rainham Road on Boxing Day. This looked set to be yet another stonking contest in the championship race, even though the Reds were struggling for form.

[CFuller]

DECEMBER 2041 (continued)

26 December 2041: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Liverpool

Our first attempt on goal was a wayward swerver from attacking midfielder Dzenan Genjac in the fifth minute. Frans Neven went rather closer for Liverpool 10 minutes later. The Belgian middleman powered a shot inches wide after Daggers defender Michael Walters had headed away a cross from visiting winger Doug Higgs.

 

In the 17th minute, Higgs received an excellent defence-opening pass from Neven and took it up the right flank. The former Arsenal man then crossed to Liverpool striker Aleksandrs Lapkovskis, who really should've scored from point-blank range. However, his shot was too close to Antoni Giménez, who blocked it before George Darvill cleared the danger.

 

Darvill was rather less composed in the 22nd minute, when he lost the ball to Lapkovskis on the halfway line. The Latvian forward then burst through and dribbled into the penalty area before smashing the post, much to George's relief.

 

We went on to register three scoring opportunities between the 25th and 27th minutes. Genjac and Gianfranco Torre were both thwarted by Liverpool goalie Oliver Piper, who was deputising for the injured Gavin Stopforth, while Daggers captain Orlando Salvador skimmed a free-kick over the bar.

 

The Reds' own skipper Leo Veenboer then wasted a great opening on 37 minutes. The flying Dutchman got behind our defence and got his head to a deep left-wing cross from Erick Rodriguez, but Giménez's fingertip save ensured that the deadlock remained intact at half-time.

 

I felt we were a bit too compact in the first half, so I switched from the diamond to a 4-2-3-1 for the second half. Of course, that formation left us a bit more vulnerable to counter-attacks, such as one that Liverpool launched in the 49th minute. Javier de Gregorio's long ball was nodded on by Higgs to Veenboer, who broke away from Darvill and had just Giménez to beat. Veenboer tried to get past Antoni and slip the ball past him... but his low shot clipped the post before Michael cleared!

 

Two minutes later, we punished Liverpool and Veenboer for that miss. Elliot Cook's attempted through-ball to Salvador was blocked by Reds midfielder Shaun Greaves, whose tackle instead diverted the ball on to a certain Hicham Martin. That was when Hicham finally broke his Daggers duck, calmly driving a low shot past Piper to make it 1-0 to Dagenham & Redbridge!

 

If Martin hoped lightning would strike again, though, he was to be disappointed. A wayward shot on 55 minutes was more typical of the Mancunian left-back/makeshift midfielder. He was also denied a second goal on 67 minutes, with Piper making light work of Hicham's 25-yarder. Liverpool then countered moments later, but Higgs' shot was parried wide by Giménez.

 

It was clear that the Reds' confidence had been sapped by back-to-back defeats at Manchester United and West Ham United. This would be their third away loss on the trot. A poor strike from new England striker Steven Bonner in the 89th minute proved to be their last opportunity to deny Giménez successive clean sheets. Though Piper prevented substitute Milen Danchev from doubling our lead late on, we still recorded a narrow in to maintain our 100% home record.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Martin 51)

Liverpool - 0

Premier League, Attendance 26,772 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 5th, Liverpool 8th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Giménez, Álvarez, Walters, Darvill, Olvera, Jorgensen, Salvador (Twardzik), Martin, Genjac (Danchev), Cook, Torre (Siafos).

 

There were mixed fortunes for our main title rivals on Boxing Day. Manchester United and Manchester City were victorious in their matches, but Derby County and Rochdale both drew, and Wolverhampton Wanderers suffered a late loss at Arsenal.

 

Wolves were our next opponents, as they welcomed us to Molineux a little under 48 hours later. This was the evening kick-off, so we knew what had happened elsewhere before we took to the field. With Manchester City and Arsenal both having won again, we knew that we had to do the same to keep the pressure on.

 

28 December 2041: Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Dagenham & Redbridge

With Elliot Cook being given a much-needed rest, the onus was on Gianfranco Torre and Antonis Siafos to lead our attack. Things didn't get off to a great start for Torre, who was booked after seven minutes for diving to try and win a penalty off Wolves captain Amine Ben Said.

 

Franco did win us a corner in the 12th minute, which Thulani Mazibuko whipped into the six-yard box. The ball was inadvertently deflected into the net off Wanderers defender Franco Vitone... but the referee refused to allow the own goal. He had spotted that Dagenham left-back Hicham Martin had pushed Janusz Blaszczyk to stop the Polish midfielder from intercepting Thulani's delivery.

 

Wolves goalkeeper Ben Perk quickly restarted with a free-kick that bounced long to Radenko Kostic, who laid it off to strike partner Hasney Mitchell. The 30-year-old striker then turned sharply past Daggers centre-half Kevin Schaeffer before powering in a lethal finish!

 

Kostic and Mitchell would terrorise us again in the 17th minute... but on this occasion, our defenders gave them a helping hand. Kevin joined George Darvill in pressing Mitchell just outside our penalty area, but that left Kostic unmarked in the 'D'! Every man, woman and canine at Molineux knew that Mitchell would then square the ball for his Serbian colleague to make it 2-0 Wolves.

 

I put most of the blame on Schaeffer for that second goal, but left-back Hicham Martin could've faced similar criticism in the 23rd minute. Hicham's push on Wolves midfielder Ben Clarke close to our penalty area gave away a free-kick, which Emiliano Colman swerved inches wide.

 

A minute later, we got back in the game through a free-kick of our own. Attacking midfielder Michal Twardzik chipped it into the Wanderers box for Siafos, who outjumped Ben Said and headed in his 11th goal of the season.

 

Twardzik could have got us back level on 27 minutes, but Perk tipped his piledriver behind. Our former number 1 also turned away a 35th-minute strike from Torre, who would be joined in the book by two Daggers colleagues before the half was out. Martin had been cautioned for tripping Mitchell two minutes beforehand, while Siafos would later be yellow-carded for a similar diving incident to Torre's. Twardzik then missed a couple more shots before the half-time whistle blew with us still trailing 2-1.

 

Kenneth Jorgensen and Orlando Salvador both came on for the second half as we stepped up our attempts to get back level. Vitone could've that job for them in the 46th minute, when he had a pass intercepted by Italian compatriot and namesake Torre. Our Franco looked odds-on to punish Wolves' Franco by equalising, but Perk bailed the latter out with an excellent last-ditch save.

 

A relieved Vitone then went from almost giving away a goal to almost scoring one in the 55th minute. His header from Colman's corner was tipped behind by Giménez for another corner, which ended with Clarke pushing Torre in our box. Clarke was already on a yellow card himself, and the former West Ham United midfielder could thank his lucky stars that the referee didn't send him off after that.

 

A Torre corner at the other end on 59 minutes saw Wanderers get lucky again. George's header from Franco's cross was spilled by Perk, but Argentine left-winger Colman volleyed it away just in time. Perk had another potentially hairy moment four minutes later, when he narrowly tipped over a Twardzik header from the edge of the box.

 

Siafos could have done with some good fortune in the 69th minute. A fantastically-executed swerving shot had Perk well beaten, but Tony winced in agony when the ball swerved over the bar by inches.

 

We continued to push for an equaliser, though our hopes of saving any points were dealt a major blow in the 82nd minute. Orlando sustained a knock in a firm but fair challenge from Wolves' Dutch midfielder Serhan Altundal, and while our playmaking captain played on, he wasn't quite the same force. Wanderers comfortably held on for a 2-1 victory, though they would have increased the winning margin had an injury-time header from Kostic not been ruled out for offside.

 

Wolverhampton Wanderers - 2 (Mitchell 13, Kostic 17)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Siafos 24)

Premier League, Attendance 30,083 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 6th, Wolves 4th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Giménez, Mazibuko, Schaeffer, Darvill, Olvera, Martin (Jorgensen), Johnston, Danchev (Salvador), Twardzik, Torre (Washington), Siafos. BOOKED: Torre, Martin, Siafos.

 

In such a fiercely-contested title race, any defeat could be a damaging one. It was just as well, then, that leaders Manchester United lost 1-0 at Rochdale the following afternoon, thus softening the blow.

 

It was back to home sweet home on New Year's Eve. We had won 13 matches on the bounce at Rainham Road this season. Indeed, if we could simply defeat against Coventry City, we would end 2041 with the proud record of not having lost a single home game all year long.

 

Of course, Coventry being as stubborn and pragmatic as they were, that would be easier said than done. The Sky Blues had just come off the back of successive wins over West Bromwich Albion and West Ham United, which had lifted them out of the Premier League drop zone. They might have remained the division's lowest scorers, with only 15 goals in 19 matches, but their confidence was high.

 

31 December 2041: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Coventry City

Coventry were on the defensive as early as the second minute. Gianfranco Torre slipped a shot across their penalty area to Daggers frontman Elliot Cook, whose close-range strike was blocked and then cleared by Sky Blues captain Neal Moody. A minute later, Frédéric Pereira fed a delightful through-ball to Milen Danchev, only for Coventry keeper Jonathan English to block the Bulgarian winger's low attempt.

 

In the 12th minute, Dagenham defender Michael Walters was booked for a careless challenge on Coventry striker Gerald Parsons on the halfway line. Michael's colleague George Darvill was one of several Daggers who could've broken the deadlock six minutes later. English parried a fierce drive from our young midfield playmaker Warren Johnston, and George's follow-up was blocked by City winger Stuart Hatton. Orlando Salvador had our third shot in quick succession, which English blocked to maintain parity.

 

The yellow card came out for another Dagger in the 31st minute, when Pereira tripped Hatton. The subsequent Coventry attack was swiftly broken down, and we launched a counterstrike that ended with Elliot's drive being caught by English.

 

Danchev and Salvador missed further late chances for Dagenham, as Coventry held firm, despite Moody sustaining a knock. The Sky Blues had one opportunity to score against the run of play on 43 minutes, but ex-Daggers midfielder Tumelo Mofokeng swerved a free-kick just wide of the target.

 

Torre had been fairly quiet in that first half, though he was a bit more active after the restart. In the 48th minute, the Italian striker was unlucky to put a 30-yard free-kick just over the bar. Franco's next attempt three minutes later was rather less impressive, as he volleyed Milen's right-wing cross well wide from much closer to goal.

 

Danchev was getting plenty of crosses into the Coventry box, but was regularly thwarted by great interceptions from Moody. He did find Cook's head with one cross in the 54th minute, but Elliot displayed none of the accuracy that had seen him pull clear as our top scorer this season.

 

Two minutes after that, disaster struck. Captain Salvador broke his wrist after a challenge from Sky Blues midfielder Timothy Evans, and the Portuguese playmaker had to make way for Dzenan Genjac. Evans would himself have to come off briefly for treatment in the 64th minute, having been hurt in a robust Genjac tackle.

 

We tried all sorts of strategies to try and break Coventry down, but without Orlando, we were lacking some much-needed flair and creativity. Our last real chance to win the game came in the fourth minute of injury time, when Torre hoisted a 'Hail Mary' pass to Cook. Elliot surged past City left-back Ashley Fear and looked good to score, but he pulled his shot into the side netting.

 

0-0 was how it finished. Though we'd still gone through the whole of 2041 without losing at Rainham Road, the defensive resolve of Coventry - and Moody especially - had seen us lose our 100% home record from the start of the season.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 0

Coventry City - 0

Premier League, Attendance 26,495 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 6th, Coventry 16th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Giménez, Álvarez, Darvill, Walters, Olvera, Pereira (Jorgensen), Johnston, Danchev (Knox), Salvador (Genjac), Torre, Cook. BOOKED: Walters, Pereira.

 

16 shots, 5 on target, no goals. That was just not typical of the Daggers.

 

We would now have to make do without captain Orlando Salvador for the next four weeks after he was diagnosed with a broken wrist. This is the second serious arm injury Orlando has suffered in a season that has not yet seen him hit the heights of last term.

 

We'll have to see who else can carry the playmaking burden while Salvador is absent. Somebody needs to step up to the mark, otherwise I cannot see us winning the league this season.

[CFuller]

Premier League Table (End of December 2041)

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.          Man Utd                19    11    6     2     36    21    +15   39
2.          Arsenal                19    11    4     4     33    16    +17   37
3.          Rochdale               18    11    3     4     27    22    +5    36
4.          Man City               19    11    2     6     45    27    +18   35
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.          Derby                  20    10    4     6     40    28    +12   34
6.          Dag & Red              17    10    3     4     35    19    +16   33
7.          Wolves                 18    10    3     5     32    21    +11   33
8.          Liverpool              20    9     4     7     32    30    +2    31
9.          West Brom              19    8     2     9     31    34    -3    26
10.         Chelsea                19    7     4     8     21    26    -5    25
11.         Norwich                20    6     6     8     35    37    -2    24
12.         Everton                19    6     6     7     24    29    -5    24
13.         Tottenham              19    6     5     8     23    26    -3    23
14.         Huddersfield           19    5     7     7     24    39    -15   22
15.         Fulham                 17    5     4     8     33    30    +3    19
16.         Coventry               20    4     7     9     15    24    -9    19
17.         Reading                18    4     6     8     22    34    -12   18
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18.         Southampton            19    4     5     10    17    27    -10   17
19.         West Ham               19    2     7     10    18    31    -13   13
20.         Burnley                20    2     6     12    16    38    -22   12

 

[CFuller]

JANUARY 2042

2042 could be my final year at Dagenham & Redbridge if we somehow win the Premier League. Our hopes of an unlikely triumph took a hit on New Year's Day, when the 'Big Three' - Manchester United, Arsenal and Manchester City - all won to pull further clear of the Daggers.

 

That day had begun with a phone call from Benjamin Guerin, who was on loan at Tottenham Hotspur. The French defensive midfielder had called me to say that he had been named as the Premier League's Young Player of the Month for December. I congratulated Beni on the award and told him that he would have a great chance of becoming a Daggers regular next season if he kept it up.

 

There was also delight for Mark Washington, who scored four goals for the reserves as they beat Eton Manor 7-0 to reach the Essex Senior Cup Semi Finals. Our vice-captain's confidence had received a timely boost, just before he led us out onto the Bell Close pitch three days later to begin our FA Cup defence.

 

We entered the competition at Round 3 against Leighton Town, who were just above the Championship relegation zone after a horrific 10-match run that had seen them accrue eight losses and two draws. Growing concerns surrounding the club's financial viability had obviously had an effect on the pitch, and I wasn't expecting Leighton to provide much of a challenge to the Daggers here.

 

4 January 2042: Leighton Town vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Dagenham goalkeeper Antoni Giménez got off to a very shaky start, almost conceding a goal to Leighton in the opening 20 seconds! Giménez exchanged a series of passes with centre-half Bradley Charles, only to mishit one and find Town striker Danny Cross instead! Danny should've buried his shot into the net, but he was very Cross with himself after pulling it past the post!

 

Antoni and Bradley each breathed sighs of relief, and the latter would go close to scoring at the other end in the seventh minute. Charles was denied a maiden competitive Daggers goal when Leighton's goalkeeping skipper Micky Ormondroyd caught his header. In the 14th minute, captain Mark Washington thundered a free-kick against the Reds' wall before misfiring the rebound. Another effort from the American four minutes later went wide.

 

The midway point of the first half saw a tale of two corners. After 22 minutes, Jonah Herbert lifted a Leighton corner to Gianluca Salmon at the back post, only for the central defender to flick it inches over. Salmon's misery would be compounded three minutes later. Dagenham counterpart George Darvill leapt above Salmon like the proverbial trout to head Washington's set-piece home and give us a 1-0 lead!

 

Dzenan Genjac eyed up a second Daggers goal on 31 minutes, though Ormondroyd made simple work of the Croatian's bullet strike. Ormondroyd made another big save on 35 minutes, catching the loose ball after Darvill had hit the bar from another Washington corner.

 

Two minutes after that came further evidence of just how low Leighton - and Cross - were on confidence. Cross surged through a gap in our defence to latch onto a lobbed pass from Thomas Lucas, but he only drove it into the sponsor boards. With a bit more composure, he might have put the Reds right back in contention.

 

Leighton missed chances early in the second period. Firstly, French winger Lucas flighted a free-kick inches wide in the 48th minute after his midfield colleague Dirch Rabe had been fouled by Charles. Seven minutes later, Ian Robertson's free-kick delivery into our box found Salmon, whose header was diverted away by Giménez' fingers. Leighton boss Ian Wilson soon lost patience with Cross, bringing former West Bromwich Albion striker Jimmy Martin on to replace his misfiring frontman.

 

I also opted for a change up front in the 68th minute, as Washington made way for Dagenham's leading scorer Elliot Cook. Cookie was on 16 goals for the campaign, and he would soon make it 17. Three minutes after his introduction, Elliot got to a brilliant centre from Canadian playmaker Eric Knox, hammering it past Ormondroyd for a 2-0 lead!

 

Knox and Cook were at it again after 73 minutes, when the latter chested down Eric's excellent direct ball and took it into the penalty area. Elliot was forced into a difficult angle by Salmon, and that was crucial, as our young hotshot could only drive the ball into the side netting.

 

The Reds would keep our lead down to a couple of goals, as Ormondroyd produced a couple of late saves from Antonis Siafos and Michal Twardzik. That being said, our greater quality and confidence had been clear from the outset, and our place in Round 4 had never really been in doubt.

 

Leighton Town - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Darvill 25, Cook 71)

FA Cup Round 3, Attendance 7,124

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Giménez, Álvarez, Charles, Darvill, Martin, Pereira, Knox, Danchev (Jorgensen), Genjac (Twardzik), Siafos, Washington (Cook). BOOKED: Álvarez, Jorgensen.

 

We were now into Round 4, where we would be given another somewhat favourable away draw. In three weeks' time, we would pay a visit to League Two side Harrogate Town, who'd made it past Round 3 for the first time in their history.

 

Meanwhile, a couple of reserve midfielders returned from Championship loan spells. Paddy Rattle and Kurt Walker can both expect more first-team football over the coming months after five-month stints at Ipswich Town and Stoke City respectively.

 

Next up for the Daggers was the opening leg of our League Cup Semi Final with Southampton. The Saints were only 18th in the Premier League, yet they had eliminated the likes of Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers on their way to the last four of this competition. It wasn't wholly inconceivable that they could be the team who ended our long unbeaten record at Rainham Road.

 

7 January 2042: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Southampton

Disaster struck for the Daggers after just two minutes. Midfielder Hicham Martin was the victim of a rough challenge from Southampton counterpart Moez Saibi, which left the Mancunian on the turf clutching his leg. Hicham had to be stretchered off with a suspected hamstring tear, and Frédéric Pereira came on much earlier than he was expecting.

 

Despite that early blow, we couldn't have responded any more resiliently. In the fifth minute, Daggers anchor Warren Johnston intercepted a header from Saints defender Franco Osorio and nodded it on to Eric Knox. Eric then volleyed the ball ahead of striker Antonis Siafos, who got behind the visitors' backline and entered the area before delicately lifting a shot past goalkeeper Joshua Regan!

 

Southampton had a couple of chances to go level shortly before the quarter-hour mark, but neither captain Jason Pack nor forward Andrija Lazic could seriously threaten the target from far out. By the 21st minute, they would have a higher mountain to climb.

 

Young Dagenham middlemen Johnston and Knox exchanged passes about 25 yards for goal before Eric attempted to drive a low shot home. The Canadian's strike took a huge deflection off Osorio, which caught Regan out and diverted the ball over the goal line! Knox had scored his first Daggers goal, with more than a little assistance from Lady Luck!

 

We were now 2-0 up, but Siafos could've increased our lead further on 27 minutes had his header from a right-wing cross by Mark Washington been more accurate. Tony had another go eight minutes later, with only Regan's quick reactions keeping out the Greek's swerving shot on that occasion. Dagenham keeper Antoni Giménez had earlier saved a couple of efforts from Lazic to keep us in a strong position.

 

Washington had disappointed me a little in that first half, so I gave Peter Mikkelsen another chance to impress me up front in the second period. The Danish teenager eyed up a goal in the 55th minute after collecting a pass from Michal Twardzik. Alas, Peter could only scoop it over the crossbar.

 

In the 66th minute, though, we did put ourselves three goals ahead. Southampton made a meal of Thulani Mazibuko's free-kick delivery into their penalty area, gifting Michal a chance for 3-0. Twardzik's first shot was tipped against the post by Regan, but he converted the rebound after Saints left-back Peter Beardsley had tackled the loose ball away from Mikkelsen.

 

We tried to add another goal to our haul on 68 minutes, when Mikkelsen ghosted past visiting right-back Bill Middleton and then saw his piledriver pushed over by Regan. Four minutes later, our final substitute Dzenan Genjac - who'd replaced star man Knox - set up a chance for Twardzik to secure a brace. Michal pulled it wide, though to be fair, he was nursing a groin strain sustained in a tackle from Peter Huisman just moments earlier.

 

At the other end, Southampton had had another nightmare evening. Lone striker Maurice Hockley didn't have a shot at goal until the 77th minute, when he headed Pack's byline cross safely into Giménez's hands. Hockley then missed the target from the edge of the area a minute later as we cruised to a 3-0 first-leg win. It all boded very well for the return fixture a fortnight later.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (Siafos 5, Knox 21, Twardzik 66)

Southampton - 0

League Cup Semi Final Leg 1, Attendance 26,772

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Giménez, Mazibuko, Schaeffer, Walters, Olvera, Johnston, Knox, Martin (Pereira), Twardzik, Washington (Mikkelsen), Siafos.

 

A third League Cup Final in a row looks very likely for the Daggers... but Hicham Martin won't be playing at Wembley if we get there. A scan on his hamstring the following morning confirmed that he had torn a muscle and would need three months out to recover. Hicham's injury left us with only two recognised senior left-backs - Juan Esteban Olvera and Thulani Mazibuko - for the foreseeable future.

 

Michal Twardzik would definitely miss the second leg of the Semi Final after straining his groin. We were now running quite low on fit attacking midfield options, so it was vital that we kept Dzenan Genjac fit and healthy for at least the next few weeks.

 

A few days after that match, I announced the Daggers' first signing of the New Year. He won't be joining us until next season, but snapping a player of this quality has made it clear to everyone that we mean business.

 

In what might just be the transfer coup of the decade, we've stolen central defender extraordinaire Nathan Guppy - the captain of West Ham United, no less - on a free transfer! The 87-cap England international will cross the East London divide when his contract at the Olympic Stadium expires this summer.

 

Guppy has spent his entire career with his hometown club, leading them to FA Cup and UEFA Europa League victories in 2038 and 2039 respectively, and playing in nearly 400 Premier League games. The 30-year-old had shown tremendous loyalty to West Ham in recent years, but now - with the Hammers battling relegation - he felt the need to move away to try and fulfil his dream of winning the Premier League before it was too late. That was something we could offer him.

 

I offered Nathan an initial two-season contract worth a club-record £100,000 per week, which was actually a 20% decrease on what he was earning at United. He had also received attractive offers from Liverpool and Real Madrid, but the opportunity to contend for major honours without leaving London was perhaps what lured him over to us.

 

I'm delighted that Guppy will be joining us from the 2042/2043 season. He's a 6ft 5in defensive colossus who has a very professional attitude and reads the game incredibly well. Nathan could be the final piece of our title-winning jigsaw, though I'd like to think we can still complete the puzzle without him this year...

[CFuller]

JANUARY 2042 (continued)

Dagenham & Redbridge now had five away matches in succession, starting with a Premier League match at Turf Moor against rock-bottom Burnley. The Clarets had won just twice in the league this season, and their fortunes had not improved under new manager - and erstwhile Daggers coach - Nathan Howe.

 

11 January 2042: Burnley vs Dagenham & Redbridge

I rewarded Eric Knox for his excellent League Cup display in midweek with just his third Premier League start. The young Canadian repaid the faith with a fantastic corner a little over a minute after kick-off. Daggers defender George Darvill nodded Eric's delivery into the six-yard box, where Antonis Siafos flicked it over the head of Burnley keeper Petar Kus for another early goal!

 

Tony's strike was a rare highlight in an otherwise dire opening 20 minutes. Our defence did withstand a couple of Burnley corners, and a woeful half-volley from the Clarets' Brazilian midfielder Michel, but there was little else to write about.

 

Things picked up again for us in the 28th minute, when Frédéric Pereira's ambitious banana shot drew a catch out of Kus. In the 30th minute, Siafos burst up the left flank and crossed to strike partner Elliot Cook, who agonisingly headed against the crossbar. A promising Daggers spell then ended with Kus turning behind another effort from Pereira a couple of minutes later.

 

Burnley soon countered, with wing-back Mark Dobson's run into our box being halted by a firm tackle from Dagenham anchor Kenneth Jorgensen. Dobson went down to try and win a penalty, but all he got was a yellow card for diving. The Clarets would remain goalless at the end of the first half, though Kus' excellent saves - including one in the 42nd minute from Cook - had arguably kept them in contention.

 

Burnley made another advance towards our goal ten minutes into the second period. Thankfully for us, Jorgensen was proving to be a rock-like presence in the Dagenham midfield. Kenny's brilliant interception of Kolyo Ivov's cross arguably stopped the Bulgarian winger from finding striker Peter Edwards in the danger zone.

 

Meanwhile, Kus continued to almost single-handedly stop us adding to our slender lead. The Slovakian keeper diverted over excellent efforts from Knox and Siafos in the 65th and 68th minutes. He also held onto a 71st-minute shot from young Dagenham midfielder Paddy Rattle, who'd replaced Dzenan Genjac after an hour.

 

As for our returning goalkeeper, Kayo Rowe was enjoying a solid afternoon's work. He did have a hairy moment in the 76th minute, when a poor clearance was intercepted by Burnley midfielder Christian Odinakachaku. Kayo managed to redeem himself moments later, catching Clarets striker Rodrigo Vázquez's header from a deep cross by Ivov.

 

Uruguayan warhorse Vázquez wasted another chance for the hosts in the 85th minute, when he nodded Robert Powell's long ball clean over the bar. American winger Kaid Pollak and his last-minute replacement Mathieu Auffret were also off target for the Clarets in the closing stages. Thanks in part to Burnley's wastefulness, and a sterling holding midfield display from Jorgensen, we ground out just our third away league win this season and moved up to 5th place.

 

Burnley - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Siafos 2)

Premier League, Attendance 20,560 - POSITIONS: Burnley 20th, Dag & Red 5th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Álvarez, Charles, Darvill, Olvera, Jorgensen, Knox, Pereira (Allen), Genjac (Rattle), Cook (Washington), Siafos.

 

Our first official January signing was announced the following afternoon. At the age of 16, centre-back Gary Bannon had already played in four Scottish Premier League matches for Motherwell and won a couple of Scotland Under-21s caps. He turned down a professional contract at Fir Park to join our youth set-up for £625,000 compensation.

 

Bannon's signing coincided with the returns of youth defenders John Bond and Bradley Douglas from their respective loans at Gillingham and Shrewsbury Town. Left-winger Matty Maddison was also back with the Daggers after his second stint with Swansea City, but another promising wideman was heading out.

 

Alex Ketchell has long been tipped to become the latest Daggers youth product to establish himself as a first-teamer. Admittedly, I hadn't yet given him enough opportunities to showcase his fine talents. The 20-year-old asked to go out on loan again just before Christmas, so I agreed to his request.

 

Ketch would soon pack his bags and join Bruno Rommel at Málaga until the end of the season. Spending half a season honing his craft in La Liga might be just what the England Under-21s international needs to reach the next level.

 

While Alex was preparing to bask in the sun of Andalusia, our first-teamers were heading back to drizzly, snowy Lancashire for the second time in five days. It was of real importance that we recorded a maiden win at the Slovalco Arena against 6th-placed Rochdale, who would overtake us in the standings if they triumphed. This midweek fixture was one of our games in hand on the top four, which now consisted of the 'Big Three' plus Derby County.

 

15 January 2042: Rochdale vs Dagenham & Redbridge

We were firmly on edge during the first minute, as Rochdale put us under pressure almost immediately. Kenneth Jorgensen and Frédéric Pereira each played slack passes, but it was Milen Danchev who really cost us dear by miscontrolling the ball very close to our area. Dale full-back Sean Ellis took the ball and had a shot parried by Daggers keeper Kayo Rowe, who was beaten by the rebound strike from Austrian frontman Rolf Voss.

 

Though we'd fallen behind very quickly, Dzenan Genjac gave us reason for encouragement in the fifth minute, when his stunning drive was tipped behind by Rochdale goalie Mark Thomas. An arguably even better save came from Rowe two minutes later, when he superbly prevented Alun Harding from powering the hosts into a 2-0 lead.

 

The Daggers attacked again in the 16th minute, with Danchev showing that he wasn't going to dwell on his early error. The Bulgarian curled a brilliant right-wing cross to left-back Juan Esteban Olvera, whose volley came within inches of getting him a maiden Dagenham goal. Genjac then had another attempt saved by Thomas in the 18th minute, shortly before Pereira put a free-kick wide.

 

The opening half-hour was a gruelling one for Rochdale, who had no fewer than three players - Harding, plus midfielders Marko Jovanovic and René Wijmer - sustain knocks. Those little knocks began to take a heavy toll on Dale, and we cranked up the pressure before eventually breaking through on the stroke of half-time.

 

Danchev's first half might have got off to the worst possible start, but it had the perfect ending. Milen crossed to Antonis Siafos at the far post, and Tony knocked the ball on for Elliot Cook to stab home the equaliser! Cookie was now on 18 goals this season, matching his hauls from the previous two campaigns!

 

I gave my players - and Danchev especially - a bit more encouragement at half-time. That confidence boost rubbed off on them just two minutes into the second half. A revitalised Milen sent an outswinging corner to George Darvill, who rose above Wijmer and headed us into a 2-1 lead!

 

One much-loved Dagenham centre-half had given us the edge, but a former Daggers defensive hero appeared to have restored parity in the 52nd minute. Luckily for us, Rochdale vice-captain Tomo Kurtovic had been caught offside after volleying in a Wijmer free-kick that had rebounded off the crossbar. Pereira could've scored a free-kick at the other end two minutes afterwards, but the Frenchman didn't strike the ball cleanly and sent it well wide.

 

Frédi would be substituted in the 69th minute after a typical hard night's work. Unfortunately, his replacement Lee Allen bruised a rib whilst tackling Harding four minutes later. Lee was in obvious discomfort and had to struggle through the rest of the match.

 

Rochdale did put us under some pressure in the 77th minute, but Olvera's vital last-ditch tackle on Voss prevented him from converting a Dewi Gray through-ball. Voss' penalty claims were fruitless, and we ultimately held on for a first Premier League win at Rochdale. That was even despite being reduced to 10 men after Genjac was injured in a tackle from fellow Croatia midfielder Jovanovic in the final minute of normal time. Jovanovic was later named 'man of the match', but please don't ask me to explain how or why.

 

Rochdale - 1 (Voss 1)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Cook 45, Darvill 47)

Premier League, Attendance 25,390 - POSITIONS: Rochdale 6th, Dag & Red 4th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Álvarez, Walters, Darvill, Olvera, Pereira (Allen), Jorgensen, Danchev (Knox), Genjac, Siafos (Torre), Cook.

 

Lee Allen and Dzenan Genjac would both miss our next match at the Madejski Stadium against Reading, but their injuries were not too severe. The same unfortunately couldn't be said about reserve striker Peter Mikkelsen, who sustained a slipped disc in training the following morning. The 19-year-old Dane would be on the sidelines for approximately three months.

 

That meeting with second-from-bottom Reading saw opportunity knock for another exciting Daggers talent. With Genjac, Orlando Salvador and Michal Twardzik all out injured, 17-year-old attacking midfielder Josh Beadle received a full Premier League debut. However, after 19 consecutive PL starts, ever-present centre-half George Darvill was given a well-earned break from league duties.

[CFuller]

JANUARY 2042 (continued)

18 January 2042: Reading vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Reading were all over us in the opening stages, stretching our defence out wide like few other teams had done before this season. After seven minutes, Royals right-winger Ziva Djuric gave Kayo Rowe a real handful with a dangerous cross that the Daggers goalkeeper almost palmed into his own net.

 

Two minutes later, another right-wing delivery from Reading's full-back Dale Shotton found striker Carl Hubert in the penalty area. Hubert swivelled 180 degrees on the ball and then pulled a shot against the far post before Dagenham right-back Enrique Álvarez cleared the danger.

 

We survived another scare moments later, with captain Michael Walters outmuscling home captain Ryan Galbraith to head Djuric's corner away from our six-yard box. Galbraith's calls for a penalty went unanswered. The Royals would grow even more frustrated with referee Nathan Larner in the 13th and 18th minutes, when he booked Djuric and left-winger Martín Graniero for foul play.

 

Graniero showed a more positive side of his game shortly after being yellow-carded. He received a crossfield ball from Hubert and dribbled past Pereira before floating a return cross to Hubert in the penalty box. Luckily for us, the striker's subsequent header went wide.

 

While we'd survived Reading's early assaults, our attackers were hardly even threatening the Royals. The closest we'd come to breaking the deadlock before half-time was in the 34th minute, when Elliot Cook's header from a deep Álvarez cross was tipped over by Patrick Braspenning. Our 17-year-old attacking midfielder Josh Beadle was off the field at the time, receiving treatment for a knock. Josh did return, but I pondered substituting him at half-time and throwing Eric Knox on instead.

 

Eric did enter the fray for the second half... but he replaced winger Milen Danchev as I switched from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-4-2 diamond. We started to control the ball a lot better after reverting to the ol' faithful, and Pereira was inches away from curling in a superb opener after 50 minutes. The Royals countered just moments later, when Galbraith's spectacular half-volley was met by an even better fingertip save from Rowe.

 

A couple more Reading attacks failed to amount to much. By the 64th minute, a team who'd gone seven games without winning were beginning to feel that another match was slipping away from them. A fast-paced passing move from the Daggers ended with Álvarez brilliantly dispossessing Graniero while the Argentine was mid-run in our half. It then ended with Gianfranco Torre knocking substitute Antonis Siafos' flick-on over the head of Reading defender Keith McDonagh and then volleying in a superb finish!

 

Graniero immediately sprinted over to the referee, indicating that he thought Torre had used his hand to lift the ball beyond McDonagh. Mr Larner pointed to the centre circle again, causing Graniero to blurt out what I assumed was a Spanish profanity, because he was swiftly shown a second yellow card, followed by a red! Within moments, Reading had gone one goal down AND one man down!

 

Another Royal got in hot water after 73 minutes, when Galbraith was booked for apparently tripping Álvarez. The referee didn't just reserve his yellow card for the hosts, though, as our holding midfielder Warren Johnston was cautioned for felling Reading substitute Neil Cable a couple of minutes later. Johnston would quickly be replaced with Kenneth Jorgensen as we looked to close the match out.

 

Beadle had a couple of chances to double our advantage, going particularly close when his 81st-minute half-volley was pushed wide by Braspenning. There was to be no maiden league goal for Josh, but another young midfielder would break his duck five minutes later. Knox's excellent form since replacing our injured captain Orlando Salvador continued when he got behind the Reading defence and stabbed in Torre's lofted free-kick! That goal secured the Daggers a 2-0 win, and a fifth consecutive victory since the start of the New Year!

 

Reading - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Torre 64, Knox 86)

Premier League, Attendance 21,411 - POSITIONS: Reading 19th, Dag & Red 3rd

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Álvarez, Schaeffer, Walters, Olvera, Pereira, Johnston (Jorgensen), Danchev (Knox), J Beadle, Torre, Cook (Siafos). BOOKED: Johnston.

 

All the other teams in the top six won this weekend... with the exception of Manchester City, who were beaten 2-1 by Liverpool at Anfield! We were now in 3rd place, ahead of City on goal difference - and with two games still in hand! Now there's just the small matter of trying to haul back Arsenal and Manchester United...

 

On the eve of our League Cup Semi Final Leg 2 match at Southampton, I came across a startling article on the BBC Sport website. They were reporting that Yorkshire-born steel tycoon Rob O'Connor was in advanced talks about a £250million takeover of Dagenham & Redbridge.

 

I asked chairman Neil Booth about this story the following morning. He told me, "It ain't happening, Christopher. It's true that me and Rob had discussions, but we were so far away from a deal that it's not worth talking about.

 

"Yes, I am looking to sell the club on sooner or later. Try not to worry about that, though. Keep focussing on what you're doing on the pitch, because things are looking great right now."

 

We were definitely looking great in the League Cup, and we arrived at St Mary's with a comfortable 3-0 lead from the first leg. I felt confident that we would be heading to the Final, so I brought a largely second-string team to Hampshire. Amongst those looking to catch my eye was the very exciting 15-year-old midfielder Ebenezer Agyemang, who got the afternoon off school so that he could make his competitive debut.

 

21 January 2042: Southampton vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Southampton also fielded an experimental line-up, though captain Maurice Hockley led the attack as always. The St Mary's legend curled a free-kick just wide of our goal in the fifth minute. A minute later, he used his experience to beat Daggers schoolboy Ebenezer Agyemang to a left-wing cross from Andrija Lazic. Thankfully for us, Antoni Giménez was well-placed to catch Hockley's header.

 

Those early attacks were a sign of things to come. The hail that had fallen onto the pitch throughout the evening was playing havoc with our passing game, which was not so much slick as slack. That gifted the Saints countless scoring chances, but Hockley's finishing frequently left home fans disappointed.

 

Southampton's first shot on target came after 21 minutes, after Kyriakos Kallinteris intercepted a poor clearance from Daggers left-back Thulani Mazibuko and dribbled towards goal. Giménez brilliantly pushed the shot behind, but the Spaniard would be beaten a couple of minutes later. Home right-back Charlie Green crossed to Hockley, who was dispossessed by Bradley Charles at the last moment. That didn't matter, as Southampton's Morocco midfielder Brahim El Idrissi tucked away the rebound.

 

We were 1-0 down, though we still led on aggregate by two goals. Nevertheless, I felt that a major change was needed, else the hosts would surely wipe out that advantage. Warren Johnston's passing from midfield had been especially wayward in the first quarter of the match, so I replaced him with winger Matty Maddison and adopted a more direct approach.

 

That yielded our first attempt on goal in the 31st minute, when Gianfranco Torre was denied by a block from Saints keeper Joshua Regan. We found ourselves back on the defensive before long, as Giménez had to push Hockley's point-blank header behind a minute later.

 

Antoni would produce an even more spectacular save in the 40th minute. After Dzenan Genjac's attempted pass to Daggers midfield colleague Eric Knox in our own area went long, Lazic hoovered up the ball and lashed it goalwards. Had it not been for Giménez's quick reactions, we would've fallen 2-0 behind, and our place in the League Cup Final would've been under serious threat.

