House of Flying Daggers

[CFuller]

AUGUST 2042 (continued)

Dagenham & Redbridge began last season with our first ever match in the Community Shield, which ended in an agonising 2-1 loss to Manchester City. We would again be in the annual curtain-raiser at Wembley Stadium this summer... but this time, we were up against Manchester United.

 

Alexander Mejía had been United's head coach for eight years, and he had just delivered a fifth Premier League title to Old Trafford. However, this was the first season in which the Colombian would have neither Sean Jordan nor Moses Penfold leading his frontline. Red Devils fans were hoping that Mejía's compatriot Eder Jiménez - a new £31.5million signing from Real Valladolid - would prove an adequate replacement for the departed veterans.

 

10 August 2042: Manchester United vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Dagenham right-winger Milen Danchev made it clear from the outset that Manchester United's defenders needed to be aware of him. They certainly weren't in the second minute, when Milen was left in acres of space out wide. Kenneth Jorgensen duly sought out the Bulgarian, who found Gianfranco Torre with a low cross. Alas, Franco's shot was blocked by United keeper Seán Rooney.

 

The Red Devils had their first scoring opportunity on 11 minutes, when Jorgensen's cynical trip on midfield counterpart Stuart Thompson yielded a free-kick - and a yellow card. Egyptian winger Hany El Sayed went for goal from the set-piece but was well off target. United debutant Eder Jiménez had his first attempt a minute later, only to head a weak Michael Walters clearance into Kayo Rowe's hands.

 

Dagenham striker Elliot Cook pulled wide a decent shot in the 18th minute after sprinting past opposition skipper Michel in the Red Devils' backline. Cook advanced towards goal again two minutes later, only to be crowded out by defenders. He laid the ball off to Danchev, who hooked a shot that skimmed past Rooney and rustled into the net! Milen could hardly believe it at first, but we were leading the Premier League champions at Wembley!

 

Torre could've doubled our advantage on 23 minutes. His header from Jorgensen's long ball was somehow diverted over the bar by an outstretched Rooney. Franco was flustered, and he would be booked in the 36th minute for a shove on United centre-half Noh Yong-Ha.

 

Predictably, the Red Devils ended the first half in an aggressive manner. El Sayed's attempt in the 38th minute took a slight deflection off Daggers defender George Darvill before being gathered by Rowe. Kayo didn't have to do much about a poor header from Scotland striker Craig Aitken in the 45th minute, but strong defending from George, Michael and Nathan Guppy ensured our lead remained intact at the break.

 

Despite giving away more fouls than us in the first period, Manchester United only had one player cautioned. Thompson would be joined in referee Gary Ashley's notebook early in the second half by Aitken and Noh. Aitken's booking on 52 minutes was particularly controversial, as he was accused of diving over a double-challenge from Jorgensen and Darvill.

 

Alexander Mejía and most of his players were incensed by Mr Ashley's decision. Moments after that potential flashpoint, the Red Devils' fury almost intensified. A mistake from Noh allowed Torre to nick the ball off his feet and race through. Franco tried to drive the ball past an onrushing Rooney... but his shot clipped the corner of the woodwork and deflected wide.

 

We were fortunate to cling onto our lead in the 67th minute, when a deep cross from El Sayed found the head of Jiménez. The 24-year-old Colombian behemoth tried to flick the ball past Rowe, but Dagenham's number 1 used all his agility to get to it.

 

Play switched to the other end soon afterwards, as we won a couple of corners in quick succession. Cook then had a great chance in the 70th minute, racing past Noh to get to Hicham Martin's flick-on into the area. Elliot tried to beat Rooney from a tight angle, but the Irishman palmed his effort wide. Cookie was in more agony a minute later, having been hurt in a robust tackle from Red Devils right-back Klevis Idrizi. He persisted for a while before being replaced with right-back Enrique Álvarez in the 80th minute.

 

I was now banking on Cook's 20th-minute assist for Danchev being the decisive moment in this match, but my decision to protect a narrow lead could've backfired late on. Another sterling rearguard display from Darvill had its first blip on 82 minutes, when he was booked for tripping Aitken. That was one of 15 fouls conceded by Dagenham players, but we were angelic compared to the Red Devils, who gave away 23.

 

Jiménez's performance up front bordered on criminal for a different reason, and he was subbed not long after another woeful shot in the 88th minute. France striker Gary Roux replaced him, but it was another one of Les Bleus' newest internationals who made United's last throw of the dice. Defensive midfielder Salem Larbi rose up to reach an injury-time cross from El Sayed, but his header rebounded off the bar and fell into a grateful Rowe's grasp. We then held on for another minute before Mr Ashley blew his final whistle. The Community Shield was ours!

 

Manchester United - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Danchev 20)

Community Shield, Attendance 83,356

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Guppy, Darvill, Walters, Danchev, Jorgensen (L Allen), Pereira, Martin, Salvador, Torre (Merson), Cook (Álvarez). BOOKED: Jorgensen, Torre, Darvill.

 

I wouldn't have described that Manchester United team as full-strength, but defeating them was a very promising sign of what was to come. Our season had already begun with captain Orlando Salvador lifting the Community Shield - one of the few trophies that had not yet graced our cabinet up until then.

 

We would soon begin our pursuit of arguably the most glittering - and most elusive - prize there was to offer. Before then, though, there was a brief international break.

 

As per usual, most of our squad went away to represent their countries. Joining our growing list of Under-21s internationals was right-back Giorgio Facheris, who represented Italy at that level for the first time in a 2-2 draw against an England team starring Matty Gilligan and Stevie Merson.

 

A dozen Daggers added to their senior caps, with the star performer being France's Frédéric Pereira. His midfield prowess helped Les Bleus score SEVEN goals in the first 19 minutes against Scotland, though the Tartan Army bravely fought back to reduce the final scoreline to 7-3.

 

Less positive news came from Greece, where Antonis Siafos strained his ankle ligaments in a 5-0 home loss to South Korea. Tony would miss at least the first three weeks of our league season as a result. Even worse misfortune befell teenage midfielder Josh Beadle, who was ruled out for three months with a damaged Achilles tendon.

 

The first Saturday of the 2042/2043 Premier League season saw Manchester United and Arsenal each record comfortable win, over Derby County and Nottingham Forest respectively. The league's other big guns collided on Sunday afternoon, as Manchester City entertained us at Rainham Road, where they'd lost on each of their last three visits. A fourth straight home victory over City would be the ideal start to our championship challenge.

 

17 August 2042: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Manchester City

The opening stages saw each of our strikers waste great openings. Elliot Cook latched onto an excellent through-ball from Frédéric Pereira in the second minute, only to sky it over Manchester City's crossbar. Five minutes later, that bar took a battering from Gianfranco Torre, who flicked Enrique Álvarez' cross against the woodwork.

 

Dzenan Genjac was already struggling by then, as our attacking midfielder appeared to twist his ankle in a fourth-minute slide tackle from City's Yu Yupeng. Dzenan tried to play through the pain, but when he pulled wide a shot from Franco's incisive pass in the 20th minute, it was clear that he had been badly hampered. Almost immediately, I subbed the enigmatic Croatian off and sent Eric Knox on as a replacement.

 

The Citizens launched their first attack on 22 minutes, and they appeared to have broken the deadlock when right-back Sadi lobbed Kayo Rowe in the Daggers goal. Fortunately, the referee had spotted that City striker Jozef Kral had pushed Nathan Guppy before the defender could make an interception, so he refused to allow the goal.

 

The visitors had another opportunity in the 29th minute, but Portuguese midfielder David Tengarrinha's long-range strike was confidently caught by Rowe. The first half then fizzled out, as a couple of bookings for Knox and Kral disrupted what little rhythm this game had.

 

Torre pushed for a Dagenham opener early in the second half, only to have a couple of shots saved by Manchester City's evergreen goalkeeper Sergio González. The 35-year-old Paraguayan also managed to keep out a volley from Orlando Salvador in the 56th minute, shortly after Knox had headed over a corner from our captain.

 

Four minutes later, a well-crafted City attack proved to be our undoing. Karim De Vuyst flicked Willy Danza's left-wing cross into the path of his fellow attacking midfielder Dave Jansen, who was wiped out by Pereira just as he entered our area. The ref pointed to the spot, where Brazil midfielder Davidson Júnior drilled in the penalty that sent us 1-0 down.

 

We could've had a penalty of our own in the 65th minute, but play continued after Yu's questionable aerial challenge on Cook. Three minutes later, I made a couple of changes in a desperate bid to change the game. Elliot was replaced by left-sided inside-forward Johnathan, and substitute Knox was substituted in favour of right-winger Milen Danchev.

 

Milen had scored the winning goal against Manchester United the previous Sunday, and he would thrive again here. In the 69th minute, Júnior slide-tackled Salvador in the City 'D' after the Daggers skipper had received an excellent pass from Pereira. The ball was diverted into the penalty area, where Danchev broke away to stab in an equaliser!

 

Danchev played a big role in what could've been a second goal after 78 minutes. Sadly, his excellent assist for Torre was ruled out after an offside flag was raised against our Italian frontman. Franco was one of three Daggers to be booked in a feisty final 10 minutes, along with wing-backs Juan Esteban Olvera and Enrique Álvarez.

 

The Citizens would hit our crossbar TWICE in the closing stages - firstly from a Jansen free-kick in the 86th minute, and then from a long-distance strike by Júnior in the 89th minute. We launched a counter-attack after the latter attempt. Danchev found Salvador making a run into space in City's penalty area, but González pushed Orlando's shot away to keep the final scoreline at 1-1.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Danchev 69)

Manchester City - 1 (Júnior pen61)

Premier League, Attendance 26,772 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 10th, Man City 11th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Álvarez, Guppy, Walters, Olvera, Jorgensen, Pereira, Salvador, Genjac (Knox (Danchev)), Cook (Johnathan), Torre. BOOKED: Knox, Olvera, Torre, Álvarez.

 

While a home draw against Manchester City was not a bad result in itself, I couldn't help feeling that we'd missed a trick. More disappointment came with the news that Dzenan Genjac would be out for three weeks with a twisted ankle - the latest in what was becoming a ludicrously long list of injuries for the Croatian.

 

Three days later, we began our UEFA Champions League campaign with the opening leg of our Playoff tie. Brescia arrived in Rainham Road as narrow outsiders, but I was wary of the Serie A side's attacking threat. Denying them any away goals would be arguably as crucial as building a sizeable first-leg lead.

 

20 August 2042: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Brescia

Dagenham midfielder Kenneth Jorgensen really was in the thick of things early on. He had the first pop at goal after three minutes, but unsurprisingly missed the target by some way. A couple of minutes later, the great Dane's collision with Fernando Alva left Brescia's right-back nursing a rib injury.

 

Our next scoring opportunities in the 12th and 16th minute were fired wide by debutant playmaker Kamil Lewandowski and centre-forward Stevie Merson respectively. Brescia had their first real chance in between, but Matej Chlup's half-volley was bravely blocked by Daggers centre-half George Darvill. George's new colleague Nathan Guppy was less impressive in the 23rd minute, when he was booked for scything down former Nottingham Forest midfielder Mohammed Lawal.

 

We put the Rondinelle back under pressure on 26 minutes, but winger Milen Danchev scooped over a shot that could've continued his scoring streak. Gianfranco Torre then threatened his Italian compatriots in the 35th minute, when his low drive was blocked by Brescia keeper José Manuel Níguez. The subsequent Lewandowski corner found Merson, but Níguez again saved his team by tipping Stevie's header behind. Milen took our second corner, which George headed over.

 

Our wasted chances could've been punished on 38 minutes. Brescia's left-back Francis Meunier was left in acres of space, and he dribbled to the byline before drilling in a centre that attacking midfielder Alessandro Dusi put into the side netting.

 

Following a goalless first period, Brescia had a great opportunity to break the deadlock eight minutes into the second half. Darvill was booked for a careless slide tackle on Chlup just outside our area, but that was as far as George's punishment went, as Lawal's free-kick failed to hit the target.

 

Home chances were few and far between after the interval, so I brought captain Orlando Salvador on from the bench in the 62nd minute. Salvador was heavily involved in a promising attack on 71 minutes, but that ended with Torre firing Hicham Martin's lob against the post. Brescia midfielder Natsuki Takayasu scrambled the ball behind for a corner, and we quickly won another after Níguez diverted Darvill's header over. The second set-piece was poor from Thulani Mazibuko, and the Rondinelle sprung a counter-attack that ended with Dusi's shot being saved by Rowe.

 

There would be more Dagenham agony in the 78th minute, when Orlando hit the woodwork from another Kamil corner. Defender Osvaldo Ortiz hacked the ball into touch for a throw, which Mazibuko sent to our half-time substitute Johnathan. The 18-year-old Brazilian dribbled past Takayasu, but his angled shot was just off target.

 

Johnathan would also have our final pop at goal in the SIXTH minute of injury time. Sadly, he couldn't fire it past Níguez, and so a brilliant Brescia backline - led superbly by covering defender Gaetano Minnozzi - shut us out.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 0

Brescia - 0

UEFA Champions League Playoff Leg 1, Attendance 26,772

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Mazibuko, Guppy, Darvill, Martin, L Allen (Pereira), Jorgensen, Danchev (Salvador), Lewandowski, Torre, Merson (Johnathan). BOOKED: Guppy, Darvill.

 

The good news was that we'd kept a clean sheet, meaning that we could qualify for the Group Stage with a score draw in Italy the following week. The bad news was that our own inability to score had put us at serious risk of being 'relegated' to the UEFA Europa League.

[CFuller]

AUGUST 2042 (continued)

After a stuttering start, I was desperate to get our strikers firing again, and an away Premier League match against Norwich City's great entertainers was a fantastic opportunity to do just that. This was our first visit to Carrow Road since that harrowing afternoon in December, when we were 3-0 up after 15 minutes but went on to lose 4-3.

 

23 August 2042: Norwich City vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Raju Gomes made his Premier League debut as part of a three-man Dagenham defence alongside Michael Walters and George Darvill. All three made vital early interceptions to prevent Norwich from taking the lead. Meanwhile, left-winger Hicham Martin pulled wide our first scoring chance in the fourth minute.

 

We next threatened the Canaries on 15 minutes, when Orlando Salvador swerved a free-kick into their six-yard box. England defender Aaron Perkins tried to flick the ball away, but Frédéric Pereira nodded it back into the danger zone. Gianfranco Torre then rose into the air to meet the ball with the most stunning bicycle kick, which left Glenn Nordh helpless in the Norwich goal!

 

One Dagenham striker had scored an absolute beauty... and five minutes later, another decided to get in on the act. Franco searched out the left-wing run of Elliot Cook, who turned sharply past young Canaries centre-half Callum Tyas and swerved a gorgeous 20-yard banana shot over Nordh! That was a 'Goal of the Season' contender if ever I'd seen one!

 

We continued ripping our hosts to shreds in the 25th minute, with Torre once again the architect. This time, he found Enrique Álvarez on the right wing, and the Spaniard sprung Norwich's offside trap open before half-volleying into the far end of the net! Three goals in the space of a little over 10 minutes had put us in total control!

 

Of course, you'll remember what happened the last time we led Norwich so convincingly at Carrow Road. It was only a matter of when they'd get their first goal back. Torre's clumsy 29th-minute challenge on attacking midfielder Alen Hamidovic gave away a free-kick on the edge of our area, and Travis Richardson rocketed his set-piece into the top corner.

 

This time, though, our heads didn't drop once our lead had been cut to 3-1. Cook led Tyas another merry dance in the 33rd minute and was unlucky to hit the post with a shot that could've restored our three-goal cushion.

 

Five minutes later came what would be the big talking point at half-time. As Kayo Rowe hoisted a long kick up to Álvarez, Hamidovic hit our right-winger square in the face with a flailing elbow! As Enrique collapsed to the floor in agony, Hamidovic and his team-mates fruitlessly protested the 22-year-old Bosnian's innocence. Referee Mark Bell had already made his decision, and the red card quickly came out of his pocket! City would have to try and battle back in the second half with only 10 men!

 

Norwich pursued a second goal six minutes after the restart, but midfielder Chaker Radhouani's long drive didn't cause Rowe too many issues. The Canaries' next shot in the 61st minute was arguably even worse. Luís Soares' cross found an unmarked Richardson on the edge of our area, but the Guyanese veteran smashed it into the stands. Richardson then set up a 63rd-minute chance for Soares, which Rowe caught quite comfortably.

 

Though we didn't launch many attacks in the second period, I was happy for us to sit back and defend a 3-1 lead. I could also afford to bench Torre for the final 20 minutes, with striking prospect Peter Mikkelsen coming on for just his second PL appearance. Though Peter didn't see much of the ball, his colleagues at the other end ensured that he wouldn't need to build on our lead.

 

Norwich's fortunes could be summed up by one attack three minutes from time. Radhouani chipped the ball towards Richardson, who knocked it down to fellow striker John Chibuike. The 33-year-old Nigerian's attempted lob over Rowe flew well off target, and the Canaries never recovered. They suffered their second defeat on the bounce, and we had our first victory in the bag!

 

Norwich City - 1 (Richardson 29)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (Torre 15, Cook 20, Álvarez 25)

Premier League, Attendance 27,224 - POSITIONS: Norwich 16th, Dag & Red 6th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Gomes, Darvill (Saric), Walters, Álvarez, Guerin, Pereira (L Allen), Martin, Salvador, Torre (Mikkelsen), Cook.

 

Having exorcised our Carrow Road demons, we headed to Lombardy in northern Italy, to play what was undoubtedly our most important match so far this season.

 

The first leg of our UEFA Champions League Playoff against Brescia had not gone well, as the Rondinelle held us to a 0-0 draw at home. We arrived at the Stadio Mario Rigamonti knowing that we simply couldn't afford to lose the second leg, otherwise we would be left slumming it out in the UEFA Europa League. However, a score draw would be enough to send us into the Champions League Group Stage for the third year in a row.

 

26 August 2042: Brescia vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Brescia had the first chance to score after two minutes, but Fidel Geolier hooked a free-kick wide. The aggressive Martinique defensive midfielder would then be booked in the eighth minute for pushing Daggers counterpart Kenneth Jorgensen. Elliot Cook had been at the centre of our first attack on four minutes, but his header from Thulani Mazibuko's right-wing cross didn't trouble José Manuel Níguez in the Brescia goal.

 

There was more disappointment from Cookie after a quarter of an hour. France striker Mohamed Mendy upended Orlando Salvador in the Rondinelle area, giving away a penalty. I was confident that Elliot could get us a vital away goal... but his spot-kick was an awful one that Níguez easily batted away.

 

Cook's missed penalty badly shook our confidence. Though playmaker Kamil Lewandowski dribbled past a tackle from Osvaldo Ortiz in the 18th minute, his shot from the 'D' went hopelessly wide. On 23 minutes, Salvador saw his piledriver palmed behind by Níguez, who continued to torment us.

 

Lewandowski was denied a goal not once but THREE times between the 35th and 37th minute, during which Cook was also kept off the scoreboard. There had been woeful shots from Nathan Guppy and Jorgensen before that particularly stressful period. I was now wondering when on Earth we would break the deadlock, if at all!

 

The referee had booked only one player - from Brescia - in the first half. He cautioned another early in the second period, while Daggers destroyer Frédéric Pereira also saw yellow for tripping Alessandro Dusi in the 48th minute. A minute later, Mazibuko sent a 30-yard throw towards the advancing Lewandowski at Brescia's near post. Níguez managed to tip the ball behind just before Kamil could get his head to it.

 

Dagenham goalkeeper Kayo Rowe was first called into serious action after 51 minutes, palming away a cross from Rondinelle midfielder Mohammed Lawal to atone for a sloppy pass by our left-back Juan Esteban Olvera. Níguez then caught a 55th-minute header from Torre, who wasted an even better chance for us four minutes after that. A deep delivery by Thulani found Franco at the back stick, but the Italian frontman's header clipped the bar and was deflected wide.

 

As crunch time drew nearer, I shook the team up by replacing Pereira and Cook with Lee Allen and Mirko Saric respectively. Left-winger Saric could have made an instant impact, but his header from Lewandowski's 63rd-minute free-kick was well off target.

 

Brescia's resistance started to crumble in the 68th minute, with a poor headed interception by teenage wing-back Gismondo Benevento giving Torre the chance to volley in our opener. Níguez inevitably saved that as well, but it was from the subsequent corner that we finally scored. The unlikely recipient of Mazibuko's cross to the near post was Jorgensen, who met it with a powerful and accurate header!

 

Barely two minutes after we grabbed our away goal, we effectively secured victory by claiming another. Gaetano Minnozzi might have played a blinder against us in the first leg, but a weak header from the Brescia centre-half was intercepted by Torre, who broke away and dinked the ball over Níguez for 2-0!

 

The Rondinelle now needed to score three goals in the final 19 minutes, plus stoppage time. They couldn't even manage a single shot on target in the end. Captain Matej Chlup floated a horrible effort wide in the 81st minute, and midfielder Natsuki Takayasu's attempt three minutes later was blocked by Guppy.

 

Níguez then had to prevent Daggers substitute Eric Knox from sending us 3-0 ahead in the 88th minute. By then, though, we'd done what we'd needed to do to avoid an embarrassingly early exit from the UEFA Champions League.

 

Brescia - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Jorgensen 69, Torre 71)

[Dagenham & Redbridge win 2-0 on aggregate]

UEFA Champions League Playoff Leg 2, Attendance 16,308

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Mazibuko, Guppy, Walters, Olvera, Jorgensen, Pereira (L Allen), Salvador (Knox), Lewandowski, Cook (Saric), Torre. BOOKED: Pereira, Walters.

 

Through sheer perseverance, we'd battled our way into the Champions League proper once again. The Daggers would be destined to face Italian opposition again when the Group Stage draw took place a couple of days later.

 

We were the second seeds in Group C, where the top billing went to back-to-back Serie A champions Empoli. Yes, as luck would have it, the draw had thrown together a repeat of the 2041 Final in Lisbon! Let's hope that the results aren't different when we face the Azzurri home and away.

 

The third team in our pool were familiar opponents as well, from last season's Group Stage. We put eight goals past FC Basel in our previous encounters, and our attackers would have more chances to fill their boots against the Swiss Super League champions.

 

As it transpired, Group C's bottom seeds were also champions of their domestic league. Schalke 04's Bundesliga victory last season was their first in 26 years. Die Konigsblauen possessed a fearsome line-up, and they would welcome us to the VELTINS-Arena on 16 September for what was sure to be a difficult group opener.

 

The Champions League draw hadn't exactly been kind to us, and neither had the draw for Round 3 of the League Cup. We will face West Ham United at the Olympic Stadium on 24 September... but to be honest, I'll probably field a reserve team in that match. I don't really care about the League Cup anymore.

 

I certainly cared about our next Premier League match, which was at home to a Coventry City team who'd lost their first two fixtures without scoring. The Sky Blues had ground out a goalless draw on their last trip to Rainham Road, but I was confident that we could break through their blockades this time around.

 

30 August 2042: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Coventry City

Former Arsenal and Norwich City striker Richard Fishlock had a notoriously terrible record against us. I say had, because Coventry's new free signing took just two minutes to break his jinx at Rainham Road. The pacey 29-year-old latched onto an excellent through-ball from French winger Alain Julien and then drove it between Kayo Rowe and the Dagenham keeper's right-hand post.

 

We were off to a very fishy start, and it didn't get much better later on. Orlando Salvador's piledriver in the fourth minute was a long way from the Coventry goal. Orlando was then booked in the 16th minute for pulling on the shirt of South Africa midfielder Tumelo Mofokeng - one of three ex-Daggers in the Sky Blues' starting XI.

 

At the back, Mofokeng's compatriot Siphesihle Gumede was putting on a defensive masterclass against his old employers. Zippy and his fellow Coventry defenders would only allow us a handful of shots in the first period. Elliot Cook did have a pop from inside the area in the 26th minute, but he pulled it wide. Cookie and Kenneth Jorgensen then failed to trouble goalkeeper Jonathan English with attempts from further out. As things stood at half-time, we were heading for an embarrassing defeat.

 

We finally gave English some tests in the opening stages of the second half. The giant 30-year-old caught a close-range attempt by Gianfranco Torre in the 50th minute, shortly after Salvador had struck his left-hand post. English then made a couple more saves on 53 minutes, keeping out long-distance efforts from Kenny and Orlando.

 

In the 55th minute, Daggers left-back Juan Esteban Olvera slipped a lovely ball to half-time substitute Johnathan near the byline. The young Brazilian cut past Coventry skipper Neal Moody and then tried to drill in a shot from a difficult angle, but he failed miserably. Fellow sub Milen Danchev was also struggling to make his mark against a Sky Blues that was defending as resiliently as I'd expected them to under Jordan McGhee's stewardship.

 

As time ebbed away, the tension at Rainham Road rose further. Frédéric Pereira and Nathan Guppy each had their names etched into the referee's notebook, as did Coventry midfielder Warren Johnston - City's other Dagenham alumnus.

 

Johnathan had our fourth shot on target in the 78th minute, forcing a difficult parry out of English after dribbling past injured Sky Blues defender Ian Lea. Five minutes later, it turned out that this new South American starlet was holding the key to our redemption.

 

A gloriously-crafted set-piece came together when Guppy nodded substitute playmaker Eric Knox's corner down to Johnathan, who rocketed his volley past English! That was the 18-year-old's first competitive goal for Dagenham, and it had earned us a precious point! Mind you, having watched us dominate Coventry from the moment that Fishlock put us behind, I was wondering how we hadn't taken all three away.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Johnathan 83)

Coventry City - 1 (Fishlock 2)

Premier League, Attendance 26,689 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 9th, Coventry 17th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Álvarez, Guppy, Darvill, Olvera, Jorgensen, Pereira, Lewandowski (Danchev), Salvador (Knox), Cook (Johnathan), Torre. BOOKED: Salvador, Pereira, Guppy.

 

That made it three home draws in a row. Thanks to the cup draws leaving us with four successive away games in September, we would now have to wait until October at the earliest for our first win at Rainham Road this season. Deary me...

[CFuller]

SEPTEMBER 2042

Though we'd not made the most impressive start to our Premier League campaign, I still had faith in my squad. That meant there were no more departures from or arrivals at Dagenham & Redbridge as the transfer window closed.

 

My most important job on deadline day was to give Elliot Cook the Premier League's Goal of the Month award, which he received for his 30-yard curler against Norwich City. Surprisingly, Gianfranco Torre's bicycle kick in the same match was not even on the shortlist.

 

A few days later, I watched the Dagenham reserve team make their first appearance in the UEFA Youth League since the 2037/2038 season. A 78th-minute penalty from Liam O'Leary, and a fierce drive from Jacob Newton in the 79th, earned the young Daggers a 2-0 away win against Borussia Moenchengladbach. They were off to a great start in Group A, which also included FC Utrecht and Dynamo Kiev.

 

Meanwhile, the September internationals brought mixed fortunes for our first-teamers. Captain Orlando Salvador scored four goals in two matches for Portugal, while Gianfranco Torre bagged just his fourth goal in an Italy jersey against Luxembourg. Croatia winger Mirko Saric was concussed during a 4-2 victory in Belarus, but that was not the most serious injury sustained by an on-duty Dagger.

 

Just 16 minutes into a friendly match between Frédéric Pereira's France and Thulani Mazibuko's South Africa, disaster struck for the latter. Mazibuko lunged in on Les Bleus winger Jean-Baptiste Cros with reckless abandon and ended up rupturing his own cruciate ligaments in his right knee. Thulani was stretchered off in agony, and though France went on to win 1-0, Frédi was distraught when he learnt the full extent of his club-mate's injury.

 

Seven months, minimum. That's how long Mazibuko will be on the sidelines for. With his 29th birthday just weeks away, I doubt he'll ever be the same player again.

 

Thulani's versatility would be sorely missed when the Daggers reconvened for our next matches. We had four games scheduled for September, and they were ALL away from home (three in London and one in Germany).

 

The first match on our extended road trip was against Arsenal at the Thierry Henry Arena. The Gunners were bang in-form, having collected seven points from their first three Premier League matches. Only champions Manchester United - who were three-from-three - stood above them in the table.

 

13 September 2042: Arsenal vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Arsenal flew out of the traps and almost broke the deadlock within the opening 15 seconds. Left-back Connor Smith's long ball to club legend Shane Hay was flicked ahead of Javier Montenegro, who struck the ball first-time from just inside the area. Kayo Rowe's fingertip save was massive for us, as was Enrique Álvarez' goal-line clearance moments later. The right-back nodded away Álvaro José's header from Roberto Bartlett's corner just before it could find the net.

 

Another Bartlett corner made our hearts skip beats in the 9th minute, but left-winger Stephen Harrison nodded it narrowly over. Harrison went close again on 20 minutes, swerving a free-kick inches off target after Michael Walters had tripped Montenegro. When Walters fouled the Argentine striker again shortly afterwards, Harrison was gifted another free-kick, which Rowe caught.

 

At the other end, Dagger skipper Orlando Salvador struggled to make his mark. An ambitious long-range banana shot went well wide in the 22nd minute, but a more promising strike from our skipper 10 minutes later was tipped behind by Marat Lepilov. That was pretty much the full extent of our attacking forays in the first period.

 

More worryingly, our midfielders were misplacing a lot of their passes. One particularly slack effort from young anchor Benjamin Guerin in the 36th minute cost us very dear. The Gunners countered quickly, and captain Liam Wood sprayed the ball out left to Harrison, who cut past Álvarez and lashed in the shot that made it 1-0 Arsenal.

 

In truth, we should've gone into the break 2-0 down. In the 44th minute, Montenegro carved us open with a through-ball to Bartlett, who then tried to square it to Hay at the back post. Had Nathan Guppy not been in the way, we would've had a mountain to climb in the second period.

 

I switched from a 4-4-2 diamond to a 3-4-1-2, but our defenders still struggled to contain Hay and Montenegro. Walters upended the latter once again on 47 minutes, rightly earning a yellow card for persistent fouling. Álvarez' trip on Wood a minute later could've been even costlier, but Hay's free-kick just clipped the crossbar before going over.

 

A misplaced pass from Arsenal right-back Albert Khumalo in the 49th minute gave Gianfranco Torre a chance to draw us level. However, Torre shot far too early and comfortably missed the net.

 

Things didn't get any less stressful for me when Frédéric Pereira was booked for a barge on Khumalo after 51 minutes. Franco and Frédi were at least trying to impact the game, but striker Stevie Merson was as anonymous as an extra in a TV soap opera. Stevie was replaced with Johnathan in the 65th minute, shortly after Kayo had narrowly prevented Hay from putting Arsenal 2-0 ahead.

 

The Gunners did have the ball in our net for a second time after 74 minutes, but Bartlett was well offside when he met Smith's deep cross with a lethal diving header. A minute after that close shave, we were handed another chance to get back on terms. Home midfielder Tommy Watters' tackle on Salvador knocked the ball loose, and Johnathan just about got to it before Jhon Jairo Pena. The Daggers faithful awaited Johnathan's second late equaliser in a fortnight, but Lepilov dashed their hopes by pushing the Brazilian prospect's shot behind.

 

There would be no salvation for us this time. More misplaced passes ruined our prospective attacks, and our fate was sealed when the red mist descended over Torre in the 87th minute. Franco caught Álvaro José in the face as he tried to connect with a long ball from Nathan, and he was sent off for violent conduct. That left a very sour taste in my mouth as we succumbed to our first loss this season.

 

Arsenal - 1 (Harrison 36)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 0

Premier League, Attendance 80,190 - POSITIONS: Arsenal 1st, Dag & Red 14th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Álvarez, Guppy, Walters, Martin, Guerin, Pereira, Knox (Gomes), Salvador (Lewandowski), Merson (Johnathan), Torre. BOOKED: Walters, Pereira. SENT OFF: Torre.

 

While we didn't have the easiest start to our Premier League season, it was disturbing to see us as low as 14th in the table. By the end of the weekend, were already five points adrift of the top three teams. No prizes for guessing which three teams they were.

 

Gianfranco Torre received a dressing-down and a fine from me - and a three-match ban from the FA - following his stupid dismissal in North London. The suspension only applied to domestic matches, so Torre was in the squad - though not in the starting line-up - for our opening UEFA Champions League Group C match against Schalke 04. Elliot Cook and the fit-again Antonis Siafos would lead our attack in Gelsenkirchen instead.

 

Bundesliga champions Schalke had started the season brilliantly, with homegrown centre-forward Ingo Reinartz getting six goals in their opening three league matches. Keeping this 25-year-old behemoth quiet would be vital as far as we were concerned. It would also be no mean feat, with Portuguese teenager António deputising in the Daggers goal after Kayo Rowe sustained a rib injury in training.

 

16 September 2042: Schalke 04 vs Dagenham & Redbridge

I had spent the first few weeks of this season waiting for Orlando Salvador to reproduce his best football. Imagine my delight in the fourth minute, when our skipper capped off a flowing team move by thundering Elliot Cook's pass into the Schalke goal. That was the first time Orlando had found the net this term!

 

Our hosts inevitably battled back shortly afterwards, with midfielder Jon Marco forcing António into his first save in the 10th minute. Just moments later, however, our young goalkeeper was beaten by Die Konigsblauen's main man. It had to be Ingo Reinartz who popped up to stab Mario Wassenaar's right-wing centre into the net from point-blank range.

 

Schalke's equaliser coincided with a downpour in Gelsenkirchen, which played havoc with our short passing game. We went a bit more direct thereafter, and Antonis Siafos had a shot parried away by home keeper Daniel Fischer in the 15th minute. Tony had better luck three minutes later, advancing unnoticed through the defence to slot in a deep right-wing cross from Milen Danchev! 2-1 to the Daggers!

 

Salvador wasted a chance to send us two goals clear in the 22nd minute. That would come back to haunt us three minutes later, as Reinartz drew Schalke back level. The Germany international outjumped Kenneth Jorgensen to flick in a corner from left-winger Abdelaziz Saadi, and António had no real chance of keeping it out.

 

The first half would end with the teams level at 2-2, though Siafos and Cook could have restored our advantage. Both our frontmen had late shots saved by Fischer - Tony in the 36th minute, and Elliot in the 40th. Cookie was also booked shortly before his attempt, following a push on Schalke's left-back Claus Sauss.

 

I made one substitution at the break, with Hicham Martin replacing a nervy Juan Esteban Olvera on our left wing. Meanwhile, Schalke manager Mario Fussenegger replaced Belgian defender Lucas Labeeuw with 35-year-old captain Marcus Webb. I thought that was an interesting substitution... and perhaps a misguided one, considering how pacey our strikers were. Time would tell.

 

In the Daggers defence, Darvill was left walking a fine line after being booked for shoving Reinartz in the 52nd minute. The risk of collecting another yellow card didn't deter George from barging Reinartz off the ball after 58 minutes. As the Schalke striker went down clutching his knee, the referee waved play on. Moments later, Jorgensen pumped a long ball over the German defence to Siafos, who raced away and drove in his second goal for 3-2 Dagenham!