 

Southampton attacked us again in the second minute of the second half, with Green hoping to thread a pass to Hockley in the area. George Darvill produced an excellent standing tackle on the England striker, and Maddison then cleared the danger, only to strain his groin in the process. Matty was in obvious discomfort, but I told him to play on.

 

After 51 minutes, a fantastic long ball from Darvill gave Torre the chance to equalise and settle any nerves. Franco had a pop from just outside the Saints area, but Regan thwarted the Italian again.

 

Our other striker - and captain - Mark Washington had a go in the 57th minute, but defender Casper Axelsen managed to get in the way of Mark's banana shot. Southampton then countered quickly and incisively, as Hockley exchanged passes with substitute Fatmir Malaj before heading in his team's second goal. They needed just one more to level the tie.

 

We urgently needed a calmer head protecting our defence, so Kenneth Jorgensen came on in place of Knox. I considered making my third change when Torre sustained a knock in a 61st-minute tackle from Saints left-back Sofiane Attia. However, I held off replacing Franco with 17-year-old Alfie Blackburn until the 78th minute, by which point we had survived several equalising attempts.

 

Giménez remained in inspired form, tipping over Hockley's header from a Petr Musil corner in the 71st minute. The Catalan custodian then parried a savage right-footer from Franco Osorio on 74 minutes, as well as a couple more Hockley efforts either side of that final Daggers substitution.

 

It was then a case of 'all hands on deck' as we shut up shop for the final 10 minutes, desperately trying to avoid conceding a third Southampton goal. We managed to hold firm in the end, but the final whistle was greeted only a few sighs of relief, and some pats on the back for the magnificent Giménez. The Daggers were heading to Wembley once again.

 

Southampton - 2 (El Idrissi 23, Hockley 57)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 0

[Dagenham & Redbridge win 3-2 on aggregate]

League Cup Semi Final Leg 2, Attendance 32,689

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Giménez, Facheris, Charles, Darvill, Mazibuko, Johnston (Maddison), Knox (Jorgensen), Agyemang, Genjac, Washington, Torre (Blackburn).

 

Thank goodness for Antoni Giménez, eh? That was one of the most outstanding goalkeeping displays I had ever witnessed with Dagenham & Redbridge, and it had got us through to a fourth League Cup Final... by the skin of our teeth!

 

We will make a now-familiar trip to Wembley Stadium on 22 February. Joining us there will be Liverpool, who'd lost 3-2 in the first leg of their Semi Final at Manchester City before winning the rematch 3-0 at Anfield. We'll be seeking a third League Cup triumph in five seasons, while the Reds are chasing their first domestic trophy since 2016.

[CFuller]

JANUARY 2042 (continued)

Three Dagenham loanees returned to the club in late January, following stints in the lower leagues. Left-back Norrie McKeown (Bristol Rovers) and midfielder Dan Carr (Peterborough United) had mixed fortunes in League One. In contrast, playmaker Paolo Zoppe had shown a great deal of promise at Newcastle United, and was likely to be loaned to another Championship team before the month was out.

 

Jimmy Cullen's short-term future certainly lies in the Championship. The reserve centre-half went back on loan to relegation-battling Leighton Town, whom he'd previously helped to win promotion from League One a couple of seasons earlier.

 

Four days after our outing on the south coast, we were on the road again, this time to North Yorkshire. We were into Round 4 of the FA Cup, where we looked to avoid a major upset at the hands of Harrogate Town, who were just outside the League Two play-off places.

 

To find our last meeting with Harrogate, you have to go all the way back to 2022, when we were at opposite ends of the Conference Premier table. I just about remember overseeing a 2-0 home win over Town in the first few months of my Daggers reign, but this was my first visit to Wetherby Road.

 

25 January 2042: Harrogate Town vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Harrogate defended deep in the first half, constantly frustrating us in our pursuits of an early goal. In the fourth minute, Town's 6ft 6in striker Jason Kennerdale rose above our centre-half Bradley Charles to intercept Thulani Mazibuko's corner delivery. Bradley claimed that Kennerdale had held him down, but the referee wasn't buying it.

 

Eight minutes later, a promising run from Daggers winger Milen Danchev ended with Town goalie Calum Jamieson pushing his shot wide. That earned us another corner, which Kennerdale again intercepted. The next quarter-hour passed by without us being able to create any further chances.

 

When an increasingly flustered Danchev fouled Harrogate defender David Milne in the 27th minute, the Bulgarian youngster was lucky to avoid a booking. Milne had twisted his ankle in Milen's challenge and needed to be substituted.

 

Our frustrations would boil over again during a Town counter-attack in the 39th minute. Home captain Marc Mulcahy had just entered our area when Dagenham centre-back Michael Walters carelessly clattered into him. The referee pointed to the spot, where Mulcahy had a golden chance to put his League Two team 1-0 up on the FA Cup holders.

 

Thankfully, Antoni Giménez would come to our aid, confidently pushing the penalty wide. Mulcahy raced after the loose ball, only to injure his knee after being blocked off by Daggers right-back Enrique Álvarez. The Northern Irish striker's game was over, and Harrogate's hopes of causing an almighty shock seemed to have gone with him.

 

I wasn't happy to go into the second half at 0-0, so I demanded that my players showed no mercy after the restart. Sure enough, they broke the hosts' resistance after 47 minutes. A Daggers counter-attack saw teenage attacking midfielder Josh Beadle dribble up the right flank before cutting the ball inside to Antonis Siafos via Washington. Tony then lashed a superb shot past Jamieson to seemingly put us in control.

 

However, when Charles pushed Mick Hough close to our area on 50 minutes, Harrogate were gifted a quick equalising opportunity. Winger Gareth Pugh floated the subsequent free-kick goalwards... and into a relieved Giménez's hands.

 

Jamieson then prevented Lee Allen from doubling our lead in the 52nd minute before producing an even more important save for Harrogate a minute later. Siafos looked set for a brace after he closed Town defender Sol Ireland down in the box, but Jamieson diverted the Greek's shot away.

 

We kept on searching for a second goal, but when Washington continued to misfire, I brought Elliot Cook off the bench as his replacement. Frédéric Pereira would also come on in the 74th minute, after Allen had strained his neck.

 

However, it was my first substitute Paddy Rattle - who'd replaced Danchev during the break - who would finally secure the win on 79 minutes. Paddy played a one-two with midfielder Warren Johnston before a lethal strike from just inside the area finished Harrogate off. The Sulphurites had put in a solid and valiant performance, but our greater quality had just about got us past them and into Round 5.

 

Harrogate Town - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Siafos 47, Rattle 79)

FA Cup Round 4, Attendance 5,000

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Giménez, Álvarez, Charles, Walters, Mazibuko, Allen (Pereira), Johnston, Danchev (Rattle), J Beadle, Siafos, Washington (Cook).

 

After a couple of 2-0 wins away to lower-level teams, Round 5 of the FA Cup would see us drawn at home to a more familiar foe. Derby County would travel to Rainham Road on 15 February with the aim of ending our cup defence.

 

Our next league match was also at home, against Huddersfield Town. Despite having - by some margin - the worst defensive record in the league, Huddersfield were just above the Premier League relegation zone. I'd become fully aware at our last encounter back in September that these Terriers did have some bite in them.

 

28 January 2042: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Huddersfield Town

Huddersfield launched a surprise early attack in the third minute, when Neil Oakes drilled a right-wing cross into our six-yard box. Chad striker Hilaire Mbaiguesse stretched a leg out to try and slide the delivery into the goal, but Dagenham keeper Kayo Rowe diverted it behind for a corner.

 

Jim Cleland took the corner, which Huddersfield's 6ft 8in defensive giant Michael Lennon flicked across goal for Sebastian Chindris. The Town striker's point-blank header was cut out by counterpart Gianfranco Torre, whose attempted clearance only served to nod the ball into his own goal! We were 1-0 down at home to one of the so-called weaker teams!

 

Torre's shoulders didn't slump after that own goal, though. Two minutes later, the Italian's excellent outswinging corner found George Darvill, who got above Lennon to flick it over Terriers keeper Sebastian Mogos and equalise!

 

The Daggers faithful were quick to salute a homegrown hero, and they could've done the same for Elliot Cook in the 8th minute. Unfortunately, Elliot fired Juan Esteban Olvera's through-ball just over the bar. Oakes put a long-range Huddersfield free-kick wide four minutes later before there was a mini-lull in proceedings.

 

It wasn't until the latter part of the first half that we started taking the game to Town. Dzenan Genjac crashed a long drive wide on 25 minutes, while fellow midfielder Frédéric Pereira had a similarly ambitious shot blocked by Mogos four minutes later. Another chance was wasted in the 34th minute, when Torre skied Cook's weighted pass over the bar.

 

The extended pressure eventually told in the 40th minute, when Franco's free-kick from the right was beaten away by Oakes' outstretched hand. The Terriers weren't happy at the referee's decision to award a penalty, but our fans were ecstatic when Cook thundered said spot-kick past Mogos for a 2-1 home lead! That was Elliot's 19th goal of the season - a new personal record!

 

After a tense start to the second half, we were in full flow again by the hour mark. Genjac pulled wide a chance for 3-1 in the 59th minute, but playmaker Eric Knox almost went one better a minute later. Eric made a lung-busting run to intercept Oakes' crossfield ball to Cleland in the Daggers area. The Canadian then dribbled all the way towards the edge of the Terriers' penalty area, where he screwed a shot wide.

 

Knox was also involved in our next attack on 62 minutes. After receiving the ball from Dagenham skipper Enrique Álvarez on the right flank, he moved the ball inside to Kenneth Jorgensen, who then fed Genjac in the box. A simple finish from Dzenan followed, and we had clear daylight!

 

Another Daggers strike looked to be on the cards when Cook dribbled goalwards in the 65th minute, but his effort unfortunately ricocheted off the post. Huddersfield had a chance to pull a goal back five minutes later, after Knox tripped Chindris. Substitute Jimmy Stringfellow lifted Town's free-kick over the bar, but Rowe caught it with ease.

 

I then substituted Knox and Álvarez - the latter of whom was on a yellow card from late in the first half. A few minutes later, in the 73rd, I would be forced into my final change. Genjac's injury woes returned when he appeared to twist his ankle in a last-ditch tackle from Huddersfield's substitute holding midfielder Roddy Wood. Dzenan was helped off the field and replaced with winger Milen Danchev, who thundered a shot high and wide in the 78th minute.

 

Paddy Rattle and Cook also missed late opportunities for the Daggers, though we still managed to win with some comfort. Rowe's fantastic save from Chris Froggatt in the 87th minute kept the visitors down to a single goal.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (Darvill 6, Cook pen40, Genjac 62)

Huddersfield Town - 1 (Torre og4)

Premier League, Attendance 26,359 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 3rd, Huddersfield 16th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Álvarez (Mazibuko), Schaeffer, Darvill, Olvera, Jorgensen, Knox (Rattle), Pereira, Genjac (Danchev), Cook, Torre. BOOKED: Álvarez.

 

Fortunately, Dzenan Genjac had merely sprained his ankle, rather than broken it. Unfortunately, the attacking midfielder would still have to miss the whole of February, including the League Cup Final against Liverpool.

 

That injury aside, we were still looking good to challenge for the title. Arsenal's disappointing 1-1 home draw against Southampton meant that we were now just two points behind the Gunners, with two games in hand.

 

There was no need for me to make any new signings or sell any players before the transfer window shut. The only deadline-day activity at Rainham Road saw midfielder Paolo Zoppe go out on loan again, linking up with Arnaud Rousseau at Primeira Liga side Guimaraes. I also opted to recall 17-year-old striker Andrija Marjanovic from his loan at Aston Villa, for whom he'd scored seven goals in 19 Championship matches.

[CFuller]

Premier League Table (End of January 2042)

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.          Man Utd                23    15    6     2     47    24    +23   51
2.          Arsenal                23    14    5     4     42    19    +23   47
3.          Dag & Red              21    14    3     4     43    21    +22   45
4.          Man City               23    14    2     7     55    29    +26   44
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.          Derby                  23    13    4     6     52    30    +22   43
6.          Wolves                 23    11    5     7     38    32    +6    38
7.          Liverpool              23    11    5     7     38    34    +4    38
8.          Rochdale               23    11    4     8     28    30    -2    37
9.          Chelsea                23    10    4     9     31    32    -1    34
10.         West Brom              23    10    2     11    39    40    -1    32
11.         Tottenham              23    8     6     9     29    31    -2    30
12.         Fulham                 22    7     6     9     42    37    +5    27
13.         Norwich                23    6     7     10    37    44    -7    25
14.         Everton                23    6     7     10    28    40    -12   25
15.         Southampton            23    6     6     11    24    33    -9    24
16.         Huddersfield           23    5     7     11    26    53    -27   22
17.         West Ham               23    4     7     12    24    36    -12   19
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18.         Coventry               23    4     7     12    16    30    -14   19
19.         Reading                22    4     6     12    26    46    -20   18
20.         Burnley                23    2     7     14    18    42    -24   13

 

[CFuller]

FEBRUARY 2042

January had been another great month for our young French defensive midfielder Benjamin Guerin. The Tottenham Hotspur loanee continued to wow pundits with his mature performances, which saw him win the Premier League's Young Player of the Month award for the second month in a row.

 

Beni will be in the Dagenham & Redbridge first-team next season... and funnily enough, so will January's Player of the Month. West Ham United defender Nathan Guppy won that accolade, having put in some typically dogged defensive shifts since it was announced that he would join the Daggers in the summer. If that's what we can expect from Nathan when he crosses east London, I can't wait to see it!

 

The Premier League title race cranked up on the first day of February, with leaders Manchester United coasting past Arsenal 3-0 in the early kick-off at Old Trafford. That meant we would leapfrog Arsenal into 2nd place if we could win at Southampton later that afternoon.

 

1 February 2042: Southampton vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Dagenham captain Orlando Salvador returned to action in this match after a month-long injury lay-off. He was up and running as early as the very first minute. After relentlessly hassling Bart Abels in Southampton's penalty area, Orlando tackled the ball off the Dutch defender and teed up a simple finish for Elliot Cook, who scored his 20th goal of the campaign!

 

It had taken us just 44 seconds to break the deadlock, but the Saints could've equalised after 110. Winger Jason Park cut past our left-back Thulani Mazibuko before pulling a shot past the far post. Pack had another attempt on goal in the sixth minute, forcing Daggers goalkeeper Kayo Rowe into his first save.

 

Just like in the League Cup a week-and-a-half earlier, Southampton were soon taking the game to us. Star striker Maurice Hockley headed over a right-wing cross from Charlie Green in the ninth minute and took a while to find his range. Hockley came rather closer to adding to his collection of over 200 Premier League goals in the 24th minute. He struck left-winger Andrija Lazic's delivery into the 'D' on the half-volley, but Rowe was equal to it.

 

Further Saints chances from Peter Huisman and Pack went begging before the half-hour. Then, after 32 minutes, I witnessed something I hadn't seen since I was a schoolboy - a lethal finish from Peter Beardsley! The Saints left-back was nowhere near as prolific in front of goal as a certain Geordie namesake, but he sure made the most of a centre across the Dagenham area from midfielder Mário Sérgio.

 

Beardsley's bullet levelled the scoreline at 1-1, which was how it remained going into the second half. Southampton had opportunities to move ahead before the break, but Rowe saved attempts from Pack and Hockley in the 36th and 40th minutes. There was a chance for the hitherto anonymous Dagenham forward Antonis Siafos in between, but his header was easily caught by Saints keeper Joshua Regan.

 

Attacking midfielder Michal Twardzik replaced winger Milen Danchev in the Dagenham line-up for the second period. However, things turned sour for Twardzik in the 49th minute, when he fouled Mário Sérgio close to our area. Michal gashed his arm in the aggressive challenge, though he lined up in our wall to try and defend the free-kick, which Hockley fired against the woodwork.

 

The Saints won another free-kick deep in our half about two minutes later. Mário Sérgio's delivery was flicked towards goal by left-back Sofiane Attia, but Rowe came up with another fine catch. Sadly, Kayo and our defenders would be flummoxed by Southampton's next attack.

 

On 59 minutes, Green sent a first-time delivery across our half to Attia, who then weighted it ahead of Hockley as the St Mary's legend made a run for the far post, evading our centre-halves. Neither Kevin Schaeffer nor George Darvill could keep up with Hockley, whose tidy finish left us chasing the game at 2-1 down.

 

Siafos went close to grabbing a swift equaliser in the 61st minute, but his piledriver just cleared the bar. Four minutes later, it was Twardzik's turn to try and save us, though the Czech's strike was no match for Regan. I then made a significant change, substituting a nervy Siafos for Gianfranco Torre.

 

Southampton put us under further pressure in the 73rd minute, when they thought they'd gone 3-1 up. Captain and right-back Bill Middleton outmuscled Rowe to head Pack's free-kick into the net... but as Kayo was obviously being impeded, the officials declined to award a goal.

 

Two minutes later, a horrific mistake at the other end from Middleton threatened to turn the game on its head. Middleton's pass to fellow defender Green was cut out by Torre, who went one-on-one with an onrushing Regan... and blazed the ball inches wide of a gaping target! Franco was a centre-forward who almost always favoured power over accuracy, but surely a simple tap-in would have sufficed here!

 

That glaring miss was a devastating blow for the Daggers. We hardly looked like equalising in the final 15 minutes, and Kenneth Jorgensen's hopeless long-distance punt was the best we could manage in stoppage time. We once again left St Mary's defeated, and a day that could've seen us climb to 2nd place ended with us falling to 5th, behind both Derby County and Manchester City.

 

Southampton - 2 (Beardsley 32, Hockley 59)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Cook 1)

Premier League, Attendance 32,439 - POSITIONS: Southampton 13th, Dag & Red 5th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Álvarez, Schaeffer, Darvill, Mazibuko (Olvera), Pereira, Jorgensen, Danchev (Twardzik), Salvador, Siafos (Torre), Cook. BOOKED: Schaeffer.

 

We'd blown a great opportunity to overtake Arsenal, and we'd also lost ground on Manchester United at the top. Naturally, I was quite disappointed, but I had to concede that Southampton were the better team on the day.

 

We had a chance to make amends by beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge four days later, though it wouldn't be easy. Ronen Azulay's team had lost just one home match all season long - and even then, it had taken Arsenal 94 minutes to break the deadlock. The Blues' dreadful away record perhaps explained their mid-table position of 9th.

 

5 February 2042: Chelsea vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Chelsea suffered a significant setback just four minutes into proceedings. Brazilian right-back Wanderley strained his knee ligaments while tackling Daggers centre-half Michael Walters on the edge of our area. Wanderley's injury led to a very early introduction into the game for Rong Chuangyi.

 

The Blues took a while to settle down after that, but in the 14th minute, they threatened to open the scoring. Midfielder Ignacio Barandiaran played an excellent ball down the line for Shaun Powell, whose right-wing cross found Wales colleague Callum Lea. It was a good diving header at the near post from the striker, but Kayo Rowe was well-positioned to catch it.

 

Four minutes later, it was our turn to go on the attack. Though Rong did well to intercept a floating cross from our right-back Enrique Álvarez, the Spaniard's follow-up moments later would evade the Chelsea defence. Elliot Cook met it with a sweet left-footed volley to continue his scoring streak and break the deadlock!

 

The Blues looked to level in the 23rd minute, when Lea passed Kevin Schaeffer and powered in a shot from the edge of the area. Rowe just about palmed the ball away before Schaeffer got back to clear. A tense conclusion to the first half saw a booking for Chelsea midfielder Eddie Harrison, as well as one for Cook. Lea then had another chance to draw the hosts level just before half-time, but Kayo pushed behind the striker's header from Thomas Van Campenhout's left-wing cross.

 

Rowe was in inspired form again five minutes into the second half, when he got across his goal to divert behind a piledriver from Barandiaran. Our number 1 would thwart the Basque playmaker again in the 60th minute, following a scrappy period of play that had seen both teams lose a midfielder.

 

Daggers destroyer Lee Allen was first to falter, hurting himself in a challenge on Blues defender Karl Marsh after 53 minutes. Allen had to come off and be replaced with Warren Johnston. Ironically, four minutes later, Johnston was involved in a collision with Guillermo Mas that ended the Chelsea middleman's game early.

 

The Blues launched their next assault after 65 minutes, but Lea's lacklustre evening continued when he pulled the ball wide after bypassing Schaeffer again. Six minutes after that, Orlando Salvador's excellent free-kick into the Chelsea box was flicked wide by Gianfranco Torre, who'd just replaced Cook.

 

We faced one last attack from the hosts nine minutes from time. Rong's cross from the right found fellow injury replacement Daniel Murdoch in the Daggers box, and the local boy laid the ball on for Barandiaran to hammer it goalwards. Incredibly, Kayo came good once again, with another excellent parry helping him on the way to a well-earned clean sheet.

 

Condemned to just their second home defeat of the campaign, the frustrated Blues ended up goalless, and with a couple of late yellow cards for left-flankers Fred Taylor and Van Campenhout. We finished with a host of scoring opportunities, the best of which came in the 89th minute from Kenneth Jorgensen, whose low drive was caught by Humberto Cano. In the end, though, Cookie's first-half volley was enough to earn us the points.

 

Chelsea - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Cook 18)

Premier League, Attendance 43,000 - POSITIONS: Chelsea 10th, Dag & Red 3rd

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Álvarez (Mazibuko), Schaeffer, Walters, Olvera, Allen (Johnston), Jorgensen, Danchev, Salvador, Siafos, Cook (Torre). BOOKED: Cook.

 

We were now back in the top three... but lying in wait next for us were leaders Manchester United, who'd just destroyed Derby County to the tune of 8-1. Yikes.

 

The Red Devils arrived at Rainham Road on a six-game winning streak in the league, though they were without several big-name players. Right-back Klevis Idrizi was out with knee tendonitis, while wingers Kim Chang-Hoon and Stuart Thompson were also injured. There was no sign of Sean Jordan either, as the legendary striker had returned home to New Jersey to consider his future after leaving United by mutual consent on deadline day.

 

Our chances of prolonging our excellent unbeaten home record hadn't been helped by the weather, as there were strong winds and a huge downpour at Rainham Road prior to kick-off. That said, I had a plan to deal with both the adverse conditions and Manchester United. For the first time this season, I lined my players up in a 3-4-1-2, and ordered them to play direct, high-tempo football.

 

9 February 2042: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Manchester United

Both teams had opportunities to score from free-kicks in the opening moments. Dagenham captain Orlando Salvador went for goal first, but his third-minute set-piece was too close to Seán Rooney in the Manchester United goal. Three minutes later, United's Sebastián Núnez had Kayo Rowe beaten from 35 yards... but the Argentine midfielder was thwarted by the woodwork. Daggers defender Michael Walters then made a vital tackle to prevent France striker Baptiste Bidegain from burying the rebound.

 

Then, after 10 minutes, the Red Devils' usually rock-solid captain José Luis lost focus at the back. He was dispossessed by Spanish compatriot Enrique Álvarez, whose right-wing cross found Salvador in the six-yard box. I was about to celebrate when Rooney somehow palmed Orlando's tap-in behind, keeping the scores at 0-0!

 

Gianfranco Torre missed the target with his first shot for us on 19 minutes, though a better chance arose four minutes later. Franco latched onto strike partner Elliot Cook's through-ball, only for Rooney to brilliantly stop the Italian's strike.

 

We were now putting Manchester United under massive pressure. Salvador's trickery on the ball was too much for German destroyer Leszek Michniewicz, who bruised a rib while trying to tackle the Portuguese magician in the 30th minute. Michniewicz was substituted, with Dimitri Adam taking his place in the Red Devils' midfield.

 

The beleaguered visitors launched a counter-attack in the 37th minute, but it ended with Shaun Murray heading Lider Bay's deep cross well wide. We then finished the first half with a couple more shots on target from Torre, both of which were brilliantly stopped by Rooney. Had it not been for the Irishman, we would surely have been miles ahead at the break.

 

Rooney kept on producing heroics in the Manchester United goal early in the second half. Salvador was denied in the 46th minute, though we threatened to attack again until Álvarez tripped United winger Hany El Sayed moments later. Enrique was booked, and I called him to the touchline to calm him down. I was far from calm in the 50th and 54th minutes, when respective shots from Torre and Cook were saved by a seemingly unbeatable Rooney.

 

Many Daggers fans were wondering how we could possibly break through when, after 61 minutes, the Red Devils finally cracked. It was Cook's run towards the right flank that drew United centre-half Michel out of position, leaving a gap for Salvador to run into. Elliot passed short to Frédéric Pereira, whose first-time through-ball sent Orlando on his way. The captain raced clear and thundered in a fine finish, sparking huge celebrations at Rainham Road!

 

United tried to nullify Pereira's threat in the 67th minute, when a hefty challenge from Adam left Frédi badly hurt. The French midfielder bravely carried on, though, and when I did make a change two minutes later, it was Cook who made way for Antonis Siafos. Tony would be heavily involved in the move that saw us double our advantage four minutes later.

 

Adam could only head Salvador's corner as far as George Darvill 20 yards from goal. Darvill passed it back into the danger area for Siafos, whose attempted shot was scrambled home by Torre in a crowded six-yard box! 2-0 to Dagenham & Redbridge!

 

Franco went close to scoring again a minute later, as he latched onto a weighted ball from Orlando before driving it wide. The big centre-forward wouldn't finish with a brace, though he would end up with a yellow card after clattering into visiting right-back Eldar Nozdrin on 76 minutes.

 

I then benched Pereira in the 78th minute, so he could receive proper treatment for his knock. Schaeffer also left the field two minutes later, having strained his thigh in a last-ditch tackle on Murray. That about as close as United would come to getting a shot on target, as substitutes Kenneth Jorgensen and Bradley Charles helped us to shut out the champions.

 

Arguably our most inspired performance of the season would end with us claiming a third goal in the third minute of injury time. Torre had hassled the Red Devils' defenders all day long, and he didn't let up when Nozdrin tried to move the ball on to Michel. Franco tackled the ball away from Michel's feet and into the penalty area, where Orlando slotted it past Rooney to round off a 3-0 Daggers victory!

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (Salvador 61,90, Torre 71)

Manchester United - 0

Premier League, Attendance 26,772 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 3rd, Man Utd 1st

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Schaeffer (Charles), Darvill, Walters, Álvarez, Knox, Pereira (Jorgensen), Mazibuko, Salvador, Torre, Cook (Siafos). BOOKED: Álvarez, Torre.

 

That result really did look like being a potential turning point for Dagenham & Redbridge.

 

We would play our games in hand on the top two within the next 10 days - away at Fulham on 12 February, and then at home to Reading a week later. If we could win one of those matches, we would go above Arsenal into 2nd. Win both, and we would go level on points with United at the top, if not overtake them on goal difference.

[CFuller]

FEBRUARY 2042 (continued)

I forgot to mention this before the Manchester United match, but Under-18s defender Bradley Douglas went out on loan again. Bradley joined League One strugglers Northampton Town for a month, during which he would cover for one of their injured starting centre-backs.

 

Anyway, back to Premier League matters, and we followed up our excellent win over the leaders with a midweek away game against mid-table Fulham. The Cottagers' on-loan Daggers striker Stevie Merson was unable to play in this match, but they still had Joe Shepherd, whose haul of 19 league goals had put him 3rd in the Golden Boot race. If we could keep the Scotsman schtum, it would go some way to earning us a win at Craven Cottage.

 

12 February 2042: Fulham vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Joe Shepherd had his first opportunity to add to his goal tally after just five minutes. Fulham's star striker got his head to an excellent corner from Catatau, but Dagenham goalkeeper Kayo Rowe produced an even better save to push it behind. The second Catatau corner was then cleared by George Darvill as we held firm.

 

That turned out to be the only real scoring opportunity in a tense opening 20 minutes, during which Fulham had veteran midfielder Lloyd Mulvaney booked for a clumsy challenge on Kenneth Jorgensen. The referee issued another yellow card in the 27th minute, this time to Daggers left-back Juan Esteban Olvera, who'd cut through Cottagers captain Dan Mortimer. The subsequent free-kick started a home attack that culminated in Shepherd driving his low shot inches wide.

 

Fulham had another opportunity in the 37th minute, when Mulvaney lifted a free-kick into our box. Daggers striker Antonis Siafos climbed above Cottagers counterpart Fethi Yaken to head it behind, prompting the hosts to unsuccessfully claim for a penalty. Yaken then rifled a half-volley off target three minutes later.

 

Up until the 42nd minute, our only shots had been a couple of blocked attempts from Lee Allen and Mark Washington. Captain Orlando Salvador would fare rather better just before half-time. After Dagenham right-back Enrique Álvarez was tackled by Fulham winger Ales Sterba close to the home area, Orlando rushed to the loose ball and lashed in an unstoppable strike! It'd taken a great effort from a truly wonderful player to give us the lead!

 

The second half started off scrappily, with Shepherd and Allen each picking up minor knocks for their respective teams. Unlike in the first period, though, we went on the offensive early on. In the 54th minute, attacking midfielder Michal Twardzik delivered a warning shot that was well held by Fulham goalkeeper Luka Jishiashvili.

 

Barely a minute later, Jishiashvili was looking rather less assured. Salvador looked for Siafos, who dribbled into the area and powered the ball goalwards. Jishiashvili could only palm it into the path of our vice-captain Washington, whose first senior goal since December gave us a 2-0 advantage!

 

Mark was now looking for a brace. Washington had a shot blocked by Fulham left-back Ivo Vogel in the 63rd minute, but Salvador quickly headed the ball back to the American, who then drilled it beyond the far post. When Salvador was booked for tripping Catatau in the 67th minute, I quickly decided to take him off and keep him fresh for future matches. As Paddy Rattle entered the field, the captain's armband was passed to Mark, who soon helped us to kill the game off.

 

After Yaken was booked for felling Álvarez on 71 minutes, Washington floated a free-kick into the area from the right. Jishiashvili tipped the delivery behind before Siafos could head it home, but the next set-piece would be too much for him. Thulani Mazibuko's outswinging corner was perfectly weighted for George Darvill to flick in his fourth league goal of the season, setting a new personal record!

 

George's bullet put the seal on a 3-0 Daggers win, and we could even have finished on four goals had either Twardzik or Siafos not spurned late chances. Michal would also end the game on a yellow card after tripping Fulham defender Raúl Gomes on 88 minutes.

 

Fulham - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (Salvador 42, Washington 55, Darvill 72)

Premier League, Attendance 30,000 - POSITIONS: Fulham 12th, Dag & Red 2nd

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Álvarez (Danchev), Charles, Darvill, Olvera (Mazibuko), Jorgensen, Salvador (Rattle), Allen, Twardzik, Washington, Siafos. BOOKED: Olvera, Salvador, Twardzik.

 

We had now moved ahead of Arsenal into 2nd place, and there was a chance that we could overtake leaders Manchester United if we won our next league match the following week. Before Reading's visit to Rainham Road, though, we had another big home game to plan for.

 

It was Round 5 of the FA Cup, and Derby County arrived at Rainham Road fancying their chances of scalping the holders. The Rams were on course to breach the Premier League's top four for the first time, and they had arguably the most fearsome attack in the division. Yassine Allali and company would surely push us all the way.

 

15 February 2042: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Derby County

Derby certainly made their intentions clear from the off. After a mesmeric passing move in the 9th minute, England Under-21s winger Joby Lyons swung a deep cross into our box. Yassine Allali jumped above Daggers defender Bradley Charles to nod it down to another Rams youngster in Matty Holmes, whose diving header was caught by Antoni Giménez.

 

Allali's first scoring opportunity saw him screw a free-kick wide in the 14th minute, but the Premier League's joint-top scorer would be back on target just two minutes later. Daggers playmaker Eric Knox paid a heavy price for having a pass intercepted by Derby defender Radek Pilar, who lobbed it upfield towards Allali. The Belgian beast glided past Charles and then powered home his 26th goal in all competitions this season!

 

Trailing 1-0 to a fearsome County team was worrying enough, and it certainly didn't bode well for our chances of a comeback when Frédéric Pereira was booked in the 28th minute. Frédi's mistimed tackle on Leigh Cheetham left the French destroyer walking a proverbial tightrope, and he wasn't quite as threatening to the visitors thereafter.

 

Thulani Mazibuko briefly ruffled the Rams' wool by driving a shot just wide on 34 minutes. On the stroke of half-time, though, we were rammed to the canvas by a devastating counterstrike.

 

Dagenham captain Mark Washington's free-kick delivery into the Derby area was headed clear by rival skipper Paul Sherwood. The Rams then charged forward before Allali's byline cross was blasted into the net by 20-year-old midfielder Holmes. At 2-0 down, we were now in real danger of meekly surrendering both the FA Cup and our unbeaten home record!

 

I used my half-time team-talk to remind the Daggers of what they were about to lose. They returned with a renewed hunger, and with two pairs of fresh legs in Lee Allen and Milen Danchev. Pereira was subbed to prevent him picking up another yellow card, while Michal Twardzik also came off after a similarly disappointing first period.

 

Despite his earlier error, I kept faith in Knox. Eric would get us up and running in the 47th minute, with his piledriver forcing Derby keeper Frederik Bisgaard into his first save of the afternoon. The Danish custodian would then tip away a 52nd-minute cross from Gianfranco Torre, two minutes after counterpart Giménez had caught a header from Allali to stop us falling further behind.

 

Washington next went close for Dagenham on 56 minutes, swerving a free-kick just off target. Six minutes later, Mark showed how willing he was to fight for the Daggers cause. A through-ball from Danchev looked like being hoovered up by Pilar, but Washington was just about able to divert it beyond the County centre-half and ahead of Allen. When Lee got behind the defence and stabbed the loose ball past Bisgaard, he cut our arrears down to a single goal!

 

However, in the 67th minute, Derby threatened to go two goals clear again. Rams right-back Cheetham knocked the ball down the line for Lyons to cross to Allali. Home fans held their breaths as the striker jumped clear of Mazibuko... and flicked the cross off target.

 

I then made my final substitution in the 73rd minute, taking Knox off to give Orlando Salvador the chance to save our skins. Orlando had just come on when an equalising opportunity arose for one of our earlier subs. Danchev ran onto a fine weighted pass from Mazibuko, but his shot was too close to Bisgaard.

 

Milen would produce a moment to truly savour just three minutes later. The young Bulgarian right-winger evaded pressure from Derby left-back Ntesang Phiri and crossed towards the six-yard box, where Orlando slid the centre into the net! It was now 2-2, and the momentum was with the Daggers!

 

Danchev looked to complete the comeback in the 79th minute, only for Bisgaard to make a comfortable catch. Five minutes later, Derby's 'other' Belgian striker was hoping to spoil our dreams. Roan Van Camp - a 22-year-old who'd come off the bench after Salvador's equaliser - latched onto a pass from Holmes and then struck from the edge of our 'D'. Giménez couldn't quite reach Van Camp's shot, but his near post saved him, as the ball was deflected wide!

 

We then benefitted from another huge slice of luck in the final minute of normal time. Salvador was shoved by Derby defender Chris Moss right on the edge of the visitors' penalty box, giving him a free-kick in a great position. The Portuguese playmaker drove in a powerful set-piece that was blocked by Holmes in the Rams' wall, but then deflected beyond a helpless Bisgaard and into the net! Salvador the supersub had brought us from the brink of elimination and led us into the FA Cup Quarter Finals!

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (Allen 62, Salvador 76,90)

Derby County - 2 (Allali 18, Holmes 45)

FA Cup Round 5, Attendance 23,157

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Giménez, Mazibuko, Charles, Walters, Olvera, Johnston, Knox (Salvador), Pereira (Allen), Twardzik (Danchev), Washington, Torre. BOOKED: Pereira.

 

As Derby County wondered what the heck had happened, we got ourselves into the FA Cup Round 6 draw. Things had opened up nicely for us again, with Arsenal the only other top-six Premier League side still in contention. Indeed, we would be given a favourable away draw against Crystal Palace - one of no fewer than four Championship teams who had made it to the Quarter Finals.

 

Is it too early to talk about the Daggers winning back-to-back FA Cups?

[CFuller]

FEBRUARY 2042 (continued)

19 February looked like being a seminal day in Dagenham & Redbridge's season. If we could defeat Reading by at least three goals at Rainham Road, we would go above Manchester United and lead the Premier League, with 12 rounds left to play.

 

The Daggers had not lost a home match in any competition for nigh on 17 months. The Royals were 18th and had not won away from home in the league all season. Many people thought the outcome was a foregone conclusion, but not me.

 

19 February 2042: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Reading

My first cause for concern came after just three minutes. Dagenham goalkeeper Kayo Rowe appeared to hurt his thigh when punting away a back-pass from full-back Enrique Álvarez. Kayo was thankfully able to carry on after receiving some strapping from our head physio Adam Hutchings.

 

Reading's number 1 Patrick Braspenning was first tested in the 7th minute, when he caught a deflected shot from Daggers captain Orlando Salvador. A minute later, our wounded warrior Rowe produced his first save to deny Royals skipper Ryan Galbraith.

 

The visitors would have another chance to hit us on the break in the 13th minute, when Galbraith intercepted a miscued volley from Daggers forward Gianfranco Torre. He then exchanged passes with fellow Reading striker Carl Hubert, who drew our central defenders towards him before returning the ball for an unmarked Galbraith to finish.

 

A collection of errors had seen us fall behind, with Torre's mistake arguably the costliest in my eyes. Franco attempted to make amends from a free-kick in the 22nd minute after midfielder Lee Allen had been upended by Royals legend Ricky Hales. Unfortunately, Torre's powerful set-piece deflected behind off Hubert's shoulder. Reading centre-half Keith McDonagh cleared Milen Danchev's follow-up corner, but we would soon be back.

 

On 28 minutes, a poorly-executed slide tackle from Hales on Salvador diverted the ball into the away penalty area. Dagenham's top scorer Elliot Cook pounced on it and then gobbled it up, with a tidy finish levelling the scores!

 

Salvador then eyed up a second Daggers goal in the 31st minute, only to power it beyond the far post. Three minutes after that, our Mexican left-back Juan Esteban Olvera sustained a knock and was forced out, with Thulani Mazibuko replacing him.

 

The closing stages of the first half would be nerve-wracking for both teams. Galbraith could have restored Reading's advantage from a Ziva Djuric cross in the 40th minute, but his header was caught by Rowe. We then went very close to going 2-1 up ourselves on the stroke of half-time, when Braspenning pushed a Salvador header against his crossbar before Dale Shotton cleared.