 

Schalke were incensed that play hadn't been stopped for the challenge on Reinartz, who - it later turned out - had strained his knee ligaments. As Konigsblauen poacher Frank Mayer came on to replace his stricken colleague, Siafos attempted to finish the hosts off by completing his hat-trick.

 

Things looked promising for Tony when he latched onto a through-ball from Milen in the 63rd minute, but Fischer pushed the Greek forward's shot behind. Danchev's corner was poor, and Schalke tried to counter-attack until Sauss was blocked off by Martin. With that, Hicham became the third member of our English contingent to receive a booking.

 

Schalke's next attack in the 68th minute showed promise, at least until Wassenaar's low attempt was clawed behind by António. Ten minutes later, Dutch winger Wassenaar pounced on an uncharacteristically awful pass from Darvill. He then dribbled effortlessly past Michael Walters' slide tackle and crossed into the six-yard box, where Mayer broke free from Nathan Guppy and snatched a third equalising goal.

 

It seemed we'd thrown two points away in our opening group game... but two of our substitutes had other ideas. Gianfranco Torre saw a couple of excellent shots in the 83rd and 88th minute saved by Fischer. The Italian would get another opportunity in the dying seconds of injury time, thanks to a stunning pass from the halfway line by midfielder Dzenan Genjac. Franco beat his marker Selman Culcuoglu to Dzenan's lob, and then powered it home to secure a dramatic away win for the Daggers!

 

We were buzzing after edging a 4-3 thriller, but that wasn't enough for us to top the group on the opening night. Empoli led the way after carrying out a 5-1 demolition job on FC Basel, with all six goals coming in the second half! Group C had seen 13 goals already!

 

Schalke 04 - 3 (Reinartz 10,26, Mayer 78)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 4 (Salvador 4, Siafos 18,59, Torre 90)

UEFA Champions League Group C, Attendance 52,453 - POSITIONS: Schalke 3rd, Dag & Red 2nd

DAG & RED LINE-UP: António, Guppy, Darvill, Walters, Danchev, Jorgensen, L Allen, Olvera (Martin), Salvador (Genjac), Cook (Torre), Siafos. BOOKED: Cook, Darvill, Martin.

 

Now that's what I call a continental classic! I was impressed with both teams' attacking performances, and in a way, I felt sorry that one of them lost. It was just as well that team wasn't us!

 

Dagenham & Redbridge's reserves were also in European action the following evening, in Group A of the UEFA Youth League. Altino Schramm and Johnathan gave us a 2-0 lead at home to FC Utrecht, but the Dutch side launched a spirited fightback to win 3-2.

 

Even so, after a few nervy weeks, it felt good to be a Dagger again...

[CFuller]

SEPTEMBER 2042

We were excused from Premier League duty on the third weekend of September. Manchester United and Manchester City further consolidated their places at the top by racking up their fourth wins in five rounds, but Arsenal's unbeaten start was ended by Southampton.

 

Meanwhile, we spent our weekend working hard on the training ground. By Sunday afternoon, I was wishing I had given my best assets the day off.

 

Orlando Salvador had not had too many serious injuries during his six-year stay in Dagenham, but his luck ran out when a robust challenge from Nathan Guppy caught our captain's weaker right foot. I could hear a snap from the touchline as Orlando collapsed to the turf screaming in agony.

 

A scan on Monday morning confirmed that Salvador had broken his foot. Losing Thulani Mazibuko for most of the season was bad enough, but losing our captain and talisman for the best part of four months was arguably an even worse setback.

 

Guppy was very apologetic after his fateful tackle, and he would take on most of Salvador's captaincy duties in the meantime. However, Nathan would not play in our next match, which just so happened to be against his former club West Ham United in Round 3 of the League Cup.

 

This competition was at the bottom of my priority list, so I left most of my star players at home and instead sent a reserve side across East London. Striker Stevie Merson led us onto the Olympic Stadium turf as captain, and 17-year-old defender Gary Bannon made his senior Daggers debut.

 

24 September 2042: West Ham United vs Dagenham & Redbridge

West Ham named a very strong line-up for this match, but our second-string more than held their own against them during the first period. Mirko Saric looked a lively presence on the left wing, and he was unlucky to miss an attempt on goal in the opening minute. The Croatian tried again on 12 minutes, but Hammers right-back Elliott Hill blocked his shot.

 

The centre-forwards on both teams were rather less impressive. In the 14th minute, West Ham's Jordan Gray got above both António and Gary Bannon to reach a left-wing cross from Garrincha, but his header flew over the bar. Similarly, Dagenham's Stevie Merson left plenty to be desired with a couple of poor shots over the next five minutes.

 

The deadlock would eventually be broken after 26 minutes. Our Brazilian starlet Johnathan tried to send a cross to Saric from the right, but Mirko went to ground after being impeded by Hill. That prompted the referee to award us a penalty kick, which Canada midfielder Eric Knox calmly slotted past ex-Daggers loanee Denzel Gallen.

 

We couldn't quite build on our 1-0 lead before the break. Johnathan had a go in the 34th minute, but the teenager followed an energetic run into the Hammers' penalty shot with a weak shot that Gallen caught easily.

 

António was a rather busier goalkeeper in the closing stages, keeping out three dangerous attempts from West Ham. The best of his saves came in the 41st minute, when he tipped behind a vicious effort from Irons midfielder Ross Brownlee. Shortly after that, winger Samuel Magalhaes went down in our area to try and win a penalty off Daggers left-back Hicham Martin. Magalhaes' gamesmanship only earned him a yellow card.

 

Though we still had a clean sheet at half-time, Bannon had not looked comfortable in the centre of our defence. I replaced Gary with the more assured Michael Walters for the second half... not that it did us much good. Neither Michael nor Raju Gomes could intercept an early cross from Magalhaes, allowing Gray to head West Ham level a little over three minutes after the restart.

 

Captain Merson fired wide a chance to reinstate our lead in the 50th minute. Two minutes later, though, we were back in front. Daggers playmaker Benjamin Guerin's through-ball to Johnathan was intercepted by Hammers centre-half Boris Bolongo, who could only knock it into Eric's path. Knox again proved to be a fox in the box, with a tidy finish securing his and our second goal.

 

Another opportunity for Merson to join Knox on the scoresheet went awry in the 54th minute, when he headed over a byline cross from right-back Giorgio Facheris. Johnathan too would come up dry in the 57th, only hitting the post after intercepting a dreadful goal kick from Gallen.

 

When I decided to bring Peter Mikkelsen on in the 63rd minute, I thought long and hard about which striker I should take off. Merse resembled a man who couldn't score in a month of Sundays, but I kept faith in him and instead subbed Johnathan out to make room for Mikkelsen. My decision to stay loyal to Stevie would ultimately pay off.

 

West Ham couldn't find a way back into the game over the next 20 minutes, and a counter-attack eight minutes from time killed them off for good. Gomes won the ball with an excellent tackle on Gray and knocked it to Saric in the centre-circle. Mirko then sought out Peter, who surged forward and dinked the ball over Gallen to double our advantage!

 

Mikkelsen had his first competitive goal of the season, but he didn't want his struggling strike partner to be left out either. Another Daggers breakaway in the 87th minute saw Peter find an unmarked Stevie via 'go-between' Mirko, and the captain soon broke his duck with a smart finish!

 

Merse's night would end on an even better note two minutes later. Stevie's vicious drive into Gallen's top-left corner saw him double his tally and send us 5-1 ahead! He even missed an opportunity to secure an unlikely hat-trick in injury time, before the final whistle blew on our late goal blitz. Dagenham's reserves had made mincemeat of West Ham's first-teamers!

 

West Ham United - 1 (Gray 49)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 5 (Knox pen26,52, Mikkelsen 82, Merson 87,89)

League Cup Round 3, Attendance 35,185

DAG & RED LINE-UP: António, Facheris (Sainsbury), Gomes, Bannon (Walters), Martin, Guerin, Agyemang, Johnathan (Mikkelsen), Knox, Saric, Merson.

 

With place in Round 4 safely secured, we could now make plans for another away tie. Our fringe players will get another chance to impress when we face Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux at the end of October.

 

Our September road trip ended with a return to North London, where I hoped for much better luck than we got against Arsenal. Mitch Beckett's Tottenham Hotspur were dead-last in the Premier League, having collected just one point from their first five matches. Failure to win at the AIA Stadium would be another devastating blow in our pursuit of the title.

 

27 September 2042: Tottenham Hotspur vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Dagenham midfielder Lee Allen was booked after just three minutes for a careless slide tackle on Tottenham left-back Leonel Reyes. Moments later, another Spurs player was taken out by a fierce challenge. Holding midfielder Zivorad Stevanovic gashed his leg in a tackle from Daggers striker Antonis Siafos and had to be substituted. His replacement Dexter Haughton would be booked in the 9th minute for a foul on counterpart Kenneth Jorgensen.

 

Tottenham goalkeeper Godfrey Okafor was kept busy in the opening stages by a couple of strikes from our energetic ball-winner Frédéric Pereira. The Nigerian would make his next save after 28 minutes, catching Michael Walters' header from a Kamil Lewandowski free-kick. Walters had been booked four minutes earlier after being accused of diving in the area.

 

The first half had been largely frustrating for us, as we struggled to break through a compact Spurs defence. Eventually, in the 33rd minute, Tottenham cracked. Siafos weighted a lovely ball to Lewandowski, who surged past defender Andrew Locke and calmly drove the ball through the advancing Okafor's legs for his first Premier League goal!

 

Kamil's goal would be the only one of the opening period. Elliot Cook could have got us another on the stroke of half-time, but a last-ditch tackle from Wayne Davison pressured him into firing wide.

 

I replaced Allen with Eric Knox for the second half, so as to stop Lee collecting another yellow card. By the 52nd minute, though, we had yet another player in the book. Captain Enrique Álvarez's reckless challenge on former West Bromwich Albion winger Boris Vranic earned our right-back his name in the referee's notepad.

 

Meanwhile, Tottenham battened down the hatches, desperate to prevent us from scoring again. We weren't allowed another scoring opportunity until Locke's 66th-minute shove on Pereira gave away a free-kick. Knox's set-piece was caught by Okafor, but the Canadian would soon have another opportunity to make his mark.

 

In the 71st minute, Spurs vice-captain Adilson Ramos felled Enrique just outside the penalty area. Eric chipped a free-kick into the box from out wide, and George Darvill broke clear of Ramos to power in a diving header for 2-0! That was a fitting way for our legendary defender to mark his 400th career league appearance!

 

Knox almost got another assist in the 78th minute, but Lewandowski pulled his through-ball just wide. Another chance for 3-0 came and went five minutes later, with Okafor denying Pereira his first goal of the season.

 

We wouldn't need to bolster our lead, as the closest Tottenham came to finding our net was when Álvarez almost gifted them an own goal in the 89th minute! Enrique's attempted clearance of a right-wing cross by Tiago Marques struck the bar before a relieved Kayo Rowe caught the rebound! After that almighty scare, we secured our second Premier League win this season - and our first clean sheet.

 

Tottenham Hotspur - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Lewandowski 33, Darvill 71)

Premier League, Attendance 47,365 - POSITIONS: Tottenham 20th, Dag & Red 10th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Álvarez, Darvill, Walters, Olvera, Jorgensen, L Allen (Knox), Pereira, Lewandowski (Saric), Cook (Merson), Siafos. BOOKED: L Allen, Walters, Álvarez.

 

That was our third victory in a row. I think we can now say we're up and running for this season!

[CFuller]

Premier League Table (End of September 2042)

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

 

[CFuller]

OCTOBER 2042

I celebrated my 20th anniversary as Dagenham & Redbridge manager on 1 October 2042. I seemed very apt, then, that I should begin my third decade in charge with a rematch of the 2041 UEFA Champions League Final - the club's finest hour-and-a-half.

 

A little over 16 months after that unforgettable triumph over Empoli at the Estádio da Luz, we faced the Italian giants again in the Group Stage. The Azzurri arrived at Rainham Road sitting top of Group C on goal difference, and still unbeaten in all competitions this season. They also brought along their three new recruits from Manchester City - centre-half Leonardo Paiva, evergreen midfielder Kike Martínez, and England striker Marc Bennett.

 

1 October 2042: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Empoli

Dagenham striker Gianfranco Torre briefly played for Empoli before joining us a couple of years ago. The big Roman centre-forward could've struck gold against his former employers in the eighth minute, but his header from Antonis Siafos' right-wing cross was off target. Left-winger Mirko Saric fared only slightly better five minutes later, dribbling from inside our own half to the Azzurri's penalty area, where his shot was pushed wide by keeper Silvio Spinetti.

 

We continued our aggressive start in the 15th minute, when Siafos perhaps showed a bit too much aggression. Tony shoved Empoli defender Serigne Ba as he tried to reach a cross from Mirko, and he duly ended up with a yellow card. Shortly after that, Kenneth Jorgensen's tackle on a hesitant Marc Bennett began our next attack. Siafos took the loose ball and moved it on to Kamil Lewandowski, whose swerving shot was caught by Spinetti.

 

We looked to be on top of Empoli in the first half, but then the Azzurri's veteran winger Matt Herrera started to turn the tide. His delivery to Bennett in the 20th minute resulted in the ex-Arsenal and Manchester City striker attempting a header that Kayo Rowe caught well.

 

On 32 minutes, visiting midfielder Rafael Fernandes attempted to thread the ball to Bennett in the area. Rowe came off his line to hoover up the ball... but not before Bennett was upended by Daggers captain Nathan Guppy. Herrera scored the resultant penalty, and Empoli had taken the lead, not to mention the momentum.

 

We were perhaps still wondering what had happened in the 37th minute, when we conceded again. Our right-back Milen Danchev failed to intercept a cross from the Azzurri's iconic striker Emanuel Vico before the equally legendary winger Fernando Sandro drove it home for 2-0.

 

Worse was to come two minutes later. Fernando Sandro floated in a beautiful cross from the left flank to Bennett, who laid it off for Fernandes to stroke in Empoli's third goal in six minutes. A tightly-poised match had now spiralled completely out of our control!

 

I was apoplectic in the home dressing room at half-time, and major tactical changes would be in order. The 4-2-3-1 diamond we'd played from the start went out the window, and we instead reverted to a 3-4-1-2. I also made all three of my substitutions in one swoop - with centre-back Raju Gomes, right flanker Enrique Álvarez and striker Stevie Merson entering the fray.

 

One of those subs would get a goal back three minutes into the second half... but it wasn't Merse. Instead, it was an unmarked Álvarez who burst into Empoli's box to meet Saric's cross from the opposite flank with a diving header. Spinetti was emphatically beaten, and at only 3-1 down, we had hope again.

 

Álvarez sought another goal in the 57th minute, but he miscued his shot after cutting inside. Five minutes later, Azzurri defender Leonardo Paiva's poor interception of a Saric cross presented Merson with his first opportunity, which was pulled past the far post.

 

Our hopes were raised further when Empoli midfielder Kike Martínez twisted his knee in a 67th-minute collision with Jorgensen. 35-year-old Martínez played on, and when Azzurri coach Flávio Andrade made his first substitution three minutes later, he replaced Bennett with another old-stager in Per Nielsen. Thankfully, the 34-year-old captain and scoring freak would not remotely threaten Rowe's net during his 20-minute cameo.

 

As the end drew near, Dagenham centre-backs Raju Gomes and Michael Walters each spurned chances to get us back to within one goal. Merson was also wasteful, and one effort seven minutes from time drew only a simple catch out of Spinetti. That second Daggers goal eventually came early in injury time, from a Lewandowski corner. Walters' initial header was parried back to him by Spinetti, and though the young Welshman slid in the rebound, it wasn't enough to save us any points.

 

Having become the first team to defeat us at home in a European competition within 90 minutes, Empoli built a three-point lead at the top of Group C. We were still in 2nd place, but FC Basel were breathing down our necks after two late goals accounted for Schalke 04. Our visit to Switzerland three weeks later had taken on a lot more significance.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Álvarez 48, Walters 90)

Empoli - 3 (Herrera pen33, Fernando Sandro 37, Fernandes 39)

UEFA Champions League Group C, Attendance 26,772 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 2nd, Empoli 1st

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Danchev (Álvarez), Guppy, Walters, Olvera (Gomes), Jorgensen, Pereira, Siafos (Merson), Lewandowski, Saric, Torre. BOOKED: Siafos, Walters.

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.          Empoli                 2     2     0     0     8     3     +5    6
2.          Dag & Red              2     1     0     1     6     6     0     3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          Basel                  2     1     0     1     3     5     -2    3
4.          Schalke                2     0     0     2     3     6     -3    0

 

That collapse late in the first half was unacceptable, but our spirited fightback in the second period had given me reason for encouragement. We seemed to have a lot more energetic going forward when playing in a 3-4-1-2, which might become my go-to formation for the foreseeable future.

 

While our first four competitive games at Rainham Road this season had produced no wins, I hoped that we could break our duck three days later. Everton had disappointed thus far in the Premier League, winning just one of their first six matches. That was partly due to them having one of the least threatening frontlines in the division.

 

A word of warning, though - Everton were the team that ended our record-breaking unbeaten home record in March. They certainly had it in them to beat us again.

 

4 October 2042: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Everton

Everton made an ominously strong start, with club favourite Marsel Dragusha registering their first shot at goal seven minutes in. The Albania winger took possession deep in his half and dribbled all the way to the edge of our penalty. He then exchanged passes with forward Stuart Ferguson and swerved a shot wide.

 

Moments later, Daggers midfielder Dzenan Genjac was left grimacing following a rough tackle from Everton's Carl Reynolds. Genjac appeared to sprain his foot, but he played on after receiving some quick treatment.

 

We were given our first scoring chance in the 14th minute, when Enrique Álvarez's cross was knocked into the Everton box by Toffees middleman Panu Pulkkinen. Lee Allen pounced on the ball, but Reece Flemming charged from his goal line to push Lee's shot away. Dzenan squared a pass to left-winger Hicham Martin, who saw his cross headed over by Antonis Siafos.

 

Another Daggers attack in the 24th minute showed more promise. Elliot Cook knocked Raju Gomes' long ball towards Genjac, who struck it on the half-volley but couldn't quite beat Flemming. The visitors countered a minute later, and though Kayo Rowe got a glove to Ferguson's shot, the Scouser couldn't keep out his former team's next shot on target.

 

In the 27th minute, Dragusha swung a deep cross into our six-yard box. Gomes jumped too late to intercept it, and that opened the door for Toffees striker Ariel Grassi to plant a header that just evaded Rowe. Everton were leading at Rainham Road... again.

 

Cook and Benjamin Guerin each tried and failed level within three minutes of Grassi's opener. The Argentine could've had another goal on 33 minutes, but his header was narrowly off target. Team-mate Pulkkinen also went close with a last-minute free-kick that Rowe just about caught.

 

Genjac fired a couple of audacious shots wide late in the first half, and he missed the target twice more early in the second period. My patience with the enigmatic Croat was wearing thin, but before I could consider a substitution, the decision was taken out of my hands. A Dagenham attack was in full flow in the 52nd minute when Siafos laid the ball forward to Genjac 20 yards from goal. That was when Everton centre-half Siphesihle Ntuli came in with a crunching tackle, which caught Dzenan's left foot and sent him crashing to the turf. He was in obvious pain and needed to be stretchered off, with Eric Knox taking his place.

 

We launched our first attack without Genjac in the 57th minute, but Cook's header from a first-time Martin cross was secured by Flemming. Another local boy who wasn't having a great time was Allen, who saw yellow in the 65th minute for sliding in hard on Reynolds. Lee was almost immediately replaced in the heart of our midfield with Frédéric Pereira.

 

Our brightest spell of the match began on 74 minutes, when Flemming caught a swinging attempt from Knox. The Toffees goalkeeper also thwarted Siafos a minute later, and Pereira's piledriver three minutes afterwards stuck to his gloves like... well, toffee.

 

With Flemming and his centre-back pairing of Ntuli and captain Dragoslav Bulatovic looking impenetrable, we quickly lost heart. Our only equalising chance in the dying moments was an injury-time free-kick, which Knox swerved inches off target. When all was said and done, we had racked up 23 shots (mostly from distance) and no goals. Frankly, I couldn't blame the home fans for making their displeasure felt at full-time.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 0

Everton - 1 (Grassi 27)

Premier League, Attendance 26,772 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 12th, Everton 10th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Guppy, Darvill, Gomes, Álvarez, Guerin, L Allen (Pereira), Martin, Genjac (Knox), Siafos (Johnathan), Cook. BOOKED: L Allen.

 

I couldn't figure out what had happened to this effing team! For the last few years, we'd been almost unbeatable at home but unreliable on the road! Now that had been turned on its head, and we'd forgotten how to win at our own ground!

 

Our latest setback left us a full 10 points adrift of early pacesetters Rochdale, and the 'Big Three' were also pulling away from us. Yes, we still had a game in hand, but that wouldn't mean anything if we kept on dropping points against middling teams!

 

I was already venting steam from my ears when I tore into my players at full-time. When head physio Adam Hutchings gave me the prognosis on Dzenan Genjac's injury a few minutes later, I felt like ripping somebody's head off.

 

Just like our other attacking midfielder extraordinaire Orlando Salvador, Genjac would be out for around four months with a broken foot. He was our THIRD senior player to suffer a major injury in less than a month.

 

You know what... I think I'm done with Dzenan. He's a quality player, sure, but his bones are made of glass and his muscles of tissue paper. I can't put the club's hopes and dreams at the feet of a player who sees the physio room more than the pitch!

 

In fact, I wish I had never given that crock a new contract in the summer! If he's back to anything resembling fitness in the January transfer window, I'll listen to ANY offers that come in for him.

[CFuller]

OCTOBER 2042 (continued)

After our latest horror show at home, the October international break came at just the right time for us to take a step back and re-evaluate. While most of our first-teamers went away to play for their countries, a few unfortunate souls - including George Darvill, Elliot Cook and Gianfranco Torre - were subjected to two weeks of intensive training. We needed to be sharper than ever, otherwise we could forget about winning the Premier League.

 

Once everyone was back in Dagenham, I staged a team meeting to alleviate any problems the players had. Injured captain Orlando Salvador - his foot still in plaster - delivered a stirring address in which he ordered his team-mates to get back to playing "the Dagenham way". Fast-paced, free-flowing attacking football was what this club was renowned for.

 

We also needed to start winning at home again. Could we finally bring smiles to the faces of the Rainham Road faithful when we hosted fellow mid-tablers Fulham? The Cottagers were themselves in poor form, having lost their last four Premier League games, and star striker Joe Shepherd was out with a long-term hamstring injury.

 

18 October 2042: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Fulham

Elliot Cook seemed particularly fired up in the opening seconds, when he tripped Fulham left-back Emmanuel Hlela in the Cottagers' area. The referee told Cookie to calm down, but by the third minute, he was roaring like a lion! Frédéric Pereira's attempted through-ball to Enrique Álvarez in the penalty box was intercepted by a block from Hlela. Elliot got to the ball first and smashed it in off the post for 1-0!

 

Three minutes later, Fulham called for a penalty - and a chance to draw level - after forward José Reyes went down under a tackle from Daggers captain Nathan Guppy. All the Peruvian got was a yellow card for diving. Reyes did come close to equalising just two minutes afterwards, but he headed Alberto Lovera's corner over the crossbar.

 

Then, on 11 minutes, we went further ahead. Cook dribbled through the Cottagers defence before his shot from the 'D' was parried by Luka Jishiashvili. The Georgian goalie also pushed away Hicham Martin's rebound shot, but he couldn't reach Cookie's header from Álvarez's follow-up cross.

 

Enrique came within inches of making it 3-0 on 13 minutes as we continued to batter Fulham with shots. Jishiashvili had to save a Kamil Lewandowski free-kick in the 16th minute, and a header from Gianfranco Torre in the 33rd. His next save denied Elliot a hat-trick just before half-time.

 

That opening period wasn't without a few worrying moments, though. Kamil was injured in a tackle from Cottagers midfielder Steven Frost in the 42nd minute and wouldn't return for the second half. Frost then had Fulham's best scoring chance yet - an injury-time free-kick that was caught by Kayo Rowe.

 

If Lewandowski's injury was a minor concern for me, the incident that happened four minutes into the second half was much more serious. For reasons only Martin knew, our wideman cut Lovera down with a scissor tackle dangerously close to our area. Hicham was shown a straight red card, and Mirko Saric - who'd replaced Kamil in the attacking midfield role - would now have to fill his spot on the left wing.

 

For a team that had 40 minutes to claw back a deficit against 10 men, Fulham did not look at all convincing. After Martin's red card, George Parr played the free-kick short to Lovera, who blasted it hopelessly wide. Midfielder Armand Beqiri and forward Milan Curcic also spurned chances in the 58th and 65th minute, with the latter's miss being particularly unforgivable. Parr drew our defenders towards him and left Curcic unmarked, but the former Manchester United striker pulled wide a wasteful shot from the edge of the box.

 

If Fulham boss Will Grigg was lamenting Curcic's wastefulness, I was having similar feelings about Torre. Franco missed the target twice in the second half, and one shot from an excellent pass by Elliot in the 73rd minute was so wayward that it almost hit a cameraman. Suffice to say, the inconsistent Italian would soon be replaced with Antonis Siafos.

 

On 79 minutes, Siafos was the recipient of a superb cross by fellow substitute Milen Danchev. His header couldn't quite beat Jishiashvili, but it was still very promising. Danchev then had a couple of attempts at goal himself, but one was turned behind by Jishiashvili and the other was missed from close range.

 

Milen's best moment came in the final minute of normal time. After Elliot found him in acres of space on the right wing, the Bulgarian advanced upfield and returned the favour with a smartly-weighted centre. Cook knocked the ball past Jishiashvili to wrap up his hat-trick - and our first home win this season!

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (Cook 3,11,90)

Fulham - 0

Premier League, Attendance 26,772 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 9th, Fulham 17th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Guppy, Gomes, Walters, Álvarez (Danchev), Jorgensen, Pereira, Martin, Lewandowski (Saric), Cook, Torre (Siafos). SENT OFF: Martin.

 

While I awaited news on Kamil Lewandowski's injury, I looked up the other results. Rochdale's shock 1-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest meant that they ceded top spot to Arsenal. However, the Gunners would themselves be overtaken by Manchester United after the champions won at West Ham United the following afternoon.

 

Thankfully, it transpired that Kamil had been not too badly hurt. Goodness knows how I would've handled losing another attacking midfielder to a long-term injury.

 

Hicham Martin now had to serve a three-match domestic ban for his horrendous challenge on Fulham's Alberto Lovera. Another defender who would be out of first-team contention for the time being was Raju Gomes. The centre-back had been called up by India for the Asian Games tournament in Kuwait, and he could potentially be gone until the end of November. Brilliant.

 

Our next match was not as far away as Kuwait, but it did take us a few hundred miles from home. We once again found ourselves at the Roger Federer Park in Switzerland for a UEFA Champions League group match against FC Basel. Whoever won this battle would be 2nd in Group C at the round's halfway stage.

 

22 October 2042: FC Basel vs Dagenham & Redbridge

FC Basel started rapidly, with winger Jimmy Jama almost getting on the scoresheet in the very first minute. The jet-heeled Ecuadorean cut past our right-back Enrique Álvarez as he entered the penalty area, where Kayo Rowe bravely blocked his shot.

 

Dagenham midfielder Eric Knox bent our opening effort just over the crossbar from 20 yards out in the 11th minute. Basel threatened our goal again shortly afterwards, with Alexandr Kapustin knocking a through-ball to his fellow striker Rino Vindigni. It took another impressive save from Rowe to keep the hosts at bay.

 

We then upped the tempo and took the initiative just as the match entered its 15th minute. Kamil Lewandowski produced a fine assist by slicing Knox's first-time pass through the FCB defence and to Antonis Siafos, who emphatically drove it into the net!

 

About three minutes later, Tony's strike partner Elliot Cook also got in on the act. Basel midfielder Avraham Levi paid a heavy price for overhitting a back-pass to centre-half Piero Cariola, whom Elliot burst behind before entering the area and placing a delicate shot beyond 18-year-old goalkeeper Micky Shekel!

 

Cariola was in despair, and by the 24th minute, so was his fellow central defender Agustín Goni! Cook outmuscled the experienced Spaniard to nod Siafos' flick-on into the path of Frédéric Pereira, whose volley gave us a third goal in nine minutes! It wasn't quite the six-minute treble that Empoli managed against us three weeks earlier, but it was impressive all the same!

 

In the 33rd minute, Basel briefly thought that they'd pulled a goal back. Daggers defender George Darvill missed his interception of FCB captain Mike Nelson's header into the area, which Vindigni bundled home before finding that the offside flag had been raised. Rowe's clean sheet was still intact, but Shekel's excellent 37th-minute save from Lewandowski ensured that we wouldn't increase our 3-0 lead before half-time.

 

Shekel was only playing in this match because Basel's first-choice keeper Kim Hyun-Suk was with the South Korea team at the Asian Games. The young Israeli looked unflappable when making another save on 47 minutes, this time from a header by Cook.

 

Veteran playmaker Lewandowski could have set up our fourth goal - which would've surely finished Basel off - in the 53rd minute. Alas, his excellent pass was fired over the bar by young anchor Benjamin Guerin, who'd replaced Kenneth Jorgensen at half-time. Four minutes later, a corner from Lewandowski found captain Nathan Guppy, whose header was held by Shekel.

 

With FCB looking incapable of fighting back, I brought on another youngster in Giorgio Facheris, who replaced Álvarez at right-back for the last 25 minutes. Shekel then prevented Cook and Siafos from doubling their goal tallies, thus keeping our lead at 3-0... until the 83rd minute.

 

Basel did finally pull a goal back in the closing moments, but boy was it a scrappy one! Guppy intercepted a cross from right-back Jhoao Ortiz but could only knock it down to Vindigni, who then had a pop at goal. His shot took a huge deflection off Kapustin's leg and passed a bemused Rowe!

 

Mind you, our second group victory was never really in doubt. Lewandowski could have even capped off a fine display with a goal of his own, but the 33-year-old was twice thwarted by Shekel late on. Meanwhile, Guppy received the game's only yellow card for a push on Kapustin in the 86th minute.

 

The 'Group of Goals' had seen five more scored in Empoli - all by the home team against a sorry Schalke 04 outfit. The unstoppable Azzurri now had nine points on the board, and one foot in the knockout stages. We would be nigh on certain to join them if we could beat Basel again at Rainham Road in a fortnight's time.

 

FC Basel - 1 (Kapustin 83)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (Siafos 15, Cook 18, Pereira 24)

UEFA Champions League Group C, Attendance 61,948 - POSITIONS: Basel 3rd, Dag & Red 2nd

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Álvarez (Facheris), Guppy, Darvill, Olvera, Jorgensen (Guerin), Pereira, Knox, Lewandowski, Cook (Torre), Siafos. BOOKED: Guppy.

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.          Empoli                 3     3     0     0     13    3     +10   9
2.          Dag & Red              3     2     0     1     9     7     +2    6
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          Basel                  3     1     0     2     4     8     -4    3
4.          Schalke                3     0     0     3     3     11    -8    0

 

We then had another weekend off from Premier League action. Manchester United lost their unbeaten record at home to high-flying Rochdale, though Arsenal remained at the top after defeating West Bromwich Albion 3-0. I was encouraged to see that United were having problems, especially as our next league match was at Old Trafford.

 

Before travelling to Manchester, we headed to the West Midlands for a midweek League Cup Round 4 tie at Wolverhampton Wanderers. I again fielded a very young team in this competition, with George Darvill and Lee Allen being the only players aged over 23 in our 18-man squad.

 

28 October 2042: Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Dagenham & Redbridge

A very strong Wolves team put us under pressure as early as the fourth minute. Radenko Kostic tried an ambitious attempt from long range, but the Serbian striker couldn't keep it on target. A similarly hopeful effort from on-loan Empoli midfielder Alexis Pastorelli in the 11th minute only just swerved over the bar. A minute later, Pastorelli ran onto a clever back-heeled pass from Kostic and then unleashed a shot that forced António into his first save.

 

Stevie Merson had our first shot at goal in the 15th minute, dribbling past a tackle from Wanderers defender Jens Meertens before driving the ball over Ben Perk's crossbar. Merse did at least test Perk a minute later, but the American tipped over his header from a right-wing cross by full-back Giorgio Facheris. Giorgio would be booked in the 19th minute for a clumsy challenge on Wolves left-winger Adel Hassan.

 

Our second-string couldn't make any further inroads into the home defence during the first half. Attacking midfielder Eric Knox's hopeless 30-yard attempt in the 31st minute was as close as we'd come to breaking the deadlock. We were thankful that Wolves were being very wasteful with their chances. Indeed, Wales middleman Declan Facey would miss the target on three separate occasions before the half was out.

 

I made two changes to the Dagenham line-up for the second half, with 16-year-olds Gareth Sainsbury and Ebenezer Agyemang replacing Facheris and Knox respectively. Our team was now even more youthful, so it was perhaps not a surprise when Wolves eventually made their vast experience count.

 

In the 53rd minute, just two minutes after coming on, Brazilian right-winger Ferreira rode past Lee Allen's slide tackle and crossed into our area. Long-time Daggers nemesis Hasney Mitchell then outjumped our centre-backs Gary Bannon and George Darvill to flick in the opening goal.

 

We tried to draw level in the 62nd minute, when playmaker Benjamin Guerin chipped an excellent ball out left to Merson. Stevie skilfully chested the ball and lobbed Perk, but the bar denied him what would've been a great goal. More disappointment came when Guerin was booked for tripping Dominic McIntosh in the 64th minute, and when Merson missed another equalising chance in the 67th.

 

By the 70th minute, our task had been made even harder. Agyemang made a superb slide tackle on Wanderers skipper Janusz Blaszczyk, but after the ball went loose, Mitchell blasted in his second goal.

 

A 2-0 deficit became worse still three minutes later. Lee's careless tackle on Facey gave away a free-kick, which Hassan hoisted into our area. Kostic broke away from our defence to meet the delivery with a pin-point header that left a helpless António in no man's land.

 

The tie had slipped away from us, though we did get one goal back on 74 minutes. A lapse in concentration from Meertens allowed Agyemang to run onto a long ball from Guerin and rifle it into the net for 3-1. That was the Germany Under-21s midfielder's first Daggers goal, and at the age of 16 years and 236 days, Ebbie became our youngest senior scorer since Mitchell Paratusic (remember him?) in 2027.

 

Two minutes later, though, our 2042/2043 League Cup campaign was consigned to the history books. Our kindergarten defence failed to clear another Hassan free-kick, which Ferreira beyond a flailing António. The Daggers' run of reaching three successive Finals in this competition was now over, as if I really cared.

 

Wolverhampton Wanderers - 4 (Mitchell 53,70, Kostic 73, Ferreira 76)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Agyemang 74)

League Cup Round 4, Attendance 27,571

DAG & RED LINE-UP: António, Facheris (Sainsbury), Darvill, Bannon, Bjorknes, Guerin, L Allen, Johnathan (Mikkelsen), Knox (Agyemang), Saric, Merson. BOOKED: Facheris, Guerin.

 

There's always the fear that a heavy defeat in any competition - even one you're not that bothered about - can affect squad morale. I hope the shock of our Molineux mauling doesn't carry over into next month, when we've got eight big fixtures in the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League. If it does, our entire season could be in ruins.

[CFuller]

NOVEMBER 2042

For the past few years, I've seen our matches against the Manchester clubs as a great barometer for how close we are to making a strong claim for the Premier League title. We'd never beaten City or United on their own grounds, which would've been a potential tide-turner in my eyes, but now we had a great opportunity to change that.

 

Old Trafford had been Manchester United's fortress for over 130 years, and its capacity had recently been increased to an eye-watering 100,000 seats. Despite that, the Red Devils' last match at the 'Theatre of Dreams' had turned into a nightmare, as they lost 3-1 to a Rochdale team who seemed hell-bent on challenging for honours this term.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge's away record thus far this season had been very strong, and we took huge confidence from having beaten United at Wembley in the Community Shield. If we could repeat the job in Manchester, it would not only break our long hoodoo in the city, but it would also catapult us straight back into title contention.

 

1 November 2042: Manchester United vs Dagenham & Redbridge

I fielded the same back three that had brilliantly shut Manchester United out at Wembley. George Darvill, Michael Walters and captain Nathan Guppy proved up to the task again, not allowing the Red Devils a single shot at goal in the first 20 minutes.

 

We had a couple of opportunities early on, both from playmaker Kamil Lewandowski. The Pole flighted a free-kick just over the bar in the seventh minute, shortly after Milen Danchev had been upended by United's evergreen captain José Luis. Nine minutes later, Kamil ran onto a fine pass from striker Antonis Siafos, but fizzed his shot into the Stretford End.

 

United's first taste of attacking action came on 22 minutes, when winger Hany El Sayed's run towards goal ended with a horribly-miscued shot. El Sayed would be booked in the 27th minute for pulling on Darvill's shirt, and team-mate Sebastián Núnez was similarly punished two minutes later for bringing Lewandowski to ground.

 

Things looked rather promising for the hosts after 34 minutes. Darvill knocked the ball away from striker Eder Jiménez, whose partner Shaun Murray quickly intercepted a back-pass from Frédéric Pereira to continue the attack. Jiménez burst behind Darvill, and only an outstanding fingertip save from Kayo Rowe kept the scoreline goalless. That was the most dramatic moment of a surprisingly dull first period, which ended with Siafos and Murray missing late half-chances for their respective sides.

 

Pereira made another potentially costly error in the 48th minute, bundling Manchester United midfielder Leszek Michniewicz over in our 'D' shortly after Walters had nodded a Núnez header off the goal line. Núnez would again get close to scoring from the subsequent free-kick, which he curled inches wide.

 

We had our first shot on target in the 55th minute, with holding midfielder Kenneth Jorgensen's long-range drive forcing Red Devils keeper Seán Rooney into a parry. Six minutes later, Mirko Saric had our second.

 

A Dagenham counter-attack went into full swing when Siafos took the ball up the left flank and centred it into the six-yard box. José Luis slid in on Daggers striker Elliot Cook to intercept the drilled cross, but he couldn't stop Saric from stabbing the loose ball home! My half-time call to move Mirko from the left wing to an attacking midfield role - in place of Kamil, who'd been subbed for Juan Esteban Olvera - had paid off!

 

We were now leading 1-0 at Old Trafford and closing in on a historic victory, which drew nearer as Manchester United struggled to restore parity. Núnez's latest free-kick in the 65th minute was parried by Rowe, and right-back Klevis Idrizi limped off with a groin strain soon afterwards.

 

Nine minutes after that, the usually clinical England striker Murray scuffed a shot into the sponsor boards. Murray had been accompanied up front since the 58th minute by Craig Aitken, who'd been subbed on for a mediocre Jiménez. Aitken had recently put four goals past Reading in an 8-0 League Cup thrashing, and he looked most likely to draw United level late on.

 

With eight minutes remaining, Murray cushioned El Sayed's left-wing cross to Aitken near our penalty spot. The Scotland forward hooked a left-footed half-volley at goal, but Rowe clawed it away to keep us in the ascendancy.

 

The Red Devils built up one last attack in the 86th minute. Substitute right-back Eldar Nozdrin picked out Núnez with a lovely pass into the Dagenham box, and the Argentine creator squared it to Aitken. Darvill had done so well to contain United all game, but one misstep was all Aitken needed to get ahead of George and prod in the equaliser. A huge roar went up across Old Trafford, where our hopes of a maiden win had been cruelly dashed.

 

Manchester United - 1 (Aitken 86)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Saric 61)

Premier League, Attendance 96,531 - POSITIONS: Man Utd 3rd, Dag & Red 10th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Guppy, Darvill, Walters, Danchev, Jorgensen, Pereira (L Allen), Saric, Lewandowski (Olvera), Cook (Torre), Siafos.

 

Most other teams in the league would've been delighted with a draw at Old Trafford, but I felt we'd lost two points as opposed to gaining one. Arsenal's 2-1 win over Manchester City on Sunday afternoon would leave us 13 points behind the league leaders (our two games in hand notwithstanding).

 

That match turned out to be the last of Neil Booth's 13-year tenure as Dagenham & Redbridge chairman. On the Tuesday morning before our UEFA Champions League match against FC Basel at Rainham Road, it was announced that he had sold the club to a wealthy consortium for £334million.

 

Our new chairman was Darren Mitchell - a 49-year-old billionaire from Oxfordshire who made his fortune in corporate hospitality. To tell you the truth, I was a little sceptical about whether Mr Mitchell and his consortium had bought into the club for sincere reasons. I hoped my first meeting with him and the other new owners on Wednesday morning would allay any fears.

 

Before that meeting, I had to turn our attentions to the visit of Basel. If we could beat the Swiss Super League side for the second time in two weeks, we would be almost certain to qualify from Group C for the Champions League's Round of 16.

 

4 November 2042: Dagenham & Redbridge vs FC Basel

It didn't take us long to start tying FC Basel in knots. A powerful first-minute shot from Lee Allen was blocked by defender Agustín Goni, who was then tripped by his team-mate Jimmy Jama as he tried to carry the ball out of the box! Goni fell flat on his face, and his misfortune would be indictive of the visitors' defending early on.

 

In the second minute, holding midfielder Benjamin Guerin threaded an excellent pass to Kamil Lewandowski in the Basel area. Kamil quickly exchanged passes with fellow playmaker Eric Knox and then swerved in a fabulous finish to open the scoring!

 

Two minutes later, a fabulous long ball from Guerin over the defence kick-started our next attack. Elliot Cook burst behind and then dribbled into the danger area, only to have his path to goal blocked off. He selflessly played the ball back to Knox, whose ambitious shot found the top corner, with a little help from Micky Shekel's crossbar!

 

Diminutive Argentine winger Emmanuel Marcelo missed Basel's first scoring opportunity in the fifth minute, and the Swiss Super League champions' night would soon worsen. A weighted pass from Dagenham captain Nathan Guppy caused mass havoc, as defender after defender failed to control the pass before Lewandowski latched onto it. Kamil's fierce strike earned him a second goal and sent us 3-0 up... for a couple of minutes.

 

Lewandowski's impeccable start continued in the 10th minute, as the veteran Pole played a pin-point ball ahead of Cook. Elliot then raced past defender Piero Cariola and smashed in our FOURTH goal! We were running riot!

 

To the disappointment of anyone who had placed a bet on us winning 36-0, our first-half scoring streak would end at four. Knox swerved wide a chance to put us 5-0 ahead in the 14th minute, and he would later miss a couple of shots from distance. There also wouldn't be a brace for Cook, whose counter-attacking run towards goal on 27 minutes ended with him pulling a dreadful effort past the far post.

 

FCB then attempted to salvage some pride after half an hour. Marcelo chipped a free-kick into our box after Jama had been tripped by Daggers right-back Enrique Álvarez, but Avraham Levi's diving header flew well wide.

 

Teenagers Giorgio Facheris and Johnathan entered the fray for the second half, but that didn't mean we were now taking Basel very lightly. Knox had cracked wide another opportunity for 5-0 after 47 minutes, and he would help bring about that scoreline eight minutes later. Eric's lobbed free-kick caught the Swiss defence completely unawares, and Daggers centre-half Michael Walters carried it across the goal line like he was on a morning jog!

 

Five goals was more than enough for me, and only after Walters' strike did we ease off. Knox did blot his copy book in the 57th minute, collecting a yellow card for pushing Levi, but Lewandowski had been almost flawless. The Polish magician came off to a standing ovation after 63 minutes, with local teenager Josh Beadle - who'd recently returned from a serious Achilles injury - making his UEFA Champions League debut in his place.

 

While Kamil was the undisputed 'man of the match', Basel striker Alexandr Kapustin had made a compelling case for the opposite accolade with a toothless display. He was replaced in the 66th minute by Rino Vindigni, who had arguably FCB's best scoring opportunity 11 minutes later. The two-time Switzerland international beat Walters to a long ball from left-back Christian Larrivey, but his shot drifted miles wide.

 

One of the most lopsided matches I'd ever witnessed as Dagenham manager culminated with our opponents not getting a single shot on target from five attempts. We could even have scored a sixth goal in injury-time, but Beadle's half-volley was pushed away by Shekel, who'd been shellshocked for much of this game.

 

Our 5-0 win was extraordinary enough, but that was nothing compared to pointless Schalke 04's demolition of Group C leaders Empoli by the same scoreline in Gelsenkirchen! That meant neither we nor Empoli were yet assured of qualification for the knockout rounds, but one more point from either of our next two games would be enough.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 5 (Lewandowski 2,8, Knox 4, Cook 10, Walters 55)

FC Basel - 0

UEFA Champions League Group C, Attendance 26,772 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 2nd, Basel 3rd

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Álvarez (Facheris), Guppy, Walters, Martin, Guerin, L Allen, Knox, Lewandowski (J Beadle), Cook (Johnathan), Merson. BOOKED: Knox.

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.          Empoli                 4     3     0     1     13    8     +5    9
2.          Dag & Red              4     3     0     1     14    7     +7    9
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          Basel                  4     1     0     3     4     13    -9    3
4.          Schalke                4     1     0     3     8     11    -3    3

 

Well, that was some way to welcome Darren Mitchell to Dagenham & Redbridge! I met the new club chairman the following morning, along with our new chief financial officer Michael Tait and incoming chief executive Chris Ndah.

 

While they weren't local businessmen or lifelong Daggers like former owner Neil Booth, our new three wise men reassured me that their hearts were in the club. Mr Mitchell promised that my future as manager was secure, and he stressed that he was as keen as I was to pursue Premier League glory.

 

The incoming owners immediately put their money where their mouths were. They had invested £16.75million of their own money into renovating our training and youth facilities. Mr Ndah enthusiastically stated that he wanted our training complex to be truly state-of-the-art, and the envy of all other clubs.

 

That was all well and good, but what I really wanted to know was whether Rainham Road would receive some expansion work of its own. All but one of our first eight home matches this season had been sell-outs, and it was obvious that 26,772 seats were not enough to satisfy demand. Well, it was obvious to me, but not to Mr Tait, who said that it would be "an irresponsible financial risk to expand at this present moment".

 

With all due respect to Mr Tait, there was one word for his remarks: "Balderdash!" We had nigh on £60million in the bank, and we were on course to make a sizeable profit for the financial year. However, we didn't have a big enough ground to make enough revenue to challenge the very top teams for elite signings. That was perhaps the only thing that was realistically stopping us from overtaking the 'Big Three'.

 

I hope the new board will see sense soon. If not, I might have to continue building a championship team on my own.

[CFuller]

NOVEMBER 2042 (continued)

Our next Premier League match was against newly-promoted Nottingham Forest at Rainham Road. The Tricky Trees were in 7th place after a solid start back in the top flight under new manager Matt Lowton. Nonetheless, I felt confident that we could rack up a third consecutive home victory.

 

8 November 2042: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Nottingham Forest

Dagenham centre-half Michael Walters got in trouble with the referee in the very first minute. A poor tackle on Nottingham Forest winger Shannon Broad saw Michael go into the book. Despite that, our defence generally held firm against the visitors' early attacks, though anchor man Kenneth Jorgensen almost gave away a goal in the 11th minute with a poor back-pass. Forest forward Anderson Cléber intercepted the header and knocked it on to Mark Nelson, whose drive was caught by Kayo Rowe.

 

At the other end, we struggled to create openings. Gianfranco Torre hooked a shot over the bar after 15 minutes, but the next 10 were devoid of any real chances for either team. Before long, I was bellowing at my team to take more risks. Playmaker Eric Knox certainly took a risk in the 30th minute, going to ground in the visitors' penalty area after being tackled by Forest captain John Woods. The Tricky Trees' tricky winger Ryan Sim had been booked just moments beforehand for diving to try and win a penalty of his own, and Eric received a similar punishment.

 

Nottingham Forest's Argentine goalkeeper Ricardo Landaburu hoofed a free-kick goalwards, only for Lee Allen to quickly intercept it. Allen's flick-on kickstarted a Daggers attack, which saw Elliot Cook thread the ball through for Knox to drive in the opening goal!

 

Our Canadian midfielder would double his tally in the 37th minute, thanks to another Cook assist. Elliot nodded Franco's crossfield lob into the area for Eric, who flicked a header over Forest midfielder Nedim Zeljkovic and another over Landaburu to find the net again!

 

The away team attempted to get a goal back on 42 minutes, but left-back Robbie James was hopelessly off target. Two minutes later, his side were looking completely clueless. Zeljkovic barged Knox in the back 25 yards from the Forest goal, giving Eric the opportunity to secure his first career hat-trick from a free-kick. The 23-year-old's golden moment came with a little assistance from the crossbar, as Landaburu was beaten for a third time in 13 minutes!

 

In truth, a dishevelled Nottingham Forest team rarely looked like recovering from 3-0 down. The tide could've turned when James sent a piledriver goalwards in the 52nd minute, but Rowe diverted it behind with his fingertips. That was Kayo's second save of the match, and he wouldn't need to make any more.

 

The Daggers attacked again on 63 minutes, though Jorgensen's ambitious attempt drifted well off target. On 66 minutes, a left-wing cross from Mirko Saric found Torre, whose header clipped the top of the crossbar. I then substituted Knox, who was applauded by virtually everyone at Rainham Road as he gave way to 18-year-old Josh Beadle.

 

Josh had not yet scored a league goal at home, but the promising attacking midfielder came within inches of breaking his duck after 76 minutes. Seven minutes later, a dreadful header from Forest defender Chris Hyslop gifted Torre an opportunity to burst behind and end his recent goal drought. Sadly, Franco couldn't keep his shot from drifting beyond the far post. The Italian did force Landaburu into a save two minutes from time, but there was no adding to Knox's first-half treble.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (Knox 31,37,44)

Nottingham Forest - 0

Premier League, Attendance 26,320 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 9th, Nottm Forest 7th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Guppy, Darvill, Walters (Bannon), Danchev, Jorgensen, L Allen, Saric (Olvera), Knox (J Beadle), Cook, Torre. BOOKED: Walters, Knox, Saric.

 

That was a big result for us, because the top three had all dropped points. Arsenal and Manchester United had been held to goalless draws at Norwich City and Southampton, while Rochdale's first visit to East London this season culminated in a 2-0 reverse against West Ham United.

 

Three days later, it was our turn to play Rochdale, this time at the Slovalco Arena. The Dale were without FOUR regular starters, as striker Pat McCann was suspended, while captain Darren Howarth and midfielders Marko Jovanovic and Kasper Sorensen were all injured. Even with our own injury problems, could we take advantage?

 

11 November 2042: Rochdale vs Dagenham & Redbridge

I gave Elliot Cook a rest from action, with Stevie Merson and Antonis Siafos starting up front instead. Stevie had a chance to score his first league goal of the season in the opening minute, but his shot was blocked by Rochdale defender Christian Kauffmann. Dagenham right-winger Enrique Álvarez then got a rebound shot in, only for Mark Thomas to make a fine catch.

 

We went back on the offensive in the third minute, as Kayo Rowe's long punt was flicked on by Kamil Lewandowski to Siafos. Dale skipper Tomo Kurtovic blocked the Greek striker's charge towards goal, but the ball then fell to the hosts' young defensive midfielder Vojislav Vidic. The Germany international lost control of the ball, which Lewandowski nicked from his feet before stroking in our opening goal!

 

Álvarez sought another early Daggers strike in the fourth minute, when his powerful effort deflected off wing-back Hugo Cordone for a corner. Alas, Vidic easily cleared Kamil's delivery, and our attack soon faded away.

 

Rochdale's first equalising opportunity came in the 16th minute, after Michael Walters brought their striker Mario Tortora to ground close to our goal. Bulgaria playmaker Mesut Boychev's free-kick was deflected behind off Siafos, giving the hosts their first of several opening-half corners.

 

Dale created a great chance from one corner on 33 minutes, as midfielder Cédric Moulin curled it to his French compatriot Kauffmann at his near post. Dagenham captain Nathan Guppy had to charge Kauffmann down to block his shot, and he then slid the ball behind for another, less effective from Moulin.

 

The hosts continued to up the ante on 37 minutes, when Rowe caught a powerful strike from Boychev. Then, on the stroke of half-time, Cordone flicked a through-ball from Moulin towards ex-Daggers striker Alun Harding. Kayo had to frantically palm Harding's half-volley behind to keep us in the ascendancy.

 

The second half began similarly to the first, with Merson having a shot at goal. Sadly, Stevie's attempt from a deft lobbed pass by Kamil went nowhere near the target. Lewandowski was cursing his luck again in the 55th minute, when Walters headed the Pole's fantastic corner delivery against the corner of the Rochdale goal frame. The ball then ricocheted just past Guppy, who had looked well-placed to power home a rebound shot.

 

While our lead had not been extended, Rowe did at least keep it intact with a couple of saves in the 58th minute. He caught a long free-kick from Cordone, before pushing away a piledriver from Harding just moments later. About a minute afterwards at the other end, Siafos successfully pressured Kauffmann into giving a pass away. Tony then threaded it through to Stevie, who struck a dreadful shot 25 yards from goal. That was Merse's last contribution before he was replaced with Brazilian teenager Johnathan.

 

Our chances of going further ahead were dealt another setback on 64 minutes, when star performer Lewandowski was hurt in a slide tackle from Moulin. Kamil tried to play on for a while after that, but the lead he had built would evaporate five minutes later. A scrappy bout of head tennis in the Dagenham area culminated in Boychev's flick-on being turned into the net by experienced Danish substitute Daniel Poulsen. 1-1.

 

Though I tried to reinvigorate our attack by replacing Lewandowski with another hot attacking midfielder in Eric Knox, Rochdale threatened to take the lead on 80 minutes. Kurtovic pumped a free-kick long to Tortora, and we were fortunate that the now 31-year-old Italian fired wide from a tight angle.

 

Our fresher legs up front then started to make their mark in the 87th minute. Knox nicked the ball from Kauffmann's feet and crossed deep to Johnathan, whose half-volley from the edge of the Dale area flew just over the bar. Eric set up another opportunity to win the match in the third minute of injury time. Unfortunately, his free-kick delivery to Nathan was flicked into Thomas' hands, and we had to settle for just one point instead of three.

 

Rochdale - 1 (Poulsen 69)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Lewandowski 3)

Premier League, Attendance 26,330 - POSITIONS: Rochdale 2nd, Dag & Red 8th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Guppy, Darvill, Walters, Álvarez (Danchev), Jorgensen, Pereira, Martin, Lewandowski (Knox), Siafos, Merson (Johnathan).

 

After dropping two points in Lancashire, we crossed the Pennines to Yorkshire for our next match. Sheffield United had recently returned to the Premier League after four seasons in the Championship, but the Blades were in 19th place after winning two of their first 12 matches. If we couldn't beat the Blades, that would indicate we had serious problems.

[mark wilson27]

You seem to very consistent at being inconsistent this season. Could do with putting a good solid run together

[CFuller]

23 hours ago, mark wilson27 said:

You seem to very consistent at being inconsistent this season. Could do with putting a good solid run together

Yes, we have been very frustrating this season. A good run of form would get us back into the title race, but at the moment, we barely look capable of finishing in the top four.

[CFuller]

NOVEMBER 2042 (continued)

15 November 2042: Sheffield United vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Gianfranco Torre hadn't been in great form for us recently, but I gave him another chance up front. The target man almost repaid my faith after eight minutes, flicking Juan Esteban Olvera's left-wing cross to midfielder Lee Allen. Had Lee struck Franco's header more cleanly, he could well have given us the lead.

 

Sheffield United's first few attempts showed more promise. Though Adie Bater swerved a shot off target in the 12th minute, the ex-Everton midfielder's next effort two minutes later had to be turned behind by Daggers goalie Kayo Rowe.

 

Kayo's crossbar came to his aid on 21 minutes, diverting away Aaron Byrne's header from Rob Ruffer's inswinging corner. The Blades could've made life rougher for us three minutes later, as a mistake by Allen gave Byrne another chance. United's captain and record scorer dribbled past George Darvill and surely would've found the net had it not been for another fine Rowe save.

 

Byrne wasted another chance after 38 minutes, thundering the ball over the bar. Nonetheless, Sheffield United had looked far more likely to break the deadlock in a goalless first half than we had. The home defence restricted Torre and Elliot Cook to just one shot between them - a wayward strike by the latter in the 29th minute.

 

I showed more attacking ambition for the second half, replacing central defender George Darvill with midfielder Frédéric Pereira. Of course, that left us more open to any incisive attacks from the Blades. Byrne won a free-kick when Walters upended him in the 52nd minute, and his direct attempt on goal had to be diverted clear by Torre in the Dagenham wall.

 

Sheffield United showed a bit more cunning from another set-piece six minutes later. After Bater was obstructed by Daggers anchor Benjamin Guerin, the Welshman received a short free-kick from Jake Bailey and lobbed it into our area. On the receiving end was Lithuania centre-half Donatas Paberzis, who knocked the ball past Milen Danchev and half-volleyed in the deadlock-breaker.

 

We sought to draw level within moments of restarting play, but Frédi's low drive was pushed wide by Dogancan Yalcinkaya in the Blades' goal. Olvera collected our first booking soon afterwards for a poor foul on Ruffer.

 

Our strikers then had contrasting fortunes in front of goal midway through the half. Cook's 67th-minute attempt was simple enough for Yalcinkaya to catch, but Torre's strike a minute later was not. Lee searched out Franco on the left wing, and the Italian superbly cut past Paberzis before sending one of his trademark howitzers into the net!

 

Allen's equalising assist got him really fired up for the rest of the match. Though a mistimed tackle on Sheffield United winger Leonidas Papadimas earned him a booking in the 74th minute, Lee could've booked us an away win in the 85th. Blades centre-half Benjamin Ashton could only divert Danchev's right-wing cross as far as Allen, whose strike hit the post.

 

We would have more misfortune in stoppage time. Yalcinkaya tipped over a 93rd-minute strike from substitute Antonis Siafos, conceding the first of two last-ditch corners. The second was floated in by Kamil Lewandowski and nodded wide by Nathan Guppy. For the second time in five days, our captain had come agonisingly close to turning a 1-1 draw into a 2-1 win.

 

Sheffield United - 1 (Paberzis 58)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Torre 68)

Premier League, Attendance 22,786 - POSITIONS: Sheff Utd 19th, Dag & Red 9th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Guppy, Darvill (Pereira), Walters, Danchev, Guerin, L Allen (Martin), Olvera (Martin), Lewandowski, Torre, Cook (Siafos). BOOKED: Olvera, L Allen.

 

Our fifth league draw of the season, coupled with Arsenal's 1-0 away win over struggling Derby County in the early kick-off, left us trailing the Gunners by 13 points again. There is just no way that you can stay in title contention if you keep tripping up against lowly teams.

 

I would need to sort things out before the East London derby the following week. Before that, though, there was time for another little international break.

 

We had FIVE players in the England squad for the 1-1 friendly draw in Costa Rica. Left-back Hicham Martin made his Three Lions debut in that match, with club-mates Elliot Cook, Nathan Guppy and Kayo Rowe also starting. Sadly, Lee Allen was an unused substitute, and his wait for a maiden cap continued.

 

Another highlight from the midweek internationals was Michael Walters' 25th cap for Wales, in a 1-1 stalemate against Latvia. Gianfranco Torre's Italy thrashed Antonis Siafos' Greece 6-2, but neither of our strikers found the net. At Under-21s level, Stevie Merson scored twice for England and Matty Gilligan got the third goal in a 3-0 trouncing of their Italian counterparts.

 

Gilligan had been in excellent form on loan at West Ham United this season, keeping their defence shipshape as they battled for a top-four place. For obvious reasons, though, the 19-year-old wonderkid was unavailable for West Ham's visit to Rainham Road on Sunday afternoon.

 

Nathan Guppy was eligible to start for Dagenham against his former club, but I decided to only name him amongst the substitutes. I wanted Nathan fit for the UEFA Champions League match with Schalke 04 in midweek, and he would only come on if absolutely necessary. Unfortunately, midfielder Eric Knox would have to miss out on any further first-team action for the next three to four weeks after sustaining a hernia in training.

 

Saturday's results had not gone in our favour. Arsenal and Rochdale had won their matches to stay in the top two, while Manchester City had moved up to 3rd after continuing their resurgence with a 3-2 comeback victory over Everton. We simply could not afford another slip-up, and certainly not against our fiercest rivals.

 

23 November 2042: Dagenham & Redbridge vs West Ham United

Less than two minutes into the match, we tore West Ham open with some incisive passing. Attacking midfielder Mirko Saric looked for Elliot Cook on the edge of the box, and Cookie in turn found strike partner Gianfranco Torre running into space. Unfortunately, Franco fired the through-ball against the post, and Elliot scooped the rebound over the bar.

 

That double miss set the tone for the rest of the half. In the fourth minute, Hammers goalkeeper Denzel Gallen tipped over a dangerous cross from our left-back Juan Esteban Olvera. Then followed a series of misses from Saric, who looked ill at ease filling the boots of the rested Kamil Lewandowski.

 

As for Cook, he was barely simmering. An overpowered header from Olvera's cross in the 18th minute clipped the woodwork, continuing our awful run in front of goal. Elliot would miss the target yet again in the 20th minute, but he did set up a chance for Frédéric Pereira moments later. Pereira's 25-yard attempt was caught by Gallen, though it was a promising first shot on target.

 

Gallen produced another, less comfortable save to deny Mirko on 28 minutes, but that was to be our best chance of the half. Later attempts by Saric, Torre and Pereira went well off target, and I went into the break wondering how on Earth we hadn't scored. On the plus side, our defence had at least prevented the Hammers from getting any meaningful shots on goal.

 

Lewandowski unsurprisingly replaced the abject Saric for the second period, but the Polish ace's introduction didn't appear to change our fortunes. Kamil was booked after 51 minutes for diving over a slide tackle from West Ham left-back Dragan Misic in the United penalty area. He then bent a long-distance shot wide in the 52nd minute, while another ambitious effort nine minutes later fared similarly badly.

 

It would've been just our luck, then, had the Hammers hammered in a goal against the run of play after 65 minutes. Dutch winger Robert Dekker put a centre into our box, and Michael Walters' interception was far too weak. A horribly underhit back-pass from Walters opened the door for West Ham's attacking midfield substitute Philippe Delamare... but Kayo Rowe shut it with a vital last-ditch save!

 

Four minutes later, the visitors had a major scare of their own. Lee Allen's attempted cross to Cook was brilliantly blocked by Hammers defender Brian Warburton, and Lewandowski's rebound shot was pushed behind by Gallen. Elliot furiously argued for a penalty, claiming that Warburton had pulled him back by his shirt collar, but the referee hadn't seen anything untoward. Our frustration intensified from the subsequent Lewandowski corner, which George Darvill headed over.

 

I then subbed Cook off for Stevie Merson, and West Ham would soon be forced into a change of their own when Delamare sustained a rib injury in a challenge from Kenneth Jorgensen. Delamare was replaced with Colin Wright, who was soon fouled by Olvera for our second booking.

 

Then, on 74 minutes, our luck finally turned. Lewandowski found Allen on the edge of West Ham's six-yard box, and Lee managed to drill a shot past Gallen for that long-awaited breakthrough! A huge roar went up across Rainham Road, as we were on the brink of yet another derby victory!

 

The Hammers did give us a few frights in the final 15 minutes, but our defenders - Darvill and Walters especially - managed to hold them off. Indeed, we almost pinched a second goal on the counter in injury time. Merson weighted a pass to Lewandowski, who perhaps deserved to get on the scoresheet but was thwarted by Gallen. Nonetheless, we had still done enough to win 1-0.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (L Allen 74)

West Ham United - 0

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

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Álvarez, Walters, Darvill, Olvera (Martin), Jorgensen, L Allen, Pereira, Saric (Lewandowski), Cook (Merson), Torre. BOOKED: Lewandowski, Olvera.

 

That was arguably one of our worst performances of the season, especially when it came to our shot conversion. We could just about get away with it against West Ham United and other teams of that ilk, but against classier opposition, we needed to be a lot more ruthless.

[CFuller]

NOVEMBER 2042 (continued)

November had been a good month on the European front for our reserve team. Three consecutive victories had sent them through to the UEFA Youth League Round of 16 as Group A runners-up. The highlight was without doubt our final group game - a 5-0 home win over Dynamo Kiev, in which attacking midfielder Josh Beadle got a hat-trick and Johnathan scored the other two goals.

 

Josh and Johnathan would be rewarded for their goalscoring exploits with their first starts in the UEFA Champions League. If the teenage tyros could help us to avoid defeat against Schalke 04 at Rainham Road, we would guarantee a top-two finish in Group C and qualify for the Round of 16 with one game to spare.

 

Also in our starting line-up was another player making his full European debut for the club. Raju Gomes had just returned from the Asian Games following India's exit at the Quarter Finals. Raju was flanked by Michael Walters and Nathan Guppy in a three-man Daggers defence, whose job it was to prevent Schalke strikers Ingo Reinartz and Frank Meyer from getting their team back in qualification contention.

 

26 November 2042: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Schalke 04

Though we were now fully aware of Schalke's attacking threat, that didn't deter us from taking the game to them. Antonis Siafos had the ball in their net after nine minutes, but the offside flag had already gone up against Nathan Guppy when the Daggers captain flicked Kenneth Jorgensen's long ball towards the Greek striker.

 

Our two homegrown midfielders then came close to breaking the deadlock. 18-year-old Josh Beadle missed the post by inches in the 14th minute after an exchange of passes with Lee Allen. A minute later, Josh's dribbling skills won a free-kick off Schalke anchor Alfonso Berro, and Lee fired it just over the bar.

 

We had another chance to score from a dead-ball situation after 16 minutes. Siafos was about to unleash a shot from Jorgensen's right-wing cross when he was hauled to the turf by Die Konigsblauen's young centre-half Arkadiusz Jedrzejczak. Tony had won us a penalty, and when he powered it past Daniel Fischer in the Schalke goal, we were leading the match!

 

Jedrzejczak made another potentially costly error after 26 minutes, knocking Beadle's attempted through-ball for Johnathan into the path of Siafos, who let him off with a poor shot. Josh got closer to doubling our lead two minutes later, when his 30-yard swerver was parried by Fischer.

 

A poor pass from Allen after 32 minutes gifted the visitors an opportunity to equalise. The ball soon found its way to Ingo Reinartz, who had just returned from a knee ligament injury that he'd sustained in our previous meeting in Gelsenkirchen. The usually-clinical Germany striker still looked a bit rusty, as a wayward shot showed.

 

Schalke's struggles continued seven minutes later. Milen Danchev marauded up the right flank for Dagenham and floated a cross into the penalty area. His delivery evaded Beadle and several blue shirts, but not Johnathan, who thrashed it into the net to give us a 2-0 half-time lead!

 

Our second-half performance didn't quite live up to the standard as the first, but we were still outclassing Schalke in almost all departments. While Johnathan and Allen each tried and failed to put us 3-0 up with shots in the 47th and 52nd minutes, Die Konigsblauen just could not get their own attack up and running.

 

Arguably the defining moment of the second period came after 55 minutes. Abdelaziz Saadi swung a dangerous cross into our area, and it looked for all the world that Reinartz would plant it into the net with his head. That was until Kayo Rowe stretched pretty much every muscle in his left arm to divert Reinartz's header behind! Schalke's next attempt, in the 68th minute, was fired well wide by Saadi after the Algerian tried to take advantage of a heavy first touch from our holding midfielder Benjamin Guerin.

 

In the 76th minute, Michael Walters' holding foul on Schalke's substitute striker Emilio Tintel earned our Welsh defender a yellow card, which would suspend him from our next group match at Empoli. That was thankfully as far as Michael's punishment went. Tintel's free-kick deflected off the Daggers wall, and Rowe then hoovered it up.

 

Kayo had to do little else in the closing moments, as the visitors' dreams were dealt a terminal blow by a game-ending injury to winger Mario Wassenaar in the 78th minute. The Dutchman broke his collarbone in an accidental collision with Siafos, and he had to be carefully stretchered off. I then brought 16-year-old right-back Gareth Sainsbury on for his first 10 minutes of continental action before the full-time whistle blew.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge were into the knockout stages once again, and so too were Empoli. The Azzurri's 3-0 win at FC Basel ensured that our trip to Italy a fortnight later would merely determine who finished 1st in Group C.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Siafos pen16, Johnathan 39)

Schalke 04 - 0

UEFA Champions League Group C, Attendance 26,772 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 2nd, Schalke 4th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Guppy, Gomes, Walters, Danchev (Sainsbury), Jorgensen (Guerin), L Allen, Martin, J Beadle, Siafos, Johnathan (Cook). BOOKED: Walters.

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    Q     Empoli                 5     4     0     1     16    8     +8    12
2.    Q     Dag & Red              5     4     0     1     16    7     +9    12
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          Basel                  5     1     0     4     4     16    -12   3
4.          Schalke                5     1     0     4     8     13    -5    3

 

With our Champions League knockout place secured, we looked to finish November with an unbeaten record. On Sunday afternoon, we travelled down to Hampshire to take on Southampton at St Mary's. Despite selling club-record scorer Maurice Hockley to Juventus for £32million in the summer, the Saints had started the season reasonably well and were 7th in the Premier League.