 

Antonis Siafos replaced the disappointing Torre for the second half. Within seconds of kick-off, Tony had been fouled by erstwhile Daggers right-back Nolan Barber, prompting the referee to bring out his yellow card for the first time. Standing at only 5ft 7in, Barber was a potential weak link in the Reading defence, and we looked to exploit his lack of height in the 51st minute. Elliot got above Nolan to head Milen's right-wing cross goalwards, but Braspenning caught it with ease.

 

Siafos and Cook each missed further shots in subsequent minutes before another mishit Daggers pass threatened to unravel us. Álvarez was the guilty party this time, with Shotton cutting his pass out before starting a counter-attack. The move ended with a one-two between Shotton and Galbraith before the former's shot was blocked by Rowe and punted into touch by a relieved Allen.

 

Reading had us on the back foot for a while, but the introduction of young playmaker Paddy Rattle appeared to turn the tide. In the 76th minute, Rattle sprayed an excellent long ball out left to Siafos. The Greek forward knocked it past Barber - now hampered by an injury - and then dribbled to the byline. Once Orlando had made his way into the six-yard box, Tony whipped in a cross, only to watch in horror as the captain glanced it wide!

 

Salvador knew that his wasted sitter was a crucial one. Siafos did try to rectify matters by having a couple of late attempts, but one went well wide and the other found its way into Braspenning's hands. Had our main men been more lethal in front of goal, we would have surely ended up with more than a draw - only our second at Rainham Road this term.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Cook 29)

Reading - 1 (Galbraith 13)

Premier League, Attendance 26,358 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 2nd, Reading 18th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Álvarez, Charles, Walters, Olvera (Mazibuko), Allen, Jorgensen, Danchev (Rattle), Salvador, Torre (Siafos), Cook.

 

This was very much a case of "two points dropped" as far as I saw it. We could and arguably should have been level on points with Manchester United, but our failure to kill Reading off left us with some ground still to make up.

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.          Man Utd                26    17    6     3     58    28    +30   57
2.          Dag & Red              26    17    4     5     52    24    +28   55
3.          Arsenal                26    16    5     5     48    24    +24   53
4.          Derby                  26    15    4     7     60    41    +19   49
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.          Man City               26    15    3     8     58    30    +28   48
6.          Wolves                 26    13    6     7     43    34    +9    45

 

We will discover in March if that draw is a costly one with regards to challenging for the title. In the meantime, we had a couple of cup matches ahead, the first of which saw us pay another visit to Wembley Stadium.

 

The League Cup Final didn't usually take place on a Saturday, but 22 February 2042 was no ordinary Saturday. A victory against Liverpool would see us regain the trophy, which we'd lost to Fulham 12 months earlier, and take it home for the third time in five seasons.

 

Hicham Martin had to miss this match through injury, as did Croatian duo Dzenan Genjac and Mirko Saric. I also left several regular starters out of the XI, instead maintaining faith in some of the fringe players who'd taken us this far.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge Starting XI - 2042 League Cup Final

Antoni Giménez (Goalkeeper, age 25, Spanish) - Backup goalie Antoni had kept an impressive 11 clean sheets in 20 games this season. The agile Catalan's spellbinding display against Southampton in the Semi Final second leg was arguably the main reason why we'd made it to Wembley.

Enrique Álvarez (Right-Back, age 22, Spanish) - Enrique had finally justified his club-record transfer fee with some consistently strong performances in defence. His decision-making under pressure had certainly improved, and he'd occasionally captained the team to some big wins.

Kevin Schaeffer (Centre-Back, age 23, French) - After nearly a fortnight out with a thigh strain, Kevin returned just in time for the Final. The big covering defender had done well thus far this term, but his long-term Daggers future probably depended on how he fared in high-stakes matches.

George Darvill (Centre-Back, age 28, English) - Was there anything that hadn't yet been said about King George of Dagenham? We could always depend on this rock-solid veteran of over 450 senior matches, who was an especially imposing figure when playing in big matches such as this.

Thulani Mazibuko (Left-Back, age 28, South African) - Thulani was deputising for the injured Hicham Martin and the rested Juan Esteban Olvera on the left side of our defence. Though no longer a league regular, the versatile Daggers stalwart had started in all but one of our cup matches this season.

Warren Johnston (Defensive Midfielder, age 21, English) - Warren was our only League Cup ever-present, so it was only right that he got a start here. The Londoner's first full season of senior football at Rainham Road had not been easy, but he'd proven himself to be a solid anchor man.

Eric Knox (Central Midfielder, age 22, Canadian) - After three years out on loan, this season had seen Eric emerge as a potential Premier League playmaker. This native of Hamilton, Ontario possessed sublime vision and a deft first touch, which had helped him to thrive in recent months.

Frédéric Pereira (Central Midfielder, age 29, French) - Frédéric was a truly world-class midfield dynamo who could cause mayhem in all areas of the pitch. While his recent form has been hit-and-miss, I still expected total commitment from one of Dagenham's hardest-working players.

Michal Twardzik (Attacking Midfielder, age 21, Czech) - Michal's season, much like his rival Dzenan Genjac's, had often been disrupted by injuries. I hoped that a strong showing at Wembley would see this young midfield runner kick on and live up to his exceptional potential.

Mark Washington (Forward, age 30, American) - Daggers icon Mark would lead us out onto the Wembley turf, quite possibly for the final time. The cool-finishing striker had three FA Cup Final goals amongst his 111 club strikes, but he had yet to find the net in a League Cup decider.

Antonis Siafos (Forward, age 24, Greek) - Antonis had 14 goals and 12 assists to his credit this season, though the often deadly deep-lying forward was going through a mini-drought. We perhaps needed the Greek god's penchant for tidy finishing to return quickly if this Final was to end in glory.

 

This was the fourth time we had travelled to north-west London to contest a League Cup Final. For the first time, though, we wouldn't be facing another team from the capital. Liverpool had made it to their first domestic cup decider since 2035, and they were desperate to end a 26-year wait to lift one of the three major English trophies.

 

Though Liverpool's recent league form had been indifferent, they had made their way to Wembley after an excellent aggregate victory over Manchester City. Reds manager Marcus Appleton had almost his entire first-team to choose from, save for injured goalkeeper Gavin Stopforth and cup-tied former West Ham United midfielder Shaun Greaves.

 

Liverpool Starting XI - 2042 League Cup Final

Oliver Piper (Goalkeeper, age 30, English) - Piper spent five seasons at Blackburn Rovers before moving to Liverpool as understudy to the long-serving Gavin Stopforth. A serious injury to the latter had given this commanding Mancunian an extended run in the Reds' starting line-up.

Sebastian Beck (Right-Back, age 27, German) - Despite having been capped five times by Germany, Beck was merely a peripheral figure at Anfield. The pacey and energetic full-back was a very strong tackler, though his decision-making sometimes left plenty to be desired.

Aykut Inanc (Centre-Back, age 30, Turkish) - Inanc is Liverpool's other German-born defender, though the Turkish international is very much a first-team regular. His excellent positioning and awareness made him a quality covering centre-half who many strikers didn't want to face.

Alessio Beretta (Centre-Back, age 24, Italian) - Beretta was a man in demand in the summer, and it was Liverpool who won the race to sign him from hometown club AC Milan for £17million. Imposing in the air and calm on the ball, it wasn't hard to see why the Reds wanted him.

Erick Rodriguez (Left-Back, age 33, Costa Rican) - Rodriguez was in his seventh season as Liverpool's first-choice left-back. The resilient and consistent Central American was a strong man-marker when defending, not to mention a serious threat out wide when attacking.

Leo Veenboer (Right Midfielder, age 31, Dutch) - Reds skipper Veenboer was a light-hearted character, but we wouldn't let that fool us into a false sense of security. The flying Dutchman was a lethal poacher who occasionally played on the right wing, as he would do here at Wembley.

Patrik Horak (Central Midfielder, age 31, Czech) - Horak missed much of the first half of this season with a torn groin muscle, but the anchor man was now back in business. I expected this energetic workhorse to hassle our midfielders all day long and come in with some tough tackles.

Frans Neven (Central Midfielder, age 25, Belgian) - A bargain £11million buy from Napoli in the summer of 2040, Neven had truly flourished for Liverpool this season. This creative pass master had four goals and 12 assists to his name, and there would surely be plenty more to come.

Mirza Korajlic (Left Midfielder, age 27, Bosnian) - Korajlic was a left-sided, right-footed attacker with a knack for taking a mean set-piece, as we found out in a league fixture last year. The flamboyant former Bayern Munich trickster also loved to knock the ball past his opponents and then cut inside.

Doug Higgs (Forward, age 24, English) - Former Arsenal poacher Higgs joined Liverpool last summer following an excellent season in Scotland with Hibernian. The talented and intelligent frontman had not yet met expectations on Merseyside, but it was surely only a matter of time before he did.

Aleksandrs Lapkovskis (Forward, age 25, Latvian) - Lapkovskis was the Reds' joint-top scorer this season, with 13 goals. He'd quickly become a fan favourite after his summer move from Donji Srem in Serbia, with his majestic dribbling ability proving particularly captivating to Scousers.

 

We'd already won the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Championship this season. Could we now claim a third trophy, and make it halfway towards a potential sextuple?

[CFuller]

FEBRUARY 2042 (continued)

22 February 2042: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Liverpool

This was without doubt the biggest match of Eric Knox's Dagenham career thus far. He was a tad anxious in the opening stages, and it showed when he tripped Liverpool midfielder Patrik Horak in the third minute. Referee Adam James quickly reached for his yellow card, and Eric had to watch his step from then on.

 

Liverpool first attacked us in the sixth minute, but when Mirza Korajlic's left-wing cross was cleared away by George Darvill, we prepared to hit the Reds on the counter-attack. Within moments, Antonis Siafos had collected an excellent pass from Thulani Mazibuko and was dribbling into the Reds' penalty area. Tony powered the ball goalwards with all his might, but the shot ricocheted off the crossbar and went wide for a throw-in.

 

Another Dagger who was unlucky not to score an early opener was attacking midfielder Michal Twardzik. In the 15th minute, Twardzik latched onto a threaded pass from Siafos and tried to drill in a daisy-cutter from 20 yards. Michal missed the target by a matter of inches.

 

Liverpool then put our defence under a bit more pressure before Kevin Schaeffer was forced to concede a corner in the 20th minute. Korajlic's delivery from the left was cleared by Darvill, but only as far as Leo Veenboer. The Liverpool captain sprayed the ball back to Korajlic, who drilled a follow-up centre across goal for Doug Higgs to drive home. The former Arsenal striker had broken the deadlock in the League Cup Final.

 

Thulani looked to draw us level in the 26th minute, only to see his direct free-kick blocked by Frans Neven in the Reds' wall. Two minutes later, Daggers captain Mark Washington showed real determination to incept Neven's attempted back-pass to defender Alessio Beretta. The ball was knocked on to Siafos, who advanced goalwards before being stopped by a fantastic slide tackle from right-back Sebastian Beck. Liverpool's left-back Erick Rodriguez then hacked the ball behind the byline before it could reach Washington.

 

We would later a couple of corners, which were headed the bar by Schaeffer and Darvill. To be fair to Kevin and George, their defensive interceptions at the other end were arguably keeping us in the game. It was just a shame that our attacking players weren't quite living up to expectations yet.

 

It took us 36 minutes to register a shot on target. Siafos got above a host of red shirts to flick Washington's cross towards goal, only for Liverpool goalkeeper Oliver Piper to claw it behind. That was followed by a couple of wayward shots from captain Mark. Our 1-0 deficit remained at half-time, leaving me with a big motivational job to do in the dressing room.

 

"That wasn't great, lads, but I think you've been unlucky," I told the players at half-time. "I've seen you rush into a few shots, and a few passes have gone a bit wayward. If you can just relax a bit more and forget about the occasion, then you can play your natural game, and maybe we can pull Liverpool back." I also made one personnel change during the interval, with Orlando Salvador taking Knox's place as our central midfield playmaker.

 

Liverpool had the opening shot of the second period, but Korajlic's 47th-minute strike was pulled well wide. A minute later, we got another opportunity to hit the Reds on the break. Schaeffer's upfield punt was volleyed by Siafos to Twardzik, who then lifted it ahead of Washington. As Mark surged up the right flank, Tony made his way to the near post, where he powered in the American's cut-back and equalised!

 

A joyful Siafos celebrated his 15th goal of the season, but almost as soon as one Greek striker had erased Liverpool's lead, another had restored it. That man was 27-year-old Reds substitute Thodoris Karabatos, who'd replaced the anonymous Aleksandrs Lapkovskis at half-time. A minute after Siafos' leveller, Liverpool's danger man Korajlic cut inside from the left flank and lashed in a shot from the edge of our area. Dagenham goalkeeper Antoni Giménez parried the Bosnian's drive, but he couldn't keep the rebound away from Karabatos, who put us 2-1 behind.

 

It soon became abundantly clear that our largely second-string attack was struggling to make inroads into a first-class Liverpool defence. Twardzik missed our next scoring opportunity in the 51st minute, curling it past the post. Siafos then had three chances in the space of two minutes, but two missed the target and the other was tipped behind by Piper.

 

As we continued to toil, I considered my options, and then prepared winger Milen Danchev and target man Gianfranco Torre to come on. They were warming up on the touchline in the 67th minute when Veenboer attempted to drive in a third Liverpool goal from distance. Thankfully, Giménez didn't have too many problems in securing the ball. Danchev and Torre would come on about a minute later, with Twardzik and Washington the men who made way.

 

We were now going for a more direct, attacking approach, but that left us a bit more vulnerable to counter-offensives from the Reds. Had Karabatos been more accurate with a couple of shots in the 70th and 72nd minutes, the contest would surely have been over.

 

As it was, we were still in the running, and Darvill could've got us back level on 73 minutes. George got his head to an outswinging corner from Orlando, but Piper heroically tipped it over his bar. That won us another corner, but this time, Darvill couldn't threaten the target from Danchev's delivery. That was as close as we would come to equalising for a second time.

 

The match came to a scrappy conclusion, with Mr James issuing a couple of late yellow cards. Daggers midfielder Frédéric Pereira was booked in the 80th minute for holding back Veenboer, and Higgs was then cautioned a couple of minutes later for tripping Warren Johnston.

 

In between those fouls, Liverpool manager Marcus Appleton decided to bench Korajlic and give Javier de Gregorio a late run-out on the left wing. Appleton would keep his third and final substitution in reserve, and with good reason. We never came remotely close to threatening Liverpool in the dying moments, and Mr James' full-time whistle confirmed that we had lost successive League Cup Finals.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Siafos 48)

Liverpool - 2 (Higgs 20, Karabatos 49)

League Cup Final, Attendance 90,000

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Giménez, Álvarez, Schaeffer, Darvill, Mazibuko, Johnston, Knox (Salvador), Pereira, Twardzik (Danchev), Washington (Torre), Siafos. BOOKED: Knox, Pereira.

 

George Darvill was given the Alan Hardaker Trophy after a valiant man-of-the-match performance in the Daggers defence. However, the trophy we really wanted was in the hands of Liverpool captain Leo Veenboer, who proudly lifted it up in the Royal Box as his team-mates celebrated.

 

Still... the League Cup wasn't that important in the grand scheme of competitions. Our next match just three days later would carry rather more significance for Dagenham supporters.

 

For the third time in a little under 15 months, we graced the Grand Stade Paris and did battle with Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League. We'd won once and lost once on our previous two visits to the French capital, but PSG would be gunning for revenge after the Daggers ended their continental dreams in last season's Quarter Finals.

 

This particular match was the first leg of our Round of 16 encounter. George Darvill stayed at home with exhaustion following his exploits at Wembley. However, the likes of Kayo Rowe, Kenneth Jorgensen and Elliot Cook did return to action, having been rested over the weekend.

 

25 February 2042: Paris Saint-Germain vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Paris Saint-Germain's first attack in the fifth minute ended with winger Matteo Caurla being flagged offside. Dagenham goalkeeper Kayo Rowe quickly lifted the free-kick up to striker Elliot Cook, who dribbled towards goal before having a shot blocked by PSG centre-half Joe Osman. Fortunately, Milen Danchev was on hand to reach the loose ball and cross it to Daggers captain Orlando Salvador, who drove us into an early lead!

 

With an away goal to our name, the onus was now on Les Parisiens to try and restore parity quickly. Their captain and record goalscorer Mario swerved a banana shot at goal in the 14th minute, but Rowe gathered it easily. Kayo made similarly light work of Mario's next attempt in the 17th minute after the 34-year-old Spaniard had latched onto a through-ball from Julián Vargas Sánchez.

 

As it transpired, Vargas Sánchez was the PSG player that we should have been most worried about. The Colombian winger flummoxed Thulani Mazibuko in the 20th minute by cutting past our right-back and entering the penalty area, where he stroked a clinical equalising shot beyond Rowe.

 

Vargas Sánchez would cause defence us more problems on 25 minutes. His pass set up an edge-of-the-area strike from Mario that Rowe only just managed to push away. A minute after that, Salvador committed a costly foul on the hosts' holding midfielder Emanuel Hontoria. Orlando was issued with his third yellow card in the competition this season, which meant our captain would be banned from the return leg.

 

Suspension was far from Salvador's mind in the 32nd minute, when his free-kick was flicked towards goal by Michael Walters, but PSG goalie Fabián Acosta clawed the young centre-half's header away just in time. There were no further shots at goal before half-time, though the hosts' defence produced a couple of strong interceptions to snuff out Dagenham attacks. Strikers Cook and Gianfranco Torre would need to be savvier in the second half if Salvador's away goal wasn't to be our only one.

 

Mario had scored 40 goals for Paris Saint-Germain in all competitions this season, but Rowe was determined not to let him add to his tally here. Kayo thwarted the evergreen home skipper again about half a minute after the restart, tipping behind a 25-yard drive. PSG's goalkeeper was also alert early on, as Acosta showed when blocking Dagenham midfielder Lee Allen's attempt in the 49th minute.

 

Five minutes later, Torre weighted a lovely ball ahead of Cook in the penalty area. Elliot tried to get to it and then cut a cross to Salvador in the six-yard box, but he was stopped by a firm tackle from PSG defender Henry Enyeama. Our leading scorer sustained a dead leg in the challenge, so I quickly subbed him off for Antonis Siafos. Unfortunately, with Les Parisiens defending so doggedly, Siafos wasn't able to make much of an impact during his 35-minute cameo.

 

PSG began to increase their attacking efforts after 70 minutes. Caurla's close-range header from left-back Carlos Alí's cross was kept out by Rowe's fingertips, though the offside flag would've spared Kayo anyway if the shot had gone in.

 

It was at that moment that I rested Salvador in favour of Eric Knox. Seven minutes later, with Allen visibly tiring after another all-action midfield display, I gave 19-year-old reserve Kurt Walker his first taste of senior Daggers action this season. Kurt didn't show too many nerves against a world-class PSG team, though he almost gifted them a potentially crucial goal in the final minute.

 

Walker's tackle on midfield counterpart Mikhail Puchkov only diverted the ball to Parisiens striker Tony Mathieson, who then found an unmarked Vargas Sánchez out left. Vargas Sánchez collected the crossfield ball and drove it at goal, but Rowe's save ensured that we would return home with a creditable 1-1 draw.

 

Paris Saint-Germain - 1 (Vargas Sánchez 20)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Salvador 6)

UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Leg 1, Attendance 69,368

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Mazibuko, Schaeffer, Walters, Olvera, Allen (K Walker), Jorgensen, Danchev, Salvador (Knox), Torre, Cook (Siafos). BOOKED: Salvador.

 

We would take a potentially priceless away goal into the second leg at Rainham Road on 19 March... but we would also be missing Orlando Salvador through suspension. It was still anyone's guess as to who would prevail.

[CFuller]

MARCH 2042

Michael Walters' performances in February earned him the Premier League's Young Player of the Month award. The 20-year-old Welshman had constantly excelled at centre-half whenever called upon, and he was putting forward a compelling case to be a regular starter from next season.

 

However, Michael wouldn't start our first match in March. Instead, I brought George Darvill back to partner Kevin Schaeffer in the centre of the Dagenham & Redbridge defence that faced Everton at Rainham Road. The Toffees were 15th in the Premier League and didn't have a particularly worrisome attack... at least not on the face of it.

 

1 March 2042: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Everton

I gave Josh Beadle just his second Premier League start, and the 17-year-old attacking midfielder almost repaid my faith with an assist after less than two minutes. Josh lobbed the ball over Everton defender Christian Keller and towards Antonis Siafos, who was only denied an early goal by Everton goalkeeper Reece Flemming.

 

The Toffees launched their first attack shortly afterwards, though Stuart Ferguson's shot was not impressive by any means. They wouldn't threaten us again for a while, as we kept the pressure on. Frédéric Pereira had a couple of pops at goal from outside the area in the 11th and 16th minutes, but Flemming did well to save them both.

 

Our next assault at goal, after 21 minutes, saw wing-back Enrique Álvarez win a free-kick off a clumsy foul from visiting midfielder Danny Reid. Daggers vice-captain Mark Washington swung the set-piece into the box, and local legend George Darvill got above Toffees right-back Chris Keown to add another headed goal to his fast-growing collection!

 

Siafos tried to follow that up by doubling our lead on 24 minutes, but Flemming reacted quickly to stop the Greek's fierce drive. A later attempt from Beadle drifted well wide, and the Daggers would have to settle for just a single goal in the first half.

 

In fact, we were quite fortunate to still have a lead at all going into the second period. Everton upped the ante in the 42nd minute, when left-back Jon Fleming's centre found Ferguson in the box. Rowe came forward to push away a fierce effort from the Irish frontman, who then headed another chance wide in the 44th minute.

 

Everton manager Ryan Fulton substituted Ferguson at the break and replaced him with Ivan Cirjak. Four minutes into the second half, it looked like Fulton would have to make another change to his line-up. Left-winger Stacy Palmer went down after whipping in a cross, which was headed away by Daggers defender Kevin Schaeffer. Palmer felt some discomfort in his thigh, but after briefly coming off for treatment, he was raring to go again.

 

Everton's man on the right wing was Albanian veteran Marsel Dragusha, who had us worried in the 58th minute. Dragusha's centre found Ariel Grassi as the near post. Grassi somehow managed to flick it across goal, rather than into it, and we were let off the hook... briefly.

 

Rowe horribly miscued his goal kick to Cirjak, who then tried to send strike partner Grassi through on goal. Daggers left-back Juan Esteban Olvera came in with a tackle on Grassi that diverted the ball to Darvill, who tried to pass it back to Rowe. Unfortunately, George wasn't aware that Cirjak was right behind him, and he handed the Australian a simple finish on a platter! Darvill errors were as rare as hen's teeth, but that was a big one!

 

Two minutes after we surrendered our lead, captain Orlando Salvador tried to take it back. The playmaker's shot from the 'D' was bravely blocked by Palmer, but Pereira got in a rebound shot that Flemming turned behind.

 

Then came a disastrous two-minute spell for the Daggers. It began in the 62nd minute, with a mishit Olvera back-pass giving Everton a corner out of nothing. A flustered Rowe regained enough of his composure to tip behind Grassi's header from the subsequent Dragusha corner. However, it was the second corner - also taken by Dragusha - that would prove our undoing. After Olvera blocked a hopeful shot from Palmer, Keller beat his fellow French centre-back Schaeffer to the rebound, firing Everton into a 2-1 away lead!

 

I rushed Gianfranco Torre and then Milen Danchev onto the field in a bid to turn the game around, but the Toffees almost killed it off in the 69th minute, when a shot from Grassi found the side netting. We had our first equalising attempt a couple of minutes after that. Danchev's right-wing delivery found Salvador, whose header was too tame to seriously test Flemming. It would also be our last chance to save our proud home record.

 

Everton tightened up in the closing stages, and some great interceptions by captain Dragoslav Bulatovic kept us at bay. Midfielders Reid and Carl Reynolds also helped break up prospective attacks with some tough tackling, which would see them each collect yellow cards. In the end, we just didn't know what to do. 518 days after our most recent defeat at Rainham Road, we had finally come unstuck against the Toffees.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Darvill 22)

Everton - 2 (Cirjak 58, Keller 64)

Premier League, Attendance 26,772 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 3rd, Everton 15th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Álvarez, Schaeffer, Darvill, Olvera, Jorgensen (Allen), Salvador, Pereira, J Beadle (Danchev), Washington (Torre), Siafos.

 

That result could be absolutely disastrous. The rest of the top five all won their matches, which means that we slipped below Arsenal into 3rd place and were now five points adrift of leaders Manchester United.

 

Having started the year so brilliantly, the pressure of being in the thick of a championship race was perhaps taking its toll. We had gone four matches without a win - by far our worst run of the season.

 

I tried to snap the team out of their rut by ramping up the training intensity before our visit to 9th-placed West Bromwich Albion the following weekend. That being said, most of our players had missed the first few days of training for international duty.

 

One of the highlights saw Michal Twardzik made his second senior appearance for the Czech Republic - a mere two-and-a-half years after his first. Fellow rising star Milen Danchev also won a second cap with Bulgaria, scoring his first two international goals during a 3-3 draw in Albania.

 

Elliot Cook too was making his second senior appearance in an England jersey - and his first at Wembley. It truly was a night to remember for Cookie, who secured the Three Lions' second goal in a 4-2 victory over Uruguay.

 

Elliot was obviously overjoyed to have scored his maiden England goal... but the 22-year-old hotshot wouldn't be able to keep the momentum going at The Hawthorns. He twisted his ankle in training on the afternoon before our meeting with West Brom, and we would therefore have to cope without our leading scorer for the next three weeks. Bugger.

 

Thankfully, Dzenan Genjac had returned from his own ankle injury and was back to full fitness, having played 90 minutes for Croatia in their midweek away win over Slovakia. The attacking midfielder was reinstated to the Daggers' starting line-up against the Baggies, while compatriot Mirko Saric was on the bench after missing four months with a broken foot.

 

8 March 2042: West Bromwich Albion vs Dagenham & Redbridge

West Brom piled on the pressure from the third minute, when right-winger Colin Stewart's cross had to be cleared out of our six-yard box by Dagenham defender Thulani Mazibuko. There were further brave clearances from Kenneth Jorgensen and Michael Walters before we conceded our first corner. Though we wouldn't be threatened by that set-piece, another in the 12th minute did have our fans fearing the worst.

 

Luke Pearson swung that corner to 6ft 6in centre-half Bryan Hackney - a 23-year-old Dudley boy who'd become a Baggies regular this season. Hackney got above Daggers counterpart Kevin Schaeffer to flick it towards goal... and inches over the bar. Albion attacked again a couple of minutes later, when forward Miljan Todorovic centred the ball towards midfielder Billy Stevenson in the Dagenham box. The ball deflected off Schaeffer's heel, and then the post, before Jorgensen cleared it away!

 

Four minutes after that massive scare, we stunned West Brom by hitting them with some atypical direct football. Walters' long ball from deep in our half was flicked on by Gianfranco Torre to our other striker Antonis Siafos, who surged through the Baggies defence and fired in a superb finish!

 

Tony had given us the lead against the run of play, and he could've created a second goal in the 23rd minute. He drilled an excellent ball across to Frédéric Pereira, but the French midfielder's drive was parried by West Brom goalkeeper Allen Wallis. Albion survived another fright in the 31st minute, when centre-half Badouin Mabwete intercepted Orlando Salvador's free-kick before the Daggers captain could find Siafos.

 

Four minutes before half-time, Mabwete dealt some major damage at the other end. The 33-year-old Frenchman played an excellent pass into our penalty area, where 32-year-old Spanish left-back Manu Torbellino smashed in just his second career goal to erase our lead. Was this to be yet another disappointing result for the Daggers?

 

Our shots in the opening stanzas of the second half did not bode well. Siafos screwed a long-distance shot wide within moments of the restart, while Torre scooped an effort over the bar in the 48th minute. At least Pereira did hit the target a minute later, finishing a fine passing move with a 25-yard shot that Wallis caught well.

 

West Brom's first chance to go ahead came about on 51 minutes, after Pearson was hacked down by Daggers left-back Juan Esteban Olvera close to our goal. Ex-Liverpool midfielder Anthony Diallo took the free-kick, flighting it inches wide. That aside, our defence had little to worry about in the second period.

 

I made a bold tactical move after 62 minutes, replacing Dzenan Genjac with our other returning Croat - left-winger Mirko Saric. As luck would have it, Mirko would play a pivotal role in us going back ahead just three minutes later. Jorgensen slipped the ball towards the right side of the West Brom area, and Siafos fearlessly knocked it past Torbellino before crossing to Saric at the far post. Mirko then shinned it into the path of Franco, who couldn't possibly miss from point-blank range! 2-1 to the Daggers!

 

Torre was overjoyed to have scored again, but the smile would be wiped from his face in the 70th minute. The Italian hurt his elbow in a collision with Hackney, and he had to be replaced with Andrija Marjanovic. This was the 17-year-old Montenegrin starlet's first senior outing for the Daggers this term, and he almost marked it with a goal. Unfortunately, Andrija's first-time shot from Frédi's square ball was just diverted behind by Wallis.

 

Another Dagenham substitute could have killed the game off in the 88th minute, but midfielder Paddy Rattle scooped a shot over the bar after Mabwete had blocked Olvera's left-wing cross. Rattle's miss would thankfully not be a significant one. Alan Hare and Todorovic each missed injury-time chances to equalise for West Brom, and we held firm for a narrow 2-1 win. That result lifted us back into 2nd place, as Arsenal had only drawn 2-2 at West Ham United.

 

West Bromwich Albion - 1 (Torbellino 41)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Siafos 18, Torre 65)

Premier League, Attendance 33,164 - POSITIONS: West Brom 10th, Dag & Red 2nd

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Mazibuko, Schaeffer, Walters, Olvera, Jorgensen, Salvador (Rattle), Pereira, Genjac (Saric), Siafos, Torre (Marjanovic).

 

Despite that much-needed win, we remained five points behind league leaders Manchester United, who were now looking ominously strong. With 10 rounds to go, it was surely the Red Devils' title to lose.

 

We would lose Gianfranco Torre for at least the next couple of matches with a damaged elbow. Worse injury news was to come a couple of days later, when Enrique Álvarez broke his arm in a reserve match and was ruled out for at least five weeks. The Spanish wing-back would be very sorely missed.

[CFuller]

MARCH 2042 (continued)

On the evening before our home match with local rivals West Ham United, I watched our latest batch of youth-team candidates beat our Under-18s 1-0 in a trial match. I was very impressed by this particular bunch, and so too was our head of youth development George Elokobi. Indeed, we would offer youth scholarships to no fewer than 13 players, including goalscoring midfielder Ross Porter.

 

A number of players stood out as being potential first-teamers - goalkeeper Joe Caton was one, and midfielder Liam O'Leary was another, while hopes were also high for strikers Odain Allen and Pat French. However, the lad who impressed me most was Barkingside boy Gareth Sainsbury, who even at 15 looked like an excellent right wing-back. Remember that name, folks, because he could be a real star.

 

Meanwhile, reserve defender Bradley Douglas returned from a month-long stint at Northampton Town. He only made two appearances for the League One club during his spell at Sixfields, but the less said about them, the better.

 

The following afternoon, I was back at Rainham Road for what was sure to be a nervy East London derby. We were desperate to make amends for our last two home results, while 17th-placed West Ham - now managed by professional club-hopper Vladimir Weiss - were bidding for just their second away league win this season.

 

Despite their lowly position, the Hammers' defensive record wasn't all that bad, largely because they had a certain Nathan Guppy marshalling them from the back. Of course, Guppy would be joining the Daggers on a free transfer in the summer, but the England superstar could be expected to put in a typically professional performance against his future employers.

 

15 March 2042: Dagenham & Redbridge vs West Ham United

Dagenham midfielder Frédéric Pereira wasn't afraid to put his body on the line against our fiercest foes. Frédi hurt himself in a slide tackle on West Ham winger Marcus Cowley in the third minute, though he returned after some treatment on the sidelines.

 

Dzenan Genjac fired our first shot wide in the fifth minute, but Andrija Marjanovic went closer to breaking the deadlock three minutes later. The young forward beat Hammers skipper Nathan Guppy to a cross from Juan Esteban Olvera, flicking it inches over. Marjanovic was out of luck again after 18 minutes, as he volleyed a Pereira cross off target. When Genjac miscued another attempt seven minutes later, though, I suspected something was wrong.

 

While our opponents were not the ultra-defensive pragmatists they'd been under Sanel Jahic or even Matt Lowton, they were still sitting deep and leaving our attackers little space. Centre-half Álvaro Oliveira was marking Mark Washington out of the game, leaving Genjac and Marjanovic as the only two players who could get remotely close to goal. Dzenan and Andrija missed a couple of long-range punts after the half-hour mark, and we returned to the dressing room still wondering how we could break the Hammers.

 

Washington's nightmare continued early in the second half. In the 51st minute, Mark was the victim of a particularly rough challenge from Oliveira, who duly received the game's only yellow card. Six minutes later, I decided to replace Washington with the more in-form Antonis Siafos.

 

In the 61st minute, Siafos ran onto an excellent long ball from Daggers captain Orlando Salvador, taking it up the right flank before crossing into the box. Marjanovic's far-post header was spilled by West Ham goalie Denzel Gallen, but the teenager could only knock his follow-up behind the byline. Another poor strike from Andrija two minutes later suggested that he wasn't mentally ready for such a big game.

 

Thanks largely to our midfield dominance (and some very assured passing from both Salvador and Warren Johnston), West Ham's own teenage frontman Jordan Gray wouldn't get close to our goal. He was replaced midway through the half with Hugo Cunha, who - at 20 - was barely any older or more resilient. Suffice to say, United couldn't manage a single shot on target all game.

 

The climax to this match was a tale of two Dagenham midfield substitutes. In the 83rd minute, Lee Allen blazed Siafos' weighted pass well over the crossbar. Six minutes later, Eric Knox tried his luck from Thulani Mazibuko's flick-on, forcing Gallen into a parry.

 

Eric had another chance in the second minute of injury time. Shortly after Salvador's corner was cleared by Guppy, our captain regained possession and passed to Olvera, whose centre found Knox on the edge of the six-yard box. The Canadian slipped the ball through a crowded box and beyond Gallen's reach, earning us the three points at long last!

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Knox 90)

West Ham United - 0

Premier League, Attendance 26,772 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 2nd, West Ham 18th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Mazibuko, Schaeffer, Darvill, Olvera, Johnston, Salvador, Pereira (L Allen), Genjac (Knox), Washington (Siafos), Marjanovic.

 

As Manchester United had lost 2-0 at Manchester City in the early kick-off, this last-gasp victory over West Ham put us within two points of the table-topping Red Devils. We were also three points clear of 3rd-placed Arsenal, who had been held to a 1-1 draw by Rochdale.

 

Four days later, we embarked on the second leg of our UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash with Paris Saint-Germain. Having drawn 1-1 in France, we knew that a win or a goalless stalemate at Rainham Road would see us through to the Quarter Finals. If they were to go through, Les Parisiens needed to either get a high-scoring draw, or something no team had ever managed in European competition - an away win against the Daggers.

 

Just to remind you, Orlando Salvador was suspended, so Michael Walters took the Dagenham captaincy in this match. I fielded Paddy Rattle and Antonis Siafos up front, even though the former had become more accustomed to playing in midfield of late.

 

19 March 2042: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Paris Saint-Germain

The first attack went Paris Saint-Germain's way, as the visitors nearly scored within the opening minute. PSG's American striker Tony Mathieson was only just beaten to right-back Cristian Soriano's first-time cross by a quick charge from Dagenham goalkeeper Kayo Rowe. We then swiftly moved the ball upfield before Antonis Siafos missed the target with our opening shot.

 

PSG suffered a significant early setback in the second minute, when the experienced Polish playmaker Kamil Lewandowski was badly hurt in a tackle from Kenneth Jorgensen. Lewandowski required some treatment on the sidelines before returning to the field somewhat gingerly.

 

The visitors would register their first official shot at goal in the 8th minute, but Mario's header from Julián Vargas Sánchez's corner flew just over the bar. Vargas Sánchez went close to scoring himself three minutes later, shortly after PSG goalkeeper Fabián Acosta had made his first save to deny Dagenham midfielder Dzenan Genjac.

 

The game's first significant moment would come after 20 minutes. Vargas Sánchez was dribbling up the left flank before he was stopped by a determined block tackle from Jorgensen. The Daggers anchor man then entered our penalty area and knocked the ball back towards Rowe. However, his underhit pass was intercepted by Mathieson, and the 30-year-old from Missouri applied a simple finish at the near post! For the second time in less than three weeks, an abysmal back-pass had cost us dear!

 

PSG looked to increase their 1-0 lead two minutes later through Spain midfielder Emanuel Hontoria. His drive was too close to Rowe, who simply beat it away. Les Parisiens had another potential opening shortly afterwards... at least until Mathieson was brought down by a last-ditch tackle from Daggers skipper Michael Walters. Mathieson appeared to have bruised a rib in the clash, and he too would need some attention from the away team's medical staff.

 

A Dagenham counter-attack in the 26th minute showed promise, with Genjac dribbling through defence before having a somewhat disappointing shot saved by Acosta. We wouldn't threaten PSG again until Eric Knox powered Paddy Rattle's first-time pass over the bar in the 43rd minute. To be honest, Rattle had looked ill at ease playing as a deep-lying forward partner to the more advanced Siafos, who sent a thunderous drive off target just before half-time.

 

That said, we were somewhat relieved to go into the break only trailing by a single goal. Vargas Sánchez had a couple more opportunities to send us further behind in the 36th and 37th minute but put them wide.

 

My usually trusty 4-4-2 diamond was just not working, partly because of the rainy conditions at Rainham Road. I went for a more direct approach by bringing on wingers Mirko Saric and Milen Danchev to replace Rattle and Jorgensen. Kenny had not played all that badly before or after his big mistake, but I didn't think he was in the right frame of mind to continue.

 

Paris Saint-Germain made no changes before the second half, even though their 34-year-old skipper Mario was starting to tire. The break seemed to do him good, as he sauntered past George Darvill to latch onto a lobbed pass from Mathieson in the 49th minute. Thankfully for George's sake, Michael expertly forced Mario into a tight angle, and the Spaniard's shot only found the side netting.

 

Three minutes after that, Hontoria pulled back on Genjac's shirt as Dzenan was mid-dribble. Hontoria was called over by the referee and shown a yellow card, which would suspend him from the first leg of the Quarter Final... if PSG got that far. We still knew that one home goal would level the aggregate scores and potentially set up extra-time.

 

Knox went for power in an attempt to equalise in the 59th minute, but his shot deflected behind off Les Parisiens' excellent centre-half Henry Enyeama. Eric's next effort a couple of minutes later was more promising, though it didn't beat Acosta.

 

By the halfway point of the second half, I was thinking about making my third substitution. I decided to keep faith in Siafos, even though Tony was struggling to get into the box and resorting to shooting hopelessly from distance. I did ponder taking Walters off after he hurt himself when clearing a right-wing cross from PSG winger Matteo Caurla on 71 minutes. Michael was insistent that he could carry on, showing determination that justified his captaining us in the Champions League at just 20 years old.

 

That final Daggers change would be made in the 80th minute, shortly after visiting substitute Mikhail Puchkov had pulled a shot wide. It was Pereira who came off, with Lee Allen providing some fresh energy for our midfield in his place. Allen immediately revitalised us, as he was involved in an attacking move that ended with Genjac firing wide on 83 minutes. Dzenan's shot was a very disappointing one, but he most certainly made amends a little over three minutes later.

 

We probed the ball around Les Parisiens' half before Knox's first-time pass to Genjac was followed by one to Danchev on the edge of the box. Milen advanced a few yards and then - with his weaker left foot, no less - lashed a daisy-cutter underneath Acosta to send our fans into hysterics! It was now 1-1 on the night, and 2-2 on aggregate!

 

PSG would be given one last chance to avert extra-time. As stoppage time began, Darvill tripped Mario deep in Daggers territory to concede a potentially costly free-kick. Mario then headed Vargas Sánchez's free-kick home, but from a clear offside position. The referee disallowed the visitors' goal, and his final whistle a few minutes later sent this Round of 16 tie into overtime. It was anyone's guess as to who would come out victorious now.

[mark wilson27]

and you leave it like that Chris...Now that just isn't on keeping us waiting .

Might have to be getting the warning points out for you

[CFuller]

18 hours ago, mark wilson27 said:

and you leave it like that Chris...Now that just isn't on keeping us waiting .

Might have to be getting the warning points out for you

Sorry to keep you in suspense like that. I promise I won't do it again... this season. 

[CFuller]

MARCH 2042 (continued)

Both teams had chances to score in the opening exchanges of the additional 30 minutes. We pushed forward first, almost straight from the kick-off. An ambitious solo run from Milen Danchev saw him take the ball past PSG left-back Carlos Alí before unleashing a fierce shot that goalkeeper Fabián Acosta only just parried away.

 

About a minute later, Les Parisiens' substitute striker Hugo Xavier - who'd replaced Tony Mathieson late in the second half - charged headlong at our defence and struck a 25-yard shot. The ball bypassed Kayo Rowe, who was relieved to see it creep past the post. Otherwise, the first half of extra-time was mundane. The second half wasn't... at least not for those of a French persuasion.

 

Just moments after the restart, Henry Enyeama punted a long ball upfield that our defence was very slow to react to. Matteo Caurla took full advantage, bypassing our cautioned left-back Juan Esteban Olvera to claim the ball before it crossed the byline. The Italian's first-time cross found Xavier, who got ahead of George Darvill to tuck it away and leave us crestfallen. PSG were 2-1 up, and we had to score twice in the next 14 minutes, otherwise we were out.

 

As it transpired, we would have only two shots at goal in this second extra half. After 110 minutes, Lee Allen lobbed the ball into the box for Dzenan Genjac to run onto. Genjac beat Enyeama to the ball, but he couldn't beat Acosta, with his powerful volley rippling the Argentine's side netting.

 

Ten minutes later, we made one last throw of the dice. The impressive Eric Knox played a midfield pass to Milen Danchev, who shrugged off Alí to knock it towards Antonis Siafos, who was on the edge of PSG's penalty arc. Tony rifled a dipping shot at goal, only for it to limp pitifully past Acosta's left-hand post.

 

In truth, our team had run out of gas. We didn't really have enough left to seriously threaten a Parisian defence led brilliantly by Enyeama, who was quite possibly having the game of his 34-year life. The European Cup curse had claimed yet another victim, as Dagenham & Redbridge's reign as continental champions ended at the Round of 16.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Danchev 87)

Paris Saint-Germain - 2 (Mathieson 20, Xavier 106)

[after extra time, Paris Saint-Germain win 3-2 on aggregate]

UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Leg 2, Attendance 26,772

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Mazibuko, Walters, Darvill, Olvera, Jorgensen (Danchev), Knox, Pereira (L Allen), Genjac, Siafos, Rattle (Saric). BOOKED: Olvera.

 

I congratulated Paris Saint-Germain's long-serving manager Jérome Rothen at the full-time whistle and wished him the best of luck for the Quarter Finals. I then made my way to the home dressing room, where Kenneth Jorgensen and Frédéric Pereira - now washed and changed after their substitutions - were sitting down despondently. Kenny had his head in his hands as Frédi offered a consoling pat on the back.

 

There were a few snarls in Jorgensen's direction when his team-mates entered the room. The Danish midfielder asked me, "It's all my fault, isn't it? If I hadn't made that mistake for the first goal, this would not have happened."

 

"I'm not blaming you, Kenny, and nobody should be," I said, before addressing the team. "That was one of the bravest, most honourable performances I've seen from this team in a very long time. You went toe-to-toe with an elite team - perhaps even the best team in world football - and you pushed them all the way.

 

"We might not be European champions anymore, but you can still go home with your heads held high. Tomorrow, we go again, and we challenge for other trophies. This could still be a great season, lads, so don't lose heart now!"

 

By other trophies, I of course meant the FA Cup and the Premier League. Our hopes of winning the latter for the first time had been dented by the news that Manchester United had beaten Fulham 4-1, thus restoring their five-point lead at the top.

 

That said, we still had a great chance of retaining the FA Cup. If we could beat Championship strugglers Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park over the weekend, we would get through Round 6 and book another trip to Wembley.

 

Only three players who'd completed that exhausting Champions League match - Lee Allen, Milen Danchev and Mirko Saric - would also feature against the Eagles. I gave a competitive debut to 16-year-old left-back Trond Christian Bjorknes and had several more teenagers on the bench.

 

23 March 2042: Crystal Palace vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Dagenham attacking midfielder Michal Twardzik was first to go for goal in the second minute, though his low shot from the 'D' was no match for Crystal Palace goalkeeper Marcus Thomas. Lee Allen had a go from a similar distance five minutes later, comfortably clearing the crossbar. As for Palace, the only time they attacked our defence in the early stages was when striker Tom Simpson pushed Daggers centre-half Kevin Schaeffer in the 11th minute, for which he received a yellow card.

 

Then came the 13th minute, which proved particularly lucky for us. Gianfranco Torre's cross from the right flank was knocked across the Eagles' half by left-winger Mirko Saric. Twardzik then had a shot parried by Thomas, who was unable to prevent Mark Washington from despatching the rebound. Our captain was back in the goals, and we were 1-0 up.

 

Crystal Palace quickly went on the offensive, with a long drive from Sweden international midfielder Per Khajo giving Antoni Giménez his first test in the Daggers goal after 16 minutes. Giménez turned that behind, as well as another effort from Simpson on 19 minutes. Palace's purple patch ended a couple of minutes later, after ex-Dagenham winger Nigel Atta's corner was flicked over the bar by striker Stephen Miller.

 

The rest of the first half was a fairly tame affair, though we did have chances to bolster our lead. Twardzik had the best of them in the 27th minute, when his 30-yard drive forced Thomas into a difficult catch. Saric then headed wide a clear-cut opportunity from a Milen Danchev cross shortly before half-time.

 

Mirko would get another crack at goal in the 51st minute. The Croatian was involved in a quick passing move from the Daggers, eventually latching onto a first-time ball from Twardzik before Thomas pushed his shot away. A minute later, Allen audaciously shot from a difficult angle 25 yards out. Lee's strike ricocheted off the bar and fell to Franco, whose attempted cross was blocked by Crystal Palace captain Peter Foran.

 

The next few minutes saw Allen at both his worst and his best. He was booked in the 58th minute for a careless challenge on Palace right-back Filip Lozo, but he almost made amends with a great set-up for Washington three minutes later. Alas, Mark could only scoop the ball over the bar after Lee had brilliantly lobbed the ball over the Eagles' defence. That Daggers pairing would link up to greater effect in the 64th minute.

 

After Lozo made a Horlicks of intercepting Frédéric Pereira's free-kick, Allen got to the loose ball and lobbed it over Palace centre-half Alex Parsons and into the area. On the other end was Washington, who sidestepped Thomas before calmly doubling our advantage.

 

Crystal Palace's hopes of victory were as good as over after that. They did win a couple of late corners, and Khajo did put a free-kick just over the bar in the 87th minute, but we would kill the Eagles off a minute later. Washington got our last attack going with an excellent pass to Torre, who was dispossessed by Foran after dribbling into the area. The ball was diverted into Mark's path, and the American hotshot completed his hat-trick to send us safely through!

 

Crystal Palace - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (Washington 13,64,88)

FA Cup Round 6, Attendance 26,297

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Giménez, Danchev, Charles, Schaeffer, Bjorknes (McKeown), Pereira, L Allen, Torre, Twardzik (J Beadle), Saric (Maddison), Washington.

 

We were now into our third FA Cup Semi Final and would face Fulham at Wembley on 19 April for the right to contest another Final. The second Semi would be fought out between Arsenal and Championship side Blackburn Rovers the following day.

[CFuller]

MARCH 2042 (continued)

Our next Premier League fixture saw us meet Arsenal at the Thierry Henry Arena in midweek. If we could prolong our seven-match winning streak against the Gunners, we would pull ourselves closer to Manchester United. If not, then Arsenal would leapfrog us into 2nd on goal difference, and we'd be just a single point ahead of Manchester City, who'd won 2-0 at Chelsea over the weekend.

 

26 March 2042: Arsenal vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Arsenal went on the offensive almost immediately, forcing us to concede a couple of early corners. The second of them - after seven minutes - saw winger Juan Martín Díaz's delivery headed well wide by centre-half Álvaro José.

 

Another seven minutes passed before we launched our first meaningful attack. Lee Allen tackled Gunners captain Liam Wood on the halfway line to kick off a delightful fast-paced move from the Daggers. Just seconds later, Allen was lobbing the ball into the Arsenal box for Mark Washington to knock down to Gianfranco Torre. The Italian's volley proved irresistible for home goalkeeper Marat Lepilov, whose attempted block was to no avail. 1-0 to Dagenham & Redbridge!

 

That, sadly, was all we could muster in terms of first-half attacks. Sloppy passing gifted Arsenal several chances to hit back, but determined defending allowed us to see most of them off. Gunners striker Javier Montenegro - whose injury-time own goal earned us a win in our last meeting back in November - would've scored at the right end after 21 minutes but for Kayo Rowe's fingertips. The subsequent corner was swung in by Díaz to left-winger Tommy Watters, whose header came back off the bar.

 

Arsenal right-back Albert Khumalo had a rare chance to score after our defenders allowed him too much space in the 25th minute. Fortunately, the South African ex-Dagger could only pull his shot wide, leaving us mightily relieved.

 

In the 36th minute, though, our weakness on the flanks was fully exposed by the hosts. England Under-21s midfielder Roberto Bartlett found Díaz unmarked on the side of our penalty area, and the Argentine's subsequent centre was bundled into the net by compatriot Montenegro.

 

A horrible goal kick from Rowe in the 42nd minute then almost gifted Montenegro a second goal. The 29-year-old intercepted it with ease and charged forward, but so did Kayo, who redeemed himself by diverting a shot over his crossbar. Montenegro then rattled the crossbar from a Connor Smith cross two minutes later, albeit from an offside position. While the scoreline was still 1-1 at the break, there was surely only one team that looked like winning if we didn't cut out the little errors.

 

Worryingly, there was a very big error committed by Dagenham captain Orlando Salvador in the first minute of the second half. An attempted pass to left-back Juan Esteban Olvera in our penalty area was cut out by Montenegro, whose dismal shot let Orlando off the hook. Then came a couple more disappointing strikes at the other end from our 23-year-old birthday boy Eric Knox, who'd replaced Dzenan Genjac at the top of our midfield diamond for the second period.

 

Our next attack on 54 minutes showed more promise. Washington got a free-kick through a crowded Arsenal box and found Salvador, but Lepilov managed to block the Portuguese's strike. Several Gunners wasted shots over the next three minutes, including Montenegro, who failed to take advantage of another poor goal kick by Rowe.

 

The hosts were looking increasingly suspect in front of goal, and we looked to exploit their fragility in the 58th minute. A couple of flick-ons by Knox and Torre led to an opening for Washington, who beat Lepilov from the edge of the area... but clipped the Russian's right-hand post.

 

By the 66th minute, Arsenal were attacking again with renewed vigour. Bartlett closed down a hesitant Kenneth Jorgensen and played in Montenegro. The Argentine frontman then slipped past Dagenham centre-half Kevin Schaeffer, but his shot couldn't beat Rowe. Montenegro was rather more lethal three minutes later, beating Kayo at his near post after collecting a fantastic centre from Khumalo.

 

With Arsenal now 2-1 up, I went for a radical change of system. We would now play in a counter-attacking 3-4-1-2 formation, with centre-half Michael Walters and winger Milen Danchev taking the places of Salvador and Olvera. The idea was to frustrate Montenegro and his colleague Shane Hay, and then quickly get the ball upfield before counter-attacking. That plan went out the window in the 75th minute, when Díaz surged past Thulani Mazibuko and laid on a simple tap-in for Hay, who made it 3-1.

 

We were now in total disarray, and a fourth Arsenal goal looked inevitable. Khumalo almost got lucky in the 77th minute with an ambitious punt that came back off the woodwork. There was nothing fortunate about Wood's unstoppable piledriver six minutes later, which left Rowe helpless and condemned us to our first defeat at the Thierry Henry Arena.

 

Washington did grab a second goal for the Daggers in the 87th minute, taking full advantage after the hosts failed to clear a Mazibuko corner. However, Mark's 10th strike of the campaign was of little consolation to us. We had taken a real battering.

 

Arsenal - 4 (Montenegro 36,69, Hay 75, Wood 83)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Torre 14, Washington 87)

Premier League, Attendance 80,190 - POSITIONS: Arsenal 2nd, Dag & Red 3rd

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Mazibuko, Schaeffer, Darvill, Olvera (Danchev), Jorgensen, Salvador (Walters), L Allen, Genjac (Knox), Washington, Torre.

 

Our home match against 7th-placed Rochdale three days later was now surely a must-win game if we were to stay in the championship hunt. Perhaps even more significantly, if we to suffer our third home defeat of this month alone, our top-four place would be increasingly at risk.

 

We had the fortune of playing in the evening kick-off, when the rest of the top four had already been in action. Arsenal and Manchester City both won, but there was a big result at Anfield, where Liverpool held Manchester United to a 1-1 draw. That meant we would go to within three points of the Red Devils if we did prevail.

 

29 March 2042: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Rochdale

The first 10 minutes were rather nervy for both teams, but the 12th was especially so for us Daggers. Captain Orlando Salvador gave away a potentially costly free-kick when he pushed midfield adversary Marko Jovanovic in the Dagenham 'D'. Rochdale's England striker Pat McCann stepped up to take the free-kick, which he swerved inches wide.

 

We had a free-kick opportunity of our own two minutes later, after Gianfranco Torre was upended close to the Dale goal by left-back Sean Ellis. Daggers vice-captain Mark Washington flighted in the set-piece, which visiting keeper Mark Thomas could only push on to Kenneth Jorgensen at the byline. Kenny tried to audaciously sidefoot the ball into the net, but he only made it embarrassingly easy for Thomas to make a save.

 

Our goalie Kayo Rowe would produce his first save in the 20th minute, rushing forward to push away a typically powerful drive from Rochdale's ex-Daggers striker Alun Harding. Juan Esteban Olvera and Frédéric Pereira then made some strong interceptions to keep the visitors at bay.

 

Rochdale had two more chances just before half-time, but McCann failed to get near the target with a couple of weak headers. While I was relieved to see our opponents wasting some great openings, I was equally frustrated that we were struggling to create any of our own.

 

Rochdale attacked us in the first minute of the second half, as Wales right-back Dewi Gray charged from his own half before completely messing up a piledriver. About four minutes later, the Dale would lose a key asset. Experienced midfield creator René Wijmer picked up an apparent groin strain in a firm slide tackle from Salvador, bringing his game to an early end.

 

We soon began to test the weakened visitors, and a sustained spell of pressure appeared to tell in the 53rd minute. A wayward header from McCann was intercepted by Pereira, who flicked it over the Dale defence for Torre to tuck away from point-blank range. Alas, Franco was flagged offside, and the scoreline remained a goalless one.

 

Then came a couple of hopeful shots from - of all people - holding midfielder Jorgensen. Our great Dane was unlucky to hit the post from distance in the 54th minute, though his next strike a minute later wasn't even close.

 

Rochdale's attack had now all but disintegrated, even with Austria striker Rolf Voss having come on to replace the stricken Wijmer. Voss' only shot on goal, after 71 minutes, was a weak one that Rowe easily picked up. Our next attempt also came from a substitute two minutes later, but right-back Thulani Mazibuko's effort was speculative at best.

 

A better opportunity arose on 76 minutes. Torre - who would soon be replaced with 17-year-old Andrija Marjanovic - angled the ball out right to Antonis Siafos, who cut inside before having his shot blocked by Thomas.

 

Siafos would be gifted another chance through some good fortune in the 83rd minute. Olvera's left-wing cross towards the Dale took heavy deflections off both Marjanovic and Jovanovic before falling to Siafos. Tony calmly drilled the ball through a crowded box, giving us a 1-0 lead with not long to go!

 

We defended that advantage with our lives through the closing stages. Despite Pereira collecting a late yellow card for tripping Jovanovic, a woeful strike from the Croatian midfielder was the closest Rochdale would come to denying us victory.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Siafos 83)

Rochdale - 0

Premier League, Attendance 26,461 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 3rd, Rochdale 8th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Danchev (Twardzik), Schaeffer, Charles, Olvera, Jorgensen, Pereira, Torre (Marjanovic), Salvador, Siafos, Washington (Mazibuko). BOOKED: Pereira.

 

That's the first time we've done the league double over Rochdale, which isn't a bad achievement when you remember how much they love to buy our best players! More importantly, Antonis Siafos' late winner has got us well and truly back in the title race!

[CFuller]

Premier League Table (End of March 2042)

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.          Man Utd                31    20    7     4     67    34    +33   67
2.          Arsenal                31    19    7     5     63    30    +33   64
3.          Dag & Red              31    20    4     7     59    31    +28   64
4.          Man City               31    20    3     8     67    32    +35   63
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.          Derby                  31    17    5     9     67    45    +22   56
6.    EL    Liverpool              31    16    7     8     58    45    +13   55
7.          Wolves                 31    15    8     8     47    37    +10   53
8.          Rochdale               31    16    5     10    45    38    +7    53
9.          West Brom              31    13    2     16    45    57    -12   41
10.         Fulham                 31    11    7     13    51    50    +1    40
11.         Chelsea                31    11    6     14    38    47    -9    39
12.         Tottenham              31    10    8     13    36    42    -6    38
13.         Norwich                31    9     10    12    55    57    -2    37
14.         Everton                31    9     8     14    38    50    -12   35
15.         Southampton            31    8     8     15    35    46    -11   32
16.         Huddersfield           31    7     9     15    34    66    -32   30
17.         West Ham               31    6     9     16    31    46    -15   27
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18.         Coventry               31    6     9     16    20    42    -22   27
19.         Reading                31    6     7     18    32    61    -29   25
20.         Burnley                31    2     9     20    24    56    -32   15

 

[mark wilson27]

Squeaky bum time sir

[CFuller]

20 hours ago, mark wilson27 said:

Squeaky bum time sir

It is indeed that time of year a certain Sir Alex would've loved. It'll be a challenge to finish top, but I feel quietly confident that we can do it.

[CFuller]

APRIL 2042

Seven matches. Dagenham & Redbridge were potentially just seven matches away from achieving the improbable, and winning the Premier League for the first time in our 50-year history.

 

If we were to go all the way and add that last remaining major trophy to our cabinet, we would need to overhaul the 'Big Three'. For the past 31 seasons, the PL had been a virtual triopoly between Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United. Only Chelsea in 2033/2034 had broken their title-winning dominance.

 

United led the way by three points from us and Arsenal, with City a further point behind. It really was a big ask to confidently predict would prevail after the run-in. These were the challengers' respective fixtures:

 

Manchester United's run-in (1st place, 67 pts)

6 April: vs Burnley (A), 13 April: vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (H),

19 April: vs Coventry City (H), 26 April: vs Reading (A), 3 May: vs Huddersfield Town (H),

10 May: vs Southampton (A), 17 May: vs Rochdale (A)

 

Arsenal's run-in (2nd place, 64 pts)

5 April: vs Norwich City (H), 12 April: vs Tottenham Hotspur (H),

26 April: vs Fulham (A), 3 May: vs Liverpool (H),

7 May: vs Manchester City (A), 10 May*: vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (A), 17 May: vs Burnley

* Match to be rearranged if Arsenal reach FA Cup Final

 

Dagenham & Redbridge's run-in (3rd place, 64 pts)

5 April: vs Tottenham Hotspur (A), 12 April: vs Derby County (H), 16 April: vs Norwich City (H),

26 April: vs Manchester City (A), 3 May: vs Fulham (H),

10 May*: vs Liverpool (A), 17 May: vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (H)

* Match to be rearranged if Dagenham & Redbridge reach FA Cup Final

 

Manchester City's run-in (4th place, 63 pts)

12 April: vs West Bromwich Albion (A), 16 April: vs West Ham United (H),

26 April: vs Dagenham & Redbridge (H), 3 May: vs Derby County (A),

7 May: vs Arsenal (A), 10 May: vs Tottenham Hotspur (H), 17 May: vs Norwich City (A)

 

There was something else to consider. The 'Big Three' were all still in the UEFA Champions League, while we were not. Were one or two of them to reach the Semi Finals, it would potentially play havoc with their schedules. Granted, we still had the FA Cup to concern ourselves with alongside the league, but that wasn't likely to be as big an issue as battling on a European front would be.

 

The first match of our run-in was at the AIA Stadium, against a Tottenham Hotspur team who looked set to finish in lower-mid-table on their first season back in the Premier League. Mind you, Mitch Beckett's Spurs were on a run of six games without a win. If that run continued throughout April, relegation would potentially become an issue for them again.

 

5 April 2042: Tottenham Hotspur vs Dagenham & Redbridge

We certainly showed in the very first minute that we meant business. Antonis Siafos collected a pass from Kenneth Jorgensen and cut inside from the left flank before entering Tottenham's penalty area. Once there, Tony curled the ball past goalkeeper Gavin Weaver for his 13th league goal of the season!

 

Barely a minute after setting up the opening goal, though, Jorgensen was booked for a clumsy tackle on Spurs' Lithuanian midfielder Arunas Sidlauskas. The hosts then came perilously close to equalising in the fourth minute, with star winger Jean Maa Boumsong hitting the far post from a difficult angle. Sidlauskas was also unlucky not to score when his free-kick skimmed the bar a couple of minutes later.

 

Dagenham captain Orlando Salvador tried to settle our nerves in the 8th minute. His piledriver from a defensive clearance by the hosts' anchor man Maxime Simonin flew over the bar. Elliot Cook also had a great chance for the Daggers in the 13th minute, but the striker's header from Juan Esteban Olvera's left-wing delivery was tipped behind by Weaver.

 

Two minutes after that, our second central midfielder Frédéric Pereira joined Jorgensen in the book, for a seemingly innocuous tackle on Geoff Clark. If either Frédi or Kenny was to collect another yellow card sooner or later, we would be in deep trouble. Jorgensen did calm down, and our defensive anchor - who scored his first Premier League goal at home to Arsenal earlier this term - could've found the net against another North London team in the 22nd minute. His shot from the edge of the box was caught by Weaver, who then denied Cook for a second time a minute later.

 

Tottenham then launched a string of attacks throughout the closing stages of the first half. As suspect as we looked at the back, though, Spurs' shooting was arguably worse. Australian forward Nikos Vogiatzis was especially awful, swerving a 34th-minute shot past the far post before flicking a header against the crossbar barely a minute later. Vogiatzis sent another chance begging on 41 minutes, shortly after Maa Boumsong had headed wide a free-kick from Spurs vice-captain Adilson Ramos.

 

In a way, we were lucky to still be in front. That being said, I was also rueing a couple of late chances to bolster our fragile lead. Either Salvador or Siafos could've done precisely that had Weaver not come up with strong catches in the 36th and 42nd minutes respectively.

 

Cook cut an increasingly frustrated figure up front for Dagenham early in the second half. Elliot unsuccessfully argued for a penalty in the 46th minute after being taken out by a slide tackle from Tottenham centre-half Wayne Davison. He was perhaps thinking about that when blasting a shot high and wide two minutes later. Cookie's next effort was pushed behind by Weaver after 51 minutes, but he might have converted that on another day.

 

This was probably not Vogiatzis' day for Tottenham either. In the 53rd minute, Vogiatzis tackled the ball off George Darvill deep in our half, only to fire Spurs substitute Jordan Holder's through-ball against the upright.

 

Tottenham manager Mitch Beckett sent his captain Dirk-Jan Boer on to replace Davison in the 61st minute, only for that change to almost backfire within a couple of minutes. Cook won the ball off the 33-year-old Dutch centre-half and then burst clear, but his attempted dink over Weaver was comfortably plucked out of the air.

 

Another missed opportunity in the 73rd minute clearly demonstrated Cook's lack of match sharpness after a month out with a twisted ankle. His late replacement Andrija Marjanovic failed to add to our lead, though fellow substitute Dzenan Genjac did test Weaver with a fierce strike in the 80th minute.

 

The match would sadly end on a sour note for my first sub Lee Allen. The 23-year-old ball-winning midfielder - who'd taken Pereira's place at the break - badly strained his groin in a tackle on Clark in the 84th minute. Though Lee played on until the end, he would subsequently be ruled out of action for around three weeks.

 

After Boer and Sidlauskas missed late equalising chances for Tottenham, we held firm for a priceless 1-0 win. Darvill was named 'man of the match' following another sterling defensive display, but Jorgensen perhaps deserved that accolade just as much after completing an incredible 126 passes!

 

Tottenham Hotspur - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Siafos 1)

Premier League, Attendance 48,767 - POSITIONS: Tottenham 13th, Dag & Red 2nd

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Danchev, Schaeffer, Darvill, Olvera, Pereira (L Allen), Jorgensen, Torre (Genjac), Salvador, Siafos, Cook (Marjanovic). BOOKED: Jorgensen, Pereira.

 

You'll perhaps have noticed that we climbed back up to 2nd spot at the end of the day. That was because Arsenal were held to a 2-2 draw at Norwich City in the evening kick-off, and thus slipped a couple of points behind us.

 

We benefitted from another shock result the following afternoon. Leaders Manchester United were beaten 1-0 at rock-bottom Burnley, whose Brazilian midfielder Michel - no relation to the United defender of the same name - earned the Clarets just their third Premier League victory this season! With six rounds to go in the PL campaign, we were trailing the Red Devils only on goal difference!

 

United were in UEFA Champions League action in midweek, beating Arsenal 1-0 at Old Trafford in the second leg of their Quarter Final. However, as the Gunners had won the first leg 5-1, they progressed to the Semi Finals instead. Manchester City wouldn't join them there, having gone down 4-2 on aggregate to our conquerors Paris Saint-Germain.

 

The Manchester clubs now had just the league to aim for, whereas we had interests in two competitions, and Arsenal were still in THREE. Would that make a difference come the final reckoning?

 

We played our next PL match the following weekend at home to Derby County, who were eight points behind us in 5th place. The Rams had the most prolific attack in the league, but we had the best defensive record.

 

12 April 2042: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Derby County

It perhaps wasn't surprising that a free-scoring team such as Derby would start this match on the front foot. 20-year-old Matty Holmes - who won his first England cap last month - was unlucky to head wide a corner delivery from midfield colleague Brian Slabber after just four minutes. Slabber then intercepted Kayo Rowe's goal kick and nodded it to striker Yassine Allali, who dribbled forward before pulling a tame long-range shot wide.

 

Allali was the Premier League's joint-top scorer this season, boasting an impressive 24 goals. He had another chance to reach his quarter-century after 18 minutes. Rams captain Paul Sherwood moved the ball inside from the left flank to Allali, who cut past Kevin Schaeffer before having a pop at goal. Thankfully, Kayo was well-placed to tip his shot behind.

 

We were now simply battling to hold off Derby's assaults, which we just about managed to do. Sadly, we didn't have many chances to attack County ourselves. Captain Orlando Salvador's 12th-minute shot, which was blocked by Slabber, was the only one we could manage in the first period.

 

Our hopes dwindled further after 36 minutes, when anchor man Kenneth Jorgensen sustained a dead leg in a challenge from Slabber and had to come off. Warren Johnston came on in Kenny's place, while attacking midfielder Dzenan Genjac was subbed for Eric Knox at half-time.

 

Salvador had collected our first yellow card just before half-time. Derby's first came two minutes after the restart, when Slabber was cautioned for upending Johnston. An even costlier foul was committed in our penalty area four minutes later. Schaeffer bodychecked Allali to stop him from reaching a Sherwood cross, and the Belgian beast punished him by blasting the resultant penalty past Rowe.

 

County were now happy to sit on a 1-0 lead, and the onus was on us to take the game to them. Antonis Siafos and Elliot Cook continued to struggle up front, to the extent that I later brought Gianfranco Torre on as a third forward to replace Salvador.

 

When we did finally get a shot on target in the 68th minute, it came through our attacking midfielder. Siafos moved a lovely ball on to Knox, whose banana shot was tipped behind by Derby's erstwhile untested goalkeeper Frederik Bisgaard. In the 76th minute, the Dane had to beat away a left-wing cross from Juan Esteban Olvera, whose follow-up delivery was then headed clear by Sherwood.

 

It looked like Knox would potentially make the difference for us, but his game was sadly ended by a rough challenge from Derby centre-half Chris Moss a minute later. Knox went down clutching his ankle, and with no further subs to bring on, we were reduced to 10 men.

 

Fortunately, County would lose a man themselves with eight minutes to go. Slabber got too aggressive with Johnston again, and he was swiftly sent to the dressing room with a second yellow card. That should've helped us out, but the Rams had shorn us of our self-belief, and our 10 men couldn't threaten theirs before full-time. A late booking for Darvill saw a bad afternoon end on a worse note for us.

 

Our second home league defeat of the season was followed by more misery in the later kick-offs. Arsenal's 3-0 thrashing of Tottenham Hotspur moved them above us into 2nd place. Manchester City then had an opportunity to close their deficit on us to a single point, but they surprisingly lost 2-1 at mid-table West Bromwich Albion.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 0

Derby County - 1 (Allali pen51)

Premier League, Attendance 26,772 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 3rd, Derby 5th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Mazibuko, Schaeffer, Darvill, Olvera, Jorgensen (Johnston), Salvador (Torre), Pereira, Genjac (Knox), Cook, Siafos. BOOKED: Salvador, Darvill.

 

My mood would darken further after learning more about the injuries to our two stricken midfielders. Kenneth Jorgensen was ruled out of our next match with a dead leg, while Eric Knox was now set to miss the rest of the season with an ankle sprain.

 

Then, as if things couldn't get much worse, Manchester United came from behind to steal a 2-1 home win against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday afternoon. The winning strike was a horrendous own goal from Wolves goalkeeper Ben Perk - a former Daggers number 1, no less.

 

We were now three points adrift of United again. Had we thrown away a massive opportunity?

[CFuller]

APRIL 2042 (continued)

After a couple of gruelling days on the training field, we returned to Rainham Road on Wednesday for our next Premier League clash. Paying us a visit were none other than Norwich City, who'd famously clawed back a three-goal deficit to beat us 4-3 at Carrow Road in December. Their chief tormentor on that occasion was Itsik Salami, but the Israel striker wouldn't be haunting us again, as he'd been absent with season-ending knee tendonitis since January.

 

In a bid to get the goals flowing again, I reverted to the 3-4-1-2 formation that had helped us rip Manchester United apart two months ago. It was vital that we gave target man Gianfranco Torre and vice-captain Mark Washington as much service as possible if we were to get our revenge on the Canaries.

 

16 April 2042: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Norwich City

This was Hicham Martin's first appearance for the Daggers since tearing his hamstring in January, and he would end his enforced three-month hiatus in style. In the fifth minute, shortly after John Chibuike had spurned Norwich's first scoring chance, Hicham made the most of ours. Dzenan Genjac found our left-back in space on the edge of the City area, and Martin repaid the Croatian midfielder by stroking his pass home!

 

Daggers skipper Mark Washington - donning the armband in place of the benched Orlando Salvador - could've earned us a 2-0 lead from a free-kick in the 11th minute. Sadly, his effort was too close to Norwich goalie Glenn Nordh, who caught it with ease.

 

Our number 1 Kayo Rowe was first called into action after 15 minutes, blocking Luís Soares' point-blank attempt from a Tomislav Gusic centre. We then put the Canaries back under pressure, with Nordh having to save shots from Washington in the 18th minute and Michael Walters in the 22nd.

 

Then, in the 23rd minute, we broke through for a second time. Playmaker Warren Johnston's pass to Washington in the City area was knocked off Mark's feet by visiting captain Eros Guzmán. However, Frédéric Pereira reacted quickly to power in the rebound for a 2-0 home lead!

 

Things then took a worrying turn for us over the next five minutes. Centre-back Walters and forward Gianfranco Torre each collected yellow cards, the latter for diving. Torre was not having the best of games, as he showed when firing Genjac's chipped ball wide on 34 minutes. Franco did find the next six minutes later when he headed Johnston's long ball past Nordh, but the goal was disallowed after he was accused of impeding the keeper.

 

I would replace Torre with Antonis Siafos at the half-time break, which we were fortunate to go into with a two-goal lead still intact. Rowe had to make an excellent save to prevent Soares from halving it in the 37th minute.

 

Genjac searched for a third Daggers goal almost immediately after the resumption. Dzenan collected a throw-in from Hicham in our half and dribbled through the Norwich defence before firing high and wide from the edge of their area.

 

In our bid to kill the game off, we were perhaps pushing too far up the field for our own good. Norwich had punished us for that before this season, and an incisive counter-attack in the 52nd minute had us fretting again. Chibuike fed the ball out left to on-loan Manchester City winger Wellington Paulista, who drilled the ball across our box for Travis Richardson to finish at the back stick.

 

The Canaries sensed an opportunity to remove the second part of our lead four minutes later. Wellington Paulista was again given too much space on the left flank, but on this occasion, his cross to Richardson was met with a tame header that Rowe caught with ease. The subsequent Daggers counter-attack then resulted in Siafos missing a chance for 3-1.

 

We tried again to restore our two-goal cushion on 66 minutes. Milen Danchev's corner caused the Canaries problems, and though young left-back Cameron Mist tried to head it away, we quickly upped the ante. Johnston's cut-back to Pereira resulted in a fierce shot that Nordh could only parry to Dagenham defender Thulani Mazibuko, who stabbed in his first goal this season!

 

At 3-1 up, we decided to sit back, lest we fell victim to another Canaries counter. Danchev appeared to have stopped one such attack when intercepting a wide pass from Chibuike in the 69th minute. However, Milen underhit his back-pass to Rowe, which Guzmán gleefully intercepted in our penalty area! The Chilean glided past an onrushing Kayo and then cut the ball into an unguarded net from a tight angle! Now it was 3-2, and memories of Carrow Road were flooding back!

 

I wasn't going to risk Norwich stealing more momentum by staying on the defensive. With 15 minutes remaining, I sent Orlando onto the pitch to replace Dzenan, and told the rest of my team to push up further. We were now actively looking for a fourth goal, which Washington could've claimed in the 79th minute had his header from a Siafos cross got beyond Nordh. Daggers defender George Darvill then collided with Norwich's substitute Richard Fishlock as both men went after Nordh's upfield punt. Darvill went down hurt, but City didn't care, as they launched another breakaway move that ended with Fishlock firing wide.

 

Thankfully, George had sustained little more than a knock, and he played on to help us retain our narrow advantage. With midfield destroyer Frédi playing a blinder, we did indeed hold firm and claim a 3-2 win. We could've gone 4-2 on 85 minutes had Siafos' headed attempt from a Mazibuko cross not hit the bar, but that didn't matter at the end of a nerve-wracking evening.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (Martin 5, Pereira 23, Mazibuko 66)

Norwich City - 2 (Richardson 52, Guzmán 69)

Premier League, Attendance 26,772 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 2nd, Norwich 12th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Mazibuko, Darvill, Walters, Danchev (Saric), Johnston, Pereira, Martin, Genjac (Salvador), Torre (Siafos), Washington. BOOKED: Walters, Torre.

 

That result got us back above Arsenal into 2nd place on the time being, but 4th-placed Manchester City kept the heat on us by thrashing West Ham United 5-0. That convincing result saw the Citizens further boost what was already a favourable goal difference compared to ours.

 

We would face City in our next league game at the Yaya Touré Arena on 26 April. Before then, though, we had to return to Wembley for an FA Cup Semi Final with Fulham. If the Daggers could avenge our 2041 League Cup Final defeat to the Cottagers, we would progress to another cup showdown with either Arsenal or Blackburn Rovers.

 

Unfortunately, our injury-played top scorer Elliot Cook twisted his ankle again in training on the eve of the Semi Final. Cookie was now set to miss the Final if we got there, and potentially even the rest of our league run-in.

 

19 April 2042: Fulham vs Dagenham & Redbridge

The rain was pouring down at Wembley, but that didn't prevent us trying to attack Fulham in the fourth minute. After Daggers vice-captain Mark Washington was stopped by Cottagers centre-half Jodey Halliwell, right-back Thulani Mazibuko attempted to send a first-time cross into the area. Sadly, it was cut out by Ivo Vogel, who cleared it into touch.

 

Fulham then launched some pensive attacks of their own before their midfielder Siyabonga Monareng was upended by Orlando Salvador. The Dagenham skipper was booked for his clumsy challenge, but we went forward again a minute later, when Dzenan Genjac's 25-yard attempt was blown against the woodwork.

 

Then came the breakthrough, after 18 minutes. Vogel's left-wing cross for Fulham was deflected by Mazibuko into the path of George Parr in the Dagenham 'D'. The Cottagers striker knocked the ball down into the area for Czech winger Ales Sterba to slip past Antoni Giménez. The west Londoners had taken the lead at Wembley.