 

Saturday's results had seen Arsenal, Manchester City and Rochdale win yet again. The pressure was on us once more to stay in the title running.

 

30 November 2042: Southampton vs Dagenham & Redbridge

We got a bit sloppy with our passing in the opening stages. One particularly poor pass from right-back Enrique Álvarez in the third minute found its way to Southampton winger Ruud de Waard. The Dutchman gladly took the ball and cut inside, only to pull his shot wide.

 

Five minutes later, it was our turn to go on the offensive. Antonis Siafos found a huge gap in the Southampton defence and slipped the ball through it to pick out Frédéric Pereira's run into the area. Saints right-back Charlie Green knocked the ball away from Frédi before our midfield workhorse could get a shot in... but Gianfranco Torre stroked in the rebound from a tight angle!

 

We were 1-0 up, though only until the 12th minute. Captain Nathan Guppy was tackled near the halfway line by Southampton midfielder Peter Huisman, who played a pinpoint pass upfield to striker Theodor Nedyalkov. Guppy got back in time to put Nedyalkov under some pressure, but the Bulgarian didn't crack, pulling the trigger when Kayo Rowe came off his line. Parity had been restored.

 

The next few minutes were humdrum, but the latter part of the first period was dominated by one team. Southampton had several shots at goal, only to let us off the hook time after time with inaccurate efforts. Nedyalkov and midfielder Franco Osorio were each off target before the latter's 38th-minute pass was met by a more promising strike from de Waard. Rowe palmed it to his left, and we went into the break fortunate to still be at 1-1.

 

Southampton continued where they left off in the second half... and by that, I meant they launched a string of attacks without seriously threatening our defence. The Saints' first chance came two minutes in, when Osorio nodded wide a corner delivery from cultured playmaker Mário Sérgio.

 

We got an opportunity to counter-attack in the 58th minute, with Pereira's attempted through-ball to Kamil Lewandowski prompting Saints captain Bill Middleton to give away a corner. Middleton then intercepted Kamil's delivery, and his fellow central defender Raudinei Birinha made light work of another poor corner from the Pole on 66 minutes.

 

The later introduction of the vastly-experienced Albanian Fatmir Malaj to the Southampton attack had some of us in the Daggers dugout fearing the worst. A few of our hearts were in mouths come the 87th minute, when Huisman found Malaj in the penalty area. Thankfully, Malaj's shot was not powerful enough to seriously test Rowe, and Michael Walters subsequently cleared into touch.

 

A minute later, Osorio miscontrolled a pass from Green, thus kicking off a Dagenham breakaway. Pereira took the ball and stroked it forward to substitute striker Johnathan in the Saints' half. The 18-year-old showed tactical awareness of a much older player when he chipped the ball over Birinha and ahead of Torre. Franco chested the pass as he entered Southampton's area, got around their goalkeeper Joshua Regan, and prodded the ball into an empty net! Torre had secured his brace, and a dramatic 2-1 away win for the Daggers!

 

Southampton - 1 (Nedyalkov 12)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Torre 8,88)

Premier League, Attendance 32,608 - POSITIONS: Southampton 7th, Dag & Red 8th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Álvarez, Guppy, Darvill, Olvera, Jorgensen (L Allen), Pereira, Torre, Lewandowski, Saric (Walters), Siafos (Johnathan).

 

After watching us scrape past Southampton, I looked up the draw for Round 3 of the FA Cup, which had taken place while we were in action. Much to my amusement, we would begin our second defence of the trophy against the same team that we had beaten to retain it in May!

 

On 3 January, Dagenham & Redbridge will take on Arsenal at the Thierry Henry Arena, as we look to stay in contention for a third successive FA Cup triumph. Before then, though, we'll spend the rest of 2042 trying to pull ourselves closer to the Gunners at the Premier League summit.

[CFuller]

Premier League Table (End of November 2042)

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

 

[CFuller]

DECEMBER 2042

There were no Premier League awards coming our way at the start of this month, even though we had gone unbeaten throughout November. On a bright note, three of our players were under consideration for football's most prestigious individual accolade.

 

Nathan Guppy, Frédéric Pereira and Orlando Salvador had all made it onto the longlist for the 2042 FIFA Ballon d'Or, with Frédi being nominated for a second straight year. While I didn't expect any of them to come away with the top prize when it was handed out early in the New Year, it was a great indication of how far we had come as a club.

 

Though our injured captain Salvador was still around four weeks away from returning to training, Guppy and Pereira were raring to go for our next Premier League match. We were at home to Blackburn Rovers, who had slipped to 15th after a positive start to their first season back in the top flight.

 

This was Blackburn's second match under the management of two-time ex-Chelsea boss Musa Nizam. The Turk had just taken over the Rovers job from Steve Doswell, who had ironically left Ewood Park to replace him at Chelsea!

 

6 December 2042: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Blackburn Rovers

Right-back Enrique Álvarez was highly involved in our initial attacks. In the eighth minute, Enrique dribbled into the Blackburn area before cutting the ball back to midfielder Frédéric Pereira, whose piledriver drifted off target. Álvarez then had a couple of shots over the next five minutes. One was pushed away by 22-year-old Rovers goalie Gus Hadfield, but the other went well wide.

 

Blackburn first went on the offensive in the 16th minute. Bosnian winger Ognjen Naic came under constant pressure from both Enrique and Frédi as he dribbled towards our penalty box, and he ultimately pulled his shot out of bounds.

 

We dominated possession over the remainder of the first half, but creating decent opportunities was proving to be a problem. Playmaker Kamil Lewandowski was having perhaps his least productive outing in a Daggers jersey, and a desperate long-distance shot in the 32nd minute never got close to the goal.

 

Meanwhile, Blackburn were using dirty tactics to try and disrupt any rhythm our game had. One of their many fouls led to Croatian midfielder Boris Lovric being booked in the 43rd minute for impeding Lewandowski. Lovric narrowly avoided another yellow card moments later after tripping Álvarez, but by half-time, we were the team that needed to calm down and re-evaluate.

 

The Fuller hairdryer was on full-blast in the Daggers dressing room between halves. My players responded by returning for the second period with renewed hunger. Though Álvarez curled a shot wide in the opening minute, the marauding Spaniard created a better opportunity barely a minute later.

 

Striker Elliot Cook dribbled up the right flank and advanced into Blackburn's area after moving the ball on to Pereira. Frédi played a low first-time pass out to Enrique near the touchline, and Álvarez in turn crossed to Cook on the corner of the six-yard box. Elliot stuck out a leg to knock the delivery through defender Shaun Colbeck's legs, catching Hadfield out as it trundled across his line!

 

Our opening goal might've had a touch of the scrappy about it, but Blackburn were prepared for a scrap. Colbeck's fellow centre-half Brian Brizuela headed wide a potential equaliser from Naic's free-kick in the 49th minute. Moments later, Hadfield showed great calmness to catch a low shot from Kenneth Jorgensen and prevent us from going 2-0 up.

 

The remainder of the match was very edgy at both ends. We were nothing like the rip-roaring offensive team I knew we could be, while Rovers' indiscipline stopped them from building up any attacking momentum. Kayo Rowe would only have to make one save in the Dagenham goal, catching Brizuela's 89th-minute header from another free-kick by Naic.

 

Daggers midfielder Lee Allen missed the Blackburn net twice in the last 15 minutes (and also stubbed his toe), while fellow substitutes Josh Beadle and Antonis Siafos similarly sent efforts wide. Our best chances in the endgame all fell to Cook, who had THREE decent attempts saved by the visiting keeper. Hadn't it been for Hadfield, we would surely have won by just the odd goal.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Cook 47)

Blackburn Rovers - 0

Premier League, Attendance 24,377 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 7th, Blackburn 17th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Álvarez, Guppy, Walters, Olvera, Guerin (L Allen), Pereira, Jorgensen, Lewandowski (J Beadle), Cook, Torre (Siafos).

 

Our previous league game at Rainham Road had also been an unconvincing 1-0 win, over West Ham United. Still, at least we'd got into a habit of winning matches any which way we could. That was our fourth successive victory, and our ninth match on the spin without a defeat.

 

Come Sunday afternoon, Arsenal had built up a seven-point lead over everyone else (they remained 13 clear of us). Rochdale's 3-2 home loss against an in-form West Bromwich Albion knocked them down to 4th, with Manchester City and West Ham United overtaking them. Holders Manchester United were trailing all five of those teams and looked well off the pace.

 

We completed our UEFA Champions League Group C campaign in midweek, as we faced Serie A champions Empoli at their state-of-the-art indoor arena - imaginatively named the Stadio Empoli. Both teams were already guaranteed progression to the Round of 16, but only a Daggers win would stop the Azzurri from topping the group.

 

Personally, I wasn't fussed about whether we finished 1st or 2nd, as we were almost certain to get a tough opening knockout match regardless. I therefore left some of our best assets behind and prioritised giving gametime to fringe players. 18-year-old Italian right-back Giorgio Facheris was granted his first career Champions League start.

 

9 December 2042: Empoli vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Throwing a team of mostly young players in at the deep end against a world-class Empoli squad was always going to be a huge risk. The Azzurri started to assert their obvious dominance in the 10th minute. Though left-winger Fernando Sandro had a cross blocked by George Darvill, midfielder Homero Gómez swerved in a rebound shot that Daggers keeper António did well to catch. Brazilian-born Italy right-winger Bruno missed Empoli's next shot in the 11th minute, and Fernando Sandro hooked an effort wide six minutes after that.

 

Dagenham playmaker Mirko Saric snatched at our first opportunity in the 23rd minute, horribly miscuing a first-time pass from Benjamin Guerin. Empoli went back on the offensive in the 26th, with António having to catch a long-range attempt from Rafael Fernandes. António's luck sadly ran out two minutes later, as Marc Bennett's header from an Emanuel Vico cross proved too powerful for our Portuguese custodian to get to.

 

Immediately after Empoli's opener, I made an early substitution to try and stop our opponents from running riot. Replacing winger Milen Danchev with anchor man Kenneth Jorgensen was meant to give us more solidity in the midfield, where the hosts were bossing us. In the 30th minute, though, Jorgensen lost the ball to Bennett, who came within inches of curling in his second goal.

 

Empoli would indeed be 2-0 ahead by the 32nd minute. Captain Vico went from creator to scorer, as the experienced Argentine striker blasted in an excellent through-ball from Fernandes to further strengthen the Azzurri's hold on top spot.

 

Three minutes after finding the net, Vico could have made it 3-0 with a second assist. Ex-Liverpool workhorse Gómez - an American-born Mexico international - somehow failed to hit the target from Vico's pass, but that wasn't the worst miss of the closing stages. That 'honour' went to Dagenham captain Stevie Merson, who latched onto an excellent lob from strike partner Johnathan in the 42nd minute but somehow volleyed it beyond the far post.

 

Early in the second period, Merson would miss a couple more opportunities to get us back in the game. After 46 minutes, Stevie ran onto Frédéric Pereira's flick-on and tried to chip the ball over Empoli keeper Silvio Spinetti, who brilliantly tipped it behind his goal. The out-of-sorts striker then headed over a deep 53rd-minute cross from 16-year-old Gareth Sainsbury, who'd replaced a nervy Giorgio Facheris at right-back for the second half.

 

Johnathan wasn't having much luck in front of goal either. On 63 minutes, the Brazilian starlet hit the crossbar from Hicham Martin's left-wing delivery, though the offside flag would've denied him a goal anyway.

 

We then started to lose some of our discipline, with Saric and Guerin joining defender Raju Gomes in collecting bookings. Gomes and Darvill would have their work cut out in the centre of the backline during the latter part of the half. George thought he'd dispelled an attack in the 74th minute, when he nodded a header from Bruno out of our penalty area. That was when Gómez proved him wrong, letting the ball drop before chesting it and half-volleying a stunning strike in off the post for 3-0.

 

Johnathan and Kenny later missed chances to add some respectability to the scoreline from our perspective. Then, on 79 minutes, our embarrassment grew further still. 19-year-old Argentine left-back Gaston Latorre came off the bench to whip in a cross that Bruno headed home to wrap up 1st place for the Azzurri.

 

This had been a chastening experience for the Daggers, though we would at least take something back home. Attacking midfield substitute Josh Beadle showed real promise in the 86th minute, weighting a pinpoint pass to fellow prospect Johnathan, who narrowed the deficit to 4-1. That put the briefest of smiles upon my face.

 

Empoli - 4 (Bennett 28, Vico 32, Gómez 74, Bruno 79)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Johnathan 86)

UEFA Champions League Group C, Attendance 57,898 - POSITIONS: Empoli 1st, Dag & Red 2nd

DAG & RED LINE-UP: António, Facheris (Sainsbury), Gomes, Darvill, Martin, Pereira, Guerin, Danchev (Jorgensen), Saric (J Beadle), Johnathan, Merson. BOOKED: Gomes, Saric, Guerin.

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    Q     Empoli                 6     5     0     1     20    9     +11   15
2.    Q     Dag & Red              6     4     0     2     17    11    +6    12
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          Basel                  6     2     0     4     8     19    -11   6
4.          Schalke                6     1     0     5     11    17    -6    3

 

Time would tell if fielding a weakened team in Italy was the right thing to do. We knew that we wouldn't have an easy Round of 16 tie, with one of Barcelona, Juventus, Porto, Real Betis or Real Sociedad awaiting us when the draw was made later in the month.

 

After we returned home, a few of those players who'd underperformed against Empoli played for the reserves in an Essex Senior Cup Round 4 tie against Billericay Town's second-string. Stevie Merson scored a hat-trick in a 6-1 win, but Milen Danchev twisted his knee in injury time and was subsequently ruled out for around a fortnight.

 

An even worse injury befell Elliot Cook in training on the eve of our next Premier League match at Anfield. Cookie twisted sharply during a training session and strained the ligaments in his right knee. Our leading scorer was now likely to face six weeks on the sidelines.

 

We arrived in Merseyside on Sunday afternoon to face a Liverpool team that was on their fourth manager in less than two years. After Marcus Appleton left in pre-season to become England manager, he was replaced by Cauley Woodrow, who'd just guided Nottingham Forest back into the top flight. However, a dreadful run of form saw Woodrow sacked in late November, with ex-Barcelona chief Oliver Zigante taking the reins.

 

Liverpool were in utter chaos, and it showed in their league position. Saturday's results had seen the Reds slip into the relegation zone, with just four wins and two draws from 16 games. Though the bottom half looked very congested, it was entirely conceivable that one of English football's most historic clubs could drop into the Championship. A strong performance from the Daggers would make that even more likely.

[CFuller]

DECEMBER 2042 (continued)

14 December 2042: Liverpool vs Dagenham & Redbridge

The quality of Liverpool's squad made one wonder how they were so low down the table. Two of their best attacking talents combined for a scoring chance in the second minute, but Umberto Palumbo's delivery from the right was headed over by Bosnian winger Mirza Korajlic. Three minutes later, Dagenham defender Nathan Guppy cleared a couple of crosses from Korajlic out of our box. We countered with pace, though the attack ended with Antonis Siafos firing wide.

 

It was a similar story when we launched another counterstrike from a Korajlic corner in the 15th minute. This time, Tony's shot did force the Reds' goalkeeping captain Gavin Stopforth into a difficult parry. Siafos made another bid for goal two minutes later, only for Stopforth to stop him once again.

 

In the 20th minute, our captain made a vital interception to prevent Liverpool from breaking the deadlock. Guppy nodded Korajlic's left-wing cross out of our six-yard box just before it could find striker Steven Bonner. The hosts wasted a few more opportunities midway through the period before Stopforth faced his next test, catching Nathan's far-post header from a Kamil Lewandowski cross on 34 minutes.

 

Daggers destroyer Frédéric Pereira hurt his elbow in a 35th-minute challenge on Korajlic. That didn't stop him from getting stuck in again four minutes later, when he was booked for pushing midfield rival Patrik Horak. Unsurprisingly, Frédi would be subbed at the end of a goalless first half.

 

Pereira was replaced for the second period with Brazilian forward Johnathan, as we started to take the game to Liverpool a bit more. The substitute had a pop at goal in the 47th minute, but he put far too much power into his shot. Guerin and Lewandowski also sent shots off target over the next few minutes.

 

On 55 minutes, Korajlic - who had also sustained an injury to his elbow late in the first half - missed what was perhaps the hosts' best chance yet. The flamboyant forward turned past Beni and dribbled into the Daggers box before pulling the ball beyond Kayo Rowe's left-hand post. We would have an even luckier escape ten minutes later, as Reds substitute Leo Veenboer struck the woodwork after drifting inside from the right flank.

 

Shortly after Veenboer's miss, Liverpool right-back Amani Douglas tripped Johnathan up to concede a free-kick close to the home goal. Though Kamil's set-piece was pushed behind by Stopforth, we would punish the Reds with our next attack in the 68th minute. Johnathan stroked a lovely pass into the box for centre-forward Gianfranco Torre, who brilliantly held the ball up before hooking a cool shot beyond Stopforth's reach!

 

Liverpool boss Oliver Zigante adopted a more attacking approach, but we responded by further increasing the pressure on his defence. Stopforth tipped over a fierce strike from Torre in the 73rd minute, as well as Michael Walters' header from the subsequent Lewandowski corner. Kamil also took the follow-up set-piece, this time finding Nathan in the middle of the six-yard box. Our 6ft 5in skipper jumped clear and headed home our second goal, which was Guppy's first Premier League strike for the Daggers!

 

As our opponents sank into further despair, I brought on another youngster for the final 15 minutes. Ebenezer Agyemang might have been only 16, but the German midfield prodigy relentlessly hassled his Liverpool counterparts... and then helped us to finish the game off.

 

After receiving the ball from our resident pass master Kenneth Jorgensen, Ebbie sent it out right to Enrique Álvarez. The full-back then knocked the ball down the line for Siafos, whose cross was met by a superb knock-down header from Torre! Franco's second brace in a fortnight wrapped up a fantastic 3-0 win!

 

Liverpool - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (Torre 68,89, Guppy 74)

Premier League, Attendance 54,650 - POSITIONS: Liverpool 18th, Dag & Red 5th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Álvarez, Guppy, Walters (Facheris), Olvera, Jorgensen, Pereira (Johnathan), Guerin (Agyemang), Lewandowski, Siafos, Torre. BOOKED: Pereira, Walters.

 

The Daggers would finish 2042 with three matches in the space of eight days. Before then, though, we found out who we would face in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 in the New Year.

 

Being paired with Barcelona at this stage would've been almost terminal a decade or two ago, but not now. Despite topping a difficult group that also included Paris Saint-Germain, PSV and Dynamo Kiev, Barca did not look capable of ending a 14-year wait to regain the European Cup. The Catalans were also very inconsistent in La Liga, and their bad start to the domestic campaign was exactly why they had sacked Zigante in the first place.

 

We will welcome the Spanish sleeping giants - and their new coach Adria Carmona - to Rainham Road on 24 February. The rematch at the Nou Camp is scheduled for 18 March. I expect both those matches to be very close.

 

Another team who could be described as 'inconsistent' were West Bromwich Albion. The Baggies arrived in Dagenham for our next Premier League match with a fine scoring record, though they fared less well in defence. While we were only ahead of 8th-placed Albion on goal difference, we did have three games in hand on them.

 

20 December 2042: Dagenham & Redbridge vs West Bromwich Albion

It would be putting it lightly to say that we bossed the opening skirmishes. West Brom goalkeeper Allen Wallis had a hectic start to the match, making four saves in the first 12 minutes. Dagenham playmaker Kamil Lewandowski's first-minute drive was caught by the 28-year-old, who then saved an attempt from Gianfranco Torre and a couple from Antonis Siafos.

 

After our quick start, things threatened to derail for us in the 13th minute. Baggies midfielder Mamdouh El Badry wiped out our ball-winner Lee Allen, who broke his arm in the fall and had to be taken off. As Kenneth Jorgensen came onto the field earlier than expected, we continued to pursue an early opener.

 

Mirko Saric bent a 25-yard shot goalwards in the 15th minute, but only found Wallis' hands. Saric got our next attack up and running in the 22nd minute with an excellent lob to Torre, who cut past Albion right-back Michael Kyle before cutting inside into the 'D'. He then weighted a pass to Siafos, who beat the advancing Wallis for his long-awaited first Premier League goal this season! West Brom's cries for offside fell on deaf ears, and we led 1-0!

 

Our visitors rarely looked like getting back on level terms before half-time. Right-winger Kristian Latham hooked a long-range shot well off target in the 25th minute, and then headed wide an injury-time cross from left-sided colleague José Santos, but that was about it.

 

Meanwhile, we tried without success to bolster our narrow advantage. Young midfielder Benjamin Guerin had a shot blocked by Santos in the 32nd minute before Siafos twice missed the target.

 

The second half didn't start anywhere near as brightly as the first. A wayward curler from Saric in the 50th minute was about as close as either team would come to changing the scoreline early on.

 

In the 52nd minute, West Brom midfielder Billy Stevenson was booked for a holding foul on our left-back Hicham Martin. The Baggies would give away an even costlier foul twelve minutes later, when Kyle shoved Saric close to goal. Lewandowski's free-kick was blocked by El Badry in the Albion wall, but Jorgensen volleyed in the rebound to give us a two-goal advantage!

 

Kenny's strike essentially broke the back of this match. West Brom again responded poorly to conceding, only mustering a couple more attempts at our goal, both of which were fired wide by substitute Stephen Walsh. It was a comfortable afternoon for Dagenham goalkeeper Kayo Rowe, who didn't have to make a single save, and for captain Nathan Guppy, who was named 'man of the match' after another sterling central defensive display.

 

It was a very different story at the other end, where we ended up with 26 shots at goal (13 on target). But for a series of late Wallis saves (mostly from the dangerous Lewandowski), the final scoreline would've been more emphatic.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Siafos 22, Jorgensen 64)

West Bromwich Albion - 0

Premier League, Attendance 26,772 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 6th, West Brom 9th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Álvarez, Guppy, Darvill, Martin, Guerin, L Allen (Jorgensen), Lewandowski, Saric (J Beadle), Siafos, Torre.

 

That was our fifth Premier League win in a row, but we still couldn't catch a break, as the top two were in even hotter form. Arsenal stayed comfortably ahead with a sixth victory on the bounce, and Manchester City strengthened their grip on 2nd spot by winning their EIGHTH successive league match. With City looking so imperious, I really wasn't looking forward to our visit to the Yaya Touré Arena after Christmas.

 

Stamford Bridge was a happier hunting ground for us, as we beat Chelsea there in the latter half of last season. The smart money was on us defeating the mid-table Blues again there, even though our opponents were on a seven-match unbeaten run under new manager Steve Doswell.

 

Lee Allen had to miss this match - and the next three weeks - after breaking his arm against West Brom. Lee was the latest addition to a first-team injury list that was now seven names long, though Eric Knox and Frédéric Pereira had now resumed light training and would shortly return to action.

[CFuller]

DECEMBER 2042 (continued)

23 December 2042: Chelsea vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Just four minutes in, Dagenham striker Antonis Siafos pressured Chelsea's right-back Rong Chuangyi into giving away a sloppy pass. Tony intercepted it and passed out wide to our left-winger Hicham Martin, whose deep first-time cross was then nodded high and wide by target man Gianfranco Torre.

 

That moment aside, it was the Blues who enjoyed the better of the first half. They should've broken the deadlock after 17 minutes, when a heavy touch from Martin lost the ball to Chelsea midfielder Guillermo Mas in our penalty area. Kayo Rowe blocked Mas' low drive and then miraculously saved Callum Lea's follow-up before the danger was eventually cleared by Raju Gomes! Kayo's safe hands rescued us again a minute later, catching a free-kick from Blues winger Ariel Ochoa.

 

We then withstood a couple of home corners, while teenager Josh Beadle missed two chances to give us the lead against the run of play before the half-hour mark. Then came a couple of wasted Dagenham free-kicks, as Torre's 33rd-minute effort was blocked and Martin's set-piece nine minutes later swerved wide.

 

Chelsea had a great opportunity to strike on 44 minutes, when Hicham's slide tackle on former Daggers winger Shaun Powell gave away a corner. Powell swung an excellent corner to Cameron Brasil, but the American centre-half nodded it clean over the bar.

 

I switched formation from 3-4-1-2 to the 4-4-2 diamond before the second half. Left-back Juan Esteban Olvera replaced centre-half Gomes, while Martin moved into midfield. I also added some experience to our attack by replacing Beadle with Kamil Lewandowski, who quickly tested Chelsea goalkeeper Lukas Chlup with a 49th-minute free-kick.

 

On 53 minutes, Blues midfielder Eddie Harrison chipped a free-kick into our box from the right. Brasil broke away from his marker Kenneth Jorgensen before planting another header into the stands.

 

Lewandowski then continued his attempts to score the opening goal from as far as possible. Attempts in the 54th and 55th minutes went off target, but he did force Chlup into another save in the 57th. Kamil went even closer on 60 minutes, exchanging passes with Franco before hitting the woodwork from 35 yards out!

 

By the 62nd minute, Chlup's crossbar wasn't the only thing belonging to Chelsea that had been rattled. Ochoa had to leave the game after hurting himself in a tackle on Daggers right-back Enrique Álvarez. England Under-21s forward Lekhotla Lebata came on in his place.

 

Eight minutes later, we launched our most incisive attack yet. Siafos collected the ball from Benjamin Guerin in the Chelsea 'D' and then tried to slip it to Lewandowski. Rong got a vital tackle in, but then it all went wrong for the Blues, as the ball clipped centre-half Pierre Brunet's heel before falling to another Frenchman. Guerin slotted it through a stunned Chlup's legs for his first Premier League goal, and we were 1-0 ahead at last!

 

The hosts' Spanish middlemen each attempted to conjure up an equaliser in the next few minutes. Rowe stood in their way, catching a 74th-minute free-kick from substitute Pablo López before making similarly light work of Mas' shot seven minutes later.

 

Chelsea did break through in the 83rd minute, as Lebata lifted a sublime ball over our defence for Powell to finish at the back post. That was when the offside flag came up, letting us off the hook. Shaun was annoyed, and the 'Blond Bombshell' would collect a yellow card three minutes from time for barging into Guerin. That was the only booking in a fiery London derby in which 38 fouls were conceded.

 

Beni's goal proved to be the decisive one, though Chlup prevented Siafos from giving us a 2-0 lead on the stroke of full-time. A series of great interceptions at the other end by defender Michael Walters kept the Blues at bay. Our latest three-point haul moved us above West Ham United and Manchester United into 4th position, while Chelsea stayed 10th.

 

Chelsea - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Guerin 70)

Premier League, Attendance 43,000 - POSITIONS: Chelsea 10th, Dag & Red 4th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Guppy, Gomes (Olvera), Walters, Álvarez, Jorgensen, Guerin, Martin (Agyemang), J Beadle (Lewandowski), Torre, Siafos.

 

Though our sixth straight Premier League victory lifted us into the UEFA Champions League places for the first time this season, we were still no closer to the frontrunners. Arsenal and Manchester City had continued their respective winning streaks... and the Citizens would await us next, following the festive break.

 

If City could beat us at the Yaya Touré Arena on 27 December, they would extend their run of victories into double figures. Nemanja Covic's team would also go 12 points clear of us in 2nd place, albeit having played two games more. We just could not let that happen.

 

27 December 2042: Manchester City vs Dagenham & Redbridge

We couldn't afford to make too many mistakes against Manchester City, but Kamil Lewandowski almost made a disastrous one in the second minute. The Dagenham midfielder intercepted a throw from City left-back Willy Danza, only to immediately mishit a back-pass. Home striker George Mkhwanazi intercepted it and played in attacking midfielder Eric Coulibaly, who bore down on goal... and pulled a shot inches wide. A relieved Kamil could've bounced back with an assist in the 10th minute, but Michael Walters nodded his corner kick over the Citizens' crossbar.

 

Later shots failed to impress either set of supporters. City's street-fighting forward Jozef Kral - a long-time pantomime villain amongst the Daggers faithful - prompted a chorus of ironic cheers from the away end with a terrible long-distance punt on 19 minutes.

 

Dagenham youngster Johnathan had a couple of efforts a minute later. His first drifted off target, while his next attempt moments later was blocked by Ciro Lattarulo. France centre-half Lattarulo was rock-solid at the back for City, and he could've come good at the other end in the 26th minute. He flicked a Coulibaly corner against Kayo Rowe's bar, leaving us mightily relieved. That would be the best scoring chance in a cagey first half in which both teams cancelled each other out.

 

Having fielded a diamond for the first half, I adopted a more direct 4-2-3-1 for the second. Young holding midfielder Benjamin Guerin was replaced by right-back Enrique Álvarez. Milen Danchev started on the right side of our defence, but I hoped moving the Bulgarian into a more natural winger role would bring out the best in him. I was wrong.

 

Manchester City - still playing in the 'Christmas tree' that had become customary under Nemanja Covic's reign - started to dominate the midfield a lot more. Captain Mohammed Ali sent a shot high and wide in the 48th minute, but his colleague Kyle Allcock almost struck gold in the 50th. The ex-Juventus workhorse struck a first-time shot that Kayo awkwardly pushed to his left.

 

Two minutes later, the Citizens followed up that first shot on target with an even better second attempt. After Walters headed his corner back to him, Coulibaly drifted inside and floated a strike into Rowe's top-right corner. A top-quality finish from the flamboyant Ivorian had broken our resistance.

 

We now had to push further forward, and that meant Danchev needed to get into the game a lot more. Milen wasn't up to the task, as Danza had the measure of our Bulgarian winger all afternoon long. A glimmer of hope emerged when Danza hurt himself in a tackle on Danchev shortly after the opener, but the Italian veteran played on.

 

On the other flank, Johnathan was also struggling. I subbed him in the 63rd minute, six minutes after he was booked for a shove on Citizens right-back Jose Manuel Herrera. Target man Gianfranco Torre took Johnathan's place and went up front of his own, with a subdued Antonis Siafos being pushed out to the left wing.

 

That switch-around was just what Tony needed. After 68 minutes, the Greek hotshot exchanged passes with left-back Hicham Martin and burst into the City area. Despite coming under immense pressure from Herrera, Siafos furiously struck the ball into the net and levelled the scores!

 

As the match entered its closing stages, I noticed that Covic had strayed from his gameplan. He'd switched to a bog-standard 4-4-2 - with two very un-City-like wingers to boot! Noticing that we could now control the midfield, I went back to the diamond, which made Danchev redundant. The fit-again box-to-box midfielder Eric Knox came on as my final substitute.

 

Initially, it seemed that my latest tactical switch would backfire. In the 76th minute, a wayward kick from Rowe was intercepted by Citizens right-winger David Tengarrinha, who threaded it to Kral. Our Slovakian nemesis burst clear of Walters and tried to beat Kayo from an angle, only for the Daggers goalie parry the shot. Kral then overhit a pass back to Tengarrinha, allowing Knox to break up the attack.

 

We soon began to pressurise our hosts and take firm control in the centre. Torre cannoned a shot against the bar on 79 minutes, following a great pass from Lewandowski. Two minutes later, Kamil had a half-volley saved by Citizens keeper Sergio González, who also kept Hicham off the scoreboard soon after.

 

Then, on 84 minutes, we built up another attack by stroking the ball up the left flank. As Siafos made a run into space, Torre chipped the ball ahead of the pacey 25-year-old, who then powered in a superb strike from 25 yards out! González was soundly beaten, and we were six minutes away from beating Manchester City on their own ground!

 

The Citizens got more aggressive after Tony's second goal - and by that, I don't just mean Covic pushed his wingers further forward. The referee had to book centre-half Yu Yupeng and 'Mr Nice Guy' Kral for getting too physical with Torre, who had been such a pivotal figure in our fightback.

 

In the second of three allotted minutes of stoppage time, we were calling for the yellow card to come out again. City left-winger Abdoulaye Traoré lunged in hard on Daggers captain Nathan Guppy as he battled to keep the ball in play. Much to my disgust, Traoré gave away nothing except a goal kick.

 

As Guppy limped off the pitch for treatment, Rowe took the goal kick... and telegraphed it to Allcock, whose knockdown found Mkhwanazi. Traoré then sprinted forward to find space on the edge of the penalty area, where he collected the ball from Mkhwanazi and struck from a difficult angle. I feared the worst for a split-second, but Rowe saved us with a superb reflex save. When Yu nodded Dave Jansen's corner over the bar, I thought the drama was over... but it was only just beginning.

 

Even as stoppage time went well into a fourth minute, the referee still refused to blow up, allowing the Sky Blues to attack again. Ali found Traoré in the box, and the 23-year-old France international swerved a superb strike to Kayo's left. It took another immense effort from England's number 1 to divert it behind, and a similarly incredible header from a returning Guppy to head Jansen's second corner clear.

 

The referee then blew his whistle... once, for a foul from Torre on Lattarulo in the Dagenham 'D'. Manchester City had been awarded a free-kick, five minutes into stoppage time! Some of the travelling Daggers supporters couldn't bear to look any longer!

 

Traoré lifted the set-piece over our wall, but Rowe also pushed that shot behind, along with Yu's header from a THIRD Jansen corner in fairly quick succession. It wasn't until Guppy intercepted the Dutchman's fourth set-piece that the ref decided enough to enough! Our agonisingly long wait to beat either of the Mancunian giants IN Manchester was FINALLY over!!

 

Manchester City - 1 (Coulibaly 52)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Siafos 69,84)

Premier League, Attendance 81,620 - POSITIONS: Man City 2nd, Dag & Red 4th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Danchev (Knox), Guppy, Walters, Olvera, Jorgensen, Martin, Guerin (Álvarez), Lewandowski, Johnathan (Torre), Siafos. BOOKED: Johnathan.

 

It's one thing to defeat Manchester City at the Yaya Touré Arena. It's another to defeat them when they'd won their previous nine league matches in succession. It's quite another to do that when the referee has given them a ridiculous amount of leeway, extending injury time to almost twice its original length!

 

In 30 years of football management, I had never seen a climax quite like that before. Antonis Siafos might have been named 'man of the match' following his two-goal double, but Kayo Rowe's performance in the final three minutes alone was one of the greatest goalkeeping displays I'd EVER witnessed. It seemed as if this humble but resilient lad from Bootle was the reincarnation of Gordon Banks!

 

Defeating City had put 2nd place well and truly in our sights, though Arsenal were still miles ahead at the top. A comfortable 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest meant that the Gunners' lead on us was the same as it had been for weeks - 13 points, though we still had two games in hand.

 

2042 would end on another bright note for the Daggers on New Year's Eve. Our reserves beat Ajax 3-0 at home in the UEFA Youth League Round of 16, with Johnathan's double and Liam O'Leary's late clincher putting us into the Quarter Finals for the first time.

 

These past two months have been truly incredible for Dagenham & Redbridge. They give me hope that 2043 really could be our year!