 

We responded positively in the 21st minute, when Kenneth Jorgensen pumped a long ball towards Washington in the Fulham area. The Dane's delivery looked like it would even find the net until Luka Jishiashvili stretched an arm out to turn it behind. The Georgian goalie then pushed Kevin Schaeffer's header from the subsequent Washington corner against his bar, before watching Genjac head our next attempt wide.

 

The Cottagers soon showed their rough side. Monareng escaped a booking for a meaty challenge on Dzenan in the 23rd minute, but captain Dan Mortimer was booked for barging Juan Esteban Olvera in the 26th. A minute later, Fulham's aggressive midfielder Catatau brought Frédéric Pereira down in the area, prompting the referee to award us a penalty. Gianfranco Torre took it, and his emphatic strike beat Jishiashvili to level the scores!

 

Though Parr came close to restoring the Cottagers' lead on 29 minutes, the tide had inexorably turned. As the rain died down in the 32nd minute, Frédi livened up proceedings by finding Dzenan with an excellent ball into the penalty box. Genjac then hooked it beyond an onrushing Jishiashvili, and we were 2-1 ahead!

 

Six minutes later, our high-tempo passing game was in full flow. Genjac was at the head of a passing triangle that also involved Pereira and Torre, and it was the latter's through-ball that our Croatian enigma slotted home after surging clear of Fulham defender Fábio. 3-1 to the Daggers!

 

Dzenan was now after an incredible first-half hat-trick, but his long-distance punt in the 42nd minute was optimistic at best. Two minutes later, the two-goal lead that he'd created had been halved. Mortimer flicked in a lethal header from Catatau's outswinging corner, and a thrilling opening period ended with us still in the lead, but only by 3 goals to 2.

 

Despite scoring twice, Genjac wouldn't return for the second half, as I didn't want to risk him aggravating a knock he'd sustained earlier. Instead, it was Michal Twardzik who fronted our midfield diamond after the restart. I briefly pondered another substitution when Mazibuko hurt himself in a slide tackle on Sterba in the 47th minute. Thulani had to receive treatment on the touchline before resuming his game.

 

After 54 minutes, Jorgensen splashed past Monareng to stroke a pass to Twardzik in the Fulham box. Michal sensed a great chance to make it 4-2, but he was thwarted by a parry from Jishiashvili, and then a clearance from Fábio. Three minutes later, Jishiashvili caught a headed effort from Dagenham centre-back Bradley Charles.

 

Fulham then tried to freshen up their attack by throwing on a couple of speed demons in Dave Blake and Michael Lawrie. Before they could test our defence, though, we had several more opportunities to pull further ahead. Jishiashvili continued to put in a brave goalkeeping display for the Cottagers, with Salvador, Washington and Olvera all being kept off the scoreboard between the 64th and 73rd minutes.

 

At the other end in the 74th minute, Blake laid on a pass to Mortimer, who then chipped it to advancing Lawrie. The former England Under-21s striker had scored only one goal in 18 Premier League appearances for Fulham this season, and his lack of confidence was soon apparent. Charles and Schaeffer superbly forced Lawrie out wide and allowed him to power an awful shot over the bar.

 

That was to be the Cottagers' final shot at goal. We sat deep in the final 15 minutes to nullify the pace of Blake and Lawrie, leaving them little room to exploit. Though Washington had a 35-yard free-kick saved by Jishiashvili in the 86th minute, there was no need for us to score again. A 3-2 lead was sufficient to get us into our third FA Cup Final!

 

Fulham - 2 (Sterba 18, Mortimer 44)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (Torre pen27, Genjac 32,38)

FA Cup Semi Final, Attendance 90,000

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Giménez, Mazibuko (Álvarez), Schaeffer, Charles, Olvera, Jorgensen, Salvador (Siafos), Pereira, Genjac (Twardzik), Washington, Torre. BOOKED: Salvador.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge were now just 90 minutes away from retaining the FA Cup, and becoming the first club to do that since Arsenal defended the trophy in 2033. Funnily enough, we would face the Gunners in the Final on 10 May, as they despatched Blackburn Rovers 3-1 in the other Semi.

 

Our Under-18s were already celebrating cup glory, having won the FA Youth Cup for the first time in the club's history. Tom Ince's young Daggers recorded a thumping 4-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Final, with all four goals coming in the second half. Troy Woodward scored two of them, while Jacob Newton and Odain Allen - two other recent additions to this squad - also found the net.

 

Fortune didn't favour us in the league, though. Manchester United's 3-0 win at Coventry City - helped by an own goal from Siphesihle Gumede - restored their three-point advantage at the top. I do wish my former players would stop helping those pesky Red Devils out!

[CFuller]

APRIL 2042 (continued)

By the time we faced Manchester City at the Yaya Touré Arena on Sunday 27 April, we knew that we were effectively in a must-win situation.

 

The previous afternoon had seen Manchester United win 2-1 at Reading, thus stretching their lead over us to six points. Arsenal also recorded an away win, with Paolo De Vecchi's goal at Fulham moving the Gunners up into 2nd place at our expense.

 

Were we now to lose in Manchester, we would need a miracle to stay in the title race. What's more, the 4th-placed Citizens would move to within a point of us, with a game in hand. In that case, we would perhaps have to wait another 12 months to separate the 'Big Three'.

 

27 April 2042: Manchester City vs Dagenham & Redbridge

We had the first chance to deal the first blow through a Gianfranco Torre free-kick after eight minutes. Antonis Siafos got above a couple of Manchester City defenders in the penalty area to flick Torre's delivery goalwards, but the Greek striker couldn't quite keep his header on target.

 

After that chance went begging, we went on the defensive and prepared for a City assault. Thankfully, these Citizens weren't quite on song, troubling our defence with only a couple of tame corners in the opening stages.

 

The hosts enjoyed their first major scoring opportunity in the 24th minute, after England midfielder Mohammed Ali was shoved by Dzenan Genjac close to the Daggers area. Ali's free-kick floated over the wall like a butterfly, but it didn't sting our net like a bee, instead missing by inches.

 

By the 27th minute, it was Manchester City who had been stung by a Dagenham counter-attack. Daggers captain Orlando Salvador fed the ball to an open Enrique Álvarez, who charged up the right flank. Our wing-back surged past Citizens teenager Nana Peters and drilled in a cross, which Siafos turned into the net after stretching ahead of defender Ciro Lattarulo! We were 1-0 up at the Yaya Touré Arena, and we were heading for 2nd place as things stood!

 

Eight minutes later, however, City captain Kike Martínez remined us that there was still a lot of work to do. The 34-year-old Spaniard was playing one of his last home matches for the Citizens before he moved to Empoli in the summer, and he was determined to give his many supporters a leaving present. When colleague Jozef Kral was pushed by Dagenham left-back Hicham Martin, Kike stepped forward to fire the resultant free-kick into our net.

 

Our goalkeeper Kayo Rowe could have done a much better job of trying to save Martínez's set-piece, but he did at least stop us falling 2-1 behind before half-time. In the 44th minute, the Citizens' Benelux midfielders Dave Jansen and Karim De Vuyst exchanged silky short passes before Dutchman Jansen curled a shot towards the top corner. Kayo caught it brilliantly, and the scores remained level. Mind you, Siafos could have sent us into the interval 2-1 UP had he not miscued a half-volley from Álvarez's lobbed pass three minutes earlier.

 

Both teams showed more fighting spirit in the second half, but Manchester City were particularly fired up. Lattarulo's risky slide tackle on France team-mate Frédéric Pereira in the 49th minute left our midfield dynamo nursing a knock. Frédi tried to carry on, but after about 60 minutes, I brought Warren Johnston on in his place as a precaution.

 

By the hour mark, the Daggers and the Citizens had picked up a booking apiece. Álvarez was booked for shoving Martínez in the 53rd minute, while a push on Torre eight minutes later would see Ali cautioned for City. In between those yellow cards, George Darvill's trip on Jansen had given the hosts' midfield warhorse a free-kick, which Rowe turned over his bar.

 

Manchester City were awarded another free-kick after 67 minutes, as Salvador was accused of impeding Kral on the edge of our 'D'. Orlando would be kicking himself for that moments later. Ali banished all memories of his earlier near-miss by striking this set-piece to perfection, and Rowe was beaten by a free-kick for a second time. At 2-1 behind, I knew in my heart of hearts that we weren't going to fight back against an imperious City team.

 

Though Slovakian attacking midfielder Kral was booked in the 74th minute for being a diving cheat (as per usual), he showed two minutes later that he was also a truly world-class goalscorer (again, as per usual). Kral's point-blank diving header from a deep Peters cross was too much for Rowe, and we were now 3-1 down.

 

With the match now all but lost, I opted to blood one of Dagenham's rising stars. 19-year-old striker Peter Mikkelsen came on for his Premier League debut in place of Torre, who'd not registered a single shot at goal all game. Then again, neither would Peter. Indeed, Siafos' opening goal was our only shot on target, and our last chance to get even a consolation strike was fired into the side netting by winger Milen Danchev in injury time.

 

Manchester City wasted a couple of opportunities to take a 4-1 lead, most notably when Jansen's 87th-minute header was tipped behind by Rowe. Kayo had put in a brave shift in the Daggers goal, but he was unable to keep out another headed attempt by the Citizens in the final seconds. Man of the match Yu Yupeng's delivery from the right was met by a lethal diving effort from Ivory Coast midfielder Eric Coulibaly, and our humbling was complete.

 

Manchester City - 4 (Martínez 35, Ali 68, Kral 76, Coulibaly 90)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Siafos 27)

Premier League, Attendance 81,763 - POSITIONS: Man City 4th, Dag & Red 3rd

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Álvarez, Schaeffer, Darvill, Martin, Jorgensen, Salvador, Pereira (Johnston), Genjac, Siafos, Torre (Mikkelsen). BOOKED: Álvarez, Martin.

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    CL    Man Utd                35    23    7     5     74    37    +37   76
2.          Arsenal                34    21    8     5     69    32    +37   71
3.          Dag & Red              35    22    4     9     64    38    +26   70
4.          Man City               34    22    3     9     77    35    +42   69
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.          Derby                  35    20    6     9     77    49    +28   66
6.    EL    Liverpool              35    18    9     8     67    48    +19   63

 

I'm afraid to say it might be game over now. Too many poor results and defensive blunders since February have cost us our first great chance to bring that elusive Premier League title to Rainham Road.

 

We're now simply fighting to retain our top-four place and secure a UEFA Champions League berth for a third season in succession. We'll also have to battle on for the next couple of games without star defender George Darvill, who damaged his shoulder in weight training a couple of days after our loss to Manchester City.

 

What a pity. What an anti-climax.

[CFuller]

Last night, "House of Flying Daggers" was voted as the 'English Story of the Year' at the FMS Awards for the second year in a row. There were also awards for "Heart of Asia" and "An Impossible Man", while I was truly humbled to be named FMS Writer of the Year for 2018.

Thank you to everyone who nominated and/or voted for me, and thanks also to all my readers. It has been an honour to present my work on these forums, and though I'm not going anywhere just yet, I have made a decision on my long-term future in FMS.

I can now confirm that "House of Flying Daggers" - along with "An Impossible Man" - will come to an end within the next six months. As far as this story is concerned, I am giving myself a maximum of FOUR more seasons to win the Premier League. That means if the Daggers still haven't won the league by the end of 2045/2046, I will retire then and there without claiming that last remaining trophy. Mind you, I'm confident that we will break the stranglehold of the 'Big Three' sooner or later.

As of now, I have no plans to put out any new stories on FMS (though I'm not yet completely ruling anything out). That is mainly because I am considering chronicling any potential FM19 careers I have elsewhere. I will obviously let you know more when the time is right.

Once again, thank you for your continuing support. There'll be more from the Daggers tomorrow.

Christopher Fuller (CFuller)
1 October 2018

[mark wilson27]

All awards are well deserved Chris.

As I said on the Awards thread your Writer of the Year award means you are now eligible to be nominated for the Hall of Fame

[CFuller]

19 hours ago, mark wilson27 said:

All awards are well deserved Chris.

As I said on the Awards thread your Writer of the Year award means you are now eligible to be nominated for the Hall of Fame

It had completely passed me by until you reminded me that I was now eligible for the Hall of Fame. To even be on a shortlist with the likes of yourself and Terk is incredible.

[CFuller]

MAY 2042

Dagenham & Redbridge had reached the point of no return. If we were to maintain a slim mathematical chance of winning the Premier League, we had to defeat Fulham in our penultimate home match of the season on 3 May. If we didn't, and Manchester United then did a job on Huddersfield Town, we would no longer be able to overhaul the Red Devils at the top.

 

Prior to this match, I took a major gamble with regards to my team selection. Startlingly, Orlando Salvador had not produced a single assist for the Daggers since December, and he had not been particularly creative in recent displays. I therefore axed my out-of-form captain from the matchday squad and gave Mark Washington the honour of leading us out against Fulham.

 

Our opponents had nothing left to fight for in this final month of the campaign. Will Grigg's Cottagers were safe from relegation in 9th place, but they were nowhere near the top eight, and we had dashed their FA Cup dreams a fortnight earlier. As far as they were concerned, this match was simply about regaining some London pride.

 

3 May 2042: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Fulham

Fulham's Luka Jishiashvili made his first catch in the second minute, stopping an ambitious bending shot from Dagenham striker Antonis Siafos. Two minutes later, the Georgia goalkeeper had to make a superb reflex save to keep out an even better attempt. Daggers playmaker Paddy Rattle - the main beneficiary of my decision to drop Orlando Salvador - played a one-two with captain Mark Washington and attempted to swerve in a shot that Jishiashvili tipped wide.

 

The visitors had their first scoring chance from a free-kick by midfielder Armand Beqiri in the 7th minute. Despite having conceded twice from such situations at Manchester City the previous weekend, Dagenham goalie Kayo Rowe was not worried, easily catching Beqiri's attempt.

 

Washington's 13th minute free-kick for the Daggers was nodded into Jishiashvili's hands by centre-half Bradley Charles. Jishiashvili then tipped behind another header from Siafos two minutes later. Washington sent a hanging-ball over from the corner to our other central defender Michael Walters, who flicked it inches wide.

 

On 24 minutes, Charles had a costly lapse in concentration during a Fulham attack. Cottagers striker Joe Shepherd - who'd missed the FA Cup Semi Final through injury - broke free from Charles to stab Sélim Benoit's right-wing cross in at the far post, but he was then flagged offside.

 

Bradley had been let off, though a mistake from colleague Michael in the 35th minute would not go unpunished. Walters pushed Fulham's other frontman Fethi Yaken to stop him from getting to a Jishiashvili free-kick, and the young Welshman was booked.

 

We attacked the visitors again in the 36th minute, with Jishiashvili having to charge forward to parry Washington's shot clear. Fulham's game then took a worrying turn two minutes later, when Peruvian forward José Reyes tore a calf muscle in a touchline tackle from Rattle.

 

Despite losing one of their more creative talents, the Cottagers would have the ball in our net again three minutes before the break. Fortunately, the offside flag had already been raised when Yaken dribbled left-back Ivo Vogel's cross past Rowe and into the net. But for those two big calls by the officials, the half-time score could well have been 2-0 Fulham instead of 0-0.

 

Lee Allen replaced Rattle in the Dagenham midfield at half-time, and the somewhat underrated local boy took just six minutes to repay the faith I'd shown in him. Frédéric Pereira headed a Beqiri free-kick out of our area for Siafos to run onto and send us on the counter-attack. Fulham centre-half Fábio got back into his box in time to block Tony's shot, but Lee's rebound strike was too quick for Jishiashvili. 1-0 to the Daggers!

 

Sadly, our hopes of adding to our lead would soon be dealt a blow. Dzenan Genjac - the attacking midfield man who'd tortured the Cottagers at Wembley - was sent crashing to the turf by a crunching tackle from Steven Frost in the 54th minute. Though Genjac was not too badly injured, his record meant I didn't want to risk him being hurt further. A powerful 59th-minute drive, which was caught by Jishiashvili, was Dzenan's last contribution to proceedings before Michal Twardzik took his place.

 

Another substitute would stamp his mark on the game after 64 minutes. Former England Under-21s forward Michael Lawrie - who'd replaced the stricken Reyes for Fulham - beat Charles to a cross from Cottagers captain Dan Mortimer, and his clinical header levelled the scores at 1-1.

 

There could've been worse to come for us on 81 minutes. Daggers left-back Juan Esteban Olvera carelessly threw the ball away to Mortimer, who curled in another dangerous cross from the right flank. Yaken was at the back post to flick it goalwards, but his effort bounced across the box and out for a goal kick.

 

Having almost cost us the game, Olvera then had a chance to win it in injury time. Substitute striker Gianfranco Torre weighted a ball into the danger area for Juanes, who was denied his first Daggers goal by another excellent save from Jishiashvili. Tony and Frédi had also missed opportunities beforehand, and so we had to settle for a 1-1 draw. That was surely the end of any slim hope we had of becoming champions.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (L Allen 51)

Fulham - 1 (Lawrie 64)

Premier League, Attendance 26,772 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 3rd, Fulham 9th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Álvarez, Charles, Walters, Olvera, Jorgensen, Rattle (L Allen), Pereira, Genjac (Twardzik), Washington (Torre), Siafos. BOOKED: Walters.

 

Arsenal had also claimed a 1-1 home draw against Liverpool, which meant that the Gunners remained a point above us in 2nd, with a game in hand.

 

Now it was up to Manchester United to all but secure the championship by beating Huddersfield Town in the evening kick-off at Old Trafford. The Red Devils did more than merely beat the Terriers - they terrorised them, prevailing 8-2! United's goal blitz confirmed that Dagenham & Redbridge would not be winning the Premier League in 2041/2042.

 

I felt a bit better on Sunday afternoon, after Derby County and Manchester City played out a 2-2 draw. Derby had been 2-0 up at half-time, but their inability to hold on had dealt a major blow to their hopes of stealing our top-four place. Meanwhile, City had blown a massive opportunity to leapfrog us into 3rd.

 

Monday was also a rather good day for the Daggers. Josh Beadle netted twice as our reserve team beat Arsenal 3-1 to retain the Professional Development League title. Meanwhile, the youth squad won the Under-18s Premier League for the first time, thanks to a 2-0 extra-time win over Tottenham Hotspur. I was particularly delighted that 15-year-old right-winger Allan Cullen scored the winning goals, because he was from my hometown of Romford.

 

The senior team were back in action on Wednesday, in an away match against Liverpool that had been moved forward by three days because of our involvement in the FA Cup Final. Our Wembley opponents Arsenal would host Manchester City at the same time.

 

Liverpool went into this match in 6th position, but their inability to beat Arsenal at the Thierry Henry Arena had effectively ended their UEFA Champions League aspirations. Were we to beat the Reds at Anfield, we would give ourselves an insurmountable lead on 5th-placed Derby, and thus ensure that we would be back in Europe's elite cup competition next term.

 

Mind you, that would be easier said than done. Since defeating us in the League Cup Final, Liverpool had not lost a single match. Marcus Appleton's men were now on an unbeaten run of 11 straight games, comprising seven wins and four draws.

 

7 May 2042: Liverpool vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Liverpool could not have started this match any better than they did. In the very first minute, left-winger Javier de Gregorio swung in a cross that his Daggers counterpart Mirko Saric could only clear as far as Amani Douglas. The former West Ham right-back curled in a follow-up cross that Dagenham defender Thulani Mazibuko could only knock on to Reds captain Leo Veenboer, whose half-volley sent the home fans wild.

 

Visiting skipper Mark Washington tried to get our supporters going in the eighth minute, but his shot fizzed well wide. Our next attack four minutes later was rather more encouraging. Warren Johnston found attacking midfielder Josh Beadle in space, and the 17-year-old dribbled into the Liverpool box before stroking home his first senior goal! The hosts now had to watch out - Beadle was about!

 

Liverpool defender Aykut Inanc perhaps needed to watch his back in the 18th minute, when Washington burst him from behind the Turk to intercept his headed clearance behind. Mark then tried to nod it into the goal, but he was denied by the Scousers' fit-again keeper Gavin Stopforth.

 

Then came a couple of scares at the other end. Rowe narrowly prevented Veenboer from turning in a right-wing cross from Aleksandrs Lapkovskis on 19 minutes, before blocking Lapkovskis' shot from the subsequent Patrik Horak corner. Daggers right-back Thulani Mazibuko also deserved immense praise for a last-ditch tackle on Reds striker Steven Bonner in the 21st minute.

 

We attacked Liverpool again after 29 minutes, and almost took advantage of another mistake from Inanc. The big centre-half cut out Saric's attempted lob to Beadle but could only nod it on to our other 17-year-old - target man Andrija Marjanovic, whose diving header almost put our noses in front.

 

Inanc's defensive colleagues Erick Rodriguez and Alessio Beretta would then be booked in a tense conclusion to the first half. Douglas almost put Liverpool ahead in the 37th minute, but Rowe produced another important save for the Daggers.

 

Mazibuko went close to making it 2-1 to Dagenham in the 50th minute, hooking a free-kick inches wide after Inanc had pulled on Washington's shirt. Mark clearly didn't appreciate that foul, as he made sure to punish Liverpool from our next scoring opportunity in the 53rd minute.

 

Following Michael Walters' brilliant headed interception from a Lapkovskis cross, we quickly got the ball upfield and into the Reds' half. Marjanovic then lifted the ball over the defence to find Johnston, whose 25-yard drive was parried by an onrushing Stopforth. Luckily for us, the ball fell to Washington, who thundered it into an empty target! We were in the lead, and on the cusp of securing another top-four finish!

 

I then looked to turn the screw on Liverpool by sending Gianfranco Torre on for Marjanovic. If the plan was for our Italian forward to bully the hosts into conceding again, then it didn't work, as Torre barely did anything in his half-hour cameo.

 

Bonner was another striker having an off-day, and Liverpool manager Marcus Appleton would sub his leading scorer off shortly after another shot went astray on 65 minutes. As Appleton brought left-winger Mirza Korajlic and forward Doug Higgs on from the bench, I also made my second change. Lee Allen had sustained a knock in a tackle on a tackle on the soon-to-be-substituted de Gregorio, so he was replaced in the Dagenham midfield with Premier League debutant Kurt Walker.

 

Liverpool's subs almost made an impact as early as the 71st minute. Korajlic's attempted byline cross to Higgs was intercepted just in time by a fingertip save from Rowe, who conceded the first of two corners taken in quick succession. The second was swung in by Korajlic to Belgium midfielder Frans Neven, who headed well off target.

 

Another dangerous Reds substitute entered the fray in the 80th minute, as League Cup match-winner Thodoris Karabatos replaced the injured Lapkovskis. The Greek forward missed a great opportunity to level in the closing minutes, as did Higgs. It appeared that we had done enough to hang on for a famous win at Anfield.

 

Then came a fateful Beadle blunder in the third minute of injury time. Karabatos intercepted a wayward header from Josh just inside the Liverpool half, and then dribbled up our left flank before lifting the ball into our box. Neven got ahead of a somewhat naïve Walker to flick it past Rowe, and two points had gone down the drain.

 

That 2-2 draw meant our top-four place would still be at risk on the final day, unless Derby County failed to win their penultimate match at Fulham. In fact, had we held onto the win, we would've gone 2nd in the table, as Arsenal and Manchester City had also drawn 2-2 at the Thierry Henry Arena. As it was, we remained a point behind the Gunners, and a point ahead of the Citizens, each of whom had two matches left to play.

 

Liverpool - 2 (Veenboer 1, Neven 90)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (J Beadle 12, Washington 53)

Premier League, Attendance 56,389 - POSITIONS: Liverpool 6th, Dag & Red 3rd

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Mazibuko, Charles (Martin), Walters, Álvarez, Johnston, L Allen (K Walker), Saric, J Beadle, Marjanovic (Torre), Washington.

 

A season of immense promise had all but fizzled out, with the Daggers having registered just one win from our last five league matches. However, we still had one final opportunity to add a third trophy to a haul that included the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Championship.

[EvilDave]

Congratulations on the awards haul Chris - richly deserved, and testament to your talents. It's a shame to know this is drawing to a close in the not-too-distant future, but all good things must come to an end I suppose. I hope you plan on sticking around on FMS though - you can't leave me as the only Arsenal fan in their late 20s!

Looks like a bit of a disappointing end to the season for your Daggers, but I'm sure you'll be back with a bang next year. Win the Cup, make a couple of moves in the market and the title will be yours before too long, I'm sure of it...

[CFuller]

57 minutes ago, EvilDave said:

Congratulations on the awards haul Chris - richly deserved, and testament to your talents. It's a shame to know this is drawing to a close in the not-too-distant future, but all good things must come to an end I suppose. I hope you plan on sticking around on FMS though - you can't leave me as the only Arsenal fan in their late 20s!

Looks like a bit of a disappointing end to the season for your Daggers, but I'm sure you'll be back with a bang next year. Win the Cup, make a couple of moves in the market and the title will be yours before too long, I'm sure of it...

I didn't know you were a Gooner, ED! There can't be many of them around in your neck of the woods, surely! 

Like I said, I'm not planning a total retirement from FMS. I'm just thinking of trying something a bit different after spending the best part of five years writing text-only FM stories. Any long absence from FMS will surely be more a case of me saying "see you later" rather than "goodbye".

Yes, it's a real shame that our league season has fizzled out. Part of me was quite looking forward to wrapping this story up at the end of this season, but I'm still happy to press on for another year or more. As for summer transfers, I've already secured the outstanding Nathan Guppy's services at centre-half, but there'll likely be a couple more bold signings to come.

[CFuller]

MAY 2042 (continued)

In the past three decades, only two teams had successfully defended the FA Cup. Manchester City won it three times in a row between 2024 and 2026, while Arsenal recorded back-to-back triumphs in 2032 and 2033. It seemed apt, then, that after beating the Citizens to claim our maiden FA Cup in the 2041 Final, Dagenham & Redbridge now faced the Gunners for the right to retain it in 2042.

 

This was our fourth and final trip to Wembley this season. The first two had resulted in defeats to City and Liverpool in the Community Shield and the League Cup respectively. A thrilling 3-2 FA Cup Semi Final win over Fulham had rekindled our love affair with the national stadium, where we had previously beaten Arsenal in two League Cup deciders. I was now optimistic that 10 May 2042 would be another day to remember for Daggers supporters.

 

George Darvill and Eric Knox missed this Final through injury, though star striker Elliot Cook recovered from a twisted ankle just in time to make the bench. As for the starting XI, this was what I went with:

 

Dagenham & Redbridge Starting XI - 2042 FA Cup Final

Antoni Giménez (Goalkeeper, age 25, Spanish) - Cup goalie Antoni had often excelled whenever called upon, though he was also prone to making the odd bad call. A strong display from the 6ft 2in Catalan would perhaps convince me to keep him for at least another season.

Thulani Mazibuko (Right-Back, age 28, South African) - Thulani had arguably hit his top form at just the right point heading into Wembley. The determined and versatile defender was preferred over Enrique Álvarez at right-back because of his calmness in high-pressure matches.

Kevin Schaeffer (Centre-Back, age 23, French) - Kevin's first full season at Rainham Road had been largely up-and-down, with consistency proving a problem. If we had anyone who could almost always come good on the biggest stages, though, the strong and resolute Parisian was that man.

Michael Walters (Centre-Back, age 20, Welsh) - For such a young man, Michael showed few nerves and could often be called upon to dispel attacks without immediately squandering the ball. The sole British player in my Final XI now had a great chance to become a regular starter from next term.

Juan Esteban Olvera (Left-Back, age 23, Mexican) - Juan had now settled into life in England and was quickly emerging as a truly excellent wing-back. He'd put in his fair share of fearless challenges during his first season with the Daggers and was also showing great tactical awareness.

Kenneth Jorgensen (Defensive Midfielder, age 29, Danish) - After a couple of so-so years, Kenneth was back in his prime. Having this great Dane anchoring our midfield always made us a much tougher team to beat, but he was also now contributing a bit more going forward.

Orlando Salvador (Central Midfielder, age 25, Portuguese) - Orlando's double against Derby County inspired us to come back from a two-goal deficit in Round 5. The Dagenham captain's performances had waned since then, though I hoped he was simply saving his very best for Wembley.

Frédéric Pereira (Central Midfielder, age 29, French) - I have loved watching Frédéric work his socks off over these past few weeks. The fiery ball-winner was an integral part of this Daggers team, and he always possessed a burning desire to add more honours to a bulging CV.

Dzenan Genjac (Attacking Midfielder, age 24, Croatian) - Without the fantastic but often fragile Dzenan, we might have been watching this Final on TV. His brace against Fulham turned a tense Semi Final in our favour, and I expected another all-action display in his latest visit to Wembley.

Antonis Siafos (Forward, age 24, Greek) - Antonis needed just one more goal to reach 20 for a second consecutive season. The physical centre-forward had blown hot and cold in recent months, but he wasn't one who could easily lose confidence during a leaner spell.

Gianfranco Torre (Forward, age 27, Italian) - Gianfranco had 13 goals and 11 assists this season but was actually our least consistent striker in terms of shooting accuracy. Perhaps the Roman warrior needed to start harrying defenders again instead of simply snatching at optimistic chances.

 

There was a time earlier in the season - around about December - when Thomas O'Ware's position as Arsenal manager was said to be in serious jeopardy. The 49-year-old Scotsman had since done tremendously well to not only keep his job, but also keep the Gunners fighting in three major competitions over the course of the campaign.

 

Now, though, the FA Cup represented Arsenal's last realistic shot at glory. They had crashed out to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League Semi Final, and Manchester United looked all but certain to win the Premier League.

 

O'Ware had a clean bill of health in his first-team. However, several regular starters - most notably Shane Hay, Albert Khumalo and captain Liam Wood - were rested after playing for 90 exhausting minutes against Manchester City in midweek. These, then, were the 11 men he chose to start the Cup Final:

 

Arsenal Starting XI - 2042 FA Cup Final

Ashley Dolan (Goalkeeper, age 23, English) - East London native Dolan wore the number 1 jersey at Arsenal, though he had been second-choice to Marat Lepilov for some time now. This highly-driven youngster was regarded as a very flexible goalkeeper with a safe pair of hands.

Sibusiso Radebe (Right-Back, age 30, South African) - As far as Bafana Bafana full-backs went, Radebe was perhaps not at the same level as Khumalo or even Mazibuko. The pacey defender joined Arsenal from Norwich City in January 2041 but had rarely featured for the Gunners in the league.

Jhon Jairo Pena (Centre-Back, age 28, Colombian) - Tough-tackling Pena was the cornerstone of the Premier League's meanest defence and regarded as one of the world's very best centre-halves. The 6ft 4in behemoth would captain the Gunners at Wembley in place of the rested Liam Wood.

Alexandr Berezin (Centre-Back, age 30, Ukrainian) - Berezin was certainly a towering presence at the back, though he perhaps lacked the composure to be an elite defender. Arsenal was his eighth club in a journeyman career that'd also seen him turn out for Porto, Juventus and Real Madrid.

Connor Smith (Left-Back, age 30, English) - Lincoln-born Smith had made nearly 300 Premier League appearances for Arsenal since coming through their youth set-up a little over a decade ago. The fiery and hard-working wing-back had also been capped 56 times by England.

Juan Martín Díaz (Right Midfielder, age 29, Argentinean) - Díaz was an outstanding winger with exceptional crossing ability and blistering pace. The flamboyant megastar had also produced 58 assists in his first three seasons at the Thierry Henry Arena, which wasn't bad going!

Miguel Ángel Martínez (Central Midfielder, age 25, Spanish) - Mainly utilised as an anchor man, Martínez was a dogged midfielder who had been dogged by injuries in recent years. His contract at Arsenal was set to expire in the summer, though O'Ware was considering offering him fresh terms.

Roberto Bartlett (Central Midfielder, age 19, English) - Arsenal had high hopes that Bartlett could be their main creative outlet for years to come. Despite his tender age, the technically-gifted England Under-21s midfielder already had plenty of top-flight experience on his record.

Stephen Harrison (Left Midfielder, age 22, English) - After a couple of seasons out on loan, North London boy Harrison had nailed down a regular place in Arsenal's line-up this term. Standing at 6ft 4in tall, he wasn't particularly quick, though he was still a high-calibre wide playmaker.

Paolo De Vecchi (Forward, age 25, Italian) - It had taken De Vecchi a couple of seasons to settle at Arsenal, but now the former AC Milan star was hitting his stride. The burly deep-lying forward had scored a club-best 22 goals in this campaign, upstaging Gunners legend Shane Hay.

Diego Reyes (Forward, age 31, Chilean) - Two years after moving from Paris Saint-Germain, Reyes was still struggling to establish himself in North London. His scoring record wasn't bad, though his shot conversion rate was, and O'Ware perhaps didn't trust him as much as his other strikers.

 

The honour of being named London's best team would be formally decided when the Premier League season concluded over the following week. This, though, was an unofficial battle for the pride of the capital - in front of over 90,000 spectators, and hundreds of millions of TV viewers.

 

10 May 2042: Arsenal vs Dagenham & Redbridge

The 161st FA Cup Final was a tense affair to begin with, though we were arguably quicker to settle into the game than Arsenal. Five minutes after kick-off, Dagenham captain Orlando Salvador fed the ball into the Gunners' box for attacking midfielder Dzenan Genjac, whose strike was blocked by defender Alexandr Berezin.

 

A minute later, our French ball-winner Frédéric Pereira received the ball from Orlando and then unleashed an ambitious strike from 30 yards out. If he was trying to catch Ashley Dolan napping, he had another thing coming, as Arsenal's goalkeeper caught the ball with ease.

 

Frédi was then the victim of a barge from midfielder Miguel Ángel Martínez, who received the game's first yellow card after just 10 minutes. Arsenal showed their aggressive side again on 12 minutes. Our right-back Thulani Mazibuko had to come off briefly after being knocked to the ground by Gunners winger Juan Martín Díaz, who was lucky not to concede a free-kick, let alone be booked. We pushed forward again in the 13th minute, when Salvador's delivery into the box was flicked wide by Gianfranco Torre.

 

Then came a potential turning point in the 17th minute. Pereira broke his arm in an accidental collision with an Arsenal player, forcing the midfield dynamo to come off and make way for Lee Allen.

 

We struggled somewhat without Frédi, and we went close to falling 1-0 behind three minutes later. Díaz's free-kick into the Daggers box was flicked at goal by Gunners striker Paolo De Vecchi, but Antoni Giménez diverted it behind.

 

Dagenham were back on the offensive by the 23rd minute. Though Salvador's fierce shot failed to hit the target, we would strike gold with our next effort nine minutes later. It was a superb long pass from Juan Esteban Olvera that set the ball rolling, as our Mexican left-back found Dzenan deep in Arsenal territory. Genjac then weighted it ahead of Torre, who passed Gunners captain Jhon Jairo Pena and thundered in the opening goal with his weaker left foot!

 

Our London rivals attempted to battle back before the break, but a strong Daggers rearguard restricted them to hopelessly shooting from distance. Chile striker Diego Reyes struck two particularly woeful attempts in the 38th and 40th minute. De Vecchi fared little better in the 41st, and the Italian would be booked three minutes later for pushing Jorgensen.

 

The Daggers went into the interval leading 1-0, though our advantage could've been a more comfortable one had Allen scored in the 45th minute. Lee quickly ran onto the loose ball after his attempted pass to Franco was intercepted by Gunners right-back Sibusiso Radebe, but our local lad's shot was too tame to stress Dolan.

 

Arsenal boss Thomas O'Ware brought on a substitute for the second half, replacing the abject Reyes with another South American striker in Javier Montenegro. However, it was De Vecchi who had their first equalising opportunities after the restart. His 47th-minute header from a Díaz corner crept narrowly wide. He also got his head to a cross from Stephen Harrison two minutes later, but couldn't beat Giménez. Arsenal were now getting increasingly flustered, especially with our young centre-half Michael Walters making several interceptions to keep them at bay.

 

Our thoughts soon turned to increasing our 1-0 lead, rather than simply retaining it. Following a couple of warning shots from Allen, we racked up the pressure on the Gunners. After a little over 56 minutes, that pressure would tell.

 

Lee intercepted a pass from Díaz and laid it forward to Torre, who shook off Pena before threading it through to our advancing captain. Salvador then saw space open up for Siafos, and he then teed up the Greek hotshot for a lethal low drive that made it 2-0! Tony celebrated his 20th goal of the season, but Orlando would also be congratulated by his team-mates on a first assist in over four months!

 

Arsenal now needed to quickly get a goal back if they were to have any chance of snatching the FA Cup from our grasp. De Vecchi hoped to get it when he nodded Díaz's outswinging corner at the far post in the 62nd minute. Standing in his way, though, was Mazibuko, who heroically flicked it away from danger!

 

Thulani was giving everything for the Daggers, and so was Dzenan, who committed to a robust slide tackle on Gunners midfielder Roberto Bartlett in the 63rd minute. Genjac appeared to strain his groin in doing so, but he played on for five more minutes before being replaced by Michal Twardzik. The Croatian even went close to setting up a third Daggers goal in the interim, but his through-ball to Torre was met with a shot that Dolan clawed behind.

 

Then, with the finishing line looming large, we started to get jittery for the first time. Allen and Olvera each picked up yellow cards, with Juanes' 71st-minute trip on Díaz gifting Arsenal a potentially significant free-kick. Díaz floated it in from the right flank to Montenegro, whose header flew just over the bar.

 

A little over a minute later, a one-two between Gunners left-back Connor Smith and left-winger Harrison was intercepted by a seemingly tireless Salvador. Orlando darted past Smith and moved the ball towards the centre circle for Michal, who then sought out Franco on the left flank. Torre dribbled upfield before lobbing it to an open Siafos, whose half-volley Dolan simply could not resist! Tony was at the double, and at 3-0 up, we looked set to retain the FA Cup!

 

The final 15 minutes were rather mundane, and devoid of any real drama. With eight minutes to go, I decided to sub Torre off and allow the fit-again Elliot Cook to experience an FA Cup Final for the first time. Shortly after that, O'Ware made his last two changes, with Berezin and Díaz coming off. On came Brazil centre-half Álvaro José and 18-year-old winger Glen Penny, the latter of whom was making just his fourth senior appearance.

 

Arsenal's final chance to pull a goal back came six minutes from time. Harrison's free-kick looked like drifting wide, but Giménez nevertheless dived to catch it and secure his clean sheet in style. There were also a couple of late bookings for Salvador and Kenneth Jorgensen before referee Gary Ashley blew his final whistle. With that, we were confirmed as back-to-back FA CUP WINNERS!!