[CFuller]

Premier League Table (End of December 2042)

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.          Arsenal                20    16    3     1     49    9     +40   51
2.          Man City               20    14    2     4     48    18    +30   44
3.          Rochdale               20    12    3     5     26    18    +8    39
4.          Dag & Red              18    11    5     2     28    10    +18   38
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.          West Ham               20    10    6     4     35    21    +14   36
6.          Southampton            20    9     7     4     27    22    +5    34
7.          Man Utd                20    9     5     6     32    16    +16   32
8.          Norwich                20    9     2     9     31    27    +4    29
9.          West Brom              20    9     2     9     29    29    0     29
10.         Chelsea                20    8     4     8     24    28    -4    28
11.         Everton                20    7     4     9     29    36    -7    25
12.         Wolves                 19    7     3     9     29    34    -5    24
13.         Derby                  19    6     4     9     23    29    -6    22
14.         Nottm Forest           20    6     4     10    21    34    -13   22
15.         Liverpool              20    6     3     11    24    31    -7    21
16.         Blackburn              20    6     3     11    23    34    -11   21
17.         Fulham                 20    5     3     12    29    42    -13   18
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18.         Tottenham              20    4     5     11    20    38    -18   17
19.         Coventry               20    2     8     10    14    29    -15   14
20.         Sheff Utd              20    2     4     14    21    57    -36   10

 

[CFuller]

JANUARY 2043

FIFA's annual global awards ceremony took place early in the New Year. Though none of our three FIFA Ballon d'Or nominees had any real chance of taking the big prize, Nathan Guppy was named amongst the substitutes in the World XI, as voted for by national team captains. Here's hoping that 2043 is the year we finally see a Dagenham & Redbridge player crack the elite eleven.

 

Benjamin Guerin also celebrated the New Year with an award, having been named as the Premier League's Young Player of the Month for December. It wasn't hard to understand why, as the French midfielder had excelled throughout our winning run.

 

Despite racking up five straight PL victories in December, I didn't get the Premier League Manager of the Month award. That was because Thomas O'Ware had done even better at league leaders Arsenal, winning five successive games by a bigger goal difference than we'd won ours.

 

English football's two in-form teams would collide on 3 January at the Thierry Henry Arena. This was Round 3 of the FA Cup, which we had lifted for the past two seasons. Indeed, we had beaten Arsenal 3-0 at Wembley to retain the trophy eight months earlier.

 

As much as I wanted to wreck Arsenal's unbeaten record, my priorities were on overtaking the Gunners in the Premier League rather than making progress in a competition we'd won twice before. Derby County were lying in wait in our next league fixture four days later, so I heavily rotated my squad to save my best assets for that game.

 

3 January 2043: Arsenal vs Dagenham & Redbridge

My decision to rest both Antonis Siafos and Gianfranco Torre meant that Stevie Merson got another chance up front. Merse was out of form at senior level, and a poor finish from a through-ball by Frédéric Pereira in the first minute showed just how badly he was struggling.

 

Arsenal first attacked us in the second minute, winning a corner off left-back Hicham Martin. Javier Montenegro nodded Argentine compatriot Juan Martín Díaz's delivery to the back post, where Colombia defender Jhon Jairo Pena put a shot into the side netting.

 

Another South American Gunner would hit the target seven minutes later. Chile striker Diego Reyes skipped past Daggers defender George Darvill upon receiving a pass from Tommy Watters, which he hammered beyond our teenage goalkeeper António.

 

Eric Knox could have levelled in the 18th minute from a direct free-kick. Unfortunately, his strike clipped the Arsenal crossbar, and Merson couldn't quite reach the rebound before Pena cleared. Eric's luck from set-pieces didn't change when George nodded his corner off target two minutes later.

 

More encouragingly, a 20-yard strike from attacking midfielder Mirko Saric on 22 minutes did force Arsenal goalie Ashley Dolan into a catch. Another positive Daggers move came seven minutes later. Benjamin Guerin's confidence was obvious when he pumped the ball over the defence to Peter Mikkelsen, whose shot was regrettably poor.

 

Arsenal had had a goal disallowed shortly before that, as midfielder Roberto Bartlett's header had been diverted into the net off winger Stephen Harrison's hands. The Gunners next struck in the 33rd minute - and this time, they did make it 2-0. Raju Gomes' feeble attempts to halt Montenegro's run into the box failed when the fearless striker breezed past him and applied a simple finish. Raju's woes continued four minutes before half-time, when he was booked for pushing Montenegro in the back.

 

Despite our poor first-half performance, I made only one change for the restart, with Juan Esteban Olvera replacing Martin at left-back. By the 60-minute mark, Knox was probably wishing I'd taken him off as well. The Canadian midfielder secured an unenviable hat-trick when he fired two more free-kicks against the bar, in the 55th and 69th minutes!

 

As Eric wondered what on Earth he'd done to deserve his rotten luck, I changed things up again. Saric came off in favour of Michael Walters as I switched to an attacking 3-4-1-2 formation. Stevie stayed up front, and he could've repaid my faith in the 61st minute. It wasn't quite to be, as Merse's crashing drive from a lofted pass by Knox was easily caught by Dolan.

 

Arsenal were briefly knocked off their stride in the 64th minute, when Watters broke a couple of ribs in a feisty tackle from Daggers captain Enrique Álvarez. Before long, though, the Gunners were back on the offensive.

 

Pena and substitute striker Paolo De Vecchi each missed scoring chances before the latter set up Arsenal's third goal. De Vecchi battled both Darvill and Walters to win a loose ball, eventually managing to slip it ahead of his strike partner Montenegro. Montenegro then swerved in his second goal of the afternoon, and with just 20 minutes left to claw back a 3-0 deficit, our FA Cup defence was surely over.

 

All I was asking for now was for us to show some passion in the dying moments. Álvarez eyed up a goal when he surged up the Gunners' half in the 75th minute, only for Dolan to make a fine catch. Three minutes later, António produced his best save of the match, catching Montenegro's header to deny his nemesis a hat-trick.

 

Things finally turned for us in the 81st minute, when the hosts' defence lost their way. Pereira slipped a loose ball through the backline and into the box for substitute midfielder Josh Beadle. Though Josh was quickly crowded out by defenders, he selflessly laid the ball out right to Stevie, who drilled in just his third senior goal this season from a difficult angle.

 

Merson's strike wouldn't be our only consolation. About a minute later, Mikkelsen sought out a rare run towards goal from Olvera. Juanes' initial strike hit the post, but the Mexican full-back buried the follow-up and broke his Dagenham duck!

 

Unfortunately, we had left it too late to launch a full fightback. Even though they lost Harrison to a serious calf injury in stoppage time, Arsenal had still done enough to see the match through. While knocking us out of this season's FA Cup wouldn't completely make up for our victory in last year's Final, it was a small dose of revenge for the Gunners.

 

Arsenal - 3 (Reyes 9, Montenegro 33,70)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Merson 81, Olvera 82)

FA Cup Round 3, Attendance 78,370

DAG & RED LINE-UP: António, Álvarez, Gomes, Darvill, Martin (Olvera), Guerin, Pereira, Knox (J Beadle), Saric (Walters), Mikkelsen, Merson. BOOKED: Gomes, Knox.

 

Some aspects of that performance were disappointing, not least António's goalkeeping performance, which showed just how much work the Portuguese teenager still had to do to rival Kayo Rowe. On the whole, though, I wasn't too gutted to concede the FA Cup. It just made me more determined to beat Arsenal in our next league meeting at Rainham Road in three weeks' time.

 

As reserve defenders John Bond and Bradley Douglas completed their loan spells at Millwall and Northampton Town, another promising Dagger got his first taste of 'work experience'. Right-back Giorgio Facheris was loaned to mid-table Championship team Sunderland until the end of the season.

 

Next on the first-team schedule was a home match against Derby County, in which we hoped to record an EIGHTH consecutive Premier League victory. This was one of our games in hand on the teams above us. A point would move us above Rochdale into 3rd, but we realistically needed all three to stay in touch with 2nd-placed Manchester City.

 

Until recently, it had seemed that Derby - a top-seven staple for the past four seasons - were in an unlikely battle with the drop. Post-Christmas victories over Manchester United and Fulham had sparked John Sullivan's Rams back into life, and they went into this match sitting in 13th position.

 

7 January 2043: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Derby County

Derby went into this match without England midfielder Matty Holmes, who'd broken his foot against Morecambe in the FA Cup and was likely to miss the rest of the season. The Rams felt his absence very keenly in the second minute. Gianfranco Torre caught them napping with a through-ball to Daggers strike partner Antonis Siafos, who slipped it into the near corner for 1-0!

 

Siafos was less impressive on seven minutes, when he was booked for a push on Derby right-back Danny Kelly. The visitors had their first shot on target moments later, with leading scorer Yassine Allali's lob from a first-time pass by captain Paul Sherwood forcing our goalie Kayo Rowe into a parry.

 

Two minutes later, a defensive calamity from the Daggers gifted County another opportunity. Midfielder Brian Slabber slipped the ball through our backline and into the area for Nikolaj Gyldenohr, who was sent crashing to the turf by Michael Walters' sliding challenge. There was no doubting that it was a penalty, and no doubting that Allali would hammer it home to equalise.

 

Taking an early lead and then losing it almost as quickly didn't unsettle us, mind. Siafos was unlucky not to put us 2-1 ahead on 15 minutes, when his half-volley from a Torre lob was stopped by Derby keeper Frederik Bisgaard. Seven minutes later, a right-wing cross from Enrique Álvarez caused mayhem in Bisgaard's six-yard box. Though the Danish international got his gloves to a powerful strike from Torre, he couldn't stop 18-year-old attacking midfielder Josh Beadle pouncing on the rebound!

 

Our youngest first-teamer might've restored our advantage, but had it not been for our oldest player, we could have lost it almost immediately. 31-year-old captain Nathan Guppy made a vital interception on 24 minutes, hacking Derby winger Joby Lyons' cross away before Gyldenohr could strike at the near post.

 

Ten minutes after that narrow escape, we got ourselves into a more comfortable position. Left-back Juan Esteban Olvera's long ball into the County area was knocked down by Torre for Siafos to volley in his second and our third goal! Franco and Tony had combined beautifully once again!

 

I made one change at half-time, bringing on Benjamin Guerin as a midfield replacement for Frédéric Pereira, who had been booked late in the first half. Beni was not quite as brave or aggressive as Frédi, so taking some bite out of my team was a real risk. Álvarez wasn't afraid to get stuck in, though he overstepped the mark in the 53rd minute with a clumsy challenge on Sherwood close to our goal. Luckily, Derby playmaker Vladica Pavlovic sent his free-kick just over the crossbar.

 

Treble-chasing Siafos screwed wide an opportunity to put us 4-1 ahead in the 56th minute, and then produced an even more glaring miss four minutes later. An overpowered header from Kamil Lewandowski's deep cross saw Tony's hopes of a hat-trick slip away. He would later be replaced by Stevie Merson, whom Bisgaard brilliantly kept off the scoresheet in the 74th minute.

 

The second half soon turned into a dogfight. Lewandowski, Olvera and Beadle all collected bookings between the 66th and 80th minutes, increasing our yellow card count to five. Derby weren't exactly angelic, either, as two of their players saw yellow as well.

 

Our aggressive play helped to stifle most of the Rams' late attacks. Gyldenohr briefly threatened us with a powerful 30-yard volley in the 83rd minute after Guppy had cleared Pavlovic's free-kick out of our box. Rowe made a solid catch in the end, and we held our nerve to continue that incredible Premier League winning streak.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (Siafos 2,34, J Beadle 22)

Derby County - 1 (Allali pen10)

Premier League, Attendance 26,772 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 3rd, Derby 13th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Álvarez, Guppy, Walters (Darvill), Olvera, Jorgensen, Pereira (Guerin), Lewandowski, J Beadle, Siafos (Merson), Torre. BOOKED: Siafos, Pereira, Lewandowski, Olvera, J Beadle.

 

The Derby match had been surprisingly comfortable for us, but things surely wouldn't be easy when Norwich City arrived at Rainham Road over the weekend. Karl Scully's brand of direct, attacking football had powered the Canaries up to 8th place, putting them on course for their joint-best finish in a decade.

[CFuller]

JANUARY 2043 (continued)

10 January 2043: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Norwich City

Dagenham's front two might've been in form, but the first half of this match would be a miserable experience for them both. Gianfranco Torre was booked after just eight minutes, having dived to try and win a penalty off Norwich defender Jay Atherton. Six minutes later, Antonis Siafos made a pig's ear out of a first-time cross from left-winger Hicham Martin.

 

Hicham almost gifted Norwich a goal in the 15th minute, when his slide tackle on Canaries winger Tomislav Gusic diverted the ball into our area. Portugal striker Luís Soares tried to slide it across the goal line for Norwich, but his attempt hit the post and was then cleared by George Darvill.

 

Our luck would run out in the 19th minute, after right-winger Milen Danchev recklessly lunged in on Norwich's left flanker Maximiliano Fernández. The subsequent free-kick from visiting captain Eros Guzmán was nodded home by frontman Travis Richardson, and we were 1-0 down.

 

After Richardson missed a chance to make it 2-0 in the 21st minute, we set about pressing for an equaliser. Captain Nathan Guppy was unfortunate to flick Eric Knox's whipped corner against the top of the bar in the 23rd minute, but his team-mates would have worse luck over the next few minutes. Nathan's fellow centre-half Raju Gomes had an effort saved by Canaries goalkeeper Glenn Nordh, as did Torre and Siafos.

 

Tony would miss the target twice more in the closing stages, showing little of the predatory instinct that had got him five goals in his past four matches. Despite his obvious struggles, I kept him on the field for the second half, making only one change at half-time. Enrique Álvarez came on at right-back in place of Danchev, who'd been booked in the 30th minute for clattering into Norwich's most central striker Itsik Salami.

 

The second half began with a couple more Dagenham misses, from Siafos and Knox. An even bigger miss of a different kind would be felt by Norwich after the 49th minute. Richardson came off worse in a collision with our giant skipper Guppy, breaking his left arm in the impact. He was replaced with Roland Hermans, who'd scored 99 goals in five Belgian Pro League seasons with AA Gent but had yet to rediscover that form at Carrow Road.

 

Knox certainly didn't lose his eye for a killer pass in the 54th minute, weighting a ball perfectly into the Norwich area for Álvarez. Unfortunately, the Spaniard pulled wide what was undoubtedly our best opportunity yet. Siafos missed the net again five minutes later, prompting me to bring Johnathan on as a replacement striker.

 

We continued to battle on over the next 10 minutes, but our aggressive play soon became a real concern. Holding midfielder Benjamin Guerin went into the ref's book in the 61st minute, as did Álvarez in the 65th and Guppy in the 70th. We'd now received TEN yellow cards in our last two matches alone.

 

More frustration came later on, with midfielder Frédéric Pereira sending a couple of efforts wide from just outside the Norwich box. Johnathan did at least test Nordh in the 75th minute, with a powerful strike forcing the Swedish custodian into what would be his only save of the match.

 

By injury time, I'd given up hope on us extended our three-month unbeaten run in the Premier League, let alone our streak of eight straight victories. Then came last-minute salvation... from an unlikely source. As Knox sent a last-ditch hanging-ball corner into City's area, Gomes rose up to head in his first Dagenham & Redbridge goal! That earned Raju the 'man of the match' award, and us a barely-deserved point!

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Gomes 90)

Norwich City - 1 (Richardson 19)

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

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Guppy, Darvill, Gomes, Danchev (Álvarez), Pereira, Guerin (Jorgensen), Martin, Knox, Torre, Siafos (Johnathan). BOOKED: Torre, Danchev, Guerin, Álvarez, Guppy.

 

Crucially, the rest of the top four also failed to take maximum points. Rochdale and Arsenal were locked in a goalless stalemate at the Slovalco Arena, ending the Gunners' 11-match winning streak in all competitions.

 

Meanwhile, Manchester City's surprise 1-0 reverse at Southampton helped us move within two points of 2nd place. The Citizens did go on to beat Blackburn Rovers by a single goal on Tuesday evening, but we had a chance to keep the heat on Nemanja Covic's side 24 hours later.

 

Though Coventry City were notoriously dogmatic, we were red-hot favourites to beat the Sky Blues at the Ricoh Arena. For one thing, we wanted to set things straight after only managing a 1-1 home draw against them in August. For another, Coventry were second-from-bottom and without a win in their last seven league outings.

 

14 January 2043: Coventry City vs Dagenham & Redbridge

As Nathan Guppy was among several high-profile Daggers being given a rest, the captaincy fell once again to Enrique Álvarez. Enrique tried to get us up and running in the fourth minute, but the right-back's shot from the edge of Coventry's area was poorly struck. The same could be said of Sky Blues midfielder Mitar Vujic's header from a corner delivery by his team's right-back Cameron Johnson a minute later.

 

Coventry goalie Jonathan English faced his first test on seven minutes, thanks to an excellent byline cross by his Dagenham near-namesake Johnathan. Stevie Merson's far-post header from the Brazilian's delivery was parried by English, and then cleared by fearless left-back Ashley Fear. Our keeper Kayo Rowe also showed nerves of steel in the 13th minute, tipping behind City striker Richard Fishlock's header from Suad Varupa's free-kick.

 

The next quarter-hour was full of dreadful misses at both ends. The closest that the deadlock came to being broken was on 22 minutes, when Coventry winger Alain Julien climbed above Álvarez and planted Varupa's cross against the woodwork.

 

Meanwhile, Dagenham playmaker Kamil Lewandowski had one of his poorer outings in the red-and-blue. Kamil was booked in the 28th minute for tripping Vujic, and he missed the target eight minutes later from a first-time pass by Stevie. Both Lewandowski and Merson would be substituted at the end of a goalless first period.

 

I hoped that bringing right-back Milen Danchev and target man Gianfranco Torre on would help to stretch Coventry's defence out more in the second half. Within nine minutes of the restart, one of them would get a chance to open the scoring.

 

Frédéric Pereira stroked a lovely through-ball to fellow Daggers midfielder Eric Knox, who was soon pressurised by Johnson as well as Warren Johnston. When Johnson without a 'T' stuck his leg out, Eric went to ground, and the referee was convinced enough to award us a penalty! Torre coolly despatched his spot-kick, breaking City's resistance!

 

Coventry boss Jordan McGhee had to abandon his ultra-defensive tactics and bring 19-year-old Kelvin Kelly off the bench to join 30-year-old Fishlock up front. Both master and apprentice would have great equalising chances over the coming 15 minutes.

 

Fishlock was first up, stinging Rowe's palms with a half-volley from Iulian Rusu's lob in the 60th minute. Kelly then headed the subsequent Varupa corner over the bar before being given another opening about a minute later. Johnston intercepted a slack pass from Álvarez and slid it on to Fishlock, who then sent Kelly clean through. The pacey Brummie teenager got past our otherwise excellent defender Raju Gomes before bearing down on goal... and putting his shot over the bar.

 

That close shave was soon followed by a near miss in the opposite area, as Johnathan hit English's right-hand post from an excellent pass by Juan Esteban Olvera. Rowe then made further saves from Varupa and Kelly in the 66th and 68th minutes to keep the Premier League's worst attack quiet.

 

We next threatened the Sky Blues on 69 minutes, as attacking midfielder Josh Beadle forced English into a superb reflex save just moments after coming on for Álvarez. Enrique had passed the captain's armband on to Michael Walters, and the Welshman led by example from the subsequent corner. Michael looped his header from Eric's delivery beyond English, and we were 2-0 up!

 

There was no way back for Coventry in the final 20 minutes. Their attackers just didn't have the quality required to break through a tough Daggers defence that Gomes and Walters held together brilliantly. There was no way McGhee could outsmart me this time around!

 

Coventry City - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Torre pen54, Walters 69)

Premier League, Attendance 29,943 - POSITIONS: Coventry 19th, Dag & Red 3rd

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Álvarez (J Beadle), Gomes, Walters, Olvera, Jorgensen, Pereira, Knox, Lewandowski (Danchev), Johnathan, Merson (Torre). BOOKED: Lewandowski.

 

Raju Gomes was named 'man of the match' for a second successive game, which was a potentially seminal moment in the future of Dagenham & Redbridge's backline. With Michael Walters blossoming into a top-quality ball-playing defender, Nathan Guppy proving to be an inspirational signing, and now Gomes making his mark, things weren't looking good for George Darvill. It seemed that arguably Dagenham & Redbridge's greatest ever player was now merely the fourth-best central defender at the club.

 

Was King George's proud reign at Rainham Road coming towards an end?

[CFuller]

JANUARY 2043 (continued)

I spent my Saturday evening in rainy Romford, watching Dagenham & Redbridge's reserves play Roma in the UEFA Youth League Quarter Final. Our rising stars' European run continued, with Odain Allen scoring two goals either side of a lethal header from Gary Bannon in a 3-0 win over the Giallorossi. Either Manchester United or Real Madrid would await us in next month's Semi Final.

 

Earlier in the day, Manchester City stumbled in the Premier League again, conceding a late Rolando Sánchez winner at Liverpool. That meant we would go above City into 2nd place if we won on Sunday afternoon... against the runaway leaders.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge vs Arsenal was a true battle between two irresistible forces. We were unbeaten in our last 15 Premier League matches, Arsenal in their previous 16. If we could break the Gunners' record at Rainham Road, we would move to within four points of top spot and breathe new life into the title race. A home defeat, on the other hand, would surely crush our championship dreams for another season.

 

Two much-loved midfielders were back in the Dagenham matchday squad for this titanic tussle, as Lee Allen and Orlando Salvador took their places on the bench after recent injuries. Orlando had only just resumed full training four months after breaking his foot, so I would take my time bedding our captain into the team again.

 

18 January 2043: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Arsenal

After just two minutes, Arsenal right-back Sebastian Beck sent a deep cross into our penalty area. He almost found left-winger Eddie Plumley, but Dagenham captain Nathan Guppy intercepted the cross just in time and head it clear.

 

From the ninth minute, though, we began to pose a real threat to the league leaders. Plumley shoved Frédéric Pereira 25 yards from the Arsenal goal to concede a free-kick, which Gianfranco Torre curled into the hands of goalkeeper Marat Lepilov. The Gunners' Russian custodian made another catch a minute later, this time from a header by Antonis Siafos.

 

Our two frontmen would link up for another promising attack in the 15th minute. Siafos got in front of Arsenal midfielder Miguel Ángel Martínez to flick Milen Danchev's right-wing cross on to Torre, who volleyed past Lepilov from point-blank range! 1-0!

 

A minute later, the wounded tiger roared back with a vengeance. Gunners winger Juan Martín Díaz whipped the ball to the back post from the right flank, and Plumley threw himself at it to get a diving header on target. Kayo Rowe made a determined block, but the Daggers goalie didn't have a hope of saving striker Javier Montenegro's quick follow-up.

 

Undeterred, we looked to restore our lead in the 19th minute. Pereira passed up an opportunity to go for goal by playing a free-kick short to Mirko Saric, who dribbled into the box himself and then fizzed a shot inches wide. Another of Frédi's set-pieces ended in disappointment after 27 minutes, when Michael Walters headed the Frenchman's corner at Lepilov, who pushed it wide.

 

Pereira then lost his cool after 32 minutes, cynically felling Plumley near the touchline to earn himself a yellow card. Díaz lifted the subsequent free-kick into our box, but he didn't put enough power into it, allowing Walters to intercept. We soon pushed deep into the Arsenal half, and Frédi tore the visitors apart with a devastating through-ball. Left-winger Hicham Martin then stabbed in just his third Daggers goal at the near post to put us 2-1 ahead!

 

Two minutes later, in the 35th minute, our home fans' delight grew further. Arsenal stopper Jhon Jairo Pena tackled Saric off the ball, but he could only knock it on to Kenneth Jorgensen, whose first-time ball unlocked the Gunners defence again. This time, Torre received the ball and drilled in the goal that secured his brace.

 

Arsenal boss Thomas O'Ware was clearly rattled, as he made his first substitute almost immediately after falling 3-1 behind. Replacing midfielder Roberto Bartlett with a second striker in Paolo De Vecchi couldn't bring about a change in fortunes, though. By the 40th minute, we were 4-1 up, with Guppy having risen above Montenegro to flick a first-time Danchev delivery into the net from just outside the six-yard box!

 

Arsenal were not handling our high-octane attacking game well. Even so, it was completely beyond my wildest dreams that we would go into half-time leading by 5 goals to 1! That was just what happened in the last few seconds of first-half regulation time. Saric lifted a delightful ball on to Siafos, who flicked it into Jorgensen's pass near the Gunners 'D'. Kenny came under pressure from centre-backs Pena and Álvaro José, but he managed to slide the ball to Franco, who blasted in his hat-trick goal!

 

Unfortunately, Jorgensen had bruised his thigh in the process of setting up that goal, and he had to be substituted just before the break. Torre wouldn't return for the second half either, as his job was well and truly done.

 

With Lee Allen and Stevie Merson replacing two of our most established players, you could perhaps understand why we weren't quite in such scintillating form in the second half. Indeed, the onus was now on our defence to retain as much of our four-goal advantage as possible.

 

The Arsenal onslaught began in the 48th minute, with Díaz attempting to drill a cross to his Argentine countryman Montenegro at the near post. Raju Gomes brilliantly slid it behind to concede a Díaz corner, which the Indian centre-half then intercepted. Moments later, Rowe produced similar heroics to push away a daisy-cutter from Martínez.

 

Pereira came within inches of putting us 6-1 up on 53 minutes, flighting a free-kick inches over Lepilov's bar. Four minutes later, Frédi lobbed a superb ball ahead of Lee, who fired it against the upright. Allen then had another near-miss in the 60th minute, cracking his free-kick just off target after Plumley had clattered into Pereira.

 

I made my final substitution after 64 minutes, with Saric leaving the field to make room for the returning Orlando Salvador. The Portuguese playmaker received a standing ovation from the Rainham Road faithful as he made his first appearance since September. Sadly, it wouldn't be a fairytale comeback for Orlando, who had three excellent shots saved by Lepilov.

 

After 66 minutes, Martin collected our second yellow card for persistent fouling, with the tipping point being a push on De Vecchi. Three minutes after that, Hicham conceded the corner that would lead to Arsenal pulling a goal back. Montenegro towered over the onrushing Rowe to meet Díaz's cross with a bullet header, which made it 5-2.

 

Surprisingly, there wouldn't be any more scoring chances for the Gunners, who quickly gave up on the fightback and resorted to damage limitation. Our gameplan had worked perfectly, and the full-time whistle confirmed that the Premier League leaders' run of 16 matches without losing was no more!

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 5 (Torre 15,35,45, Martin 33, Guppy 40)

Arsenal - 2 (Montenegro 16,69)

Premier League, Attendance 26,722 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 2nd, Arsenal 1st

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Guppy, Gomes, Walters, Danchev, Pereira, Jorgensen (L Allen), Martin, Saric (Salvador), Torre (Merson), Siafos. BOOKED: Pereira, Martin.

 

What a massive result that was! Just look at the league table!

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.          Arsenal                22    16    4     2     51    14    +37   52
2.          Dag & Red              22    14    6     2     39    14    +25   48
3.          Man City               23    15    2     6     49    20    +29   47
4.          Rochdale               23    13    4     6     27    20    +7    43
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.          Man Utd                23    12    5     6     45    18    +27   41
6.          West Ham               22    11    7     4     38    23    +15   40

 

Four points. That wasn't a lot to make up when you considered that we were as many as 13 adrift of Arsenal earlier in the season. As long as we kept up our remarkable form, that elusive first league title was still very much on the cards.

 

We would need to put in another strong performance in midweek, when we visited Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux. This was our game in hand on the three Mancunian clubs below us, so another win would help tighten our grip on 2nd place. Meanwhile, an Arsenal team still seething from their last result played host to West Ham United, who had their sights on returning to the top four.

 

21 January 2043: Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Fresh from demolishing the leaders, we set about taking our next game to mid-table Wolves. Unfortunately for us, home goalkeeper Ben Perk put up a strong fight early on. The American caught a third-minute long-ranger from Kamil Lewandowski and then tipped over a free-kick from Eric Knox eight minutes later.

 

When Wolves began to attack us in the 14th minute, Daggers skipper Nathan Guppy responded with a crunching tackle on their star striker Hasney Mitchell. As Mitchell writhed on the field in apparent agony (he turned out to be absolutely fine), Nathan got a stern telling-off and a booking from the referee.

 

Another Dagenham defender would receive some stern words in the 15th minute... from me. After easing the ball off Wanderers winger Emiliano Colman deep in our area, right-back Enrique Álvarez tried to square it to goalkeeper Kayo Rowe. What he didn't notice was that Wolves striker Radenko Kostic was on the prowl. Kostic cut out Enrique's pass and knocked it against the post, but when Kayo fumbled at the rebound, his Serbian foe despatched it into the net.

 

As Álvarez rued his mistake, his team-mates set about correcting it. On 21 minutes, Daggers teenager Johnathan weighted a pass to his more experienced strike partner Gianfranco Torre, albeit via a deflection off Wanderers defender Jens Meertens. The Dutchman's touch took some power out of the ball, which Torre curled off target.

 

Franco's miss could have come back to haunt us in the 25th minute, when Colman sent an inswinging corner into our penalty area. Brazilian winger Ferreira flicked it goalwards, but Kayo's bar was all that denied Wolves a 2-0 advantage.

 

After 33 minutes, we punished the hosts by getting back level. After collecting a pass from Eric Knox on the edge of the area, Torre flummoxed the Wolves defence with a cheeky back-heel to Johnathan, whose shot just evaded Perk.

 

That goal had made it 1-1... but the stalemate would be broken within a couple of minutes. Once Lewandowski drilled a superb pass to Torre, the in-form Italian never looked like missing the 20-yard shot that followed. The match had turned on its head within two minutes!

 

We could've finished the half with another goal, in the 37th minute. Keen to atone for gifting Wolves their opener, Álvarez sent a centre towards Lewandowski, who was kept off the scoreboard by the upright. Kamil's Polish compatriot Janusz Blaszczyk then missed a chance to halve Wanderers' deficit, as did Mitchell. Although we were 2-1 ahead at half-time, I sensed that the match wasn't quite won.

 

During the break, I told my players to stay focussed and do whatever they could to stop Wolves from retaking the initiative. I also brought on Milen Danchev as a right-wing replacement for Álvarez, who'd played quite a few sloppy passes in the first half, even excluding that assist for Kostic. Milen justified that change in the 48th minute, bravely tackling the ball off Colman just as the Argentine was about to cut into our six-yard box.

 

The Dagenham defenders continued to keep Wolves from our door over the next few minutes, with Guppy excelling once again. We then sensed a counter-attacking opportunity in the 61st minute, and Johnathan's promising dribble towards goal was only halted by a foul from right-back Ben Clarke. Lewandowski took the resulting free-kick, hooking it inches wide.

 

Moments later, Knox intercepted a shockingly poor pass from Wanderers centre-half Radek Pilar to begin our next attack. Eric's central midfield partner Benjamin Guerin took the ball and squared it to the more advanced Kamil, who in turn fed Johnathan. The Brazilian wonderkid was going one-on-one with Perk until Meertens came in with a late sliding tackle, which inadvertently slid the ball into his own goal! 3-1 to the Daggers!

 

Things didn't get any better for the home team on 65 minutes, when Ferreira collided with Dagenham centre-half Michael Walters and broke his wrist. Replacement forward Vehbija Ljevakovic temporarily breathed new life into the Wolves attack, but the Molineux faithful would soon lose all hope.

 

Perk's excellent save from a banana shot by Knox in the 69th minute merely delayed our fourth goal by another 60 seconds or so. A string of quick passes from Knox, Johnathan and Lewandowski ended with Torre lashing in his sixth goal in three matches!

 

Wolves did try to salvage more pride in the final 20 minutes, only to find Rowe in excellent form. Kayo parried a shot from Colman in the 74th minute, and then produced lightning-quick reactions to stop an effort from substitute winger Geoff Hawkins just seconds later. England's number 1 also saved an 83rd-minute header by Ljevakovic to ensure that we won 4-1. Ironically, that was the same score Wolves had beaten us by in the League Cup when we'd last played at Molineux back in October.

 

Wolverhampton Wanderers - 1 (Kostic 15)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 4 (Johnathan 33, Torre 35,70, Meertens og61)

Premier League, Attendance 30,300 - POSITIONS: Wolves 13th, Dag & Red 2nd

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Guppy, Darvill, Walters, Álvarez (Danchev), Guerin, Knox (Salvador), Martin (Olvera), Lewandowski, Torre, Johnathan. BOOKED: Guppy.

 

Arsenal made light work of West Ham United, thrashing them 3-0 to stay four points clear. That said, we had let the Gunners know that we were firmly on their case.

[CFuller]

JANUARY 2043 (continued)

As the final week of the transfer window began, a couple of reserve players returned to Dagenham from loan spells. Midfielder Ken Burton had made steady progress at Wrexham in League One, but winger Matty Maddison's season-long stint at Ceské Budejovice was cut short over a lack of gametime in the Czech Republic. Matty's contract would expire in the summer, and he was running out of time to earn a renewal.

 

Things were looking rather brighter for Denmark Under-21s striker Peter Mikkelsen. Though he was still a long way off becoming a first-team regular, his performances in the League Cup and for the reserve team had shown promise. When Espanyol offered to loan Peter until the end of the season, I saw it as an opportunity for him to gain invaluable top-flight experience in La Liga.

 

Meanwhile, attacking midfielder Dzenan Genjac resumed training after nearly four months out with a broken foot - his worst injury yet in a career that had been ravaged by them. I was now ready to entertain offers for the fragile Croatia international. Juventus started the bidding at £20million, but I was holding out for a bit more than that.

 

Striker Elliot Cook was also back from injury, but the home match against Tottenham Hotspur came just too soon for him to resume competitive action. Our early exit from the FA Cup meant that we had a full week to prepare for Spurs, who were 19th in the table and on a five-game losing streak. Mind you, that was not an excuse for us to take Mitch Beckett's team lightly - not at all.

 

28 January 2043: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Tottenham Hotspur

I lined my team up in a diamond and gave young striker Stevie Merson yet another opportunity to score his first Premier League goal this season. Stevie could've got it within the opening minute, but Tottenham goalkeeper Eric Howell parried a promising shot back to him, and the follow-up found the side netting. Midfielders Kamil Lewandowski and Frédéric Pereira also missed early chances for the Daggers.

 

In the seventh minute, right-back and captain Enrique Álvarez cut past Spurs' vice-captain Adilson Ramos as he entered the box and had a crack at goal. He too would be thwarted by Howell - a former England Under-21s international who was just beginning to establish himself at Tottenham. Howell continued to show coolness beyond his 22 years in the 16th minute, catching a swerving shot from Pereira. Whatever we tried was just not getting past him.