 

Arsenal - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (Torre 32, Siafos 57,73)

FA Cup Final, Attendance 90,000

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Giménez, Mazibuko, Schaeffer, Walters, Olvera, Jorgensen, Salvador, Pereira (L Allen), Genjac (Twardzik), Siafos, Torre (Cook). BOOKED: Allen, Olvera, Salvador, Jorgensen.

 

That was a truly first-class team performance. Michael Walters claimed the 'man of the match' award for an outstanding defensive display, but that accolade could easily have gone to goalscorers Gianfranco Torre or Antonis Siafos. Even captain Orlando Salvador could've staked a claim for that award, but he was happy enough to accept the trophy from Prince George in the Royal Box and officially kick off our celebrations.

 

There would soon be more scenes of jubilation in the Dagenham & Redbridge dressing room. We had deliberately ignored the Premier League results from earlier in the afternoon so that we could concentrate on this match. Once the dust had settled, I informed the players that 5th-placed Derby County had lost 2-0 at Fulham. On-loan Dagger Stevie Merson had assisted Joe Shepherd for the first of Fulham's goals.

 

We were now guaranteed another top-four finish, and the pressure would be off our shoulders come the final weekend.

[mark wilson27]

Congratulations again sir.  Another excellent win. Can tou get hattrick of FA Cups now

[CFuller]

23 hours ago, mark wilson27 said:

Congratulations again sir.  Another excellent win. Can tou get hattrick of FA Cups now

Back-to-back-to-back FA Cups would be nice, believe me. However, having won that competition and the League Cup twice apiece, I'm not too bothered about the domestic cups now. I'd be okay with a couple of early exits next season if it meant we had a stronger chance of winnning the Premier League.

[CFuller]

MAY 2042 (continued)

We went into our last match of the 2041/2042 Premier League season - at home to 7th-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers - still harbouring slender hopes of dividing the 'Big Three'.

 

Manchester City had beaten Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 on the penultimate weekend, and Arsenal had drawn 2-2 with Wolves in midweek - a result that handed Manchester United the title. City and Arsenal were each two points ahead of us going into the final round, and their goal differences were vastly superior to ours.

 

That meant the Daggers had to beat Wolves at Rainham Road, else we would come home 4th for the third season in a row. We also needed either Arsenal to lose at home to already-relegated Burnley, or the Citizens to suffer defeat at Carrow Road against Norwich City. If we did our bit, and either Burnley or Norwich held up their end of the bargain, we would climb up to 3rd or even 2nd place.

 

You couldn't underestimate how important it was to finish in the top three, at least not as far as the UEFA Champions League was concerned. Only those three highest finishers would automatically qualify for next season's competition. Finishing 4th would leave us - the 2041 Champions League winners, let's not forget - having to go through a Playoff round to make it into the 2042/2043 competition proper.

 

Dzenan Genjac and Frédéric Pereira were both ruled out of this season-ender after being injured in the FA Cup Final. Juan Esteban Olvera also missed out, having sustained knee cartilage damage in a training session. On a more positive note, fan favourites George Darvill and Elliot Cook were both back in the starting line-up.

 

I had several youngsters on my bench, including Barkingside-born right-back Gareth Sainsbury. Gareth had excelled on his first few outings for the reserve and Under-18s teams, so much so that I had him in the matchday squad for the win over Norwich City last month. Sainsbury didn't come off the bench then, but if he did see action here, he would become our youngest ever Premier League player, aged just 15 years and 265 days.

 

17 May 2042: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Wolverhampton Wanderers

Wolves striker Hasney Mitchell loved to score against us, and he almost had another reason to celebrate in the second minute. Strike partner Radenko Kostic nodded an excellent ball out right to winger Ferreira, whose deep cross was then flicked past the post by Mitchell. We had our first scoring opportunity three minutes later, but Elliot Cook volleyed Gianfranco Torre's lob harmlessly over the bar. Cookie perhaps needed some time to shake off the rust that had set in over recent injury-hit months.

 

Dagenham goalkeeper Kayo Rowe was certainly not looking rusty in the 15th minute, when he tipped over a fierce drive from Wolves midfielder Declan Facey. Emiliano Colman then drifted a corner into the box, where Wanderers centre-half Jay Allen flicked it over the bar. About a minute after that, our left-back Hicham Martin made a rare advance towards goal, only to swerve his shot past the far post.

 

The first 20 minutes at Rainham Road had passed by without a goal, but the deadlock had been broken at the Thierry Henry Arena, where Arsenal went 1-0 up on Burnley. Unless the Clarets could come back, we wouldn't be catching the Gunners, regardless of the result here.

 

Our next chance to threaten Wolves came on 24 minutes. Martin flicked Milen Danchev's cross to Cook, whose header was tipped over the visitors' crossbar by Ben Perk. Two minutes later, Perk punted a free-kick up to Kostic, who threaded it through to Ferreira on the edge of our area. The Brazilian looked set to drive the ball home, but Rowe palmed it away before young Daggers midfielder Warren Johnston cleared.

 

Moments later, we heard about a couple of goals at Carrow Road. Karim De Vuyst had put Manchester City 1-0 ahead... but then John Chibuike levelled for Norwich City almost instantly! If Norwich could score again, and we took the lead, we would be heading above the Sky Blues!

 

We did our bit in the 34th minute, thanks largely to a dreadful back-pass from Ferreira. Cook intercepted it at the halfway line and then dribbled upfield before chipping the ball into the penalty area, where Torre slammed in a volley! We were now level on points with Manchester City as things stood... but that situation would soon change.

 

Wolves snatched an equaliser on the stroke of half-time, when an excellent corner delivery was headed home by Mitchell. However, it was the on-loan Rochdale defender Jordan Mitchell who'd scored his first career Premier League goal, and not Hasney who'd bagged his 84th. That leveller - plus a couple of late saves by Perk from both Cook and Kevin Schaeffer - sent us into the dressing room on a downer.

 

A 1-1 home draw just wasn't going to cut it for us, as it would consign us to finishing 4th, no matter what happened elsewhere. Incidentally, Manchester City were still drawing 1-1 at Norwich, while Arsenal had doubled their lead on Burnley. The Gunners looked to have 2nd place wrapped up, but the Citizens were perhaps still within our reach.

 

Another Colman corner three minutes into the second half had us fearing a defeat. Hasney Mitchell flicked the Argentine's set-piece flying towards goal, but Martin cleared it off the line. Mind you, Hicham's clearance didn't really matter, as Kayo was clearly being impeded by Jay Allen, who gave away a free-kick to the Daggers.

 

In the 55th minute, we received some worrying news from Norfolk, where De Vuyst had regained Manchester City's lead. If the Citizens could hold on, it would render a Dagenham win meaningless. We did go back in front ourselves two minutes later, when Torre headed Martin's cross home for an impressive brace, but we now really needed Norwich to do us a favour.

 

Hicham pulled a potential chance for 3-1 wide in the 59th minute. Another opportunity to score the game's fourth goal came and went six minutes later. On that occasion, Hasney Mitchell was denied a second Wolves equaliser by a superb fingertip save from Rowe.

 

After Kayo's heroics, I made my first personnel change, sending attacking midfielder Josh Beadle on for a rather quiet Orlando Salvador. Dagenham-born Josh was a future local hero, but a present one would delight the Rainham Road faithful in the 68th minute. After Milen's right-wing cross was met by an awkward intercepting diving header from Amine Ben Said, Elliot powered the loose ball into the net! Dagenham now led 3-1... but what was happening elsewhere?

 

Arsenal were now miles ahead of Burnley, but we still had hope of a positive result at Norwich. Chibuike's second goal for the Canaries on 71 minutes made it 2-2 against Manchester City, who now dared not concede again.

 

Five minutes later, I brought a couple of emerging Daggers on from the bench. 15-year-old senior debutant Gareth Sainsbury replaced Danchev on the right flank, while 16-year-old Ebenezer Agyemang took over Lee Allen's midfield duties.

 

Our two senior strikers looked to seal the win in the 83rd minute. Torre's flick-on was half-volleyed at goal by Cook, but Perk's catch kept Wanderers in contention. Two minutes later, our lead had been halved to 3-2, courtesy of Facey's close-range finish from a poorly-cleared Colman centre. If anyone at Rainham Road thought we were getting jittery, though, they would have to think again.

 

In the 89th minute, Beadle's pass to Torre was slipped beyond Jordan Mitchell and into the Wolves area. Cook ran onto it before burying his 24th and final goal of his most impressive season to date. It was now 4-2, and the points were safely ours!

 

Sadly, an excellent evening would end on a worrying note for Elliot. In injury time, our famously fragile frontman was the victim of a rough double-challenge from both Jay Allen and Ben Said. Cookie badly gashed his right leg and had to sit out the final few minutes.

 

After the full-time whistle blew, we anxiously awaited the final scores concerning our main rivals. We never really expected Burnley to battle back against Arsenal, who ultimately won 4-0 to come 2nd. We now hoped that Norwich City had grabbed a late winner against Manchester City... but when we heard that the match had finished 2-2, our hearts sank. The Citizens remained 3rd on goal difference, and we would have to go into the UEFA Champions League Playoff instead of qualifying straight for the Group Stage.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 4 (Torre 34,57, Cook 68,89)

Wolverhampton Wanderers - 2 (J Mitchell 44, Facey 85)

Premier League, Attendance 26,772 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 4th, Wolves 7th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Schaeffer, Darvill, Walters, Danchev (Sainsbury), Johnston, L Allen (Agyemang), Martin, Salvador (J Beadle), Torre, Cook.

 

We hadn't yet cracked the top three, but when all was said and done, this was still a good Premier League season for the Daggers. Finishing level on points with the champions from the previous campaign was a fine achievement, as was getting within seven points of the new domestic kings - Manchester United.

 

To some extent, though, it felt like a massive opportunity had been thrown away. Our final points tally of 75 was only a two-point improvement on last season's, while we'd conceded three more goals and scored 15 fewer. If it hadn't been for those late-season wobbles, and if we had been able to blitz opponents more often, that league championship could well have been winging its way to Rainham Road.

 

I would soon start planning for a more substantial title challenge in the 2042/2043 season. Before then, I opened contract negotiations with several Daggers players.

 

Midfielder Frédéric Pereira pledged to see out his top-flight career with the club, penning a new three-year contract worth £90,000 per week. Also receiving a hefty pay rise was goalkeeper Kayo Rowe, whose new five-year contract trebled his weekly wages from £25,000 to £75,000.

 

Lee Allen extended his Daggers career for at least another three seasons, while centre-back Jimmy Cullen - fresh from a loan stint at Leighton Town - and reserve goalie António also agreed new deals. Three Under-18s players - goalkeepers Terry Brightly and Martin King, and midfielder Ken Burton - signed their first professional contracts.

 

Jimmy was one of 12 players who would return to Rainham Road in the summer after finishing this season out on loan. Benjamin Guerin and Stevie Merson can both expect to be first-team regulars next term following excellent campaigns at Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham respectively. Merson scored 22 goals for the Cottagers, though a lot of those had come in the UEFA Europa League.

 

As far as the backroom was concerned, there were a few changes. Technical coach Henry Cleminson and physiotherapist John Alti were each relieved of their duties after their contracts expired.

 

Cleminson's exit meant that James Dunne was promoted from the Under-18s set-up to a coaching role with the senior squad. The Under-18s' new technical coach would be Paul Hardy, who joined the Daggers after 15 years working for Fleetwood Town's youth team.

 

Long-time Derby County physio Emma Lewis moved to Rainham Road as Alti's replacement. There was also a new addition to our scouting network, with Ato Godwin - a 37-year-old Nigerian - being hired to help us identify future talents in Western Africa.

 

Speaking of future African talents, 19-year-old Dagenham striker Kingsley Musa would win his first cap for Nigeria at the end of this month, featuring in a friendly against Spain. Kingsley had only scored 10 goals in 29 appearances for our Serbian feeder club Sloboda Uzice this season, but he was still named in the Super Eagles squad for the forthcoming FIFA World Cup.

 

We had a total of 10 players who were set to compete in the World Cup in Portugal, including home hero Orlando Salvador. European champions France would call upon both Frédéric Pereira and Kevin Schaeffer in their pursuit of a second global title. Dzenan Genjac (Croatia), Antonis Siafos (Greece), Gianfranco Torre (Italy), Thulani Mazibuko (South Africa) and Enrique Álvarez (Spain) were also in line to feature for their respective nations.

 

Surprisingly, Kayo Rowe was the only Dagger to be named in England's World Cup squad. Elliot Cook and the uncapped Lee Allen both trained with the Three Lions as part of the 30-man preliminary squad, but they were cruelly cut from the final 23. George Darvill didn't even get a look-in this time, which suggests to me that the now 29-year-old will probably never win an international cap. 'Tis a real pity.

[CFuller]

Premier League Table (End of 2041/2042)

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    C/CL  Man Utd                38    25    7     6     85    42    +43   82
2.    CL    Arsenal                38    22    11    5     78    37    +41   77
3.    CL    Man City               38    23    6     9     87    42    +45   75
4.    CL    Dag & Red              38    23    6     9     71    43    +28   75
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.    EL    Derby                  38    21    7     10    81    54    +27   70
6.    EL    Liverpool              38    18    11    9     71    53    +18   65
7.    EL    Wolves                 38    17    9     12    61    49    +12   60
8.          Rochdale               38    18    5     15    55    50    +5    59
9.          Fulham                 38    14    9     15    59    57    +2    51
10.         Everton                38    14    8     16    46    57    -11   50
11.         West Brom              38    16    2     20    54    70    -16   50
12.         Chelsea                38    12    11    15    47    61    -14   47
13.         Tottenham              38    12    9     17    43    57    -14   45
14.         Norwich                38    10    13    15    67    72    -5    43
15.         Southampton            38    11    10    17    45    53    -8    43
16.         West Ham               38    9     10    19    38    54    -16   37
17.         Coventry               38    9     9     20    24    49    -25   36
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18.   R     Huddersfield           38    8     11    19    46    88    -42   35
19.   R     Reading                38    7     10    21    44    75    -31   31
20.   R     Burnley                38    4     10    24    30    69    -39   22

 

[CFuller]

Dagenham & Redbridge Player Statistics (2041/2042)

(Includes stats from all first-team matches & 4 Essex Senior Cup matches)

 

GOALKEEPERS               APPS    CON  CLN  MOM  P%   TR   ST%  Y    R    AV RAT
António                   5       8    1    0    69%  -    -    0    0    6.94
Terry Brightly            1       0    1    0    73%  -    -    0    0    7.10
Antoni Giménez            24      24   13   1    64%  -    -    0    0    7.05
Kayo Rowe                 36      43   14   0    67%  -    -    0    0    6.96
OUTFIELD PLAYERS          APPS    GLS  AST  MOM  P%   TR   ST%  Y    R    AV RAT
Ebenezer Agyemang         3 (3)   1    1    0    78%  4.30 25%  1    0    7.06
Lee Allen                 22 (14) 3    4    0    85%  8.47 38%  7    0    7.07
Enrique Álvarez           31 (6)  1    4    0    83%  6.69 13%  6    0    7.13
Josh Beadle               8 (5)   1    5    1    86%  2.48 27%  1    0    7.40
Trond Christian Bjorknes  4       1    0    0    74%  1.97 100% 0    0    7.63
Alfie Blackburn           0 (4)   3    0    0    77%  3.10 38%  0    0    7.55
Ken Burton                2       0    0    0    83%  3.00 0%   0    0    7.05
Dan Carr                  1       0    0    0    71%  1.50 -    0    0    7.20
Bradley Charles           22 (2)  0    2    0    70%  3.00 75%  1    0    7.44
Elliot Cook               27 (9)  24   8    5    72%  2.57 56%  4    0    7.48
Daniel Cooke              2       0    0    0    68%  0.91 -    0    0    6.80
Jimmy Cullen              5 (4)   0    0    0    69%  1.84 20%  1    0    7.60
Milen Danchev             23 (16) 5    9    0    77%  3.59 58%  2    0    7.02
George Darvill            38      7    2    6    79%  2.82 46%  4    0    7.61
Giorgio Facheris          5 (2)   0    0    0    81%  3.41 0%   0    0    7.23
Dzenan Genjac             29 (5)  7    5    1    83%  4.45 42%  0    0    7.16
Warren Johnston           22 (6)  0    7    2    87%  6.49 35%  2    0    7.17
Kenneth Jorgensen         38 (6)  1    3    2    88%  7.01 40%  5    0    7.31
Alex Ketchell             2 (4)   1    5    1    78%  4.79 78%  2    0    7.53
Eric Knox                 14 (14) 4    6    1    82%  6.53 41%  1    0    7.15
Matty Maddison            0 (2)   0    0    0    68%  0.98 0%   0    0    6.50
Andrija Marjanovic        3 (3)   0    0    0    81%  2.03 25%  0    0    6.78
Hicham Martin             21 (1)  2    4    0    82%  6.62 21%  2    0    7.35
Thulani Mazibuko          32 (6)  1    3    0    80%  5.53 23%  1    0    7.33
Norrie McKeown            1 (1)   0    0    0    88%  3.10 -    0    0    6.95
Peter Mikkelsen           3 (6)   5    0    1    71%  2.28 71%  0    0    7.51
Lucky Moloi               0 (1)   0    0    0    94%  -    0%   0    0    7.00
Ryan O'Donnell            1 (1)   0    0    0    61%  -    -    0    0    6.45
Juan Esteban Olvera       39 (1)  0    3    1    81%  7.47 67%  5    0    7.19
Frédéric Pereira          36 (5)  4    7    5    85%  9.51 57%  7    0    7.32
Paddy Rattle              3 (6)   2    0    0    84%  5.56 60%  0    0    6.97
Gareth Sainsbury          0 (1)   0    0    0    90%  -    -    0    0    -   
Orlando Salvador          34 (6)  10   6    4    85%  6.26 48%  10   0    7.46
Mirko Saric               10 (6)  3    5    0    76%  2.78 57%  0    0    7.41
Kevin Schaeffer           37 (1)  0    0    3    72%  2.88 38%  2    0    7.33
Antonis Siafos            34 (11) 21   13   2    73%  2.36 50%  2    0    7.38
Gianfranco Torre          35 (15) 17   13   2    76%  3.13 53%  3    0    7.23
Michal Twardzik           15 (12) 3    3    1    84%  3.52 47%  1    0    7.14
Igor Vorontsov            2       0    0    0    71%  2.14 50%  0    0    7.05
Kurt Walker               1 (3)   0    1    0    78%  3.26 0%   0    0    6.90
Noel Walker               1 (1)   0    0    0    75%  1.50 50%  0    0    6.80
Michael Walters           29 (4)  0    0    3    83%  3.65 27%  7    0    7.37
Mark Washington           25 (5)  17   11   4    73%  1.76 49%  0    0    7.26

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 2042

A few more Daggers signed new contracts in June. I cast aside my fears about Dzenan Genjac's injury record to hand the attacking midfielder a four-year deal worth £75,000 per week. That deal will keep 24-year-old Dzenan at Rainham Road as he (hopefully) starts to hit his peak.

 

Sadly, just two days after that news was confirmed, disaster struck for Genjac. He strained his knee ligaments during Croatia's 4-2 friendly win over Ecuador and would therefore miss the 2042 FIFA World Cup.

 

Greece striker Antonis Siafos was one of nine Dagenham players who did participate in that World Cup in Portugal. Tony tied up a four-year, £70,000-per-week contract about a week prior to the tournament. However, he didn't enjoy the best of competitions, failing to score as Greece crashed out at the Group Stage.

 

Indeed, only three Daggers - France duo Frédéric Pereira and Kevin Schaeffer, and Portugal midfielder Orlando Salvador - were still in championship contention come the Quarter Finals. The rest, including England goalkeeper Kayo Rowe, saw their countries bow out early and would be back home in time for pre-season training.

 

Meanwhile, the UEFA European Under-21s Championship took place in Poland. Young goalkeepers Bruno Rommel and António suffered elimination at the Group Stage with Germany and Portugal respectively.

 

Benjamin Guerin fared better, returning home with a gold medal after his France team beat Poland on penalties in the Final to regain the title. Sadly, the defensive midfielder missed that match, having torn his ankle ligaments in a group match against Serbia. Beni was now set to miss most of our pre-season.

 

Now let's talk outgoings, starting with a couple of departing youth products. Paddy Rattle once looked like he could become a great midfield playmaker, but his progress had stalled so much that I no longer thought he could develop into a first-team regular. We sold Paddy to newly-crowned Championship winners Sheffield United for a mere £800,000, though we'll get 50% of the profit from his next transfer.

 

Bradley Charles' exit was even more regrettable. The central defender had - by and large - played very well whenever he featured for the first-team over the previous season-and-a-half. Unfortunately, we had younger and better players in his position who were really starting to blossom, and I didn't want to stunt their development.

 

After 15 Premier League appearances, 22-year-old Charles completed a £3million to Corby Town. The Steelmen lost in the Championship play-offs again this season, but I have little doubt that a defender of Bradley's calibre can help them make it to the promised land sooner or later.

 

Our biggest sale of the summer was that of another central defender. With a certain England superstar about to make Rainham Road his new home, the time had come for someone to pack their bags. As he was the only one of our top three centre-backs who wasn't homegrown, and the one who'd been least consistent throughout the previous season, Kevin Schaeffer was the obvious choice to cull.

 

Kevin reacted furiously when I told him that his services were no longer required. It'd been less than 18 months since he'd moved to Dagenham, and he was now just beginning to settle in East London. Now, though, the Frenchman would have to ponder a new challenge in another country.

 

Liverpool and Real Sociedad each met my asking price of £22.5million. As I didn't want to sell Kevin to a domestic rival, I told Liverpool to get lost and accepted Real's offer instead. Schaeffer subsequently agreed personal terms with Los Txuri-Urdin, who finished 4th in La Liga last season under former England boss Sylvain Marveaux.

 

Having spent two full seasons at Rainham Road, goalkeeper Antoni Giménez was on his way to Benfica for £4million. The 26-year-old Catalan had been a solid backup to Kayo, and I was a little reluctant to let him go. However, I felt that António and Rommel were now ready to battle it out to be Rowe's understudy, and that keeping Giménez around would have hampered their progress.

 

Also heading out was Warren Johnston, who'd done okay during his first season as a semi-regular first-teamer at Dagenham. Mind you, I still wasn't convinced that Johnston would ever become a top-quality midfielder. His contract would also be up for renewal in 12 months, so when Coventry City offered us £6million to sign him, I took the money. Let's hope I don't regret it.

 

The player who will surely be most sorely missed by Dagenhamites next season is Mark Washington. After seven seasons with the Daggers, including six as skipper, the time had come for the man formerly known as 'Captain America' to depart on a free transfer.

 

Mark enjoyed a mini-renaissance last term, scoring 11 goals and providing nine assists in first-team games. Those goals had taken him up to 114 for Dagenham & Redbridge - just 21 shy of club record holder Mark West's tally. However, Washington was now 30 years old and well past his prime, so it was probably best for everyone that he bowed out gracefully and continued his career at another club.

 

Ian Williams and Alex Hunter both left the Daggers after completing their loan spells at Dartford. Reserve left-back Norrie McKeown's contract expired, and youth players Hassan Isaac Babiker, Daniel Cooke, Ryan O'Donnell and Igor Vorontsov weren't offered new deals.

 

At least five new players would move to Dagenham & Redbridge over the summer. I'll introduce them one-by-one, starting with 15-year-old Robert de Jong - a tall, strong centre-half who's joined from Heracles Almelo in Holland for £500,000 compensation.

 

Another 15-year-old addition to our youth set-up is Altino Schramm - a slight but skilful attacking midfielder. We recruited him from Banat Zrenjanin for £750,000, which for a player of his huge potential could be peanuts. Although he was born and raised in Serbia, Schramm has already been capped at Under-21s level by Switzerland, where his father was born.

 

This next signing is particularly exciting. Two summers ago, we agreed a deal with Brazilian giants Corinthians to sign one of their most gifted strikers, who'd been widely compared to Ronaldo (the original one, not Cristiano). However, he was only 16 years old at the time, and Brazilian footballers couldn't move abroad until their 18th birthday.

 

Johnathan Foroni Neto - otherwise known simply as Johnathan - turned 18 this March. Three months later, having scored 17 goals in 43 Brasileirao appearances for Corinthians, he finally completed his £1.6million move to the Daggers. He also received a conditional British work permit and thus could join our first-team immediately.

 

I probably will have Johnathan in my senior plans from the outset. He's got blistering pace and excellent dribbling ability, though other technical aspects of his game still need a bit of work. With some tuition from our more experienced strikers, he could improve significantly over the coming years and justify all the hype.

 

Our biggest summer signing thus far - at least in terms of the transfer fee - saw us pay £7.5million for an experienced playmaker who could also double up as an attacking midfielder. Yes, we had plenty of depth in that position already, but Eric Knox and Michal Twardzik were still a couple of years off challenging Orlando Salvador and Dzenan Genjac for regular starts. In the meantime, we badly needed a backup option who possessed genuine class.

 

If the name Kamil Lewandowski sounds familiar, it's probably not only because we've faced Paris Saint-Germain about 24 times in our previous two Champions League campaigns. I had come very close to signing the former Poland international from PSG in 2040, when he was 31 years old and I was on the look-out for another midfielder. However, the deal fell through after I failed to sell a player that Kamil would've replaced.

 

Lewandowski is now 33, though that didn't put me off signing him at the second opportunity. Even in his advancing years, he's still a fantastic midfielder who relishes big matches and handles pressure better than most. A player with his creativity and intelligence should serve us very well for the next couple of seasons at least.

 

And finally, it's time to formally introduce you to our most high-profile summer acquisition. It was Sir Alex Ferguson who once said, "Attack wins you games; defence wins you titles." In that sense, Nathan Guppy might be the signing that eventually wins us the Premier League.

 

Guppy made 416 PL appearances in 14 seasons with his boyhood club West Ham United and captained them for half a decade. In that time, the 6ft 5in colossus earned a reputation as one of the greatest English centre-halves of this century. Though the Hammers have struggled at the wrong end of the table recently, the fact that Nathan has been named in the PFA Team of the Year SIX times in the past seven seasons speaks volumes.

 

Guppy's deal at West Ham was due to expire this summer, and we got him to sign a pre-contract agreement with us as soon as the opportunity arose in January. Hammers supporters were understandably furious, while some Daggers fans have misgivings about us signing a player with inextricable links to our East London rivals. However, Nathan's consistently strong performances this season leave me in no doubt that he'll put in as much effort for us as he did for them.

 

A player of Guppy's talent should have won a lot more over the course of his career than he has. He is still only 30 years old, so he has plenty of time to try and secure the league championship that still eludes both him and his new club.

 

Guppy is expected to regularly partner George Darvill in the centre of the Daggers backline next season. Darvill has just been named the Dagenham & Redbridge Fans' Player of the Year for the fifth season in a row, and for the EIGHTH time in his career! You'd do well to find another Premier League player who's so universally loved by his club's supporters!

 

The Fans' Best XI for the 2041/2042 season consisted of Kayo Rowe, Thulani Mazibuko, George Darvill, Michael Walters, Juan Esteban Olvera, Kenneth Jorgensen, Frédéric Pereira, Warren Johnston, Orlando Salvador, Elliot Cook and Antonis Siafos. Warren was perhaps the most surprising name in that line-up, though he was also the only one who wouldn't be back at Dagenham for at least another campaign.

 

Our new season will begin with the Community Shield, which sees us face Premier League holders Manchester United at Wembley on 10 August. With regards to the league, Manchester City provide our first opponents at Rainham Road on 16 August. Those two matches could give us an indication of whether we're yet title material.

 

Our first away game of the PL campaign is against Norwich City on 23 August. We will host West Ham United on 22 November, while the return fixture at the Olympic Stadium on 11 April could make my 58th birthday a stressful one!

 

We've spent three years stuck behind the 'Big Three'. It's about time we stepped on the gas and overtook them, isn't it?

[CFuller]

Romford watch: 2041/2042

Romford narrowly avoided relegation from the Conference Premier last season, having seemingly been close to breaching the play-off places. Could Dominic Shimmin get the Boro back on track before it was too late?

 

Conference Premier: 4th (Lost in Play-Off Semi Final)

Romford enjoyed a fantastic start to the season, beating Swindon Town 2-0 at the County Ground before winning their first home game against Lincoln City. Though they drew their next match at Eastbourne Borough, a couple more victories at Ship Lane saw them move to the top of the Conference Premier. The Boro remained unbeaten until their eighth game, when they were soundly beaten 3-0 at Horsham. That began a horrible run of five defeats in six matches, which sent them tumbling as low as 15th.

 

A narrow away win over Burton Albion at the start of October was a significant moment for Romford. From that moment, they went on a three-month unbeaten run in the league. After registering 10 wins, seven wins and no defeats up to (and including) their New Year's Day win at Brentford, the Boro found themselves in 2nd place. There was also talk of them challenging AFC Wimbledon for automatic promotion, but they were again suddenly derailed by a 3-0 defeat - at Torquay United this time. A couple of draws later in January then sent them out of the top five.

 

Romford regained their play-off position in February, despite finding victories hard to come by. A particularly rough period of three defeats in 11 days in March even had some fans fearing that they had blown a great opportunity for promotion. They need not have worried too much. Though Wimbledon had 1st place nicely sewn up, the Boro secured their play-off spot with a 2-2 draw at Crawley Town on the penultimate day of the season. They then saw off Barrow 3-1 to finish the campaign in 4th - their highest ever position at this level.

 

Awaiting Romford in the Play-Off Semi Final were 3rd-placed Lincoln, who took an early lead in the first leg at Ship Lane through Graham Hopkins. Barry Byfield drew the Boro level on the stroke of half-time, but a Bradie Cotton penalty midway through the second half consigned them to a 2-1 home defeat. Though they levelled the aggregate scores after just six minutes at Sincil Bank through Byfield, Cotton's 28th-minute equaliser was devastating for Romford. A 1-1 draw saw Lincoln win 3-2 on aggregate and reach the Final, which they lost to Darlington.

 

FA Cup: Round 1

Romford had a comfortable start to their FA Cup campaign, putting three goals past Northern Premier League Premier side Mickleover Sports in Derby. A week after that Qualifying Round 4 win, the Boro went further afield for Round 1. Sadly, their visit to North Yorkshire would end in a 3-1 defeat to League Two high-flyers Harrogate Town.

 

FA Trophy: Round 1

The Boro's stay in this competition was all too brief. They were given a nightmarish away tie against Queens Park Rangers in Round 1 - and sure enough, the hosts won 2-1 at Loftus Road.

 

Essex Senior Cup: Runners-Up

Romford started off with an easy two-goal victory over Hullbridge Sports in Round 3. They then beat Harlow Town by the same margin in Round 4, though the Hawks did get a couple of goals themselves. Maldon & Tiptree were a slightly tougher proposition in the Quarter Finals before being beaten 2-1. The Boro then upped the pace in the Semi Final, breezing past Heybridge Swifts 3-0 to reach a second consecutive Final.

 

The Final against Colchester United Reserves took place at Ship Lane, but despite having home advantage, Romford fell behind after 11 minutes to a goal from experienced midfielder Kieran Butt. Boro striker Phil Holmes drew level in the 33rd minute, but the match would soon start to slip away from his colleagues. Eight players - four from either side - were shown yellow cards in a scrappy match, and Romford right-back Mitch Tunnacliffe was shown his second after 63 minutes. The 10 men did brilliantly to keep the scoreline at 1-1 and force extra-time, but when youngster Anthony Wordsworth restored Colchester's advantage in the 96th minute, it was effectively all over. Shimmin's side have now lost three Essex Senior Cup Finals in four seasons.

 

Best Players

Romford have a new goalscoring hero in Nathan Hutchinson. The 25-year-old Yorkshireman's first full season at Ship Lane saw him bag 25 goals in 45 Conference Premier games, making him the division's top scorer. Hutchinson's 28 goals in all competitions doubled the tally of former Boston United striker Byfield - also in his second season with the Boro. Holmes found the net 13 times, while 34-year-old Football League veteran Gavin Breckin provided an incredible 24 assists from midfield. Steven Studley and captain Billy Traynor also reached double figures when it came to assists.

 

Ross Warren was a consistently strong presence in the centre of a somewhat combustible Boro defence. Left-back Alex Marrison was rather prone to mistakes, while goalkeeper Rhett Wilkes was often overshadowed by one of two loanees - Josh Henshaw from Crystal Palace, or Steve Moore from Birmingham City. That's one area where Shimmin might have to improve if Romford are to go a step further next season.

 

The Future

For the first time in a long time, Romford's financial situation seems to have deteriorated. Though their wage bill is average by Conference Premier standards, they are losing money alarmingly quickly. Shimmin might have to cut costs over the summer, whilst also attempting to maintain a competitive squad for the 2042/2043 season.

[CFuller]

2041/2042 season round-up: Part 1

Premier League

Angered at losing the Premier League title to their local rivals last season, Manchester United more than made amends here. A thrilling championship race saw the Red Devils pip both Arsenal and holders Manchester City to win their fifth title under Alexander Mejía's management. Shaun Murray scored an impressive 25 PL goals for the Red Devils, while captain José Luis was consistently outstanding once again. Arsenal and City finished five and seven points adrift respectively, and both teams wound up empty-handed in terms of silverware.

 

For a while, it looked like Dagenham & Redbridge would break the triopoly of the 'Big Three'. They faded late on, though, and had to settle for another 4th-place finish plus a second FA Cup. Elsewhere, a couple of Belgian superstars enjoyed fantastic seasons. 27 goals from Golden Boot winner Yassine Allali saw Derby County crack the top five. Liverpool were just behind the Rams, though they did win the League Cup, and attacking midfielder Frans Neven was named as the PFA's Player of the Year.

 

Wolverhampton Wanderers were as high as 3rd place near the halfway point of the season before eventually slipping to 7th. Despite spending heavily once again, Rochdale narrowly missed out on European qualification. Chelsea's shock decline continued as they came 12th, just above newly-promoted Tottenham Hotspur. Goal-shy and trigger-happy West Ham United's finish of 16th was their worst in 12 seasons.

 

Burnley were sadly overwhelmed on their PL return, winning just four matches before dropping back into the Championship. Joining them were Reading, who slipped all the way down from 6th to 19th following the retirement of manager Zema Abbey last season. Huddersfield Town conceded an alarming 88 goals before their relegation was confirmed on the final day. Despite only finding the net 24 times all season, Coventry City survived by a single point.

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    C/CL  Man Utd                38    25    7     6     85    42    +43   82
2.    CL    Arsenal                38    22    11    5     78    37    +41   77
3.    CL    Man City               38    23    6     9     87    42    +45   75
4.    CL    Dag & Red              38    23    6     9     71    43    +28   75
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.    EL    Derby                  38    21    7     10    81    54    +27   70
6.    EL    Liverpool              38    18    11    9     71    53    +18   65
7.    EL    Wolves                 38    17    9     12    61    49    +12   60
8.          Rochdale               38    18    5     15    55    50    +5    59
9.          Fulham                 38    14    9     15    59    57    +2    51
10.         Everton                38    14    8     16    46    57    -11   50
11.         West Brom              38    16    2     20    54    70    -16   50
12.         Chelsea                38    12    11    15    47    61    -14   47
13.         Tottenham              38    12    9     17    43    57    -14   45
14.         Norwich                38    10    13    15    67    72    -5    43
15.         Southampton            38    11    10    17    45    53    -8    43
16.         West Ham               38    9     10    19    38    54    -16   37
17.         Coventry               38    9     9     20    24    49    -25   36
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18.   R     Huddersfield           38    8     11    19    46    88    -42   35
19.   R     Reading                38    7     10    21    44    75    -31   31
20.   R     Burnley                38    4     10    24    30    69    -39   22

 

Championship

Sheffield United's four-year spell in the Championship is over. An excellent run of form late in the season saw the Blades win the second tier, finishing four points clear of Nottingham Forest, whose legendary captain John Woods fired them back into the Premier League.

 

Svetoslav Trendafilov scored a league-best 34 goals for Corby Town, but their Play-Off dream ended in the Semi Finals against Ipswich Town. The other Semi saw Blackburn Rovers beat off Brighton & Hove Albion in an eight-goal thriller. There were only two goals in the Final at Wembley, and they were both scored by Blackburn's homegrown striker Billy Marginson as Ipswich suffered yet more post-season heartache.

 

Having scraped into the Play-Offs in each of the past two seasons, Aston Villa missed out by one place this time around. Villa now face major financial difficulties, as could 8th-placed Newcastle United, whose local rivals Sunderland survived comfortably in their first season back up. Hereford United registered a new best finish of 18th, while also progressing to Round 6 of the FA Cup for the first time.

 

Crystal Palace also made it to the FA Cup's last eight, but they were left in the Championship's bottom three after an otherwise miserable season. The only team below them were a dismal Chesterfield outfit who'd conceded 99 goals. AFC Telford United filled the other relegation place and returned to League One as well.

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    C     Sheff Utd              46    28    10    8     84    53    +31   94
2.    P     Nottm Forest           46    26    12    8     96    58    +38   90
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.    P     Blackburn              46    27    8     11    86    50    +36   89
4.          Ipswich                46    26    11    9     76    44    +32   89
5.          Corby                  46    23    11    12    77    56    +21   80
6.          Brighton               46    21    15    10    85    55    +30   78
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.          Aston Villa            46    21    9     16    77    74    +3    72
8.          Newcastle              46    19    12    15    67    60    +7    69
9.          Watford                46    19    10    17    68    72    -4    67
10.         Crewe                  46    20    5     21    69    66    +3    65
11.         Stoke                  46    19    7     20    73    67    +6    64
12.         York                   46    16    14    16    55    59    -4    62
13.         Sunderland             46    16    12    18    66    65    +1    60
14.         Luton                  46    17    9     20    71    81    -10   60
15.         Cardiff                46    16    11    19    54    67    -13   59
16.         Plymouth               46    15    12    19    50    65    -15   57
17.         Hull                   46    16    8     22    55    70    -15   56
18.         Hereford               46    12    17    17    58    70    -12   53
19.         Leighton               46    15    7     24    56    68    -12   52
20.         Sheff Wed              46    12    13    21    54    68    -14   49
21.         Wycombe                46    12    12    22    49    64    -15   48
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22.   R     AFC Telford            46    9     14    23    52    80    -28   41
23.   R     Crystal Palace         46    11    7     28    49    72    -23   40
24.   R     Chesterfield           46    8     10    28    56    99    -43   34

 

League One

An incredibly close race in League One saw the top seven separated by just six points. Charlton Athletic won the title, though a late-season lapse almost saw them concede top spot to Oxford United, who surged into the automatic promotion spots at the expense of Bolton Wanderers and Leeds United.