 

When Spurs created their first scoring chance on 20 minutes, you could probably guess what happened next. Scotland full-back Ramos sent a pinpoint long throw into the box for Montenegro striker Andrija Lazic, who got above both Juan Esteban Olvera and George Darvill to head it home.

 

Tottenham had stolen a 1-0 lead, and they could've grabbed another goal in the 29th minute. Shortly after intercepting a couple of deliveries from visiting right-back Mateus, Dagenham centre-half Raju Gomes let his concentration slip while marking striker Liam Baldwin. Lazic sidefooted a first-time pass to the Tottenham captain, who shrugged off Gomes and smashed a shot against the post. Kayo Rowe was caught out by the initial strike, but he still gathered the ball before Baldwin could convert the rebound.

 

Our last chance of the first period was a poor long-ranger in the 31st minute from Merson, which Howell caught easily. Dutch winger John Eekman then had two unsuccessful attempts to double Spurs' lead before Daggers midfielder Benjamin Guerin gave them another lifeline on the stroke of half-time. A slack pass by Beni in our box was volleyed towards goal by Lazic, but Kayo's catch prevented us from slipping further towards a rare league defeat.

 

Guerin, Olvera and Merson were all replaced at half-time as I switched to a 3-4-1-2, with the in-form Gianfranco Torre amongst those who came on. Having used all my substitutions in one fell swoop, I expected a quick response. Set-piece specialist Eric Knox sent a free-kick just over the bar in the 48th minute, while Lewandowski tested Howell from distance four minutes later.

 

Things started to go pear-shaped for us again on 55 minutes. Álvarez frustratedly pulled Ramos to ground on the edge of the Tottenham area and was booked. A minute later, substitute centre-half Michael Walters' shove on Lazic gave away another free-kick, which the Montenegrin curled into Rowe's hands.

 

Then, on 57 minutes, Kayo had his worst moment yet. Spurs left-winger Boris Vranic let a long punt from Howell bounce before flicking it over our defence and into the Dagenham area. Rowe rushed off his line to try and meet the ball, but Baldwin got there first and shinned it across an unguarded goal line. Ten days after destroying Arsenal, we found ourselves 2-0 down at home to their seemingly much weaker rivals!

 

Desperation took hold of us over the next few minutes. Knox, Lewandowski, Torre and Álvarez all missed the net with audacious shots from outside the penalty box. Add to those a minor injury to Siafos - sustained in a tackle from Wayne Davison in the 63rd minute - and you could perhaps understand why I was starting to lose faith.

 

Mind you, we weren't undefeated in 17 Premier League games for nothing. When Torre nodded in an excellent corner from Knox in the 72nd minute, we pulled the scoreline back to 2-1 and kept alive our hopes of extending that run further.

 

Five minutes later, Eric helped us to get the ball past his Tottenham namesake for a second time. The Canadian box-to-box midfielder intercepted a clearance from Ramos and played in Siafos, whose daisy-cutter squirmed underneath Howell! From out of nowhere, we'd got ourselves level at 2-2!

 

Both teams had opportunities to score late winners, with Spurs going first. In the 86th minute, Rowe brilliantly caught a left-wing cross from Boris Vranic just before it could find either a lurking Baldwin or even the net. Two minutes later, Kayo's opposite number Howell - who would be named 'man of the match' at full-time - watched Franco overpower a shot that could've turned our deficit into a 3-2 win. Mind you, in the circumstances, I was relieved that we managed to take even a single point.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Torre 72, Siafos 77)

Tottenham Hotspur - 2 (Lazic 20, Baldwin 57)

Premier League, Attendance 26,614 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 2nd, Tottenham 19th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Álvarez, Gomes, Darvill, Olvera (Martin), Guerin (Walters), Pereira, Knox, Lewandowski, Siafos, Merson (Torre). BOOKED: Álvarez.

 

The best teams find ways out of difficult situations. While that spirited late fightback only got us a draw in a match that we arguably should have won very comfortably, it could have been a whole lot worse.

 

Significantly, though, Arsenal couldn't take advantage of our failure to beat their North London rivals. They only managed a 0-0 draw against Blackburn Rovers, with neither team managing a single shot on target in one of the worst Premier League matches in recent history!

 

The gap between us and top spot therefore remained at four points as we headed into our final match of the month. Having beaten Derby County at Rainham Road earlier in January, we attempted to repeat the dose at Pride Park. The returns of Elliot Cook and captain Orlando Salvador to our starting line-up would surely only help matters.

 

31 January 2043: Derby County vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Our returning stars didn't enjoy the best of starts at Pride Park. Orlando Salvador was dubiously booked after just two minutes after apparently barging Derby winger Joby Lyons in the back. A couple of minutes later, Elliot Cook ran onto a lovely pass from Lee Allen, only to pull it past the far post.

 

Centre-half Michael Walters had wasted a scoring opportunity earlier on, flicking Eric Knox's corner against the post. In the fifth minute, the young Welshman had a moment to forget in his own penalty area. Derby striker Mauro Barzaghi flew past Michael to carry Finnish left-back Ntesang Phiri's cross over the goal line.

 

Watching us concede the first goal for a third game in a row was painful enough. It got worse still after nine minutes, when Salvador was tackled by Rams midfielder Brian Slabber and collapsed with all the grace of Bambi. We could see clearly from the touchline that Orlando had twisted sharply on his ankle and couldn't continue. Frédéric Pereira came on in his place, and Nathan Guppy took on the captaincy once again.

 

Things weren't exactly going to plan for Cook either. Elliot had a fine equalising chance when he took the ball past Derby centre-half Karl Marsh on 24 minutes, but he skied it over the bar. Five minutes later, his header from a cross by left-back Juan Esteban Olvera hit the post.

 

In the 39th minute, though, Cookie's luck turned. Pereira intercepted a County free-kick from Lyons and flicked it on to Olvera, who then dribbled into the centre circle. As Derby's players rushed back, Juanes sent the ball out right to Elliot, who made a beeline for goal and blasted in an irresistible 25-yard shot!

 

Our homegrown frontman was now full of beans, and he could've scored again on 42 minutes from a fine pass by Torre. Frederik Bisgaard denied him on that occasion, but Cookie's next shot three minutes later would leave the Rams' Danish goalkeeper standing. Elliot ran onto a well-weighted lob from Eric and then scored another screamer for 2-1! Strangely, our attacking coaches had recently been training Cook to prioritise accurately placing his shots over blasting them into the net, but we certainly weren't complaining!

 

If Derby thought the half-time break had disrupted Cook's momentum, they would have to think again in the 48th minute. Upon receiving another excellent pass from Knox, he again sprinted past ex-Burnley and Chelsea defender Marsh before hammering the ball into Bisgaard's top-left corner! Elliot was at the treble, and we now led 3-1!

 

Derby responded by replacing striker Barzaghi with midfielder Vladica Pavlovic, leaving leading scorer Yassine Allali on his lonesome up front... but the 6ft 9in Belgian behemoth didn't mind. In the 52nd minute, he towered over Guppy and headed in a Lyons cross at the back stick to reduce our lead to 3-2. Game on again.

 

Dagenham midfielder Kenneth Jorgensen looked to push Derby back again in the 59th minute, going for goal from 30 yards out. As Kenny was not Elliot, the ball perhaps unsurprisingly soared over the bar. Derby brought their own Danish dynamo in forward Nikolaj Gyldenohr in the 64th minute, and they would win quite a few corners over the next few minutes. We resolutely defended against all of them, with Guppy and Olvera excelling especially.

 

Having resisted the Rams' advantage, we looked to deliver the final blow in stoppage time. Jorgensen lifted a super 45-yard pass up to Cook, who got beyond Phiri and then attempted to beat Bisgaard for a fourth time. Though the ball swerved wide, it didn't matter, as Elliot's excellent hat-trick was enough to earn us a 14th win from 19 unbeaten Premier League matches!

 

Derby County - 2 (Barzaghi 5, Allali 52)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (Cook 39,45,48)

Premier League, Attendance 31,355 - POSITIONS: Derby 14th, Dag & Red 2nd

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Danchev (Álvarez), Guppy, Walters, Olvera, Jorgensen, L Allen, Knox (Saric), Salvador (Pereira), Cook, Torre. BOOKED: Salvador.

 

My relief at having scraped to another league victory would turn into delight a few hours later. Arsenal had toiled to another goalless draw - this time at home to Southampton - and they were now only two points ahead of us! For the first time this season, I really believed that we could become Premier League champions!

 

However, we would have to push on without Orlando Salvador. The Portugal playmaker already lost four months to a broken foot, and he would now miss another two or three with a broken ankle. Our captain and talisman's entire campaign had basically been written off.

 

The good news was that I still had another 48 hours to weigh up my transfer options and possibly draft in a replacement. This deadline day really would be make or break (no pun intended, Orlando).

[CFuller]

Premier League Table (End of January 2043)

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.          Arsenal                25    17    6     2     54    14    +40   57
2.          Dag & Red              25    16    7     2     48    19    +29   55
3.          Man City               25    17    2     6     55    21    +34   53
4.          Rochdale               25    13    6     6     28    21    +7    45
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.          Man Utd                24    13    5     6     49    20    +29   44
6.          West Ham               25    11    8     6     42    32    +10   41
7.          Norwich                25    11    5     9     39    33    +6    38
8.          Southampton            25    10    8     7     31    28    +3    38
9.          West Brom              24    11    2     11    37    39    -2    35
10.         Nottm Forest           25    9     5     11    31    38    -7    32
11.         Chelsea                24    8     5     11    28    36    -8    29
12.         Wolves                 24    8     5     11    36    48    -12   29
13.         Liverpool              24    8     4     12    31    37    -6    28
14.         Derby                  25    8     4     13    32    41    -9    28
15.         Everton                25    7     6     12    34    49    -15   27
16.         Blackburn              25    6     6     13    26    39    -13   24
17.         Fulham                 23    6     4     13    34    46    -12   22
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18.         Coventry               25    4     9     12    20    36    -16   21
19.         Tottenham              25    5     6     14    26    49    -23   21
20.         Sheff Utd              24    4     5     15    29    64    -35   17

 

[mark wilson27]

Well after a dodgy start its beginning to look pretty good. Maybe the Cup exit is helping

[CFuller]

19 hours ago, mark wilson27 said:

Well after a dodgy start its beginning to look pretty good. Maybe the Cup exit is helping

I think the wins over City and Arsenal were more helpful, actually... 

But yes, I get what you're saying. Going out of both domestic cups early has allowed us to concentrate on the league. While I wouldn't mind winning the Champions League for a second time, the Premier League will be top priority from hereon.

[CFuller]

FEBRUARY 2043

Despite notching up an incredible SEVEN assists in January, Dagenham & Redbridge midfielder Eric Knox was not on the shortlist for the Premier League's Player of the Month award. However, two on-loan Daggers were in contention to be named Young Player of the Month. Nottingham Forest winger Alex Ketchell eventually took the prize, just pipping Coventry City forward Andrija Marjanovic.

 

Alex and Andrija were reaping the benefits of spending time out on loan, and a couple of our hottest teenage prospects would now begin their first secondments. Keeper Terry Brightly and striker Alfie Blackburn both went to Swansea City in League One until the end of the season. Another goalie - Martin King - had just returned from seven months in the third tier with Doncaster Rovers and was back in our reserve team.

 

On recent deadline days, that would've been about as exciting as things got at Rainham Road. This day was different, though, as two senior players left the club and were replaced.

 

The Dzenan Genjac saga came to an end when I accepted - with some regret - a £21million offer from Juventus for the Croatian attacking midfielder. Though Dzenan could most definitely dazzle when fully fit, the fact that he'd made 94 Premier League appearances in five years with the Daggers showed just how rarely he was in prime condition. In the end, I decided that - for all his ability - he simply wasn't worth keeping on.

 

If Juve can figure out how to cure Genjac's injury woes, they'll have an exceptional player on their hands. However, having torn his hamstring on four occasions before he was 23, I fear that he won't quite reach his full potential. There is a part of me that would love to be proven wrong.

 

Our other Croatia international was also leaving the Daggers. Left-winger Mirko Saric first joined us in 2036, and though he too could be a sublime creator on his day, he didn't have the consistency to hold down a first-team place. Valencia offered us £8.5million for the 23-year-old, and Mirko moved to Spain with my very best wishes.

 

Another left flanker - Hicham Martin - then informed me that he would not be renewing his contract at the end of the season. Hicham joined us from Rochdale three summers ago and had since broken into the England set-up. However, the 26-year-old Mancunian was not a regular starter at Dagenham, and he wanted to join a club that could guarantee him a more prominent role. I couldn't begrudge him for that.

 

I was now in the market for an attacking midfielder and a left-sided defensive winger. I could've got two-in-one when Manchester United agreed to sell their versatile England international Stuart Thompson for £40million. Alas, contract negotiations broke down due to Thompson's ridiculous wage demands - he wanted £135,000 per week, for goodness sake!

 

I then turned to my second choice, who - ironically - played for Valencia. Former England Under-21s midfielder Daniel Murdoch moved to the Nuevo Mestalla on a free transfer from Chelsea last summer. Daniel scored five goals and four goals in 19 La Liga appearances for Los Ches, but he lost his starting berth in December after manager Nebojsa Berak was sacked and replaced with Valentin Yershov.

 

When I heard that Murdoch had been made available for loan, I saw the flamboyant 27-year-old Londoner as a viable temporary replacement for the injured Orlando Salvador. We agreed to pay Valencia £4million to bring him to Rainham Road for the rest of the season.

 

My second signing also came from Spanish football. My hunt for a wideman who could be effective both defensively and offensively alerted me to a 27-year-old Chilean international at Real Valladolid, who were 7th in La Liga. This guy was exceptionally strong in the tackle, had plenty of crossing ability, and - like a typical Fuller player - he had a very high work rate. He was also hankering after a move to a major club.

 

I spent a couple of hours furiously negotiating a transfer fee with Valladolid's elderly sporting director Alberto Marcos. I initially offered £15million, and then gradually upped my bids after each rejection. I soon found out that Marcos was a very stubborn curmudgeon who would accept no less than €32million (£27.5million).

 

After negotiations ground to a halt, I spent the evening furiously scouring for an alternative, with no luck. 90 minutes before the transfer window closed, I called Marcos again to tell him, "€32million. Take it or leave it."

 

We now had permission to speak to the player, but contract talks were similarly convoluted. It wasn't until a few minutes before the deadline that we finally struck a deal - worth £85,000 per week over three-and-a-half years - that would make Leonardo Arrieta the most expensive signing in Dagenham & Redbridge history.

 

Less than 48 hours after that exhausting deadline day, there was more hard work to do. We put our 19-match unbeaten run in the Premier League on the line against 15th-placed Everton - the same club that had inflicted our last league defeat, way back in October. The 1-0 reverse still rankled with me exactly four months on, and I wanted to set the record straight at Goodison Park.

 

Murdoch and Arrieta were both excused from the visit to Merseyside, as they were recovering from minor injuries sustained the previous week. Our in-form duo of Knox and top scorer Gianfranco Torre were in action again, though, as we looked to keep the pressure on league leaders Arsenal, who'd thrashed Liverpool 4-0 the previous night.

 

4 February 2043: Everton vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Assist machine Eric Knox made an audacious attempt to find the net himself after just 17 seconds. The Canadian midfield playmaker tried a spectacular 30-yard drive, which flew comfortably over the crossbar.

 

Eric got in the thick of things again in the fourth minute, though he hurt himself quite badly in a robust tackle on Everton striker Ariel Grassi. He was still receiving treatment on the sidelines when the Toffees went for goal in the sixth minute. Left-back Jon Fleming weighted an excellent pass ahead of midfielder Carl Reynolds, whose shot was pushed away by Daggers keeper Kayo Rowe.

 

Eric soon returned to the field, sending a couple more shots off target in the 9th and 13th minutes. Strikers Gianfranco Torre and Antonis Siafos then tried their luck, each missing several chances to break the deadlock. The most glaring miss came from Siafos on 22 minutes, when Tony flicked wide a deep cross from Kenneth Jorgensen after the Dagenham playmaker had intercepted a poor throw from Fleming. A couple of minutes later, Knox mustered our first shot on target, which Reece Flemming caught.

 

I would be left annoyed again in the 25th and 28th minutes, when right-winger Milen Danchev and centre-half Michael Walters each received unnecessary bookings. Milen's crossing wasn't proving to be particularly effective against a resilient Everton defence led superbly by captain Dragoslav Bulatovic. It seemed that we would have to be a bit more measured in the second half if we weren't to leave Goodison Park disappointed.

 

Frédéric Pereira and Josh Beadle came on for the second period as I reverted to the 4-4-2 diamond. The half would begin encouragingly, with Knox thrice coming close to breaking the deadlock from free-kicks after fouls on Torre. Eric's attempts in the 48th and 58th minutes were tipped behind by Flemming, but another effort in the 52nd just cleared the crossbar.

 

Eventually, after 59 minutes, Everton cracked. After centre-half Chris Keown cleared the ball out of their penalty area, Reynolds tried to nod it to his midfield partner Benny Friis. That was when Torre tirelessly rushed back to intercept the header, flicking it back into the box. As the bemused Toffees defenders wondered what they should do, Siafos stroked the ball into their net and broke the deadlock! That one goal proved to be just what we needed to take control of proceedings.

 

We added a second goal after 66 minutes, with Knox getting his EIGHTH assist of what was already turning into an incredible 2043. Eric's inswinging corner caught Everton off guard, and Daggers captain Nathan Guppy volleyed it home for a 2-0 lead!

 

Another seven minutes passed, and then we went looking for a third goal. Josh's pass into the area was knocked on first-time by Franco to Tony, who was only denied his brace by a deft parry from Flemming. There would be no goal for Knox on Merseyside, as he missed another long-ranger in the 89th minute after being booked in the 78th minute for tripping Everton right-back Marco Becker. Nonetheless, it was very much job done for the Daggers.

 

Everton - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Siafos 59, Guppy 66)

Premier League, Attendance 37,713 - POSITIONS: Everton 15th, Dag & Red 2nd

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Guppy, Darvill, Walters (Pereira), Danchev, Jorgensen, Guerin (J Beadle), Martin (Olvera), Knox, Torre, Siafos. BOOKED: Danchev, Walters, Knox.

 

While our Premier League challenge was still going strong, our reserve team's UEFA Youth League adventure came to a sad end in Spain the following evening. A thrilling Semi Final against Real Madrid finished with the scores level at 2-2, but Ebenezer Agyemang and John Bond each missed penalties in a 4-3 shoot-out loss for the Daggers.

 

There was more disappointment the next morning, when Frédéric Pereira was found to have sustained a hip injury. The tenacious Frenchman would have to visit a specialist to treat the injury, which would keep him out for two months. Though we had plenty of adequate cover for Frédi, losing a player of his quality is always a blow.

 

Saturday afternoon did not bring any more heartache. In fact, it brought plenty of joy when Stephen Walsh's 69th-minute winner for West Bromwich Albion condemned Arsenal to a shock 1-0 defeat.

 

That was a massive result. If we could beat the Baggies' Black Country rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday, Dagenham & Redbridge would go top of the Premier League by a single point.

 

Rainham Road was hit with torrential rain throughout Sunday afternoon, but the atrocious conditions actually suited the direct attacking game we'd adopted through much of the season. Elliot Cook and Gianfranco Torre would lead the attack, with Daniel Murdoch making his Daggers debut just behind them. New record signing Leonardo Arrieta was on the bench, as he was still not in prime physical condition.

 

8 February 2043: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Wolverhampton Wanderers

You might remember that Radenko Kostic scored the opening goal for Wolves when we last played them at Molineux a couple of weeks earlier. The Serbian hotshot almost did so again nine minutes after kick-off at Rainham Road. Kostic skipped past Daggers defender Michael Walters and bore down on goal, but the wind blew his shot against the post before Enrique Álvarez cleared it behind.

 

After surviving the subsequent corner, we launched our first attacks. Eric Knox couldn't hit the target in the 15th minute, but another Dagenham midfielder would soon have better luck. Daniel Murdoch ran onto a square pass from target man Gianfranco Torre and attempted to beat Wolves goalie Ben Perk from a tight angle. Though Perk parried the initial shot, our new loanee stroked in the rebound for a superb debut goal!

 

Torre tried to double our lead on 20 minutes, but his powerful effort skidded across the wet surface and went well wide. Franco's strike partner Elliot Cook did at least hit the target in the 27th minute, though he didn't seriously trouble Perk after knocking the ball past Wanderers defender Jens Meertens.

 

Wolves won three corners over the next few minutes, but they couldn't make the most of them. In addition, the likes of striker Vehbija Ljevakovic and captain Janusz Blaszczyk missed attempts on goal, giving Rowe hardly anything to worry about.

 

We would end the first half on the front foot again, with Perk having to save a banana shot from Murdoch in the 36th minute and a long-range strike from Knox in the 41st. If we could keep the pressure on our opponents in the second period, there would surely only be one winner.

 

As expected, we did keep it up in the second half, stretching our lead to 2-0 after 47 minutes. Mind you, we did benefit from a mistake by Wolves' ex-England midfielder Ben Clarke. Murdoch was dribbling towards goal when Clarke slid the ball from Daniel's feet... and into his own penalty area. Cook then used his pace to beat both Perk and Meertens to the loose ball, which he blasted into a gaping net!

 

We were soon in danger of running riot, with Murdoch continuing to cause Wanderers problems. He couldn't quite pull off a half-volley in the 50th minute, though subsequent shots in the 54th and 63rd minute did give Perk extra work to do. Meanwhile, the referee cautioned both captains - Blaszczyk and Guppy - for their respective fouls on Knox and Ljevakovic.

 

After 64 minutes, Wolves went for broke by replacing right-back Leon Walsh with energetic midfielder Declan Facey. The Welshman reinvigorated his team's attack almost immediately, and when he cut out a sloppy pass from Dagenham defender George Darvill three minutes later, home fans feared the worst. Facey went face-to-face with Rowe... and it was Kayo who came out on top, pushing the shot wide! Wolves would come to rue missing such a clear-cut opportunity.

 

Darvill quickly bounced back from his potentially costly error, helping to limit the hosts to only a couple more shots at goal. Blaszczyk missed them both - from considerable distances - in the 81st and 88th minutes. Though Torre and Cook could've put us further ahead in the latter stages, we wouldn't need any further goals. Two were enough to stretch our unbeaten Premier League record to 21 matches, and - more importantly - put us at the summit!

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Murdoch 15, Cook 47)

Wolverhampton Wanderers - 0

Premier League, Attendance 26,707 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 1st, Wolves 13th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Guppy, Darvill, Walters, Álvarez (Danchev), Jorgensen, Knox (Lewandowski), Martin, Murdoch (L Allen), Torre, Cook. BOOKED: Guppy.

 

With 11 games to go, Dagenham & Redbridge were now in the Premier League's driving seat. We had actually been in a strong position last season before chucking it into the fire. This time, though, we didn't look like a team that could choke. We were truly convinced that we could go all the way.

[CFuller]

FEBRUARY 2043 (continued)

In the previous two seasons, mid-February had been a rather busy time for us. We had plenty of cup games to occupy us and build up some more momentum heading into the final three months of the campaign.

 

This season, things were different. We had sacrificed the domestic cups to concentrate on our pursuits of the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League. After the home win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, we had a fortnight-and-a-half to prepare for our next challenges.

 

Training over those two weeks went well, and I could feel that the recent improvements our new owners had made to the facilities were having a real impact. As far as I was concerned, we looked sharper than ever.

 

Some of the lads played in reserve matches to help keep their match fitness up. Unfortunately, teenage midfielder Josh Beadle twisted his knee in a home win over Brighton & Hove Albion and was subsequently ruled out for the rest of the month. With Dzenan Genjac gone, I really hope Josh hasn't taken on his mantle as the squad's resident 'sicknote'.

 

Our break from competition ended on 24 February, when we resumed our UEFA Champions League campaign in the Round of 16. Barcelona arrived at Rainham Road for the first leg having won their last six matches in La Liga. While we had fond memories of beating a weaker Barca side home-and-away in the UEFA Europa League four seasons ago, this would be a much tougher proposition.

 

Leonardo Arrieta made his Daggers debut in this match, with the Chilean left flanker setting out to pay back the first chunk of his record £27.5million fee. Arrieta had played for Real Valladolid in the Europa League earlier this season, and our other deadline day signing Daniel Murdoch had featured in the same competition while at Valencia. I could only register one of them for the Champions League knockout rounds, and so I plumped for Leo.

 

24 February 2043: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Barcelona

Leonardo Arrieta took barely a minute to send the Dagenham fans into raptures. An excellent cross into the Barcelona area looped over centre-half Patricio Bogado and was then lashed into the net by Gianfranco Torre. However, the linesman had spotted that Franco was offside when Leo swung the ball in, and the goal was ruled out.

 

Torre missed the target with each of his next chances - a 6th-minute half-volley from Elliot Cook's flick-on, and a 12th-minute free-kick. Cook did threaten the goal in the 9th minute, but Barca goalkeeper Dawid Wisniewski got just enough of the fingertips to the ball to push it behind.

 

On 17 minutes, Dagenham playmaker Kenneth Jorgensen hoisted a long ball deep into the Barca half for Cook. Elliot then chipped it to Franco, who knocked it down for attacking midfielder Kamil Lewandowski to run onto. The evergreen Pole then half-volleyed in a superb opening goal!

 

Arrieta tried to double our lead by winning a penalty in the 22nd minute, going down under a tame challenge from Bogado just inside the visitors' box. The referee didn't fall for the Chilean's dive and brought out his yellow card. Three minutes later, Barcelona's front two began to cause problems. Tom Green squared a pass across our area for Gennaro Longobardi, but Daggers keeper Kayo Rowe produced an even better save to thwart the Italian.

 

We were back on the attack after 27 minutes, when Cookie tried to chip Wisniewski from 20 yards out. He couldn't quite pull it off, chipping the post before Barcelona captain Gilles Causse cleared. Torre and Cook then forced further saves out of Wisniewski as we continued to push forward. Unfortunately, in the 38th minute, we pushed ourselves too far forward.

 

Kamil was tackled off the ball mid-dribble by Barca left-back Marcelo Villar, who knocked it through our defence for Green to run onto. Rowe charged from his line to try and stop Green, leaving a gaping net for the Canadian striker to drill a cool shot into. The Spaniards had got a potentially vital away goal and levelled the scores.

 

Dagenham's strikers set out to reinstate our advantage early in the second half. In the 51st minute, Cook had a shot blocked by Causse, who was playing on despite twisting his knee late in the first period. A minute later, Lewandowski shrugged off a sliding tackle from Barcelona midfielder Alex in the penalty area. He then played the ball short to Torre, who agonisingly swerved his shot against the far post.

 

Franco would enjoy better luck in front of goal after 60 minutes. Young Daggers midfielder Benjamin Guerin expertly sliced the ball through Barca's backline to pick out Torre in the 'D'. The ruthless Roman powered home his 16th goal of the season, and we were back ahead with half an hour to go!

 

The visitors' first attempt at getting another equaliser came a couple of minutes later, but Bogado could only nod Spain winger Walter Candido's corner over the bar. Barcelona boss Adria Carmona later brought on another Brazilian-born wideman in Evair Soares, who tested Rowe from 20 yards in the 75th minute. Shortly after that, Kayo was very relieved to see Candido fire a through-ball from Green inches wide.

 

Wisniewski then produced a couple of fine saves to prevent Lewandowski and Daggers substitute Johnathan from giving us a two-goal cushion. I could sense those saves would be significant... and so it proved in the 84th minute.

 

Lee Allen had just come into our midfield to replace Jorgensen, who had recently been booked for tripping Soares. Lee would also find the 24-year-old Brazilian too hot to handle. Soares weaved past Allen twice on his way into the box, where he cut a clinical low shot past Rowe for 2-2.

 

Barcelona were reduced to 10 men in the 89th minute, when substitute striker Javier Estévez gashed his leg in a full-blooded challenge from Allen. His departure came just too late to make a real difference on the outcome of a thrilling four-goal draw.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Lewandowski 17, Torre 60)

Barcelona - 2 (Green 38, Soares 84)

UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Leg 1, Attendance 26,772

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Guppy, Gomes, Walters, Danchev, Jorgensen (L Allen), Guerin, Arrieta (Olvera), Lewandowski, Torre, Cook (Johnathan). BOOKED: Arrieta, Jorgensen.

 

Those two away goals could well go on to bite us in the backside. They basically meant that we had to beat Barcelona at the Nou Camp three weeks later to reach the Quarter Finals... but we'd done that before, so I was still hopeful.

 

I also fancied our chances of extending our unbeaten streak in the Premier League to 22 matches on Saturday. To do that, we would need to take a point or three away from Craven Cottage - the home of 17th-placed Fulham. As Arsenal had narrowly beaten Chelsea 1-0 in the early kick-off, only a victory would move us back into top spot.

 

28 February 2043: Fulham vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Fulham were first to attack amid treacherous rain in west London. Portuguese midfielder Emanuel Fonseca's shot in the second minute almost slipped past Kayo Rowe, but the Dagenham goalkeeper palmed it away. Fulham captain Raúl Gomes then set himself up to square the ball back to his compatriot Fonseca... until Daggers counterpart Nathan Guppy made a vital saving tackle.

 

In the seventh minute, left-winger Leonardo Arrieta began our first attack with a deep cross to Antonis Siafos in the Fulham box. Siafos' header was just about caught by Luka Jishiashvili, and luck would desert him again five minutes later. After Gianfranco Torre's long-range free-kick came back off the bar, Tony was just beaten to the rebound by Cottagers midfielder Armand Beqiri, whose trip on Daniel Murdoch had given the free-kick away in the first place.

 

Then, after 14 minutes, Fulham struck the first blow. Centre-forward Milan Curcic squared a pass to right-winger Alberto Lovera, who tried to return the favour. George Darvill managed to get a block in for the Daggers, but Fonseca smashed home the rebound.

 

Torre was denied a swift equaliser in the 18th minute, as Jishiashvili pushed the Italian's close-range drive wide after another promising cross from Arrieta. Eight minutes later, though, our new record signing played a part in us drawing level. After Leo was scythed down on the touchline by Fulham right-back Bradie Goodchild, our own right-flanker lifted a free-kick into the box. Siafos took full advantage of Enrique Álvarez's delightful delivery, heading it beyond Jishiashvili!

 

We then had a great chance to go 2-1 up on 33 minutes. Álvarez went on a solo run towards the area before playing a slide-rule pass to Arrieta, who went down to ground after another badly-timed challenge from Goodchild. We were awarded a penalty, which Siafos fired confidently to Jishiashvili's left. The Georgian guessed correctly, and so our second goal was delayed... for another minute.

 

After Fulham failed to effectively clear Benjamin Guerin's corner, Darvill got the ball back into the danger zone. Murdoch's low shot looked like it would beat Jishiashvili, but Daggers defender Michael Walters knocked it in just to make sure that we did go ahead!

 

Daniel could perhaps be excused for feeling annoyed that his moment had been taken from him. Two minutes later, he put his frustrations into a powerful drive from Kenneth Jorgensen's excellent pass, beating Jishiashvili to double our lead! Murdoch had now scored in each of his first two Daggers appearances!

 

Fulham could've got it back to 3-2 on 37 minutes, when Darvill made heavy work of a cross by their left-back Emmanuel Hlela. Beqiri volleyed the clearance back towards goal, but the deftest of touches from Rowe's outstretched left hand diverted it against his crossbar!

 

Barely a minute later, a Daggers counter-attack cut Fulham open for the fourth time. Jorgensen got his second assist after an excellent square pass to Siafos, whose second goal completed one of our best five-minute spells this season! We had got ourselves from 1-1 to 4-1 ahead, and that was surely enough to put us back on top! Surely?

 

An early second-half goal from Fulham could've changed the outcome of the match. We were rather lucky, then, that Curcic headed a deep cross from Hlela just over the bar two minutes after the restart. A couple of minutes after that, Jishiashvili produced a strong save to stop Siafos from getting his hat-trick and putting the game well and truly beyond the Cottagers' reach.

 

Both teams missed several shots over the next few minutes, with Fulham's shooting looking particularly woeful. Portugal playmaker Catatau completely mishit an effort in the 59th minute after what looked to be a great set-up from Peruvian inside-forward José Reyes. Three minutes later, Gomes headed Hlela's corner into the hands of Rowe, who was looking very alert in the Dagenham goal.

 

At the other end, Torre wasn't quite replicating his scintillating form from recent weeks. Franco would be substituted in the 66th minute, shortly after messing up a couple more opportunities. On came Elliot Cook, whose energy and intelligence would soon put Fulham's defence under renewed pressure.

 

Ten minutes before the end, Elliot drifted inside from the left flank, drawing Goodchild out of position. Arrieta had been left unmarked, and Cookie duly played the ball out left to the Chilean, whose first-time cross then found Siafos. One clinical header later, and Tony was celebrating a hat-trick - and a 5-1 Daggers lead!

 

With the contest now over, Fulham started to relax a bit more. In the 84th minute, Curcic dribbled past the otherwise excellent Guppy and slipped in what proved to be an almost meaningless goal for the visitors.

 

A little over a minute after that, we made sure we had the last laugh. Siafos nodded a left-wing cross from substitute Juan Esteban Olvera on for Cook to volley in the goal his late cameo deserved. With that, a 6-2 victory - our biggest in the Premier League this season - was safely secured!

 

Fulham - 2 (Fonseca 14, Curcic 84)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 6 (Siafos 26,38,80, Walters 34, Murdoch 36, Cook 85)

Premier League, Attendance 29,748 - POSITIONS: Fulham 17th, Dag & Red 1st

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Guppy, Darvill, Walters, Álvarez (Olvera), Jorgensen, Guerin (L Allen), Arrieta, Murdoch, Siafos, Torre (Cook). BOOKED: Álvarez.

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.          Dag & Red              28    19    7     2     58    21    +37   64
2.          Arsenal                28    19    6     3     59    15    +44   63
3.          Man City               28    19    2     7     60    22    +38   59
4.          Man Utd                28    17    5     6     58    23    +35   56
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.          Rochdale               29    14    8     7     33    26    +7    50
6.          West Ham               29    13    8     8     46    37    +9    47

 

That league table is a real sight to behold, but it remains to be seen how long we can stay at the top. Our next two matches will surely tell us whether we're ready to win the championship or not.

[efcfan]

Looks pretty tight at the top, especially considering Arsenal have the better GD. I still think you can win the league.

[CFuller]

3 hours ago, efcfan said:

Looks pretty tight at the top, especially considering Arsenal have the better GD. I still think you can win the league.

Arsenal's defence is ridiculously strong (the 5-2 notwithstanding), so we don't hold much hope of bettering their goal difference. We need to stay at least a point ahead of them.

Our next two games are at home to Manchester United and Rochdale. Their importance cannot be overstated.

[CFuller]

MARCH 2043

There were awards galore for Dagenham & Redbridge in February. I received my first Premier League Manager of the Month award this season (and only my third overall) after guiding the Daggers to three straight wins.

 

Nathan Guppy just missed out on Player of the Month to Chelsea's Guillermo Mas, but another central defender - Matty Gilligan - picked up Young Player of the Month after excelling on loan at West Ham United. Another loanee in fine form was Alfie Blackburn, whose haul of three goals in his first four matches for Swansea City saw him named as League One's top young player in February.

 

In Italy, on-loan Roma midfielder Michal Twardzik won Serie A's Goal of the Month competition, with his sublime solo effort against Genoa topping the voting. Curiously, Michal was sent off later in that match, summing up what had thus far been a mixed season with the Giallorossi.

 

Back at Rainham Road, the stage was being set for a massive battle in the war for Premier League supremacy. On Wednesday 4 March, the table-topping Daggers played host to defending champions Manchester United, who were eight points off the pace in 4th. Alexander Mejía had two key men absent from his team, as goalkeeper Seán Rooney was nursing a twisted ankle and £31.5million striker Eder Jiménez had torn his hamstring.

 

At the same time, Arsenal - just a single point behind us - were in action against 3rd-placed Manchester City at the Yaya Touré Arena. With the top four all playing each other, this could have been called 'Grand Slam Wednesday' - if Richard Keys was still alive and Sky Sports hadn't sold up to Amazon-Netflix a few years back.

 

If this night badly for us, we would either concede top spot to Arsenal or have all of the 'Big Three' breathing down our necks. This was when we really had to stand up and be counted.

 

4 March 2043: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Manchester United

Eder Jiménez might have been injured, but Craig Aitken and Shaun Murray were still potent threats up front for Manchester United. Aitken almost scored after just two minutes, when he flicked a first-time cross from left-back Lider Bay goalwards. Kayo Rowe heroically tipped the Scot's header behind, giving United the first of two early corners. Aitken got his head to the second from Hamza Afkir, but he couldn't keep it from flying over the bar.

 

Dagenham attacking midfielder Kamil Lewandowski narrowly missed our first shot six minutes into the match. Less than a minute later, an incisive attack from the visitors saw Afkir tuck away another excellent Bay cross at the far post. Fortunately, the offside flag had already been raised against the Belgian right-winger.

 

On 14 minutes, Lewandowski set up an opportunity for Antonis Siafos, who was still on a high after his hat-trick at Fulham. United's teenage goalkeeper Israel Itely pushed Tony's shot away, and the scoreline remained at 0-0... until almost half an hour into proceedings.

 

Daggers defender George Darvill was booked in the 25th minute after sliding in on Aitken. Four minutes later, George had another mare against the young Red Devils hotshot. Afkir's delivery from the right was blocked by Daggers skipper Nathan Guppy, but neither he nor Darvill could clear the ball before Aitken tucked it past Rowe.

 

We then had a couple of near-misses in our pursuit of an equaliser. Siafos headed Leonardo Arrieta's 30th-minute cross into the side netting. A minute later, Leo dribbled goalwards and attempted to chip Itely, only just clipping the corner of the goal frame.

 

The Daggers weren't having much luck in United's box, and we were running out of luck in ours. Though Rowe brilliantly denied Murray from point-blank range in the 36th minute, he would be beaten two minutes later by a less obvious scorer. Midfielder Leszek Michniewicz sought out an unmarked Klevis Idrizi on the right flank, and the Albanian full-back cut into our area before drilling a shot underneath Kayo.

 

With Manchester United now 2-0 up, and Manchester City and Arsenal still deadlocked at 0-0, we were set to drop below the Gunners on goal difference. However, by the 43rd minute, we were hopeful that we could retrieve the situation. A right-wing cross from Milen Danchev into United's box had Michel worried, and he could only knock it to a prowling Lewandowski. Kamil finished it with ease, but we would surely need to score another goal or two to stay top.

 

Buoyed by Lewandowski's late first-half strike, we went all-out in the second period. Itely had to push away a shot from Tony in the 49th minute before denying Kamil a second goal from a free-kick two minutes later. By then, Manchester City had broken the deadlock against Arsenal, putting us back in 1st place by a single point.

 

Our situation would improve further on 54 minutes. Shortly after Aitken half-volleyed wide a great opportunity to put Manchester United 3-1 up, we launched a counter-attack that ended with Michel upending Siafos just outside the visitors' area. Lewandowski fancied his chances from the free-kick - and that confidence was not misguided, as he curled it over the United wall and into Itely's top-right corner! We were now level at 2-2, and we briefly looked like going another point ahead of Arsenal until the Gunners equalised themselves a minute later.

 

The Red Devils hardly looked like champions thereafter, barely threatening us over the next few minutes. By the 71st minute, we even looked like taking the lead. Gianfranco Torre had had an uncharacteristically quiet evening until the target man knocked substitute midfielder Benjamin Guerin's pass beyond United centre-half Noh Yong-Ha. Lewandowski ran onto the through-ball, but Itely palmed the 34-year-old's shot clear.

 

Four minutes later, though, it really was a case of "Oh Noh!" for the Red Devils' South Korean defender. When Noh tried to close Siafos down, Tony responded by threading an excellent ball ahead of Kamil, who broke away and slotted it between Itely and his right-hand post! With an unlikely hat-trick, the evergreen ex-Poland international had turned the match on its head!

 

A fourth Daggers goal would surely have finished Manchester United off, and Danchev could've got it five minutes before full-time. Danchev used his trickery to get past Noh and cut inside, but Itely got his palms to the Bulgarian's effort.

 

United roused themselves for a couple more attempts late on. Rowe made heavy work of a low drive by Afkir in the 87th minute, but substitute defender Raju Gomes calmly removed the danger. Kayo was rather less worried when Red Devils substitute Kim Chang-Hoon swerved a desperate 30-yarder clean over the bar a minute later. We knew then that we had broken Manchester United and earned ourselves a priceless 3-2 win - from 2-0 behind!

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (Lewandowski 43,54,75)

Manchester United - 2 (Aitken 29, Idrizi 38)

Premier League, Attendance 26,772 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 1st, Man Utd 4th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Guppy, Darvill (Gomes), Walters, Danchev, Jorgensen, Knox (Guerin), Arrieta (Martin), Lewandowski, Torre, Siafos. BOOKED: Darvill.

 

I was a delighted man at the final whistle, and even more so when I heard that Manchester City vs Arsenal had finished 1-1. We were now three points ahead of the Gunners!

 

Having taken 11 points out of a possible 18 against Arsenal and the Manchester clubs, we were now top of the mini-league between what had now become a 'Big Four'. Of course, if we wanted to finish 1st in the table that really mattered, we couldn't afford to take our foot off the accelerator.

 

Of our remaining nine league games, our next fixture a week later looked to be our toughest yet. We were at home to Rochdale, who had started the season brilliantly but were now in real danger of losing touch with the top four. The Dale's away form was excellent - second only to our record, in fact - so I expected a stern challenge from Joe Doyle and his visitors.

 

Arsenal were also in action, as they travelled to the Ricoh Arena to face a Coventry City team who'd recently fallen to last place. Manchesters City and United were playing the second legs of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 ties, so their league matches were postponed until later.

 

11 March 2043: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Rochdale

Worryingly, it was Rochdale who made the livelier start. In the second minute, ex-Dagenham striker Alun Harding sent the ball across our penalty area to his colleague Pat McCann, who was dispossessed by a fantastic slide challenge from Nathan Guppy. We launched a counter-attack shortly after captain Nathan's intervention, but Elliot Cook was kept off the scoresheet by Dale goalkeeper Mark Thomas' reflex save. Kamil Lewandowski took the resulting corner, which Guppy nodded wide.

 

Thomas would have plenty more work to do between the 15th and 19th minutes. The Wales international held onto another attempt from Cook, either side of further saves from Daggers right-winger Enrique Álvarez and attacking midfielder Lewandowski.

 

Our persistence yielded a reward on 28 minutes. After a nervy exchange of passes between Rochdale defenders Hugo Cordone and Tomo Kurtovic, Álvarez harried the latter in his own area and won possession with a firm tackle. Gianfranco Torre then took the ball, and though Cordone got back to dispossess our leading scorer, it only spelled further trouble for Dale. Cook was first to the loose ball, which he lashed into the net!

 

Elliot's poacher's finish would be the difference at the interval. Rochdale wing-back Dewi Gray powered wide an equalising attempt in the 31st minute after an excellent flick on from centre-half Christian Kauffmann. Thomas later stopped both Torre and Lewandowski before extending our advantage, which remained at 1-0.

 

Rochdale would need Thomas to save them again three minutes into the second half. Daggers midfielder Benjamin Guerin rocketed a low shot goalwards after dribbling past a couple of defenders, but Dale's commanding keeper was equal to it.

 

The visitors next attacked on 51 minutes, with another Welshman going for goal. It wasn't Harding, who'd been substituted for Mario Tortora, but Gray, whose third attempt on goal was deflected behind off Daggers left-winger Leonardo Arrieta. That was Arrieta's most important contribution in an otherwise nervy display, and he would be subbed off midway through the first half.

 

Gray's blocked shot was Rochdale's only attempt from inside our penalty area throughout the whole match. Long-range misses from Tortora in the 52nd minute and midfielder Cédric Moulin in the 88th minute were as close as they'd come to scoring in normal time. Moulin then volleyed a 30-yard shot against the crossbar in injury time, and the offside flag went up against Tortora before he could bury the rebound.

 

We had already hit the woodwork ourselves in the 81st minute, with playmaker Kenneth Jorgensen driving a shot against Thomas' bar. Kenny's near-miss wouldn't prove important in the end, as we did enough to grind out our sixth successive Premier League victory and go 24 matches unbeaten!

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Cook 28)

Rochdale - 0

Premier League, Attendance 26,467 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 1st, Rochdale 5th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Guppy, Gomes, Walters, Álvarez (Danchev), Jorgensen, Guerin, Arrieta (Olvera), Lewandowski, Torre, Cook (Johnathan). BOOKED: Guerin.

 

Arsenal also toiled to a 1-0 win, narrowly edging out Coventry City, so our lead remained at three points. This wasn't a time to get cocky by any means, but I was now struggling to see where our next blip could possibly come from.

[CFuller]

MARCH 2043 (continued)

Our 31st match of a potentially momentous Premier League campaign came at the City Ground. Nottingham Forest were in 11th place and set to avoid relegation in their first season back up.

 

Enrique Álvarez took the Daggers captaincy for this match, as Nathan Guppy was only on the bench, while leading scorer Gianfranco Torre wasn't even in the squad. Some people could have accused us of complacency, but to tell you the truth, I was saving Nathan and Franco for our midweek trip to Barcelona.

 

14 March 2043: Nottingham Forest vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Dagenham goalkeeper Kayo Rowe had to make his first save after just three minutes, catching a long-distance free-kick from Yuta Otani. Nottingham Forest's Japanese right-winger would have another chance two minutes later. Otani dribbled about half the length of the pitch before cutting past Daggers left-winger Hicham Martin and having a pop at goal. Kayo parried the shot away, and Hicham then slid the rebound behind for a corner.

 

Otani's corner was a poor one, and we quickly countered, though Johnathan's shot didn't seriously trouble Forest goalkeeper Ricardo Landaburu. That was at least better than the Brazilian's next attempt in the seventh minute, which he scooped over the bar from just inside the hosts' area.

 

Our other striker missed a sitter on 18 minutes, with Antonis Siafos pulling attacking midfielder Daniel Murdoch's through-ball past the post. A minute after that, Benjamin Guerin shot from a ridiculously long way out, leaving Landaburu with an easy catch.

 

Our failure to take our chances would return to haunt us after 21 minutes. Forest left-back Robbie James sent a long throw into our area, and Otani then stroked it forward for Scotland left-winger Ryan Sim to open the scoring. The Reds were 1-0 up.

 

Murdoch quickly sought to make amends as the Daggers loanee eyed up a third goal in as many appearances. Daniel's first shot on 22 minutes went well over the bar, and he then hit the outside of Landaburu's left-hand post three minutes later. It would be third time lucky for the Londoner in the 28th minute. Johnathan's left-wing centre from the byline was blocked by Forest defender Olly Robinson, but Murdoch slid the rebound across the goal line!

 

The rest of the second half was somewhat cagey. Nottingham Forest won a couple of corners, but we successfully defended against them, as well as a couple of shots from Mark Nelson. The Scotsman's best chance to join compatriot Sim on the scoreboard came in the 43rd minute, when he dribbled past Dagenham defender Raju Gomes before being thwarted by Rowe.

 

His assist aside, Johnathan had not impressed me in the first half. Elliot Cook took his place up front for the second half, and he almost made an impact straight away. Barely half a minute after the restart, Cookie set up a long-range strike from Eric Knox, which Landaburu saved and held onto.

 

Nelson pulled wide an early piledriver for Nottingham Forest in the 52nd minute. We attacked again a minute after that, as a deft square ball from Knox set up Siafos, whose shot was parried by Landaburu. Eric had scored a hat-trick against Forest in our last league meeting in November, but he would be nowhere near as effective here. The Canadian midfielder didn't quite last a full hour before sustaining a knock and being replaced with Kenneth Jorgensen.

 

The next 15 minutes would be frustrating for both our strikers. Siafos missed the target twice, but Cook was even worse, failing on THREE occasions to get near Landaburu's goals. Most of those shots had come from outside the area, in all fairness, but we just weren't penetrating the Forest defence enough.

 

Not even a couple of injury scares could fell the Tricky Trees. Scotland centre-half Chris Hyslop played on through some pain in the 70th minute after a hefty aerial collision with Elliot. Striker Rui Charana wasn't quite so fortunate in the 87th minute, and he had to leave the game early following a firm but fair tackle from Gomes. That mattered little in the end, and we could only come away with a 1-1 draw.

 

Nottingham Forest - 1 (Sim 21)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Murdoch 28)

Premier League, Attendance 27,818 - POSITIONS: Nottm Forest 11th, Dag & Red 1st

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Gomes, Darvill, Walters, Álvarez, Knox (Jorgensen), Guerin, Martin, Murdoch (J Beadle), Siafos, Johnathan (Cook).

 

We had stumbled, and Arsenal would take full advantage later that evening. A 2-1 home win over Norwich City moved the Gunners back to within a single point of us.

 

On the afternoon after that match, I watched our Under-18s comfortably beat a team of schoolboy trialists 2-0. A dozen Under-16s players were offered youth contracts by Head of Youth Development George Elokobi after the match, but even he admitted to me that this generation wasn't one to get excited about.

 

Arsenal continued their impressive form on Tuesday by reaching the UEFA Champions League Quarter Finals at the expense of Empoli. Despite only drawing 1-1 in the home leg of their Round of 16 tie, Thomas O'Ware's team won 2-1 in Italy to secure a place amongst the last eight. 24 hours later, we looked to join them.

 

The Nou Camp was always a daunting place for Barcelona's opponents to play at. Indeed, the six-time European champions had not lost on home soil in almost exactly a year. Realistically, we would have to end that record if we were to progress to the Quarter Finals. The 2-2 thriller at Rainham Road three weeks earlier meant that a low-scoring draw in Catalonia would be enough to put Barca through on away goals.

 

18 March 2043: Barcelona vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Barcelona coach Adria Carmona took a major risk in his team selection at kick-off. Captain Gilles Causse started in midfield, even though he was still not fully fit after twisting his knee in the first leg. We knew Causse could be a magnificent playmaker when in prime condition, so we sought to make his life as tough as possible by going in hard on him whenever he had the ball.

 

The plan worked to some extent, as we dominated the early midfield battles. A roughed-up Causse even incurred the wrath of the referee in the 12th minute, collecting a yellow card for pushing Kenneth Jorgensen on the edge of our area. Five minutes later, Causse's midfield colleague Rafael Aullón gave away a free-kick for holding back Kamil Lewandowski about 25 yards from goal. Unfortunately for us, Gianfranco Torre's free-kick bounced behind off the bar.

 

Our other striker would have better luck in the 24th minute. Antonis Siafos latched onto a weighted pass from Leonardo Arrieta and then stroked it beyond Barca's advancing keeper Dawid Wisniewski! We now led 1-0 on the night, and 3-2 on aggregate!

 

The temperature then rose in a heated match, with Jorgensen and Aullón each being booked for their respective sides. Shortly after Aullón scythed Lewandowski down in the 33rd minute, Kamil made him pay a heavy price. The Polish punisher got into the penalty area to receive Arrieta's left-wing cross and power in a deadly finish for 2-0! Our away goal disadvantage had now been negated, and Barcelona needed to score twice just to force extra-time.

 

The hosts could've clawed one goal back after 39 minutes, when centre-half Rodolfo Chaparro looped a header into our six-yard box for his partner Obi Anyanwu to unleash a volley. Rowe flung himself in front of the ball to block Anyanwu's shot, which Jorgensen then cleared.

 

Three minutes later, Arrieta provided his third assist of the night. Sadly, it was an assist for Barcelona, whose winger Walter Candido intercepted a stray crossfield ball from the Chilean. Candido then lofted a delicate pass to homegrown centre-forward Héctor, whose cool finish cut our lead in half.

 

Barcelona came out fighting for the second period, with the experienced former Atlético Madrid striker José Ramón Álvarez coming on to add a further dimension to their attack. Two minutes after the restart, Álvarez ran onto a weighted pass from his fellow frontman Gennaro Longobardi... and fizzed it just past the post.

 

Carmona made another change in the 52nd minute, replacing Candido with Evair Soares. The Brazilian's introduction would prove significant seven minutes later. After collecting a pass from Causse, Soares lobbed it to the edge of our box for Longobardi, and the Italian thundered in a lethal volley to make the scores dead level! The first half had finished 2-2, and now it was 2-2 in the second!

 

With half an hour to go, it was my turn to gamble. Siafos might have scored our first goal, but he was now on a booking from late in the first period and starting to get flustered. Tony was subbed, and on came the enigmatic 21-year-old Stevie Merson, who'd scored just three senior goals this season - all in domestic cup matches.

 

As Merse settled into the game, Barcelona attempted to put themselves ahead in the tie for the first time. Argentine defenders Patricio Bogado and Marcelo Villar each missed attempts midway through the period, but our nerves were starting to shred. Arrieta and substitute midfielder Lee Allen each sent furious shots well off target for Dagenham in the 71st and 81st minute. In between their misses, there was a third Daggers booking - for right-winger Milen Danchev, who'd tripped Barca left-back Villar.

 

With six minutes to go, Arrieta brilliantly intercepted an attacking pass from Causse, who was now looking very weary. Leo lifted it into the Barcelona half, where Stevie volleyed it on to Kamil in the centre circle. Next to receive the ball was Torre, who stroked the ball ahead of Merson just as the youngster was about to sprint past Anyanwu. Stevie tried a hit-and-hoper from the edge of the area... and when the ball deflected into the net off Wisniewski's left glove, we celebrated wildly! We led 3-2 away from home, which meant Barcelona needed to score another two goals to lock us out of the Quarter Finals!

 

Barca went for broke in the 86th minute, with Chaparro sending a right-wing cross into a Dagenham box occupied by three of his team-mates. Aullón got his head to the cross... but Kayo put a glove onto the header, and Álvarez could only knock the rebound behind for a goal kick. Barcelona had blown their chance.

 

We played it very safe for the final few minutes, though I still felt confident enough in us to give 19-year-old reserve centre-half Bradley Douglas a senior debut for his hometown club. There was to be no great Catalan comeback or Daggers collapse, and the final whistle confirmed that we were into the last eight!

 

Barcelona - 2 (Héctor 42, Longobardi 59)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (Siafos 24, Lewandowski 33, Merson 84)

[Dagenham & Redbridge win 5-4 on aggregate]

UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Leg 2, Attendance 95,554

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Guppy, Gomes (Douglas), Walters, Danchev, Jorgensen (L Allen), Guerin, Arrieta, Lewandowski, Torre, Siafos (Merson). BOOKED: Jorgensen, Siafos, Danchev.

 

The Quarter Final draw took place a couple of days later. The three teams we really wanted to avoid were Paris Saint-Germain (who knocked us out of last season's Champions League), Real Madrid and - of course - Arsenal. Fortunately for us, they were drawn against Celtic, Ajax and Real Sociedad respectively.

 

We ended up with La Liga's third 'Real' club - Real Betis. Our beaten opponents in the 2041 UEFA Super Cup had enjoyed smooth progress to this stage, topping their group before thrashing Belgian champions Sint-Truiden 8-1 on aggregate in the Round of 16. Rainham Road will host the first leg on 7 April, and we will travel to Seville eight days later for the rematch.

 

Meanwhile, the UEFA Youth League season came to an end. Ebenezer Agyemang and Johnathan each scored as Dagenham & Redbridge won 2-1 at Borussia Dortmund in the 3rd-Place Play-Off. I wasn't exactly sure why there had to be a play-off for bronze medals, but that was still a good win for Sean O'Callaghan and our youngsters. (For what it's worth, Dinamo Zagreb won the Final, beating our Semi Final conquerors Real Madrid by a single goal.)

 

We now had a few weeks off from competition, as the March internationals took place. Enrique Álvarez received his 25th cap for Spain as they beat Holland 2-0, while Greece's Antonis Siafos boosted his confidence by scoring in a 2-1 friendly win over Liechtenstein.

 

Five Daggers featured for England in a 3-3 friendly draw against Uruguay at Wembley. Nathan Guppy, Hicham Martin and Kayo Rowe were upstaged by two of our homegrown heroes, as Elliot Cook scored twice and Lee Allen made his long-awaited Three Lions debut as a late substitute. Nathan, Kayo and Elliot would also play in a 1-0 away win over Georgia in a UEFA European Championship qualifier.

 

Once the internationals were over, we were raring to go again for the final few weeks of the season. It would be very interesting to see how both we and Arsenal would handle competing on multiple fronts in the run-in.

[CFuller]

Premier League Table (End of March 2043)

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    EL    Dag & Red              31    21    8     2     63    24    +39   71
2.          Arsenal                31    21    7     3     63    17    +46   70
3.          Man City               31    20    3     8     65    28    +37   63
4.          Man Utd                31    19    5     7     66    27    +39   62
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.          Rochdale               31    14    9     8     33    27    +6    51
6.          West Ham               31    13    10    8     48    39    +9    49
7.          West Brom              30    15    3     12    49    45    +4    48
8.          Southampton            31    13    8     10    37    35    +2    47
9.    EL    Chelsea                31    13    5     13    46    45    +1    44
10.         Norwich                31    12    6     13    46    45    +1    42
11.         Nottm Forest           31    11    6     14    40    47    -7    39
12.         Blackburn              31    10    7     14    33    42    -9    37
13.         Wolves                 30    10    6     14    41    55    -14   36
14.         Derby                  31    10    4     17    38    50    -12   34
15.         Liverpool              30    10    4     16    34    47    -13   34
16.         Everton                31    8     6     17    39    61    -22   30
17.         Tottenham              31    7     6     18    33    61    -28   27
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18.         Sheff Utd              31    6     8     17    40    76    -36   26
19.         Fulham                 30    6     7     17    42    62    -20   25
20.         Coventry               31    4     12    15    25    48    -23   24

 

[CFuller]

APRIL 2043

March had been another good month for Dagenham & Redbridge in the Premier League, as we beat Manchester United and Rochdale at home before being held to a draw at Nottingham Forest. Even so, I was not expecting us to win three monthly awards from the league.

 

I got the Manager of the Month award for the second time in a row. Kamil Lewandowski's hat-trick against United almost single-handedly earned him Player of the Month, while the Young Player accolade went to Michael Walters.

 

Attention now turned to the run-in. With seven rounds to go, we were just a single point clear of Arsenal at the top. If we could win all our remaining fixtures, we would be crowned PL champions for the first time in our history. Mind you, even when you'd gone unbeaten in 25 consecutive league matches, that was easier said than done.

 

To further complicate matters, Dagenham and Arsenal each had UEFA Champions League Quarter Finals to contend with... and the Gunners were also in an FA Cup Semi Final against Manchester United. Many years ago, the prospect of an Arsenal Treble would've filled me with excitement. Now, it filled me with dread.

 

Being the last major trophy that had eluded us, the PL was very much our top priority. These were the final matches of ours and Arsenal's respective league campaigns:

 

Dagenham & Redbridge's run-in (1st place, 71 pts)

4 April: vs Sheffield United (H), 11 April: vs West Ham United (A), 18 April: vs Southampton (H),

25 April: vs Blackburn Rovers (A), 3 May: vs West Bromwich Albion (A),

9 May: vs Liverpool (H), 16 May: vs Chelsea (H)

 

Arsenal's run-in (2nd place, 70 pts)

4 April: vs Derby County (H), 18 April: vs Tottenham Hotspur (A),

22 April: vs Sheffield United (A), 25 April: vs Everton (H), 2 May: vs Fulham (H),

9 May*: vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (A), 16 May: vs Manchester United (A)

* Match to be rearranged if Arsenal reach FA Cup Final

 

Of course, it was still possible that Manchester City (63 pts) and/or Manchester United (62 pts) could yet battle back into title contention. Realistically, though, it looked like the trophy would be heading back to a club somewhere in north London (hopefully the north-east).

 

Our final seven fixtures looked a bit kinder on paper than Arsenal's, but there was plenty of time for things to go wrong. Indeed, something did go wrong when Nathan Guppy strained his wrist in training at the end of March. The stand-in Daggers captain would be absent from our next league game, as well as the first leg of our Champions League Quarter Final versus Real Betis.

 

Nathan's injury was not ideal preparation for the visit of Sheffield United. Even though the Blades were in the relegation zone with by far the most goals conceded, they weren't a team to be taken lightly. This was United's first match under new manager Barry Loughlan, who'd been drafted in from Brighton & Hove Albion after previous incumbent Jamal Fyfield had deserted to Everton.

 

We'd played in a 3-4-1-2 formation in each of our last eight matches, which had yielded six wins and two draws. Despite that, I decided to freshen things up a bit and switch back to the 4-4-2 diamond. Would that be a smart move, or had I made one of the biggest tactical blunders in my career?

 

4 April 2043: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Sheffield United

The opening stages of this match saw plenty of scoring chances for the Daggers - and particularly for Antonis Siafos. The Greek frontman headed Daniel Murdoch's right-wing cross across goal in the ninth minute, but Sheffield United keeper Dogancan Yalcinkaya tipped it behind. Another Siafos header from a Murdoch cross four minutes later hit the bar.

 

Tony's next miss came in the 14th minute, when he scuffed wide a direct pass from left-back Juan Esteban Olvera. Shortly after that, Yalcinkaya palmed away Kenneth Jorgensen's swerving shot. Kenny would also have our next shot on target after 29 minutes.

 

We'd spent the first half-hour pressuring on the Blades without being incisive enough, but United eventually blinked when captain Donatas Paberzis tripped Elliot Cook close to the box. Paberzis was booked, and we lined up a free-kick 25 yards from goal. Despite having no real track record from set-pieces, Jorgensen powered it over the defensive wall and left Yalcinkaya soundly beaten!

 

Another free-kick unravelled the visitors in the 32nd minute, as two local lads combined to put us 2-0 up. Lee Allen lofted the ball into the area for Cook, who controlled the pass with his right foot and calmly stroked it beyond Yalcinkaya with his left!

 

Daniel then had two unsuccessful attempts to continue his record of scoring in every game he'd played for the Daggers, though he almost set up a goal for Tony in the 40th minute. Murdoch knocked Olvera's cross on to Siafos, who thundered it against the post. Dagenham captain Enrique Álvarez also went for power when he eyed up the goal in the 41st minute. The right-back received a fine square ball from Allen and dribbled into the box before smashing in our third goal!

 

It looked like being the perfect first half for us... until Sheffield United blemished Kayo Rowe's clean sheet with their first attack in injury time. Former England Under-21s midfielder Wes Thorpe drifted a corner to Paberzis at the near post, and the Lithuanian full-back blasted in what I hoped would only be a consolation.

 

We quickly put Paberzis' goal at the back of our minds in the second half and sought to restore our three-goal cushion. Sheffield United had to defend against a couple of early corners, though a poorly-struck attempt from Cook in the 52nd minute didn't seriously trouble them. Neither did Álvarez's 55th-minute free-kick, which Yalcinkaya caught easily.

 

Our own defence was barely being troubled by the Blades, whose star striker Fatmir Malaj had scored five goals in seven outings since arriving on loan from Southampton. George Darvill did especially well to shut Malaj out, making some great interceptions. Unfortunately, George twisted his knee during one such intervention in the 61st minute and had to leave the game early.

 

As Michael Walters entered the fray in Darvill's place, we went back on the offensive. Siafos went close with a couple of attempts either side of a glaring 65th-minute miss from Cook, who nodded an Olvera cross against the bar from close range. In the 74th minute, Tony received our only yellow card, for a trip on Paberzis. He would soon be replaced with Stevie Merson, who failed to threaten the target during his cameo.

 

In contrast, Cookie looked clinical after 80 minutes, when he tapped in another excellent centre from star performer Álvarez. Elliot had wrapped up his brace, and a 4-1 win for the Daggers. Sheffield United had been completely outplayed, and substitute Aaron Byrne's off-target 82nd-minute free-kick proved to be their only shot of the second half.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 4 (Jorgensen 29, Cook 32,80, Álvarez 41)

Sheffield United - 1 (Paberzis 45)

Premier League, Attendance 26,534 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 1st, Sheff Utd 19th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Álvarez, Gomes, Darvill (Walters), Olvera, Jorgensen, L Allen (Agyemang), Guerin, Murdoch, Cook, Siafos (Merson). BOOKED: Siafos.

 

We were now guaranteed another top-four placing, and with Manchester City only managing a 0-0 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers, we were a step closer to finishing above them. Arsenal narrowly defeated Derby County 2-1, so they stayed a single point behind us.

 

George Darvill's twisted knee would put him out of action for around a fortnight. He and Nathan Guppy both missed the first leg of our UEFA Champions League Quarter Final, at home to Real Betis. Coached by Ard van Peppen, Los Béticos were bidding to reach the Final of this competition for the first time, having fallen at the Semi Final stage on three occasions over the past decade.

 

7 April 2043: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Real Betis

Dagenham midfielder Kenneth Jorgensen hooked a ridiculous long-range shot off target in the very first minute. Just six minutes later, a more successful scorcher from Gianfranco Torre gave us the lead. Franco was left unmarked on the edge of Real Betis' box, and when Kamil Lewandowski laid on a superb pass, our leading scorer lashed in his 17th goal this season!

 

We continued to hit Betis with some high-tempo direct football in the 11th minute. Lee Allen flicked Jorgensen's long ball to his central midfield colleague Benjamin Guerin, whose 20-yard volley was well caught by Betis goalkeeper Richard. The Brazilian also caught a 12th-minute shot from Lewandowski, though Leonardo Arrieta's piledriver attempt soon afterwards did not get near him.

 

Los Béticos had their first opportunity to strike on 28 minutes, following Daggers captain Enrique Álvarez's trip on striker Maguila. Enrique would come to rue that, as Maguila volleyed in an equaliser after visiting skipper Bas Wever's free-kick delivery had taken a fortunate deflection off Aleksandrs Lapkovskis.

 

Real Betis went on the attack again two minutes later, but Álvarez showed greater composure to nudge the ball off winger Kosi Mbele - a member of Germany's 2042 FIFA World Cup-winning squad. We then stroked the ball upfield before Lewandowski fed it to Torre. Despite being 40 yards from goal, Franco took one touch before rocketing the ball over an unwitting Richard and into the net! The Italian did have a mean long shot in his game, but I don't think ANYONE at Rainham Road saw that coming!!

 

Torre's 'momento magico' was enough to send us into the interval 2-1 up. Jorgensen could've strengthened our lead on 37 minutes, but he miscued a shot from Guerin's square pass.

 

Our midfielders would miss further chances to go 3-1 ahead early in the second period. Guerin showed promise in the 51st minute, when he knocked the ball past Wever and had a clear path to goal, but the Frenchman put his shot high and wide. Allen was rather unluckier three minutes later, hitting the post from a through-ball by Álvarez. Next to have a go in the 55th minute was Lewandowski, but Richard parried away the Pole's shot from the 'D'.

 

Then, in the 63rd minute, a long sliding tackle from Real Betis full-back Marco Antonio sent both Lewandowski and Guerin crashing to the turf. Kamil quickly got back up, but Beni stayed down, holding his right knee. The youngster was too badly hurt to continue, which meant Eric Knox had to take his midfield place.

 

Betis then put us under a brief spell of pressure midway through the period. On 65 minutes, Mbele flicked Jon Olabe's right-wing cross into the hands of Kayo Rowe. That header was far more accurate than Maguila's dismal attempt from a lofted Wever free-kick three minutes later.

 

Shortly after Maguila's miss, Siafos looked like he would give us a two-goal advantage. The Greek forward received the ball from Jorgensen, knocked it past Béticos defender Diego Antonelli... and lifted a tame shot into Richard's hands. Another opportunity would go begging for Tony in the 74th minute. Siafos was tackled by left-back Cristian Ramón Duarte just as he was chasing down Richard's parry from Allen's vicious shot.

 

Richard continued to thwart us at virtually every opportunity in the final 15 minutes. Kamil and Lee each had a couple of efforts saved by the flexible custodian, who also pushed over Dagenham centre-half Raju Gomes' header from Eric's 89th-minute corner.

 

Despite our misfortune, it seemed that we had done enough to secure a 2-1 first-leg lead. That was until Jorgensen threw it away in the closing seconds. Wever caught Kenny dawdling on the ball in our half when the Dane really needed to hack it upfield. After tackling Jorgensen, Wever swerved a left-wing cross to Maguila, who then curled in his second goal from just inside our penalty area. Los Béticos had pinched a 2-2 draw that they had hardly deserved.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Torre 7,30)

Real Betis - 2 (Maguila 28,90)

UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg 1, Attendance 26,772

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Álvarez, Gomes, Walters, Arrieta (Olvera), Jorgensen, L Allen, Guerin (Knox), Lewandowski, Siafos (Johnathan), Torre.

 

Kenneth Jorgensen's lapse in concentration was potentially fateful as far as our UEFA Champions League hopes were concerned. It meant we effectively had to repeat what we did against Barcelona in the previous round - and win in Spain after sharing four goals at home. There was nothing to suggest we couldn't do that again, but it would've been nice to have had more leeway.

 

Unfortunately, there was to be even worse news regarding Benjamin Guerin. The 21-year-old Frenchman had strained the ligaments in his right knee, effectively cutting his season short. At this stage in the campaign, we needed as many players fit as possible, so losing Beni was no minor setback.

[CFuller]

APRIL 2043 (continued)

I'd enjoyed quite a few happy birthdays over my managerial career, and I hoped my 58th would be another to remember. On Saturday 11 April, we arrived at the Olympic Stadium to contest an East London derby that meant everything to both sets of fans.