 

Bolton and Leeds both failed in the Play-Off Semi Finals, losing to Scunthorpe United and Leicester City respectively. Scunny's win over the Trotters was very comfortable, but the Final was not. Though Carl McCormick's first-half opener for Leicester was cancelled out by Joe Highdale early in the second period, the Foxes regained their lead through Nick Hutchings. City later had McCormick sent off before holding firm for a 2-1 win - and promotion.

 

Oldham Athletic and Rotherham United were both cut adrift fairly early and slowly sank into League Two. Bristol Rovers dropped down a bit later, while Peterborough United also plummeted into the basement division, 16 seasons after their only stint in the Premier League.

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    C     Charlton               46    21    14    11    84    61    +23   77
2.    P     Oxford                 46    23    8     15    54    47    +7    77
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          Bolton                 46    19    18    9     66    48    +18   75
4.          Leeds                  46    20    15    11    57    47    +10   75
5.    P     Leicester              46    21    10    15    72    54    +18   73
6.          Scunthorpe             46    21    10    15    66    60    +6    73
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.          Bradford               46    19    14    13    64    57    +7    71
8.          Swansea                46    19    10    17    71    61    +10   67
9.          Wrexham                46    17    15    14    56    46    +10   66
10.         Middlesbrough          46    17    14    15    69    57    +12   65
11.         Cambridge              46    17    13    16    51    48    +3    64
12.         Bournemouth            46    17    12    17    59    61    -2    63
13.         Chester                46    15    18    13    55    64    -9    63
14.         Southend               46    16    13    17    58    55    +3    61
15.         Northampton            46    14    19    13    54    51    +3    61
16.         Dartford               46    13    21    12    55    51    +4    60
17.         Morecambe              46    16    12    18    47    56    -9    60
18.         Millwall               46    14    16    16    51    51    0     58
19.         Cheltenham             46    15    13    18    56    70    -14   58
20.         Stockport              46    14    14    18    61    64    -3    56
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21.   R     Bristol Rovers         46    13    14    19    52    59    -7    53
22.   R     Peterborough           46    10    16    20    57    77    -20   46
23.   R     Rotherham              46    7     14    25    34    65    -31   35
24.   R     Oldham                 46    5     15    26    40    79    -39   30

 

League Two

There were three high-quality teams at the top of League Two, with Fleetwood Town eventually claiming the title. Southport continued their ascent into League One, while Kidderminster Harriers arrested their recent slide by going back up automatically.

 

Harrogate Town reached the Play-Offs in just their second Football League season, and they got to the Final after seeing off Yeovil Town. They would also make light work of Doncaster Rovers' conquerors Preston North End at Wembley. An impressive 3-1 victory saw the North Yorkshire club rise into the third tier.

 

An incredible SEVEN teams were in danger of suffering relegation on the final day, but there would be no changes to the bottom two. FC Halifax Town exited the Football League after seven years, and Birmingham City's 150-year stay expired upon their relegation. When all was said and done, only eight points separated the entire bottom half!

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    C     Fleetwood              46    25    10    11    81    59    +22   85
2.    P     Southport              46    23    13    10    80    52    +28   82
3.    P     Kidderminster          46    21    17    8     70    48    +22   80
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.          Yeovil                 46    22    12    12    52    41    +11   78
5.          Doncaster              46    22    9     15    71    53    +18   75
6.          Preston                46    19    12    15    65    56    +9    69
7.    P     Harrogate              46    18    13    15    60    47    +13   67
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8.          Eastleigh              46    16    16    14    57    66    -9    64
9.          Gillingham             46    16    15    15    68    60    +8    63
10.         Aldershot              46    17    12    17    59    57    +2    63
11.         Colchester             46    17    12    17    62    62    0     63
12.         Ashford Town           46    17    11    18    61    78    -17   62
13.         Shrewsbury             46    16    10    20    52    55    -3    58
14.         Bristol City           46    16    9     21    62    67    -5    57
15.         Portsmouth             46    14    14    18    43    52    -9    56
16.         Kingstonian            46    15    10    21    53    59    -6    55
17.         Notts County           46    11    20    15    47    53    -6    53
18.         Wigan                  46    12    17    17    55    62    -7    53
19.         Grimsby                46    12    17    17    44    56    -12   53
20.         Gateshead              46    13    13    20    49    52    -3    52
21.         Exeter                 46    11    19    16    46    54    -8    52
22.         Matlock                46    12    16    18    51    60    -9    52
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
23.   R     Birmingham             46    13    13    20    46    66    -20   52
24.   R     FC Halifax             46    12    14    20    48    67    -19   50

 

Conference Premier

AFC Wimbledon wasted no time in returning to League Two after relegation. The Dons topped the Conference Premier in the entire second half of the season, ultimately winning it by 12 points.

 

Runners-up Darlington narrowly beat Port Vale 3-2 on aggregate in their Play-Off Semi Final, while Lincoln City accounted for Romford by the same scoreline. The Final was also tight, being decided by the odd goal in three. Dan Judge decided it in Darlington's future, putting the Quakers back in the Football League after a long absence.

 

Blackpool's mini-revival was brief, as they quickly plummeted back into the Conference North. The other three teams dropping into the regional Conferences were Eastbourne Borough, St Albans City and Stalybridge Celtic.

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    C     AFC Wimbledon          46    29    8     9     79    42    +37   95
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.    P     Darlington             46    24    11    11    56    32    +24   83
3.          Lincoln                46    24    10    12    65    39    +26   82
4.          Romford                46    21    15    10    74    55    +19   78
5.          Port Vale              46    21    11    14    63    47    +16   74
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.          QPR                    46    21    10    15    59    49    +10   73
7.          Boston Utd             46    21    9     16    61    51    +10   72
8.          Torquay                46    20    11    15    65    52    +13   71
9.          Mansfield              46    19    13    14    57    45    +12   70
10.         Brentford              46    20    10    16    59    59    0     70
11.         Marine                 46    17    18    11    58    46    +12   69
12.         Dorchester             46    18    13    15    62    57    +5    67
13.         Mossley                46    18    12    16    55    47    +8    66
14.         Swindon                46    18    11    17    57    50    +7    65
15.         Walsall                46    17    11    18    57    57    0     62
16.         Barrow                 46    15    15    16    51    54    -3    60
17.         Crawley                46    14    16    16    46    48    -2    58
18.         Horsham                46    16    10    20    45    60    -15   58
19.         Barnsley               46    12    12    22    46    68    -22   48
20.         Burton                 46    11    13    22    40    63    -23   46
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21.   R     Stalybridge            46    9     13    24    39    61    -22   40
22.   R     St Albans              46    10    9     27    40    76    -36   39
23.   R     Eastbourne Boro        46    8     11    27    31    69    -38   35
24.   R     Blackpool              46    6     14    26    33    71    -38   32

 

Conference North

Promoted: Macclesfield Town (1st, 88 pts), Altrincham (2nd, 81 pts).

Also in Play-Offs: Milton Keynes Dons (3rd, 78 pts), Lancaster City (4th, 70 pts), Hartlepool United (5th, 67 pts).

Relegated: Hitchin Town (20th, 42 pts), Solihull Moors (21st, 42 pts), Carlisle United (22nd, 30 pts).

 

Conference South

Promoted: Forest Green Rovers (1st, 83 pts), Hampton & Richmond Borough (5th, 68 pts).

Also in Play-Offs: Bath City (2nd, 81 pts), AFC Hornchurch (3rd, 75 pts), Stevenage (4th, 68 pts).

Relegated: Maidenhead United (20th, 40 pts), Newbury (21st, 27 pts), Ebbsfleet United (22nd, 26 pts).

 

Regional Premier Divisions

Promoted from Northern Premier League Premier: Buxton (1st), Hyde (2nd).

Promoted from Isthmian League Premier: Bury Town (1st), Welling United (3rd).

Promoted from Southern League Premier: Hinckley United (1st), Newport County (2nd).

[CFuller]

2041/2042 season round-up: Part 2

Major Transfers

• Manchester City made the Premier League's biggest signing of the summer, paying a joint-club-record £45.5million for Valencia's Karim De Vuyst. The Belgium attacking midfielder was in scintillating form in his first season at City, providing 17 goals and 20 assists in all competitions.
• Manchester United were busy in the transfer market this season. They signed enigmatic centre-forward Baptiste Bidegain from Barcelona for £27million in June, having earlier invested £18.75million in Hamburg's hard-working right-back Klevis Idrizi. The Red Devils also signed a backup for the 24-year-old Albanian in January, signing Shakhtar Donetsk's Eldar Nozdrin for £11million. He was soon joined by Porto left-winger Hany El Sayed, who was signed for £14.25million as a rival for Kim Chang-Hoon.
• After losing defenders Joao Alexandre and Christoph Kerstiens to Manchester City and Porto respectively, it was no surprise to see Liverpool invest in their backline. Italian centre-half Alessio Beretta was an excellent £17million buy from AC Milan, but former West Ham United right-back Amani Douglas - who cost £8million - was more hit-and-miss. All in all, the Reds spent £80million on new players over the summer, but it wasn't enough to get them back into the UEFA Champions League.
• Rochdale broke their transfer record once again, luring England striker Pat McCann from Fulham for £26million. However, the 26-year-old Londoner has thus far failed to live up to the hype. McCann's return of seven goals in 29 league matches during his first season at the Slovalco Arena was very disappointing.
• Real Madrid bought a couple of central defenders from the PL as they looked to retain their La Liga title. Manchester City's big Dutchman Arnold Gerrits justified his £14million price tag with some solid performances. However, he was overshadowed by Vicente Gridelli, who established himself as one of the world's foremost centre-backs after arriving from Dagenham & Redbridge for £46.5million. The Argentine was Los Merengues' most expensive purchase since 2009.
• Juventus went on a £100million transfer spree as they attempted in vain to displace Empoli from the top of Serie A. £34.5million of that went to Granada in exchange for Argentina international Darío Montana, who can play at centre-half or as a left wing-back. The Old Lady also completed a £19.5million deal for Paris Saint-Germain's Danish defensive midfielder Morten Larsen.

 

Managerial Movements

• After Zema Abbey's retirement, Reading appointed Igor Plastun as their new manager. The former Liverpool boss didn't even last six months, being sacked just before Christmas as the Royals floundered. Rangers chief Neil Briers came in as the Ukrainian's replacement, but he could not save his new club from relegation to the Championship. Plastun has now returned to former club Ajax ahead of the 2042/2043 season, with De Godenzonen having lost their Eredivisie-winning coach Inaki Arce to Napoli.
• West Ham United were bottom of the Premier League in November. That prompted the Hammers to ditch their pragmatic manager Matt Lowton and bring in a more ambitious coach. Sure enough, Vladimir Weiss brought some entertainment back to the Olympic Stadium, and United staved off relegation by two points. Weiss' former club Burnley went straight back down, as ex-Wales manager Nathan Howe won just two of his first 28 matches in charge.
• Following a rather quiet season on the PL's managerial merry-go-round, Chelsea opted for another change of coach. Ronen Azulay was dismissed after his first full campaign at Stamford Bridge resulted in a 12th-place finish. The Blues then turned to one of his predecessors, as Musa Nizam returned to west London after lasting just a single season at Napoli, who finished 6th in Serie A.
• Former Chelsea and Napoli manager Ard van Peppen is back on his feet again. The 56-year-old Dutchman took over at La Liga giants Real Betis in November, after Los Béticos' head coach Pablo Velasco had been poached by Bayern Munich. Willi Muller had been a little over six months into his Bayern reign when a run of five defeats in seven Bundesliga games cost him his job.
• November also saw another familiar face return to management. 18 months after being unceremoniously dismissed by Real Madrid, Sylvain Marveaux took the Real Sociedad reins from Adria Carmona. The former Manchester United and England chief arrived when Los Txuri-Urdin were already some way off the La Liga championship pace, but he did eventually get them back into the top four.
• He's managed 16 different clubs across Britain and had a spell as head coach of England's Under-21s. Now, after 33 years in management, Eddie Howe's career has come full-circle. He returned to his first club AFC Bournemouth just before his 64th birthday in November, guiding the Cherries from 12th in League One to... erm, 12th in League One. Howe is expected to stay at Dean Court for one final season before retiring.

 

Other Major Stories

• For the first time in seven years, the UEFA Champions League was NOT won by an English team. Paris Saint-Germain knocked out the past two winners - Dagenham & Redbridge and Manchester City - on their way to Wembley, where they faced Real Madrid in the Final. It took a single magical move from American striker Tony Mathieson in the 62nd minute to earn PSG a 1-0 win, and their first European Cup since 2023.
• It was also a landmark year for Sporting CP, who beat Juventus on penalties a 1-1 draw in the UEFA Europa League Final. The Lions then followed up their first European trophy in 78 years with a domestic double. After pipping Porto by a single point to end their 26-year wait for a 20th Primeira Liga title, they beat Académica 3-2 in a thrilling Taca de Portugal Final.
• Just like Sporting, Schalke 04 had not won a domestic league title since 2016. Die Konigsblauen ended that barren run by finishing three points clear of Borussia Dortmund to lift the Bundesliga trophy for just the second time this century. Meanwhile, Celtic brought an end to 12 years of hurt in the Scottish Premier League, finishing 14 points clear of runners-up Hibernian. Rangers came 4th and were the division's top scorers, though they also conceded more goals than relegated Partick Thistle.
• Empoli won back-to-back Serie A scudettos for the first time, though perennial rivals Juventus pushed them all the way. It was also a memorable season for Brescia, who finished 4th before a brace from Alessandro Dusi saw them defeat Napoli 3-0 in the Coppa Italia Final. That was the Rondinelle's first major trophy in their 131-year history... unless you count the 1993 Anglo-Italian Cup. Nobody in their right mind does.
• Despite winning the Champions League, PSG were stripped of their Ligue 1 title by a very strong Lyon team. Unfancied Corsica side Ajaccio enjoyed a sensational campaign, registering their highest ever finish of 3rd to qualify for the Champions League. In contrast, Valenciennes - who'd consistently been in the top seven over recent years - only avoided relegation after beating Les Parisiens 2-0 on the final day!
• Two Manchester City icons called it a day in La Liga, as winger Domenico Papa retired at Celta Vigo, and striker Hassan Ben Ayad finished with Real Sociedad. The curtain also fell on the careers of long-time Arsenal right-back Romaric Mawéné and midfield team-mate Thulani Kama. Manchester United striker Moses Penfold hung up his boots aged 34, having fallen just four short of matching Damien King's record of 241 league goals for the Red Devils.

 

Cup Winners

FA Cup: Dagenham & Redbridge 3-0 Arsenal.

League Cup: Liverpool 2-1 Dagenham & Redbridge.

Community Shield: Manchester City 2-1 Dagenham & Redbridge.

Football League Trophy: Bradford City 2-0 Kidderminster Harriers.

 

UEFA Champions League: Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 Real Madrid - at Wembley, London.

UEFA Europa League: Sporting CP 1-1 Juventus (3-2 penalties) - at Artemio Franchi, Florence.

UEFA Super Cup: Dagenham & Redbridge 2-1 Real Betis - at Olimpico, Turin.

FIFA Club World Championship: Dagenham & Redbridge 3-1 Estudiantes de La Plata - at Rose Bowl, Pasadena.

 

Major European Leagues

Dutch Eredivisie: Ajax (1st), PSV (2nd), Feyenoord (3rd).

French Ligue 1: Lyon (1st), Paris Saint-Germain (2nd), Ajaccio (3rd).

German Bundesliga: Schalke 04 (1st), Borussia Dortmund (2nd), Borussia Moenchengladbach (3rd).

Italian Serie A: Empoli (1st), Juventus (2nd), AC Milan (3rd).

Portuguese Primeira Liga: Sporting CP (1st), Porto (2nd), Benfica (3rd).

Russian Premier League: Alania Vladikavkaz (1st), Anji Ramenskoye (2nd), Lokomotiv Moscow (3rd).

Scottish Premier League: Celtic (1st), Hibernian (2nd), Aberdeen (3rd).

Spanish La Liga: Real Madrid (1st), Barcelona (2nd), Real Betis (3rd).

 

Award Winners

PFA Player of the Year: Frans Neven (Liverpool).

PFA Young Player of the Year: Matty Holmes (Derby County).

FWA Footballer of the Year: Shaun Murray (Manchester United).

Premier League Manager of the Season: Alexander Mejía (Manchester United).

PFA Premier League Team of the Year:

• Sergio González (Manchester City and Paraguay)
• Sadi (Manchester City and Portugal)
• Nathan Guppy (West Ham United and England)
• José Luis (Manchester United and Spain)
• Mohammed Ali (Manchester City and England)
• Dan Mortimer (Fulham and England)
• Frans Neven (Liverpool and Belgium)
• Karim De Vuyst (Manchester City and Belgium)
• Paul Sherwood (Derby County and England)
• Yassine Allali (Derby County and Belgium)
• Shaun Murray (Manchester United 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: Karim De Vuyst (Manchester City).

FIFA/FIFPro World XI:

• Gustavo Coronel (Boca Juniors and Argentina)
• Gerardo López (Lokomotiv Moscow and Russia)
• José Luis (Manchester United and Spain)
• Nathan Guppy (West Ham United and England)
• Denis (Porto and Brazil)
• Gilles Causse (Barcelona and France)
• Karim De Vuyst (Manchester City and Belgium)
• Bruno (Empoli and Italy)
• Joachim Schwarz (Juventus and Germany)
• Jérémy Jossic (Porto and France)
• Mario (Paris Saint-Germain and Spain)

[CFuller]

FIFA World Cup review: Portugal 2042

Qualification

Germany made an ominous start to their FIFA World Cup defence, breezing through the UEFA qualifiers with 10 straight wins. England also had a perfect qualifying record as Moses Penfold scored 16 goals, though the Manchester United veteran wouldn't be involved in the tournament itself. South Africa won all their preliminary matches in the CAF section, while Africa Cup of Nations holders Nigeria were among the other undefeated nations.

 

France were denied top spot in their qualifying group after conceding an 87th-minute penalty to Belgium in their final match. Les Bleus had to beat Bulgaria in a play-off to progress, while Wales - the team they beat to win UEFA Euro 2040 - succumbed to Bosnia & Herzegovina. Despite reaching the Quarter Finals of the last World Cup, South Korea failed to qualify this time around, thus missing their first global finals since 1982. Chile would also be absent this time around.

 

Bosnia's qualification for this World Cup was the Zmajevi's first since making their debut in 2014. Greece qualified for their first global championship in 20 years, while the Republic of Ireland ended a 40-year wait. Honduras and Ecuador made it through for the first time since 2010 and 2018 respectively. Meanwhile, Venezuela finally realised their dreams, becoming the last of CONMEBOL's 10 members to compete in their maiden World Cup.

 

QUALIFIERS: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, DR Congo, Ecuador, England, France, Germany (holders), Greece, Holland, Honduras, Iran, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Paraguay, Portugal (hosts), Republic of Ireland, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey, United States, Venezuela.

 

Group Stage

Despite losing their Group A opener to Brazil, Turkey had the last laugh. The Crescent-Stars topped the pool after winning their next two matches, including a 3-1 beating of Portugal. The hosts snuck through to Round 2, edging out Brazil on head-to-head. Spain also finished top of their group following an opening-round defeat against Italy. National legend Mario scored four times in Group B as La Furia Roja finished just ahead of the Azzurri, who also qualified despite a shock loss to DR Congo.

 

Ivory Coast and France were the clear frontrunners in Group C. Top spot was effectively secured in their meeting, which saw Boubacar Coulibaly earn Les Éléphants an unforgettable 1-0 win over the European champions. The Ivorians went on to win all three group games, as did England in Group D. Five goals from Maurice Hockley and four from Shaun Murray saw the Three Lions comfortably through alongside Bosnia & Herzegovina, whom they thrashed 5-0 to top the group.

 

Belgium improved gradually over the course of Group E - beating South Africa 1-0, Argentina 2-0, and then Croatia 3-0. Derby County's Yassine Allali got four of the Red Devils' six goals. Argentina snuck into the last 16 alongside them after drawing their final group game with South Africa. Group F was very tight, with all four teams winning and losing at least once. Holland were the only side to rack up two wins, while the Czech Republic edged out China on goal difference to join them in the next phase.

 

Republic of Ireland, Australia and holders Germany traded blows in a three-way battle for Group G. Ultimately, it was the Aussies who narrowly missed out on Round 2, with Ireland coming top in their first World Cup Group Stage since 2002. Finally, a scrappy Group H saw four draws and only 10 goals. United States and Tunisia qualified for the last 16, by dint of their 2-1 wins over Japan. Paraguay were knocked out, despite also being unbeaten.

 

GROUP A: Turkey* (1st, 6 pts), Portugal* (2nd, 6 pts), Brazil (3rd, 4 pts), Mexico (4th, 1 pt).

GROUP B: Spain* (1st, 6 pts), Italy* (2nd, 6 pts), DR Congo (3rd, 4 pts), Iran (4th, 1 pt).

GROUP C: Ivory Coast* (1st, 9 pts), France* (2nd, 6 pts), Greece (3rd, 3 pts), Honduras (4th, 0 pts).

GROUP D: England* (1st, 9 pts), Bosnia & Herzegovina* (2nd, 6 pts), Venezuela (3rd, 1 pt), Saudi Arabia (4th, 1 pt).

GROUP E: Belgium* (1st, 9 pts), Argentina* (2nd, 4 pts), South Africa (3rd, 4 pts), Croatia (4th, 0 pts).

GROUP F: Holland* (1st, 6 pts), Czech Republic* (2nd, 4 pts), China (3rd, 4 pts), Ecuador (4th, 3 pts).

GROUP G: Republic of Ireland* (1st, 6 pts), Germany* (2nd, 6 pts), Australia (3rd, 6 pts), Nigeria (4th, 0 pts).

GROUP H: United States* (1st, 5 pts), Tunisia* (2nd, 5 pts), Paraguay (3rd, 3 pts), Japan (4th, 1 pt).

* through to Round 2

 

Round 2

The knockout stages opened with a shock, as Turkey claimed a 3-1 win over Italy. The Azzurri's Liverpool defender Alessio Beretta clawed back half of a two-goal deficit late on, but an injury-time strike from Ali Riza Mentese sent Turkey through to a second straight World Cup Quarter Final. Portugal won by the same scoreline in their meeting with Spain. A hat-trick from captain Rui eliminated the Seleccao's local rivals, whose 35-year-old skipper Mario got his 158th international goal in 'only' 155 caps.

 

England's recent underachievement at major tournaments continued with a narrow defeat to France. Les Bleus striker Ruben Leblanc scored the decisive goal in the 70th minute after his initial effort had been parried back to him by goalkeeper Kayo Rowe. Meanwhile, Bosnia & Herzegovina came through an epic encounter with the Ivory Coast. Celtic striker Marko Majstorovic twice gave the Zmajevi the lead, only for the Ivorians to equalise on each occasion. Majstorovic eventually completed his hat-trick in the final minute of extra-time to eliminate Les Éléphants.

 

Holland and Argentina were deadlocked at 0-0 in their meeting after two hours of play. It came down to a shoot-out, which the Oranje won 4-3 after Arnold Gerrits converted the decisive penalty following Patrick Braspenning's save from Ricardo Pesaola. Czech Republic vs Belgium was also goalless after 90 minutes, but Matej Chlup's extra-time double saw the Czechs through to the last eight for the first time since 1990.

 

The last two World Cup winners clashed in Braga, where Germany and the United States drew 1-1. Mannschaft striker William Schmidt had an 86th-minute penalty saved by Bastian Kern, but that wasn't a sign of German profligacy to come in the shoot-out, which the holders won 6-5. Extra-time would also be required when Tunisia saw off the Republic of Ireland. Midfielder Hichem Hajri cancelled out a 22nd-minute opener from Noel O'Brien within three minutes, before Idriss Ben Yahia's injury-time strike sent the North Africans into a maiden Quarter Final.

 

RESULTS: Turkey 3-1 Italy, Portugal 3-1 Spain, France 1-0 England, Bosnia & Herzegovina 3-2 Ivory Coast (aet), Holland 0-0 Argentina (4-3 penalties), Czech Republic 2-0 Belgium (aet), Germany 1-1 United States (6-5 penalties), Tunisia 2-1 Republic of Ireland (aet).

 

Quarter Finals

Portugal laboured to victory over Bosnia & Herzegovina in the opening Quarter Final. Dagenham & Redbridge playmaker Orlando Salvador appeased the frustrated home fans by breaking the deadlock on 59 minutes, while defenders Álvaro Oliveria and Duarte Silva also got on the scoresheet. Meanwhile, Turkey's fine run continued with a 4-2 extra-time win over France. Leblanc twice put Les Bleus in front, but the European champions' dreams of global glory were crushed late on. Emre Aynaoglu's 113th-minute penalty was followed in injury time by a powerful strike from Hamburg midfielder Musa Arslan, which finished France off.

 

Tunisia came agonisingly close to reaching the Semi Finals. The Eagles of Carthage responded to Tufan Deniz Ozen's early opener for Holland with a brace from Abderraouf Rouissi, but Marnix Jacobs's equaliser forced extra-time and later penalties. The Oranje went on to win a second successive shoot-out, with Rouissi missing the decisive penalty. Germany then completed an all-European Semi Final line-up. Czech Republic held a 1-0 half-time lead over the Mannschaft thanks to Chlup, but second-half strikes from Borussia Dortmund midfielder Florian Zellner and his former Real Madrid team-mate Schmidt turned the tie around.

 

RESULTS: Portugal 3-0 Bosnia & Herzegovina, Turkey 4-2 France (aet), Holland 2-2 Tunisia (4-3 penalties), Germany 2-1 Czech Republic.

 

Semi Finals

The first Semi Final pitted Turkey against Holland in Guimaraes... but there would be no third win on penalties for the Dutch. They fell behind after just two minutes to Sergen Tuyuran's lethal finish from a cross by Beytullah Tanribilir. Profligate finishing by Oranje aces Dave Jansen and Leo Veenboer - and an excellent defensive performance from Turkish captain Sabri Ozturk - ensured that the scoreline would remain 1-0. Improbably, Anil Koc had coached the Crescent-Stars to a first World Cup Final!

 

Lisbon hosted the second Semi between Portugal and Germany. The home fans were happiest at half-time, as Ewerton's double had nullified a 7th-minute opener from Ingo Reinartz. Germany got back level after 70 minutes through Rolf Schmadtke, and a high-tempo match ultimately came down to penalties. The clinical Mannschaft prevailed 5-4 after five spot-kicks apiece, with young defender Frank Roder bagging the winner after goalkeeper Dawid Wisniewski had saved the hosts' fourth attempt from Diogo Dias. Germany were now on the cusp of a record-equalling fifth World Cup triumph after reaching their ninth Final!

 

RESULTS: Turkey 1-0 Holland, Germany 2-2 Portugal (5-4 penalties).

 

3rd Place Play-Off

A week of agony for Portugal continued in Guimaraes, where they lost the 3rd Place Play-Off to Holland. Even though the Seleccao das Quinas arguably the better scoring chances, it was their opponents who triumphed. The decisive goal was scored on 65 minutes by Veenboer, who struck the post before burying the rebound. Despite losing Real Madrid defender Gerrits to injury late on, the Oranje held firm to take the bronze medals.

 

RESULT: Holland 1-0 Portugal.

 

Final

Lisbon's Estádio Nacional witnessed an exciting climax to the 27th World Cup. After a strong start by outsiders Turkey, it was Germany striker Schmadtke who broke the deadlock with an 11th-minute volley from a flick-on by Valencia defender Emrah Ozbalta. Schmidt then doubled the Mannschaft's advantage on 23 minutes, following Ikram Polat's penalty-area foul on winger Kosi Mbele. Just two minutes later, though, Arslan got Turkey right back in contention with a sublime half-volley that beat Wisniewski made it 2-1.

 

Having survived several opportunities late in the first half, the Crescent-Stars took the second period to their more illustrious opponents. Arslan missed a couple of equalising efforts, and Real Sociedad striker Gokmen Gurler was unfortunately denied by a great save from Wisniewski in the 63rd minute. However, despite having five players - including captain Leszek Michniewicz - ruled out of the Final through injury or suspension, Germany had enough quality to see the match through. They had retained the World Cup, and equalled Brazil's record of five victories!

 

With Michniewicz nursing a knee injury, it was stand-in skipper Christoph Kerstiens who instead collected the trophy from FIFA's President during the presentation ceremony. As the German celebrations began, head coach Lewis Holtby announced that he was bringing his glorious eight-year reign to an end. It will now be up to someone else to try and deliver a historic third straight World Cup for the Mannschaft at Egypt 2046.

 

RESULT: Germany 2-1 Turkey.

 

Award Winners

Golden Ball: Musa Arslan (Turkey).

Golden Boot: Marko Majstorovic (Bosnia & Herzegovina, 6 goals).

Yashin Award: Kayo Rowe (England).

Best Young Player: Saifallah Melliti (Tunisia).

Goal of the Tournament: Marko Majstorovic (Bosnia & Herzegovina, vs Ivory Coast - Round 2).

Dream Team:

• Kayo Rowe (England and Dagenham & Redbridge)
• Amine Ben Said (Tunisia and Wolverhampton Wanderers)
• Ciro Lattarulo (France and Manchester City)
• Frank van Raaij (Holland and Bayern Munich)
• Simon Rintelen (Germany and Bayern Munich)
• Sergen Tuyuran (Turkey and Galatasaray)
• Musa Arslan (Turkey and Hamburg)
• Danny Maas (Germany and Real Madrid)
• Maurice Hockley (England and Southampton)
• William Schmidt (Germany and Real Madrid)
• Marko Majstorovic (Bosnia & Herzegovina and Celtic)

[CFuller]

JULY 2042

The triopoly at the top of the Premier League had been ruling for far too long. 31 of the past 32 championships had been won by either Arsenal, Manchester City or Manchester United. It was long overdue for an outsider to eclipse the 'Big Three', and I was hopeful that 2042/2043 would be Dagenham & Redbridge's season.

 

We had already claimed a UEFA Champions League, a UEFA Super Cup and a FIFA Club World Championship, as well as two FA Cups and two League Cups. The Premier League was the last major trophy to have thus far eluded my Daggers. Having finished 4th in each of the past three seasons, it was surely only a matter of time before we launched a serious championship challenge.

 

The players reconvened for pre-season training at the end of June. One notable absentee from the first fortnight of our new campaign was captain Orlando Salvador, who was still in his native Portugal actively pursuing glory in the FIFA World Cup. The Seleccao das Quinas would get all the way to the Semi Finals, where they lost on penalties against Germany before suffering a narrow defeat to Holland in the 3rd-Place Play-Off.

 

Four teenage Daggers would miss most of pre-season because of their involvement in the UEFA European Under-19s Championship. Tenacious midfielder Ebenezer Agyemang was in host nation Germany's squad, while Terry Brightly, Matty Gilligan and Kurt Walker would all represent England.

 

Gilligan would return to East London after the Euros... but not to Dagenham. Instead, the central defender would begin a season-long loan at West Ham United, effectively replacing Irons legend - and new Daggers signing - Nathan Guppy. 17-year-old target man Andrija Marjanovic also had a full season of regular top-flight season to look forward to, having joined Coventry City for some much-needed experience.

 

Another Dagger who would spent the forthcoming campaign elsewhere was Michal Twardzik. The Czech attacking midfielder had had a stop-and-start career at Rainham Road, but I hoped that a loan spell would bring out the best in him. Twardzik could well have joined Gilligan at West Ham, but he instead moved to Roma. He was followed into Serie A by Nigeria striker Kingsley Musa, who received several loan offers before agreeing terms with Genoa.

 

Reserve defender Bradley Douglas returned to Northampton Town for a second spell and would spend the next seven months at the Sixfields Stadium. League One also beckoned for midfielder Ken Burton, who began a six-month stint with Wrexham.

 

Two Dagenham youngsters went to the Championship. Central midfielder Dan Carr's move to Cardiff City was only for a single season, but defender Arnaud Rousseau's transfer to Corby City was more permanent. The Frenchman's development over the past three years had not been as strong as I'd expected, so I accepted the Steelmen's offer of £1.5million to buy him outright. Arnaud's a nice kid, so I wish him all the best at Corby.

 

One player who wasn't going anywhere was Milen Danchev - at least not if I could help it. Bayern Munich submitted a £15million bid for the exciting Bulgarian winger, but I told their director of football Benedikt Howedes that I would accept nothing less than £25million. For some reason, Howedes never responded to my counter-offer.

 

After two weeks of training, the Daggers travelled to South London for our opening friendly, which was against League One outfit Millwall. Aside from Orlando, our midfield was also missing Dzenan Genjac and Benjamin Guerin, who were still recovering from recent knee and ankle injuries.

 

12 July 2042: Millwall vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Our new Brazilian wonderkid Johnathan could not have wished for a better start to his Dagenham career. The 18-year-old was off the mark after just five minutes, blasting in a centre from Stevie Merson that had evaded the Millwall defence. The Lions could have broken the deadlock a minute beforehand, but on-loan Brighton & Hove Albion forward Elliott Morris' shot was caught by António.

 

In the seventh minute, Thulani Mazibuko - playing in defensive midfield for the Daggers - was booked for a reckless challenge on Millwall counterpart Pat Spratt. Two minutes later, another middleman came good for us. Lee Allen doubled our lead with a stunning volley after left-back Hicham Martin's cross had been headed out of the Lions' area by local schoolboy Liam Dalton.

 

At 2-0 up, one might've expected us to run riot, but that wasn't so. Millwall goalkeeper Shaun Leggett only faced one more test before half-time, tipping over a 21st-minute piledriver from Merson. At the other end, the hosts struggled to create decent openings. Wales Under-21s striker Robat Rees seemed very robotic... and not in a good way.

 

Morris blasted over a desperate long-distance attempt for Millwall three minutes into the second half. Dagenham substitute Peter Mikkelsen also missed the target shortly afterwards, though he did find his range in the 50th minute. Peter picked up a weighted pass from right-back Enrique Álvarez and then turned past Lions defender Charlie Froggatt before prodding in a simple finish.

 

Mikkelsen was denied a second goal on 56 minutes by a superb fingertip save from Leggett. A minute after that, António needed to use his fingers to divert Millwall left-back Dan Vincent's flukish cross-shot over the bar. Luck was clearly not on the hosts' side, and they remained shut out when Charlie Guy's 70th-minute attempt was blocked by Daggers centre-half Raju Gomes.

 

Josh Beadle went close to getting us a fourth goal on 74 minutes before Millwall finished with a couple more attacks. Gomes' clearance from a Morris cross in the 76th minute only found Spratt, whose low drive was pushed away by our substitute keeper Bruno Rommel. Morris set up another chance four minutes later, but centre-forward Craig Bennett's header went just wide, and we saw out a comfortable 3-0 win.

 

Millwall - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (Johnathan 5, L Allen 9, Mikkelsen 50)

Friendly, Attendance 9,585

DAG & RED LINE-UP: António (Rommel), Facheris (Álvarez), J Cullen (Gomes), Walters (Bannon), Martin (Bjorknes), Mazibuko (Sainsbury), L Allen (Ketchell), Lewandowski (Zoppe), Knox (J Beadle), Merson (Saric), Johnathan (Mikkelsen (Torre)). BOOKED: Mazibuko.

 

The World Cup concluded the following evening, with Germany defeating surprise packages Turkey 2-1 in Lisbon to retain their title. After the Final, Kayo Rowe - whose England team had been eliminated at Round 2 - was handed the Yashin Award as the tournament's best goalkeeper. Kayo was also named in the World Cup Dream Team, becoming the first Daggers player to receive that honour.

 

Rowe would return to club action in midweek, when we paid our annual visit to Leighton Town. Kayo's England colleague Nathan Guppy made his Dagenham & Redbridge debut, leading his new team out against a Leighton side who were about to begin their third Championship season. The Mohammed Al-Rashidi era at Bell Close was coming to an end, as the Reds' wealthy Kuwaiti owner had agreed to sell the club to local businessman Wayne Hedges.

 

16 July 2042: Leighton Town vs Dagenham & Redbridge

After the first minute, it seemed like this would be 'one of those nights' for the Daggers. Mirko Saric, Antonis Siafos and Kenneth Jorgensen ALL had shots saved in quick succession by Micky Ormondroyd, but Leighton's goalkeeping captain couldn't continue producing heroics. In the third minute, young Dagenham winger Alex Ketchell's corner kick was knocked on by Siafos into the path of George Darvill, who fired in the opening salvo!

 

Ketchell showed a less positive side of his game two minutes later, collecting a yellow card for tripping Leighton defender Gianluca Salmon. That was followed by a series of misses from attacking midfielder Saric and lone striker Elliot Cook. It wouldn't be long before our profligacy was punished.

 

The Reds had first threatened to draw level on 13 minutes, when Ollie Reynolds went inches wide. In the 28th, our former youth product went one better by setting up his strike partner. Shortly after Dagenham anchor Kenneth Jorgensen lost the ball to Charles Catchpole, Reynolds played a through-ball to Jimmy Martin, who served up an equaliser.

 

Town were well and truly cooking in the 29th minute, as Catchpole dispossessed Jorgensen again. Within moments, Martin had lobbed the ball forward to Reynolds, whose 25-yard drive past the onrushing Bruno Rommel was only inches off target. Kenny was not having a great game, so after just 35 minutes, I replaced him with Lee Allen. I also took Siafos off, as even though Tony had just hit the woodwork with a header, he was struggling with a knock.

 

In the 40th minute, Siafos' replacement Gianfranco Torre produced a great corner that Cook lashed home. However, the referee ruled that Darvill had used his hand to push Torre's delivery into Cookie's path. A frustrating half for us ended with Frédéric Pereira having a couple of shots saved by Ormondroyd. Meanwhile, winger Max Russell came close to putting Leighton ahead.

 

Despite being wasteful in the first period, I kept faith in Cook for the start of the second period. Elliot would only last another 15 minutes before I subbed him off, following another dreadful miss. Stevie Merson took his place up front for the final half-hour.

 

Kayo Rowe also entered the fray after an hour, but the best goalkeeper at the recent FIFA World Cup would be beaten within four minutes of his introduction. Allen's push on Reynolds gave away a free-kick, which long-time Leighton striker Josh Hodges drove into the top-left corner of Kayo's net. The Reds had gone 2-1 up.

 

Four minutes later, in the 68th minute, we launched a counter-attack that ended with Ormondroyd pushing away a left-wing cross from Merson. Ormondroyd denied Stevie again in the 71st minute... but that time, he could only push the ball into the path of Milen Danchev. The Bulgarian then showed just why Bayern Munich had coveted him with a cool low equalising finish!

 

I subsequently gave our attack some fresh impetus by substituting substitute Torre in favour of Johnathan. The rising Samba star went on a spell-binding solo run in the 75th minute, only to have his shot palmed behind by Ormondroyd. Leighton had become heavily reliant on Ormondroyd, and the Reds needed their skipper to do them a favour again when Ian Robertson felled Merse in the penalty area five minutes later. Sadly for them, Eric Knox's penalty sent Ormondroyd the wrong way, and sent us 3-2 ahead!

 

Just as it appeared we'd saved the victory, though, we threw it away. Just 13 seconds after play resumed, Hodges sauntered behind a sleepy Daggers defence to chest winger Mick Dugdale's chip into the box and half-volley an emphatic shot past Rowe.

 

Hodges' brace had secured Leighton a draw, but things could have got even better for them had the 27-year-old Merseysider's 89th-minute drive not sailed over the bar. That was the last meaningful attempt in a six-goal pre-season thriller that provided more questions than answers for my Daggers team.

 

Leighton Town - 3 (Martin 28, Hodges 64,81)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (Darvill 3, Danchev 71, Knox pen80)

Friendly, Attendance 7,319

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rommel (Rowe), Álvarez (G Beadle), Guppy (J Cullen), Darvill (Gomes), Olvera (Martin), Pereira (Knox), Jorgensen (L Allen), Ketchell (Danchev), Saric (Lewandowski), Siafos (Torre (Johnathan)), Cook (Merson). BOOKED: Ketchell.

 

I never expected Guppy to solidify our defence immediately after coming in, but conceding three goals to a Championship team was a real concern. If our backline fell apart like that in competitive action, the 'Big Three' wouldn't have a great deal to fear.

 

On a brighter note, Stevie Merson had contributed assists for three of our six goals in those opening friendlies. The 20-year-old local lad was already looking like he could become an established member of our attack.

[CFuller]

JULY 2042 (continued)

The latest Dagger to go out on loan this summer was right-winger Alex Ketchell. 'Ketch' had long been tipped to become a Rainham Road regular, and at 21, I felt that he was almost ready. However, with Milen Danchev ahead of him in the first-team pecking order, I felt Alex needed to go to another Premier League club to make his mark. Newly-promoted Nottingham Forest could be the ideal 'finishing school' for him.

 

Ketchell was on his way to the East Midlands, but the rest of the Dagenham & Redbridge first-team was heading south - a long way south. Specifically, we were going on a two-match mini-tour of South Africa.

 

The 'Rainbow Nation' was the ideal destination for the Daggers' first ever visit to the African continent. Bafana Bafana defender Thulani Mazibuko had put our club 'on the map' in South Africa, as had - to a lesser extent - former Dagenham stars Albert Khumalo and Siphesihle Gumede. Thanks to those three imports, we had one of the largest football fanbases in the republic.

 

Our first match took place in the Johannesburg township of Soweto, against Premier Division regulars Moroka Swallows. The Birds had been crowned national champions once, in 2035.

 

Orlando Salvador was back in the Daggers XI for this game, having spent a few days recuperating in Portugal following the World Cup. Fellow attacking midfielder Dzenan Genjac was also set to return to action, as he'd now completed his recovery from a knee ligament injury he'd sustained on Croatia duty prior to the global finals.

 

20 July 2042: Moroka Swallows vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Thulani Mazibuko started his career at Moroka Swallows' fierce rivals Orlando Pirates, so he was determined not to let them take the lead here. In the second minute, the Dagenham defender headed away a long ball from Swallows counterpart Cyril Jafta before it could find striker Thulani Maloka.

 

Mazibuko pulled wide our first scoring chance in the eighth minute. Following that were three more strikes from various Daggers, all of which were saved by home keeper Enrico Kgatle. Amongst those to be denied was Peter Mikkelsen, who did open the scoring with his next chance after 15 minutes. The move was brilliantly set up by right-back Enrique Álvarez, who cut inside before knocking the ball on to the Danish striker, who powered it into the net.

 

Six minutes later, another great contribution from Álvarez saw our lead increased to 2-0. Captain Orlando Salvador headed Enrique's cross into the path of our other frontman Gianfranco Torre, who was narrowly onside when he lashed in a volley.

 

The Daggers onslaught continued throughout the first period, as we threatened to improve further on an already comfortable position. Mikkelsen had a couple of headers caught by Kgatle, who then denied Salvador a goal in the 32nd minute.

 

Álvarez was invariably involved in most of our attacks, so it was no surprise that the super Spaniard would provide the assist for our next goal five minutes from half-time. Orlando dribbled into the penalty area and threaded the ball out right to Enrique. The Portuguese skipper then drifted towards the six-yard box to meet the follow-up cross with an unstoppable diving header. With that, we took a 3-0 lead into the half-time break! Suffice to say, there were some rather angry Birds in the stands!

 

The Swallows were perhaps relieved to find that Álvarez hadn't returned for the second half, having been subbed for Milen Danchev. However, they now had to worry about Hicham Martin on the left flank. A sublime centre from the Mancunian full-back in the 47th minute allowed Torre to get in front of Birds centre-half Mantsie Mohlala and apply a clinical far-post header. That was our fourth goal of the evening, and Franco's second.

 

Torre was now eyeing up a hat-trick, which he would need just seven more minutes to secure. Admittedly, he also needed some help from the underside of the crossbar as he slid in a Salvador through-ball for 5-0. The 27-year-old Italian - whose wife had given birth to the couple's second child over the summer - pretended to rock a baby in celebration before getting a deserved rest.

 

Elliot Cook and Antonis Siafos were now leading our attack... but the latter wasn't having much luck in front of goal. Siafos' diving header from Danchev's byline cross in the 64th minute went past the far post. Tony did head in a left-wing delivery from Orlando three minutes later, but his 'goal' was chalked off for a push on Swallows' substitute keeper Thabang Mokgele.

 

Johnathan and Kenneth Jorgensen then missed chances for the Daggers before one of our newest recruits continued the scoring. Central defender Nathan Guppy appeased some of his sceptics in the 76th minute by prodding in a drilled corner from the fit-again Dzenan Genjac.

 

Swallows were finding our attacks very hard to swallow, and they would concede again in the 82nd minute. Johnathan was the latest man to hit the target, sliding in Frédéric Pereira's floated cross at the near post to make it 7-0.

 

Five minutes later, with just three to play, we ruthlessly put one final strike past the Birds. Siafos couldn't get on the scoreboard, but he did tee up Cook for a simple close-range finish.

 

Our dominance was absolutely clear from start to finish. We had 34 shots at goal (17 on target) and enjoyed 69% of possession against a team who could barely keep hold of the ball, let alone trouble our defence. I can't remember us ever having it so easy in a pre-season fixture.

 

Moroka Swallows - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 8 (Mikkelsen 15, Torre 21,47,54, Salvador 40, Guppy 76, Johnathan 82, Cook 87)

Friendly, Attendance 5,788

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe (António), Mazibuko (Bond), J Cullen (Jorgensen), Walters (Guppy), Álvarez (Danchev), Zoppe (Johnathan), L Allen (Pereira), Martin (Bannon), Salvador (Genjac), Torre (Cook), Mikkelsen (Siafos).

 

The eight-goal winning margin was the biggest of my Dagenham & Redbridge career. I was hoping we'd continue the fine scoring form three days later, when we headed to Pretoria - the administrative capital of South Africa. This was Mazibuko's home city, and he was mobbed by thousands of fans when we left the local airport.

 

Our opponents were Mamelodi Sundowns, whose Premier Division title win earlier this year was the ninth in their history, but their first since 2007. Internationally, they were perhaps still best-known for 'signing' legendary sprinter Usain Bolt as a publicity stunt nearly a quarter of a century ago. He never actually played for them, obviously.

 

Sundowns were nicknamed 'The Brazilians', because of their yellow-and-green kit. However, our real-life Brazilian wouldn't be able to play against them, as Johnathan had hurt his shoulder in weight training. Lee Allen was also missing from the Daggers squad, having been laid low with a cold.

 

23 July 2042: Mamelodi Sundowns vs Dagenham & Redbridge

The clinical finishing we had in abundance during our previous fixture seemed to elude us here. Elliot Cook and Antonis Siafos each spurned early scoring chances for the Daggers, as did most of our midfielders. Meanwhile, Mamelodi Sundowns threatened to take a surprise lead after 13 minutes. A first-time cross from midfielder Peter Moloi almost found teenage striker Morgan Mukansi, but Dagenham keeper Bruno Rommel managed to punch it clear.

 

Five minutes after one Croatian-born starlet prevented a goal, another succeeded in scoring one at the other end. Wideman Mirko Saric was knocked off his feet by Sundowns right-back Gift Makhubo in the penalty area, but he quickly got up and lashed in the loose ball to give us the lead.

 

Saric missed an opportunity to score again in the 23rd minute, while playmaker Kamil Lewandowski was thwarted by keeper Thabani Kanono in the 25th minute. "Kanono" is roughly what I was saying four minutes later. After seeing Daggers defender Raju Gomes get booked for a clumsy tackle on Mukansi, I then watched Moloi drive a superb free-kick past Rommel. Our lead had been erased, and in its place, I had to write a mental note to focus more on our defending of set-pieces in future training sessions.

 

Thankfully, we wouldn't be stewing over that equaliser at half-time, thanks to a well-worked goal in the 35th minute. It looked like Cook would slip the ball past Kanono after latching onto Siafos' through-ball, but he instead selflessly set up Kamil's first Daggers strike. Lewandowski could even have doubled his tally two minutes from time had it not been for a superb parry from Kanono.

 

A 2-1 half-time advantage was not a secure one by any means, so we sought to get ourselves into a stronger position early in the second half. Milen Danchev's diving header from a long ball by Eric Knox in the 46th minute didn't quite catch out Kanono, and neither did Stevie Merson's drive six minutes later.

 

Our next meaningful effort came on 62 minutes, but midfielder Frédéric Pereira's shot was from too far out to seriously perturb Kanono. Shortly after that, I brought on three substitutes, two of whom would almost immediately link up to create our third goal. Wing-back Enrique Álvarez knocked the ball past Sundowns defender Vusumuzi Masenya to find the fast-improving Peter Mikkelsen, who tucked it away with ease.

 

Any fears that our hosts would battle back soon dissipated, as we pulled further clear on 73 minutes. Mesenya thought he'd removed the danger when he intercepted a right-wing cross from Merson and nodded it out of his area. What he didn't count on was Kenneth Jorgensen - yes, THAT Kenneth Jorgensen - bursting forward out of nowhere to volley a sensational strike into the far corner! That was easily the most stunning goal of the very few Kenny had scored over his Dagger career!

 

To their credit, Sundowns tried to narrow the deficit with a couple of late free-kicks. The Brazilians were perhaps lacking some South American sparkle, though, as Ricardo Efstathiou clipped the upright in the 81st minute before Kgotso Mzizi put another set-piece just over in the 86th. We then dealt them one final blow in injury time, as Mikkelsen nabbed his second goal from a tight angle after Dzenan Genjac's shot had been blocked by Efstathiou.

 

Mamelodi Sundowns - 1 (Moloi 29)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 5 (Saric 18, Lewandowski 35, Mikkelsen 63,90, Jorgensen 73)

Friendly, Attendance 14,757

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rommel (António), Gomes (Guppy), Darvill (Mikkelsen), Walters (Bannon), Danchev (Álvarez), Knox (Genjac), Pereira (Mazibuko), Saric (Olvera), Lewandowski (Jorgensen), Siafos (Maddison), Cook (Merson).

 

I tell you what - Peter Mikkelsen might warrant more first-team football this season. The 19-year-old Dane had already scored four goals in three pre-season appearances, albeit against some low-quality opposition. If Peter could keep up that form in upcoming friendlies, I would have to think about postponing my plans to loan him out.

 

As we returned to England, I looked up the latest Premier League title odds. Manchester City and Manchester United were co-favourites at 2-1, and Arsenal were just behind them at 5-2. However, I was a tad surprised to see Rochdale priced at 5-1, which was rather generous compared to our 6-1 odds. I would quite like to remind the bookmakers that one of those teams has finished in the top four for three seasons in a row, and it sure as heck ain't the Dale!

 

As if we really needed any more motivation to challenge for the title...

[efcfan]

Best of luck in the Prem and in Europe. Both this story and "An Impossible Man" have inspired me to write my own story.

[CFuller]

5 hours ago, efcfan said:

Best of luck in the Prem and in Europe. Both this story and "An Impossible Man" have inspired me to write my own story.

Good to read that you're enjoying this. I've had a look through your story and it looks promising. Keep at it.

"An Impossible Man" is currently on a break, though I'll be working on that over the coming days. I'll hopefully be ready to start posting again soon.

[CFuller]

JULY 2042 (continued)

Rainham Road opened its doors for the first time this season on 26 July, when 1.FC Koln paid us a visit. Die Geissbocke (The Billy Goats) had been Bundesliga mainstays for 25 years, but they only finished 13th last term and were not far off the relegation places. That was even despite the best efforts of Dagenham's Indian centre-back Raju Gomes, who would now play against the club where he'd spent the previous two seasons on loan.

 

16-year-old midfielder Ebenezer Agyemang was also in our matchday squad, having returned from the UEFA European Under-19s Championship. His Germany side had been eliminated on home soil by a 1-0 Semi Final defeat to England. Coincidentally, the Final between the Young Lions - whose squad featured three other Daggers - and the Czech Republic would take place at the same time as our friendly with Koln.

 

26 July 2042: Dagenham & Redbridge vs 1.FC Koln

A weak header from Frédéric Pereira presented Koln with their first opening after just four minutes. Teenage left-winger Felix Muller couldn't take the opportunity, firing a tame shot into the hands of Daggers goalkeeper António.

 

We had our first shot after 10 minutes, but Dzenan Genjac's long-range shot was pushed away by Mateusz Paprocki. That began a run of three successive Dagenham corners, the last of which was agonisingly headed against the bar by Antonis Siafos.

 

Koln next attacked us in the 17th minute, only for Dutch striker Mourad van der Woude's run to be halted by a superb slide tackle from Daggers skipper Nathan Guppy. Die Geissbocke argued for a penalty to be awarded against Nathan, but the ref didn't take any action. Four minutes later, Pereira produced a similarly strong slide tackle to halt Muller. Sadly, Frédi took a knock in the challenge, and he would have to be substituted at half-time.

 

We had a host of scoring chances in the latter stages of the first half but were largely inaccurate. Inside-forward Gianfranco Torre struggled to find the target, as did striker Stevie Merson and attacking midfielder Genjac. Our best effort had come in the 28th minute from Jorgensen, but Paprocki parried the Denmark midfielder's long-distance shot wide. The former Germany Under-21s custodian also kept out an injury-time attempt from Merson, whose wait for his first pre-season goal continued.

 

A Koln defence that contained ex-Dagenham right-back Patrick Scheepens continued to hold firm in the opening stages of the second period. Just five minutes into the half, Poland defender Krzysztof Grudniewski heroically headed away a cross from Daggers full-back Thulani Mazibuko before it could find the head of substitute Orlando Salvador.

 

Our own Polish ace then went for goal in the 60th minute. Kamil Lewandowski did the hard bit by dribbling through the middle of the defence after running onto Salvador's through-ball, but the attacking midfielder's low drive lacked the power to beat Paprocki. Three minutes later, Elliot Cook's header from a deep cross by Mazibuko lacked accuracy. It was hard to think that this was the same team that had been so utterly ruthless in our previous friendlies.

 

It took us 80 minutes to put the ball in our opponents' net, but Cook was flagged offside after finishing a Lewandowski drive that had been parried by Koln's regular goalkeeper Kacem Laabidi. Elliot did beat the 36-year-old Tunisian again about a minute later, and this time, the goal did stand. Peter Mikkelsen's pre-season from heaven continued when the Danish starlet found Cookie open on the edge of the box, and the local lad did the rest.

 

That goal would be the only one of a one-sided contest. A brilliant rearguard display from Guppy ensured that Die Geissbocke would return to Cologne with only one shot on target to their name.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Cook 82)

1.FC Koln - 0

Friendly, Attendance 16,910

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe (António), Mazibuko (Danchev), Guppy (Walters), Gomes (Darvill), Olvera (Martin), Pereira (Agyemang), Jorgensen (L Allen), Siafos (Cook), Genjac (Salvador (J Beadle)), Torre (Lewandowski), Merson (Mikkelsen). BOOKED: Pereira, Danchev.

 

While we were battling to an unconvincing win, England Under-19s were enduring European Championship Final heartache in Mannheim. The Young Lions lost 5-4 on penalties to the Czech Republic, following a 1-1 draw. Matty Gilligan played the whole match, while Terry Brightly and Kurt Walker were unused substitutes.

 

As Gilligan began his loan spell at West Ham United, Brightly and Walker returned to Dagenham to start their pre-season duties. Kurt would actually start in our next match, which was away to League Two side Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

 

It would be fair to say that I brought a mish-mash team to the south coast. Stalwarts George Darvill and Orlando Salvador came along to build up their match sharpness, and they would feature alongside several youth and reserve players, the youngest of whom was 15-year-old attacking midfielder Altino Schramm.

 

29 July 2042: Portsmouth vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Portsmouth finished 15th in the fourth tier last season, but they almost scored in the opening minute. 20-year-old striker Gavin Mee sent a crashing drive inches wide of Bruno Rommel's right-hand post.

 

Bruno needed to catch a cross from home midfielder Connor Atkinson in the 12th minute, before beginning a counter-attack that ended with Stevie Merson wasting our first shot. Left-winger Colm Cousins next went close for Pompey in the 16th minute, driving a free-kick just over the crossbar.

 

After a mini-lull in proceedings, we tried to up the ante on 29 minutes. Midfield duo Ebenezer Agyemang and Kurt Walker each had long-distance shots saved in quick succession by Portsmouth keeper Dan Brothers, whose comrades helped him to preserve a clean sheet at half-time. To be fair, though, our only attempts late in the first half - from Merson and Josh Beadle - failed to get close to his goal.

 

Failing to score against a League Two team just wouldn't do for me, so I brought on a couple more established first-teamers at the break. Left-winger Mirko Saric and centre-forward Antonis Siafos provided our attack with a bit more star quality. On 52 minutes, Siafos moved Rommel's upfield punt on to Beadle, who dribbled towards goal before pitifully missing the target.

 

By the 55th minute, Josh had been replaced by Orlando Salvador, and first-choice left-back Juan Esteban Olvera had also entered the fray. However, it was a Dagenham reserve who would finally break Portsmouth's resistance two minutes later. Pompey defender Ken Richardson's slide tackle on Saric diverted the ball into the path of Walker, who somehow managed to drill it through Brothers' legs! That was Kurt's first senior goal for the Daggers!

 

Brothers narrowly prevented Siafos from heading home our second goal from a Saric cross after 62 minutes. Six minutes later, Tony slipped the ball across the Portsmouth area to Kurt, who would've found the net for a second time but for another fantastic save by the goalkeeper.

 

Pompey manager Alan Tobin replaced Brothers with Elliot Cadmore for the closing stages, during which a couple of Dagenham youth had opportunities to beat him. Midfielder Lucky Moloi needed a bit more, erm, luck with audacious attempts in the 82nd and 86th minute, but he did set up a more promising opportunity for Odain Allen in the 84th. The Blackpool-born striker's attempted daisy-cutter was gathered by Cadmore, and we had to settle for another narrow 1-0 win.

 

Portsmouth - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (K Walker 57)

Friendly, Attendance 9,944

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rommel (King), Danchev (Facheris), Bannon (J Cullen), Darvill (G Beadle), Bjorknes (Olvera), K Walker (Schramm), Agyemang (Saric (Maddison)), Knox (Moloi), J Beadle (Salvador), Merson (O Allen), Mikkelsen (Siafos).

 

We'd scored 19 goals in our first four friendlies, so it was a bit of a let-down to see us only find the net twice in our next two fixtures! I hope we've not used up all our scoring powers already!

[CFuller]

AUGUST 2042

'The King' left Dagenham & Redbridge at the start of August. No, I don't mean 'King' George Darvill - he will reign at Rainham Road until he retires, if I have it my way. I'm actually talking about reserve goalkeeper Martin King, who has been sent on a seven-month loan to League Two side Doncaster Rovers to gain some senior experience.

 

Back at Rainham Road, we prepared for our penultimate pre-season friendly, against an AC Milan side that finished 3rd in Serie A last term. Sadly, Rossoneri midfielder Greg Killick - who served the Daggers with distinction for six seasons before moving to the San Siro in 2040 - did not make an emotional homecoming, as he was left in Italy.

 

2 August 2042: Dagenham & Redbridge vs AC Milan

AC Milan's former West Ham United goalkeeper Guillermo Santana didn't enjoy his return to East London. With just five minutes gone, the Mexican conceded a 20-yarder to Dagenham hotshot Elliot Cook. Dzenan Genjac lobbed an excellent ball up to Elliot, who outmuscled Milan centre-half Wesley and drove in a cool finish.

 

Genjac had his tail up after playing a major role in that opener. The Croatian attacking midfielder tried to double our lead after 13 minutes, but he pulled a piledriver miles wide. Dzenan was then booked in the 22nd minute for tripping Rossoneri striker Jan Kral, and Orlando Salvador saw yellow six minutes later for a lunge on Nahuel Luengo.

 

Genjac came good again in the 29th minute, flicking Daggers keeper Kayo Rowe's long-distance punt towards Gianfranco Torre. The Italian then fed Elliot Cook, who was quickly closed down by Wesley. Thankfully, Cookie quickly switched the ball out right for an unmarked Frédéric Pereira, whose calmly-taken shot beat Santana for 2-0!

 

Santana denied us a third goal in the 34th minute, tipping behind a shot from Dagenham captain Salvador. In the 37th minute, ex-Real Betis striker Erdinc Gundogdu volleyed wide Milan's first shot of the game. Kral had their next opportunity two minutes later, as he intercepted a weak Rowe free-kick before attempting to drive it into an unguarded net from distance. He missed the target by some margin.

 

We would end the first half still 2-0 up, though Cook was questionably denied a third Daggers goal on the stroke of half-time. Elliot thought he'd secured his brace when he met Franco's left-wing cross with a fantastic diving header, but he was ruled offside. From where I saw it, the call was marginal at best.

 

A cagey start to the second period became rather worrying for us in the 54th minute. Right-back Enrique Álvarez went down hurt after a full-blooded challenge on Milan's left flanker Todd McKay. Enrique was subbed off as a precaution, with 15-year-old Gareth Sainsbury being given a chance to impress in his place. At the same time, I replaced holding midfielder Kenneth Jorgensen with our fit-again French youngster Benjamin Guerin.

 

Beni's compatriot Frédi eyed up a second goal on 61 minutes, but he blasted Torre's weighted pass well wide. Our next chance came seven minutes later, as Milan captain Libor Mach gave away a free-kick for a reckless challenge on Daggers striker Antonis Siafos. Thulani Mazibuko elected to take the free-kick, which was only kept out of the Rossoneri goal by Santana.

 

The tide started to turn in the 70th minute, when Cook pulled up hurt. Elliot was taken off the field as a precaution, and while our attack suffered in his absence, Milan's grew from strength to strength.

 

Rowe was forced into his first save after 80 minutes by a close-range effort from striker Matteo Gelain. Kayo's next save came five minutes later, as he blocked Mark Da Silva's volley from Gianmarco Signore's free-kick. However, the rebound fell to France winger Domenico Morabito, whose follow-up deflected in off the post to halve our lead.

 

Milan looked to complete the comeback in the 88th minute, when Morabito crossed towards Da Silva in the six-yard box. That was when Mazibuko bailed us out, getting in front of the United States striker to chest Morabito's delivery behind for a corner. The Rossoneri could not create any further chances, and so we emerged from this match narrowly on the right side of a 2-1 scoreline.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Cook 5, Pereira 29)

AC Milan - 1 (Morabito 85)

Friendly, Attendance 26,772

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Álvarez (Sainsbury), Guppy (J Cullen), Walters (Darvill), Olvera (Mazibuko), Jorgensen (Guerin), Pereira (K Walker), Salvador (Knox), Genjac (Lewandowski), Cook (Woodward), Torre (Siafos). BOOKED: Genjac, Salvador.

 

Enrique Álvarez and Elliot Cook were both assessed by our medical team after the game. Fortunately, their injuries were not too serious, though I decided to rest them from our final pre-season friendly in midweek.

 

I took what was effectively a second-string Dagenham squad to the Ann Budge Stadium in Edinburgh, where we concluded our preparations for the new campaign against Heart of Midlothian. Hearts had spent the last few seasons in the bottom half of the Scottish Premier League.

 

Prior to that match, I had sanctioned loan deals for a couple more players. I accepted my former coach Nathan Howe's offer to send central defender Jimmy Cullen to his Burnley team for the new Championship season. I also sent goalkeeper Bruno Rommel off to Bundesliga side Greuther Furth for what would be the SIXTH loan spell of a Daggers career that had stalled in recent years.

 

5 August 2042: Heart of Midlothian vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Peter Mikkelsen had scored four goals for us in our previous friendlies, and he could've had another within seconds of kick-off. The Dane ran onto a Hicham Martin flick-on and then dribbled into the Hearts box, where he horribly miscued his shot. Martin also missed a chance two minutes later, flicking Josh Beadle's lob wide.

 

Hearts' early attacks were rather more potent. Daggers keeper António made heavy work of a fourth-minute drive from Boris Jovanovic, whose strike partner Richie O'Connor would cause further problems barely a minute later. Thankfully for us, the Irishman's near-post header from a first-time cross by Alex Black was rightly chalked off for offside.

 

That narrow escape kick-started us into life. Midfield destroyer Lee Allen tried to chip Jambos keeper Andrei Blentesi in the 9th minute, but the resilient Romanian wasn't going to be fooled by it. Blentesi was also privy to attempts from Thulani Mazibuko and Stevie Merson in the 11th and 15th minutes.

 

As far as first-half Daggers attacks were concerned, though, that was our lot. Beadle looked ill-suited to a playmaking role, and that meant Mikkelsen and Merson were both starved of chances by a surprisingly solid Jambos defence.

 

Worryingly, Hearts looked the more likely team to break the deadlock early in the second period. António only just caught Jovanovic's vicious attempt in the 46th minute. Three minutes later, he saw left-winger Aaron Wilson head wide a free-kick delivery from midfielder Michael Berra.

 

The Jambos then reined their attack in and sat further back to frustrate us. While Dagenham centre-half Raju Gomes had a blinder at one end of the pitch, he couldn't deal a decisive blow at the other end in the 64th minute, sending a header off target. Raju would later be replaced with George Darvill, whose own attempt at goal was caught by Jamie Finlayson after 79 minutes.

 

Our frustration soon became apparent, as we started shooting on sight in desperate search of a goal. Paolo Zoppe went close in the 81st minute, but his fellow Italian youngster Giorgio Facheris had an 83rd-minute cross volleyed into the side netting by Mirko Saric. Teenage left-back John Bond blazed wide our final effort in the closing seconds of injury time, and the final whistle blew soon afterwards. The Jambos had dodged all our shots and secured an improbable 0-0 draw.

 

Heart of Midlothian - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 0

Friendly, Attendance 29,394

DAG & RED LINE-UP: António, Gomes (Darvill), Bannon (Facheris), Mazibuko (Walters), Danchev (A Cullen), Guerin (Zoppe), L Allen (Agyemang), Martin (Bond), J Beadle (Genjac), Merson (Saric), Mikkelsen (Johnathan). BOOKED: Facheris.

 

Another unbeaten pre-season campaign boded well for the year ahead, but that goalless draw in Scotland did not. I'm expecting some of the lesser teams to play very cautiously against us, and if we can't break those teams down, we could lose a lot of significant points.

 

Our top attacking players had had mixed pre-seasons. Elliot Cook, Orlando Salvador and Gianfranco Torre all looked ready and raring to go, but Stevie Merson and Antonis Siafos still needed to sharpen up in front of goal. I reckoned they needed to spend some time playing reserve football to get their confidence levels up before they saw competitive action again.

 

Meanwhile, I was very encouraged with the added solidity that Nathan Guppy had brought to our defence. I appointed the England stalwart and former West Ham United skipper as our new vice-captain, with Salvador being chosen to lead the Daggers for a second successive season.

 

Right-back Enrique Álvarez was promoted to third-choice captain and would lead the Daggers out if neither Orlando nor Nathan was available. I had just rejected a £20million offer from Juventus for the hard-working Spaniard, whom I wouldn't even consider selling for any less than £30million.

 

Five more Dagenham reserves were sent out on loan. Playmaker Paolo Zoppe began a year-long spell at Valenciennes, who narrowly avoided relegation from Ligue 1 last term. Right-back George Beadle and left-winger Matty Maddison also headed overseas, having agreed to join our feeder club Ceské Budejovice for their first season back in the Czech First Division.

 

Tenacious midfielder Kurt Walker dropped into the Championship for the third campaign in a row and would spend a full campaign at promotion-chasing Corby Town. Finally, League One side Millwall loaned in our left-back John Bond until the New Year.

 

I could now turn my attentions to the draw for the UEFA Champions League Playoff round took place. Having gone all the way two seasons ago, it was no surprise that we were seeded for the draw. I also wasn't surprised to see us paired with tough opposition.

 

To be fair, of the five teams we could've been drawn against, Brescia were neither the strongest nor the weakest on paper. The Rondinelle were an energetic attacking team who finished 4th in Serie A last term and were bidding to reach the Champions League Group Stage for the first time. It wasn't at all inconceivable that they could bump us back down into the UEFA Europa League if we weren't careful.

 

Rainham Road would host the first leg of that Playoff tie on 20 August. Before then, we had the small matter of two Mancunian superpowers to contend with on successive weekends.

[CFuller]

Dagenham & Redbridge squad - Start of 2042/2043 season

(All information correct as of 1 August 2042)

GOALKEEPERS

1. Kayo Rowe (age 24)

English [29 caps, 0 goals]

Kayo is well set to establish himself as one of world football's pre-eminent goalkeepers. Though England's number 1 has a few problems with consistency, he has kept 39 clean sheets in three Premier League season.

13. António (age 19)

Portuguese [capped at Under-21s level]

Despite his tender years and inexperience, agile António is likely to be our main cup goalie this season.

DEFENDERS

2. Enrique Álvarez (age 22)

Spanish [18 caps, 0 goals]

We're now starting to see why I spent £19.5million on Enrique three years ago. The tough-tackling Spaniard likes to bomb up and down the right flank, giving us plenty of energy at both ends of the pitch.

3. Thulani Mazibuko (age 28)

South African [59 caps, 1 goal]

Thulani could easily walk into most Premier League backlines, even though he's no longer a regular starter for us. With his pace and physicality, he remains a great backup option who can slot into any defensive role.

5. Nathan Guppy (age 30)

English [95 caps, 8 goals]

Nathan is regarded as a West Ham United legend, and he could now make himself a hero on the other side of East London. This world-class covering defender is extremely consistent and a fantastic leader as well.

6. George Darvill (age 29)

English [capped at Under-21s level]

Centre-half George has been at the top of his game for goodness knows how long. The local legend is still one of the first names on my teamsheet, though he might soon be overtaken by younger defenders.

14. Hicham Martin (age 26)

English [capped at Under-21s level]

Hicham is a decent left flanker, though this will probably be the Mancunian's final year at Rainham Road.

18. Michael Walters (age 20)

Welsh [19 caps, 0 goals]

Ball-playing wonderkid Michael is on course to become a more regular Daggers starter this term.

19. Juan Esteban Olvera (age 24)

Mexican [31 caps, 0 goals]

Juan was a strong £17.5million investment from last summer. The marauding left-back is as quick in his head as he is on his feet, and he could have a starting place nailed down for years to come.

24. Raju Gomes (age 22)

Indian [36 caps, 1 goal]

After several seasons on loan, tall centre-back Raju could go on to become his country's first PL regular.

MIDFIELDERS

4. Kenneth Jorgensen (age 29)

Danish [60 caps, 6 goals]

Kenneth is one of those players that I could confidently trust with my life. I don't know many other players at Dagenham who show more passion for the team than this anchoring midfield powerhouse.

7. Milen Danchev (age 21)

Bulgarian [3 caps, 2 goals]

At 5ft 8in, Milen is a little Eastern European ball of energy. Though his crossing abilities are best utilised as an out-and-out winger, he has enough defensive intelligence to fill in as a wing-back on occasion.

8. Orlando Salvador (age 25)

Portuguese [21 caps, 1 goal]

I'm hoping that last season was just a relative blip for captain Orlando. The attacking midfielder undoubtedly has the creativity and passing ability to reach 20 assists, which is my target for him for the next nine months.

11. Mirko Saric (age 23)

Croatian [8 caps, 0 goals]

Mirko is a capable left-winger/attacking midfielder, though he might never be more than a rotation option.

12. Frédéric Pereira (age 29)

French [49 caps, 6 goals]

Frédéric is a delightful player to watch when he is in full flow. This fearless midfielder from south-western France is a danger at both ends, and probably the most well-rounded player we have.

15. Kamil Lewandowski (age 33)

Polish [54 caps, 10 goals]

Former Paris Saint-Germain playmaker Kamil is here mainly to lend a helping hand to our younger midfielders.

16. Dzenan Genjac (age 24)

Croatian [23 caps, 3 goals]

I always say that Dzenan is on the verge of a massive season, but I really do feel that this year. The flamboyant attacking midfielder can tear defences to shreds if he stays fit - and that's a big IF.

17. Eric Knox (age 23)

Canadian [41 caps, 0 goals]

Creative Canuck Eric had a bright purple patch midway through last term but is not yet a regular starter.

23. Lee Allen (age 24)

English [capped at Under-19s level]

I often use Lee as a deputy for either Jorgensen or Pereira, but he's a decent defensive-minded midfielder in his own right. The brave Londoner has even earned an England call-up and could soon win his first cap.

26. Michal Twardzik (age 21)

Czech [2 caps, 1 goal]

Attacking midfielder Michal needs sustained first-team football and has gone on loan to Roma to get it.

27. Benjamin Guerin (age 21)

French [capped at Under-21s level]

Holding midfielder Benjamin could soon push for regular starts after returning from Tottenham Hotspur.

FORWARDS

9. Elliot Cook (age 23)

English [2 caps, 1 goal]

Nobody deserves Mark Washington's old shirt number more than Elliot. Provided he avoids any serious injuries, the homegrown speedster could build on his 15 PL goals from last season and challenge for the Golden Boot.

10. Gianfranco Torre (age 27)

Italian [23 caps, 3 goals]

I almost put Gianfranco up for sale in the summer, but a late-season surge convinced me to keep him. It might be a wise choice, as we don't have another centre-forward who's as physically imposing as the Roman.

20. Stevie Merson (age 20)

English [capped at Under-21s level]

Deep-lying forward Stevie is fresh from two loans at Fulham and ready to take his game to the next level.

21. Antonis Siafos (age 25)

Greek [51 caps, 17 goals]

Antonis has a pretty good strike rate already, but I suspect there's even more to come from him over the next few years. The big Greek striker loves to round the keeper and calmly place his shots into the net.

25. Johnathan (age 18)

Brazilian [capped at Under-20s level]

I'm very excited about what pacey boy wonder Johnathan could become while at Rainham Road.

 

RESERVE & YOUTH PLAYERS

Goalkeepers: Terry Brightly, Joe Caton, Martin King (on loan at Doncaster Rovers), Bruno Rommel (on loan at Greuther Furth)

Defenders: George Beadle (on loan at Ceské Budejovice), Trond Christian Bjorknes, John Bond (on loan at Millwall), Jimmy Cleary, Jimmy Cullen (on loan at Burnley), Robert de Jong, Bradley Douglas (on loan at Northampton Town), Giorgio Facheris, Matty Gilligan (on loan at West Ham United), Gareth Sainsbury, Grant Schulz

Midfielders: Ebenezer Agyemang, Nicky Barton, Josh Beadle, Ken Burton (on loan at Wrexham), Dan Carr (on loan at Cardiff City), Allan Cullen, Bertie Gerken, Stelios Kalogeris, David Kasungu, Alex Ketchell (on loan at Nottingham Forest), Matty Maddison (on loan at Ceské Budejovice), Chester McKenzie, Lucky Moloi, Liam O'Leary, Ross Porter, Altino Schramm, Jack Spiller, Kurt Walker (on loan at Corby Town), Paolo Zoppe (on loan at Valenciennes)

Forwards: Odain Allen, Alfie Blackburn, Pat French, Andrija Marjanovic (on loan at Coventry City), Peter Mikkelsen, Kingsley Musa (on loan at Genoa), Jacob Newton, Noel Walker, Troy Woodward

 

BACKROOM STAFF

Manager: Christopher Fuller

Assistant Manager: Fabio Saraiva

Coaches: James Chambers, Richaee Derby, James Dunne, Joel Honeyball, Nathan Howe, Daniel Poustka, Lee Rooney, Matt Warren, Marco Verratti

Fitness Coaches: Andy Boles, Godwin Okafor, Martyn Thomas

Goalkeeping Coaches: Andy Lonergan, Joel Robles

Physios: Adam Hutchings (head), Emma Lewis, Andrew Marks

Scouts: Mensur Begic, Callum Donnelly (chief), Ato Godwin, George Green, Thanasis Iordanidis, Chris Lewington, Ross McCormack, Dylan McGeouch, Kamel Meftah, 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: Ellis Chant, Mario Djokic, Paul Hardy

Under-18s Fitness Coach: Cameron Phillips

Under-18s Goalkeeping Coach: Tunde Shoretire

Under-18s Physio: Ben Wheeler

[CFuller]

And here's the depth chart, now with more specific roles for central midfielders and forwards:

GK: Rowe / António

D/DM L: Olvera / Martin / Mazibuko / Walters
D C: Guppy / Darvill / Walters / Gomes / Mazibuko
D/DM R: Álvarez / Mazibuko / Danchev / Facheris

DM C: Jorgensen / Pereira / Guerin / L Allen

M/AM L: Saric / Martin / Olvera
M C (aggressor): Pereira / Jorgensen / L Allen / Guerin / Martin
M C (creator): Salvador / Lewandowski / Pereira / Knox / Genjac / J Beadle
M/AM R: Danchev / Álvarez / Mazibuko

AM C: Salvador / Genjac / Lewandowski / Saric / J Beadle

F C (strikers): Cook / Siafos / Johnathan / Mikkelsen
F C (centre-forwards): Torre / Siafos / Merson