 

Of course, we were gunning after the title and looking to build a four-point lead on Arsenal, who would face Manchester United in an FA Cup Semi Final the following afternoon. Meanwhile, West Ham United's high-scorers - fronted by young Portuguese sensation Hugo Cunha - were amongst several teams still in contention for a UEFA Europa League place.

 

11 April 2043: West Ham United vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Dagenham striker Elliot Cook had his first scoring chance after just six minutes. Midfielder Eric Knox's slide tackle on West Ham captain Luke O'Leary knocked the ball on to Cookie, who swerved a shot well wide.

 

Elliot's next effort three minutes later would have rather more accuracy about it. Knox was again involved, as he threaded a pass to Daniel Murdoch on the 'D' and then watched the attacking midfielder delicately stroke it into the 'D'. Cook used his pace to get to the ball before Hammers defender Brian Warburton and hammer in a superb left-footer!

 

Another couple of minutes later, Cookie followed that opening goal with a landmark second. A long punt from goalkeeper Kayo Rowe was nodded on by Eric to Antonis Siafos, who dribbled forward and then knocked the ball past Warburton as the centre-half tried to close him down. Elliot then surged beyond West Ham's other central defender Michael Sullivan to drive in his 50th league goal for Dagenham - in a mere 84 appearances!

 

We kept on hammering the Hammers with shots later on, and though Siafos and Cook each missed their next attempts, it wouldn't be long before we did go 3-0 up. After 18 minutes, a cheeky backheel from Tony found Daniel, who moved into the box before providing a superb cross that Elliot half-volleyed home! A nine-minute hat-trick from Cookie had ground West Ham into pieces!

 

United's first attempt at a retaliation was O'Leary's 23rd-minute corner kick, from which striker Hugo Cunha headed wide. The Hammers then had to contend with a couple of free-kick from Knox. Though Eric's effort in the 25th minute cannoned off the bar, his delivery into the box two minutes later did result in our fourth goal. Siafos broke free from his marker and leapt above goalkeeper Denzel Gallen to nod in the goal that put us well clear!

 

We could've piled on further agony for the hosts in later minutes, though Murdoch, Siafos and Lee Allen could all be easily forgiven for firing shots wide. In the 45th minute, Elliot - now nursing a knock that would keep him out for the second half - powered wide an opportunity to secure his quadruple. West Ham did get a goal back moments later, as 20-year-old winger Samuel Magalhaes dribbled past Daggers left-back Leonardo Arrieta before beating Rowe at his near post.

 

Magalhaes' marvel was a gentle reminder that we couldn't afford to rest on our laurels in the second half, not even on what was now 'only' a 4-1 lead. We sensibly played it cautious in the early stages, withstanding a handful of corners and stopping West Ham from building up any more momentum.

 

At the other end, substitute striker Stevie Merson had a quiet 45-minute cameo, failing to carry on where Cook left off. Siafos was more of a threat in the 67th minute, majestically dribbling towards goal before his shot was deflected behind off Sullivan. Knox then played an outswinging corner to Michael Walters, whose knockdown header caught Gallen out and made it 5-1! We'd scored from all five of our shots on target!

 

With the result now in the bag, I made my final substitutions. Nathan Guppy got a mixed reception from his former home fans as our captain passed the armband to Enrique Álvarez and was replaced at centre-half with Raju Gomes. Meanwhile, a tiring Kenneth Jorgensen was rested, and teenager Ebenezer Agyemang got another midfield run-out.

 

The aim for us now was to protect as much of our four-goal lead as possible, so as to have a chance of overturning our goal difference deficit on Arsenal. As it transpired, West Ham would have several golden opportunities to pull it back to 5-2 late on.

 

In the 80th minute, Hammers right-back Brian Sealey saw his cross headed against the post by winger Hughie Lyons. Six minutes later, Lyons was fouled in the Daggers area by Álvarez, gifting West Ham a penalty. Former AC Milan striker Gino Tardivo took it... but his overpowered shot thundered off Kayo's crossbar and went behind!

 

Incredibly, Tardivo would hit the woodwork again just before half-time, with his low drive coming off the post before Walters cleared. We also had full-backs Álvarez and Arrieta booked in the closing stages of another 5-1 win at the Olympic Stadium.

 

West Ham United - 1 (Magalhaes 45)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 5 (Cook 9,11,18, Siafos 27, Walters 67)

Premier League, Attendance 54,871 - POSITIONS: West Ham 7th, Dag & Red 1st

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Álvarez, Guppy (Gomes), Walters, Arrieta, Jorgensen (Agyemang), L Allen, Knox, Murdoch, Cook (Merson), Siafos. BOOKED: Álvarez, Arrieta.

 

With that victory, we had all but secured ourselves a top-two finish. Manchester City's slump had continued with a 1-0 reverse at Everton, while Manchester United's challenge had been derailed in midweek by a 3-2 home loss against Liverpool. Those results left United 12 points and City 13 points behind us, with just 15 left to play for. They were also still to play each other at the Yaya Touré Arena.

 

It now looked like being a straight race to the Premier League finish line between us and Arsenal. However, the Gunners' dreams of a Treble were crushed when Max Greenfield's 45th-minute goal earned Manchester United a 1-0 FA Cup Semi Final victory on Sunday. The Red Devils would return to Wembley in May to contest the trophy with Derby County.

 

We and Arsenal both travelled to Spain in midweek for the second legs of our UEFA Champions League Quarter Finals. Our rivals arrived in San Sebastián with a 4-1 first-leg lead over Real Sociedad, but we found ourselves in a more difficult situation in Seville.

 

Having conceded a last-minute equaliser to Real Betis at Rainham Road, the onus was on us to attack our Spanish opponents in the return fixture. A 0-0 or 1-1 draw would send Betis into the Semi Finals on away goals, and another 2-2 would merely force extra-time. Effectively, we needed to defeat one of La Liga's big guns on their own patch, just like we had done against Barcelona in the Round of 16.

 

15 April 2043: Real Betis vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Knowing that an early home goal would leave us needing to score at least twice, Real Betis put us under pressure in the sixth minute. Daggers defender Raju Gomes could only knock Cristian Ramón Duarte's corner as far as Kosi Mbele, and the Béticos left-winger screwed it just wide.

 

Three minutes later, our right-winger Milen Danchev was at the heart of our first counter-attacking move. Danchev's trickery on the ball bamboozled full-back Duarte before taking him into the penalty area. The Bulgarian then crossed from the byline, hoping to pick out Gianfranco Torre in the six-yard box. As it transpired, the cross took a heavy deflection off his Betis counterpart Jon Olabe that caught goalkeeper Richard out and deflected into the net!

 

The Benito Villamarín had been momentarily silenced, but the hosts quickly sought to erase their 1-0 deficit. In the 14th minute, Olabe crossed to Mbele at the far post, and Danchev was fortunate that his interception of the German's header didn't put the ball into his own goal. As it was, we conceded a corner, which Mbele swung into our six-yard box before ex-Liverpool midfielder Rodolfo nodded it over the bar.

 

Another Betis player with Anfield connections would be gifted an opportunity in the 20th minute, after some chaotic Daggers defending. Danchev knocked a Rodolfo pass off Mbele's feet but inadvertently found Maguila, who was just about to break into our box when Daggers captain Nathan Guppy dispossessed him. Unfortunately, Nathan's rash slide tackle sent the ball loose... and left Maguila's strike partner Aleksandrs Lapkovskis with a simple tap-in.

 

It was now 1-1 on the night, and 3-3 on aggregate, with the away goals rule favouring our opponents. We needed to get a second goal to negate that disadvantage, but Guppy could only head wide from an Eric Knox free-kick in the 22nd minute. Knox tried his luck from another set-piece on 31 minutes, after Torre had been fouled by Béticos defender Diego Antonelli. Fortune didn't favour the Canadian, as Eric's direct free-kick struck the bar before Olabe cleared the rebound.

 

Another chance came and went for us after 34 minutes. Our veteran attacking midfielder Kamil Lewandowski - usually so commanding in big games - miscued a shot after receiving the ball from Knox.

 

Five minutes later, things nearly went horribly wrong for centre-half Michael Walters, whose attempted clearance cannoned off Lapkovskis' chest. The Latvian forward nodded it on to Olabe, whose volley was heroically tipped round the post by Rowe. Had it not been for Kayo, we really would have been up against it at half-time.

 

Danchev and Guppy had each been booked in the first half, with Nathan's caution suspending him from our next UEFA Champions League match (whether it be this season or not). Both men were replaced for the second period, with right-winger Enrique Álvarez and midfielder Lee Allen coming on. Just five minutes after the restart, Enrique set up a chance for Lee, who bent a banana shot wide.

 

Lacklustre passing from some of our midfielders over the next few minutes didn't help our efforts to get back in front. Indeed, it seemed that Lapkovskis would put Real Betis 2-1 up on the night in the 56th minute, when an Olabe centre found him just yards from goal. Lapkovskis lacked the killer touch, though, and Rowe parried his shot before Leonardo Arrieta cleared it upfield.

 

Kayo produced a few more superb saves in the middle portion of the second half. He made simple work of a long drive from Mbele in the 61st minute, and then tipped over a rather closer strike by Maguila in the 69th. Two minutes after that latter save, Lapkovskis sent a free-kick into the hands of England's number 1.

 

As time began to slip away, a few more Daggers were booked for fouls on Betis' 36-year-old playmaker Vedran Budimir. Jorgensen's caution also earned him a one-match European ban, while Allen was the fourth and final name Italian referee Andrea Daddi entered into his virtual notepad.

 

The closing moments saw a couple of long-range misses from our final substitute Josh Beadle. Before sending Josh on in Eric's place, I'd pondered taking Brazilian teenager Johnathan off in favour of a more experienced striker in Antonis Siafos. Johnathan would go on to have just a single shot on target - and a wayward low effort in the 82nd minute left me wishing I'd gone ahead with substituting him instead.

 

Beadle had one last chance to justify his introduction in the final minute of normal time, threading a through-ball to Arrieta. Leo shrugged off his marker Marco Antonio and went for goal... but Richard's parry denied the Chilean his first Daggers goal. Three minutes of stoppage time followed, but it was clear that we didn't have it in us to get a late winner. After a couple of score draws, we had been knocked out of the Champions League on away goals.

 

Real Betis - 1 (Lapkovskis 20)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Olabe og9)

[3-3 on aggregate, Real Betis win on away goals]

UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg 2, Attendance 51,597

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Guppy (L Allen), Gomes, Walters, Danchev (Álvarez), Jorgensen, Knox (J Beadle), Arrieta, Lewandowski, Torre, Johnathan. BOOKED: Guppy, Danchev, Jorgensen, L Allen.

 

To tell you the truth, we had thrown that tie away in the last few seconds of the first leg. Still, we showed plenty of valour in the second match, and there was no shame in falling at the Quarter Final stage.

 

In contrast, Arsenal breezed through their last-eight tie, drawing 2-2 at the Estadio Gipuzkoa to defeat Real Sociedad 6-3 on aggregate. Their end-of-season schedule would now be even busier, with two Semi Final matches to look forward to against... Real Betis.

 

Arsenal now needed to play eight matches in a little over four weeks, while we had ample time to plan for our five remaining PL fixtures - one per weekend. Would our fresher legs make all the difference in the final reckoning?

[CFuller]

APRIL 2043 (continued)

We received a triple boost heading into our final five matches of the season. Frédéric Pereira was ready to play again, two months after sustaining a hip injury. We also had stalwarts Thulani Mazibuko and Orlando Salvador back in full training following long-term injuries, though they weren't quite fit enough to return to action just yet.

 

Our next fixture was at home to Southampton, who were still in the hunt for UEFA Europa League qualification. Meanwhile, Arsenal faced a nervy north London derby at the AIA Stadium against Tottenham Hotspur, who were battling to stay up.

 

18 April 2043: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Southampton

The pressure of fronting our Premier League title challenge appeared to get to Gianfranco Torre in the early stages of this match. Just 18 seconds after kick-off, Daniel Murdoch laid the ball forward to Elliot Cook, whose delicate knock-on was curled wide by Torre. Franco had another chance less than a minute later, but he missed the target after being gifted the ball by a sloppy pass from Southampton midfielder Franco Osorio.

 

In the 8th minute, a clumsy challenge from another Saints midfielder on Leonardo Arrieta resulted in a booking for Kyriakos Kallinteris. Murdoch put the resulting free-kick into the visitors' penalty area, only for the referee to blow his whistle again after Daggers defender Raju Gomes pulled down opposite number Raudinei Birinha.

 

We got a bit slack in the 21st minute, with Saints winger Ruud de Waard dribbling past our right-back Enrique Álvarez before pulling his shot wide. A minute later, a heavy first touch from Dagenham captain Nathan Guppy ceded possession to striker Theodor Nedyalkov, who also failed to find the net.

 

Southampton's momentum was snuffed out on 28 minutes, when Kallinteris twisted his ankle in a strong block tackle from Kenneth Jorgensen. The Saints looked more vulnerable without the Greek holding midfielder, but we couldn't take advantage, as Cook horribly scuffing wide an attempt to beat goalkeeper Joshua Regan in the 33rd minute.

 

Daggers goalie Kayo Rowe made his first save on 37 minutes, tipping over de Waard's header from a free-kick by Mário Sérgio. de Waard was offside anyway, but his cross to compatriot Peter Huisman four minutes later did force Kayo to catch the latter's header. Though Regan saved another effort from Elliot on the stroke of half-time, it was Southampton who'd looked the more likely team to break the deadlock.

 

Cookie continued to crumble early in the second period. Despite dribbling past Southampton centre-half Casper Axelsen in the 46th minute, the local lad only pulled his shot against the upright, leaving a relieved Regan to catch the rebound.

 

On 52 minutes, Álvarez was seemingly brought down by Osorio after dribbling into the Saints box. The ref saw it differently, booking Enrique for diving. That was our second yellow card of the match, as Guppy had been cautioned late in the first period. Nathan could've given us the lead two minutes later, but his header from Daniel's corner was cleared off the line by Saints captain Bill Middleton.

 

Things went a bit quiet until the 70th minute, when we went more direct in search of an opening goal. Gomes' long ball from the back was nodded by Cook to Murdoch, whose first-time pass sought Torre. Franco's powerful shot was somehow tipped wide by Regan, after which my concern switched to Elliot, who'd gone down clutching his thigh. I swiftly replaced Elliot with Antonis Siafos as a precaution, though the thigh injury transpired to be just a bruise rather than anything serious.

 

Tony wouldn't get close to threatening a dogged Southampton defence during the final 20 minutes. Indeed, the Saints threatened to steal a late winner in the 77th minute. Mário Sérgio's attempted cross to Nedyalkov was tipped behind by Rowe, whose save was the last major act in a low-quality 0-0 draw - our first in the Premier League this term.

 

Though we'd extended our unbeaten run in all competitions to a club-record 20 games, there were some glum faces in the home dressing room at full-time. We thought that we had thrown the lead away to Arsenal... but then came the news that our title rivals had LOST 2-0 at Tottenham Hotspur! A 73rd-minute own goal from Álvaro José and a 79th-minute piledriver by Leonel Reyes had actually moved us another point ahead of Arsenal!

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 0

Southampton - 0

Premier League, Attendance 26,772 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 1st, Southampton 9th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Guppy, Gomes, Walters, Álvarez (Danchev), Jorgensen (Pereira), L Allen, Arrieta, Murdoch, Torre, Cook (Siafos). BOOKED: Guppy, Álvarez.

 

While despair had turned to relief at Rainham Road, our Under-18s also went through the emotions across Essex, having narrowly beaten Southend United away from home to retain the FA Youth Cup. They had to do it the hard way, twice going behind in the Final before drawing 2-2 and forcing a penalty shoot-out. Both teams scored their first nine penalties, but Southend missed their tenth, and midfielder Jack Spiller stepped up to bring the trophy back home.

 

We had a week to prepare for our next Premier League match, safe in the knowledge that we would now finish 3rd at worst. Arsenal played their game in hand on Wednesday, visiting a Sheffield United side who were rock-bottom and set for an immediate Championship return. This would surely be three easy points for the Gunners, which would take them to within two of us...

 

...or perhaps not. Sheffield United took a shock lead 17 minutes in at Bramall Lane through Jake Bailey's near-post header from Karen Antonyan's corner kick. Try as they might, Arsenal could not battle back from 1-0 down, succumbing to a second away loss in five days. Dagenham & Redbridge now led the league by a clear five-point margin, with just four matches to play!

 

Arsenal also played before us the following Saturday, hosting Everton in an early-afternoon battle between the only two teams who'd beaten us in the league this season. When the Toffees went 2-1 up at half-time, I began to dream of a third straight Arsenal defeat, which would have made things even easier for us. Then the Gunners started to show some fighting spirit at last, coming back to win 3-2 with an 85th-minute clincher from Jens Kuhne.

 

That result put some pressure back on us when we faced Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park a few hours later. Victory would reinstate our five-point advantage, but I knew that another slip-up against 14th-placed Blackburn was possible. Frédéric Pereira was handed his first start in midfield since January, while George Darvill and Orlando Salvador returned to the bench after returning from their injuries.

 

25 April 2043: Blackburn Rovers vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Blackburn went defensive almost immediately, sitting deep to try and keep our strikers at bay. Antonis Siafos did have a shot from 25 yards out after just three minutes, but it didn't seriously worry the hosts' Brazilian goalkeeper Odair. Tony and Gianfranco Torre were given little space to exploit thereafter, as the hosts patiently waited for a chance to hit us on the counter.

 

Musa Nizam's team had a good attacking spell after the initial 15 minutes, though they could only muster a couple of shots at goal during their purple patch. Midfielder Thomas Panagiotidis' 17th-minute header was blocked by Daggers captain Nathan Guppy, while Kayo Rowe successfully tipped wide a drive from left-winger Arturas Stonkas two minutes later.

 

We next got an opportunity to attack on 32 minutes. Shortly after Eric Knox's corner was headed out of the Blackburn area by home legend Thierry Laurent, Eric's midfield colleague Kenneth Jorgensen stroked the ball back into danger. Another Daggers middleman got to Kenny's pass, but Frédéric Pereira could only fire it into the side netting.

 

Siafos then missed a golden chance in the 40th minute, heading over Juan Esteban Olvera's left-wing cross when he was inches from goal. Four minutes later, Guppy cut out a clearance from Blackburn left-back Diano and exchanged passes with Knox before playing in Kamil Lewandowski. The attacking midfielder's shot was tipped behind by Odair, and so the first half remained goalless.

 

Jorgensen tried to drive the ball home in the 49th minute, but his strike lacked enough power to seriously worry Odair. Moments later, Knox was cautioned for pulling Blackburn captain Bill Nolan to ground by the back of his shirt. Things almost took a turn for the better for Eric on 54 minutes, but his attempted curler over Odair cleared the bar by a matter of inches.

 

Then, on 60 minutes, our luck did turn. As Rovers centre-half Shaun Colbeck came forward to try and hassle Torre, the intelligent Italian threaded the ball up to Pereira just outside the box. Frédi then powered his first Premier League goal of the season past Odair, putting us on course for an invaluable 24th win!

 

Our position looked a comfortable one until the 69th minute. I was literally preparing Lee Allen to come on for the booked Knox when my worst fears came true... and Eric nobbled Panagiotidis right in front of the ref! There was no debate to be had about Knox receiving his marching orders, and with Dagenham down to 10 men, I had to change my planned substitution. Lee was told to sit back down, and the fit-again Orlando Salvador instead came on for Tony, which left Franco up front on his lonesome.

 

Orlando's introduction had brought rapturous applause from the away fans. The Portuguese midfielder got them roaring again in the 79th minute, when he buried a rebound shot after Odair had parried Jorgensen's initial effort. Unfortunately for Salvador, the referee had already blown his whistle for a foul from Torre on Rovers defender Brian Brizuela, and the goal didn't stand.

 

Blackburn threatened to equalise in the 81st minute, when Laurent beat Guppy to a right-wing cross from Dominic Turner. Luckily, the French veteran's header went behind off the bar. A minute after that, Torre blasted wide a chance to give us a 2-0 lead, failing to make the most of Salvador's through-ball. Franco would later be booked for diving before another ambitious strike on 86 minutes found its way into Odair's hands. The former Brazil Under-20s keeper also got his gloves to a shot from Enrique Álvarez three minutes later, keeping our lead down to 1-0.

 

Blackburn had one last chance to break our hearts when Turner won an injury-time corner off our substitute left-back Leonardo Arrieta. Panagiotidis' outswinger found Colbeck, whose header struck the bar, deflected back into play... and was then cleared by Pereira! Frédi's second-half heroics at both ends had given us a narrow win at Ewood Park. We were now assured of a top-two finish and within a couple more victories of the title!

 

Blackburn Rovers - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Pereira 60)

Premier League, Attendance 26,837 - POSITIONS: Blackburn 14th, Dag & Red 1st

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Álvarez, Guppy, Walters, Olvera (Arrieta), Jorgensen, Pereira, Knox, Lewandowski (L Allen), Siafos (Salvador), Torre. BOOKED: Knox, Torre. SENT OFF: Knox.

 

Eric Knox, what a lucky boy you are. The Canadian midfielder would have to sit out our next match at West Bromwich Albion after his red card, but at least we would travel to the West Midlands still leading Arsenal by five points.

 

With three rounds remaining, the Daggers are just five points away from becoming champions of England. In fact, unless Arsenal win all their remaining fixtures (against Fulham, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester United), we only need one more victory at most.

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    CL    Dag & Red              35    24    9     2     73    26    +47   81
2.    CL    Arsenal                35    23    7     5     68    23    +45   76
3.    CL    Man City               35    22    4     9     69    30    +39   70
4.    EL    Man Utd                35    21    5     9     72    33    +39   68

 

One thing is for sure. The tension that will develop over the next fortnight or so will be almost unbearable.

[CFuller]

MAY 2043

Incredibly, I won my THIRD consecutive Premier League Manager of the Month award in April. A run of three wins in four games had stretched our unbeaten league record to 29 games and taken us to the brink of domestic glory.

 

April had also been a memorable month for Andrija Marjanovic, who was named Young Player of the Month after scoring four goals for his loan club Coventry City. The Montenegrin striker had now scored 13 PL goals this season - the same number as Gianfranco Torre, and two more than Antonis Siafos. Andrija was still only 18 years old.

 

Marjanovic looks destined to lead the Dagenham & Redbridge attack in the future, and Johnathan could well be his strike partner over the coming years. The 19-year-old Brazilian scored the winning goal against Canvey Island as the Daggers' reserves won their sixth Essex Senior Cup in 12 seasons. Troy Woodward had given us the lead after 28 minutes, but Billy McManaman's equaliser forced extra-time, which was when Johnathan came to the fore.

 

After witnessing that match at Park Lane, I rushed back home to watch our title rivals Arsenal play Fulham at the Thierry Henry Arena. I missed a calamitous first-half own goal from Fulham keeper Luka Jishiashvili, and it didn't get any better from the Cottagers when Paolo De Vecchi added a second Gunners goal late on. Fulham were consigned to Championship football next season, while Arsenal moved to within two points of the lead.

 

That meant our Sunday afternoon trip to West Bromwich Albion would be a nail-biting experience. While a victory at The Hawthorns would put us within two points of the title with two games to play, any other result would give Arsenal a much-needed lifeline.

 

Our preparation for this match hadn't been the best, with Orlando Salvador suffering yet another injury setback in another reserve match earlier in the week. A gashed leg kept Orlando off the coach trip to the West Midlands, meaning Nathan Guppy would continue to skipper us.

 

Nathan delivered a stirring address to his team-mates shortly before kick-off, saying, "This is the opportunity of a lifetime, lads. We've been fantastic all season, but now we've got to take our opportunities when they come. People are saying it's our title to lose, so let's go out there and win it!"

 

3 May 2043: West Bromwich Albion vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Barely a minute into a match, Dagenham playmaker Kenneth Jorgensen attempted to find winger Milen Danchev with a long ball into the box. West Brom centre-half Bryan Hackney's attempted interception couldn't quite keep the ball away from Milen, who then won a corner off full-back Manu Torbellino. Danchev swung the ball into the box, only for Hackney to head it away much more convincingly.

 

We would win another corner after Baggies keeper Allen Wallis tipped behind a drive from Gianfranco Torre on 13 minutes. This time, Milen's delivery found Michael Walters, who flicked it just over the bar.

 

Our Bulgarian wideman would be involved in another attack nine minutes later. After Torre sought Danchev out right, Milen got to the byline and curled the ball into the six-yard box. Albion midfielder Billy Stevenson's headed clearance only found Franco, who scuffed his volley wide.

 

Then, after 26 minutes, West Brom went on the offensive. Right-winger Kristian Latham was dribbling into our box when Walters' tackle slid the ball behind for a corner. Ex-Daggers creator Billy Stevenson sent that corner to the near post, where Baggies captain Miljan Todorovic rose majestically and knocked a header past Kayo Rowe. 1-0 to Albion.

 

We could've fallen further behind after Danchev overhit a backheel to Frédéric Pereira in the 32nd minute. Stevenson intercepted the ball and passed to Todorovic, who then pumped it ahead of strike partner Zoltan Savu. The Romanian sauntered past George Darvill to leave himself one-on-one with Rowe, who charged from his line and pushed the shot away!

 

Kayo would make a couple more important saves from Latham in the 37th minute and American midfielder León Pérez in the 40th. Shortly after the latter save, we had Pereira cautioned for a clumsy challenge on Latham.

 

The match looked to be slipping from us, but an excellent move on 44 minutes got us back level. Kenny sprayed the ball out to Milen, who rocketed past Torbellino and then weighted a deft centre into the box. Franco then broke away from his marker Hackney to slot in his 19th goal of the season. Was that just what we needed to get ourselves going?

 

If the opening minutes of the second half suggested anything, then probably not. Latham crashed wide a chance to put West Brom 2-1 up on 48 minutes. Soon afterwards, Daggers striker Elliot Cook had a chance to put us on the right side of that scoreline, but his shot was blocked by Albion right-back Michael Kyle. Elliot would waste another shot in the 56th minute, shortly after Kayo had saved another strong effort at the other end from Savu.

 

Our defence would soon be put under severe pressure, as the Baggies won several corners and gave Rowe plenty of work. The goalkeeper tipped over a 64th-minute drive from Todorovic and caught a free-kick from José Santos a minute later.

 

I made a couple of changes for the final 20 minutes or so, with Enrique Álvarez coming on for a nervy Danchev, and Darvill leaving the field to make room for an extra midfielder in Daniel Murdoch. The loanee scuffed wide a shot from Álvarez's pass in the 78th minute, not long after half-time substitute Lee Allen had also sent a shot off target.

 

Our midfielders and attackers were clearly not on form here, but at least captain Nathan Guppy was keeping things tight in defence. Nathan was named 'man of the match' after making a series of interceptions to stop West Brom from stealing the victory late on. He could even have won the game for us on 84 minutes, but his header from Kamil Lewandowski's corner bounced wide. We would have to settle for a share of the spoils, which left our lead on Arsenal at a shaky three points.

 

West Bromwich Albion - 1 (Todorovic 27)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Torre 44)

Premier League, Attendance 33,164 - POSITIONS: West Brom 6th, Dag & Red 1st

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Guppy, Darvill (Murdoch), Walters, Danchev (Álvarez), Jorgensen, Pereira (L Allen), Arrieta, Lewandowski, Torre, Cook. BOOKED: Pereira.

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    CL    Dag & Red              36    24    10    2     74    27    +47   82
2.    CL    Arsenal                36    24    7     5     70    23    +47   79

 

We had missed a trick. The margin for error had become that little bit smaller, and now we really were under pressure to win our final two home matches of the season.

 

As we readied ourselves for our penultimate game against Liverpool, Arsenal concluded their UEFA Champions League Semi Final against Real Betis in midweek. A 1-1 draw in Seville built on the Gunners' 2-0 first-leg lead and sent them through to the Final, where they would face Paris Saint-Germain at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium on 31 March.

 

I hoped that Arsenal's European exploits had tired them out for their visit to 15th-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers the following Saturday. If we could get a better result at home to Liverpool than the Gunners mustered at Molineux, we would be crowned champions with a game to spare.

 

Of course, it wouldn't be easy to hold up our end of the bargain. We had generally performed better away from home than at Rainham Road this season, and our last three performances had been very unconvincing. It was up to us to get back to winning ways against an average Liverpool side who were in 13th place and had nothing to play for.

 

9 May 2043: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Liverpool

Eric Knox returned to the Dagenham line-up after serving a one-match ban, and he almost marked his return with a sensational early goal. Sadly, his second-minute bending effort from 30 yards out couldn't quite find the back of the Liverpool net.

 

Gavin Stopforth's first save for the visitors would come in the 7th minute, and it took a simple catch to keep out Gianfranco Torre's header from a right-wing cross by Enrique Álvarez. Franco would give Stopforth an even bigger test a minute later, but the Reds' goalkeeping captain showed great reactions to tip the Italian's shot wide.

 

Another minute passed, and then another Italy international threatened to break the deadlock. That man was Liverpool's big-haired centre-half Alessio Beretta, whose header from a Rolando Sánchez corner narrowly missed the target. The Reds would win another corner on 16 minutes, but Timothy Evans' weak delivery was easy enough for Daggers left-back Juan Esteban Olvera to nod clear.

 

We then heard that there had been a goal at Molineux... and that Egyptian winger Adel Hassan had fired Wolverhampton into an improbable 1-0 lead over Arsenal! If results stayed as they were, we would win the league! That said, I couldn't see Wolves' leaky defence holding out against the Gunners' artillery, so we still had to go for the win.

 

Antonis Siafos got into the game on 23 minutes, dribbling at the Liverpool backline before sending a rather tame shot into Stopforth's hands. Torre then blasted wide from the edge of the 'D' in the 26th minute, showing none of the lethality that had put him one goal away from reaching 20 for this season.

 

More disappointment came on 36 minutes, with Kamil Lewandowski failing to seriously pressurise Stopforth from distance. The Liverpool number 1 would come under more duress in stoppage time. Knox's corner found George Darvill, whose point-blank header was palmed away by Stopforth. Siafos nearly reached the rebound, but Sánchez hacked it wide, and our attack soon broke down completely.

 

Though it was still 0-0 at half-time, I tried to keep the lads' spirits high in the dressing room. "You're outplaying Liverpool in every department, guys," I told them. "Just keep the pressure on them and focus on what you're doing. Don't worry about what's happening elsewhere."

 

We returned for the second half in somewhat higher spirits, but Torre's confidence didn't come back. Franco received a long ball from George in the 50th minute and then tried to dribble towards goal, but he quickly ran into a dead end and pulled a desperate shot well wide. Having looked unstoppable earlier in the season, our leading scorer was now failing to cope with the pressures of being in a championship race.

 

Torre did at least make a significant impact defensively on 54 minutes, blocking a free-kick from Liverpool midfielder Patrik Horak after the Czech veteran had been barged by Álvarez. A counter-attacking attempt soon fell apart, though another move five minutes later showed more promise. After collecting a pass from Kenneth Jorgensen, Lewandowski found Knox making a run through space into the Reds box. Kamil's pass was pinpoint, and Eric's sharp turn past the slide tackle of Evans was sublime... but the shot was a let-down. Stopforth pushed it clear, and we went back to the drawing board.

 

Another chance arose on 68 minutes, when Lewandowski cut out a wayward pass from Liverpool left-back Erick Rodriguez. The Polish midfielder attempted to curl it beyond Stopforth, but the goalie had other ideas. Kamil then saw his corner kick nodded inches wide by Franco in what was the latter's last act before being replaced with Elliot Cook.

 

Elliot's first scoring chance came from a counter-attack in the 76th minute. Jorgensen hacked the ball out of our area after a scrappy Liverpool attack, and Siafos cushioned it on to Cook. Home fans got off their seats as Elliot's solo run towards goal brought plenty of excitement... and a scuffed shot brought more disappointment.

 

While we were still flattering to deceive, there was still no news (yet) of an Arsenal equaliser at Molineux. Add to that the fact Liverpool had quickly given up on trying to end our 30-match unbeaten league run, and the final quarter-hour or so of this match feel like an entire half of football.

 

Local lad Lee Allen came on in the 80th minute to replace Knox, but my final substitution would have plenty more sentiment. Having been booked for tripping Reds winger Jonathan Gorman late on, Álvarez was sacrificed at the start of injury time. Taking his place was versatile Daggers stalwart Thulani Mazibuko, who made his first Premier League appearance this season, more than eight months after tearing his cruciate ligaments. The popular South African received a rapturous ovation from the Rainham Road faithful when he finally took to the field.

 

In truth, the final whistle - which confirmed back-to-back 0-0 draws at home - was met with a more muted response. I shook the hand of Liverpool manager Oliver Zigante, and then shook my head in disgust as I returned to the dugout. We had thrown so many chances away and had looked nothing like champions-elect.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 0

Liverpool - 0

Premier League, Attendance 26,772 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 1st, Liverpool 12th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Álvarez (Mazibuko), Guppy, Darvill, Olvera, Jorgensen, Pereira, Knox (L Allen), Lewandowski, Siafos, Torre (Cook). BOOKED: Álvarez.

 

Now we were hoping that Wolves had held on against Arsenal, otherwise the title race would be going to the final day. After a few minutes of uncertainty, the tannoy announcer at Rainham Road declared, "Full-time score from Molineux: Wolverhampton Wanderers 1, Arsenal 0!"

 

Time stood still for a moment. As fans, players and coaches streamed onto the pitch in celebration, I reclined in my seat and let out a massive sigh of relief. Dagenham & Redbridge had won the Premier League, but we'd done it in the least convincing manner imaginable! Arsenal had effectively gifted us the title!

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    C/CL  Dag & Red              37    24    11    2     74    27    +47   83
2.    CL    Arsenal                37    24    7     6     70    24    +46   79

 

It wasn't until later in the afternoon that I fully realised what we had achieved. Back in 2023, we were struggling to get into the Play-Offs of the Conference National. Two decades on, we had broken the Premier League triopoly and lifted all the major trophies there were to win.

 

The Daggers' rise from chumps to champions was now truly complete.

[EvilDave]

Bravo sir, bravo! An odd way to win it, but I don't think anyone can argue that it's anything other than well-deserved. 20 years in the making, plenty of highs and lows, and I dare say one of FMS' all-time great stories. Huge congratulations - it'll be a shame to see this end, but delighted to see everything come together. Well done Chris!

[mark wilson27]

A purely legendary manager now sir,,,, Well done on the League win.

No other words can be (Tips hat to you sir)

[oche balboa]

Great achievement 

[CFuller]

5 hours ago, EvilDave said:

Bravo sir, bravo! An odd way to win it, but I don't think anyone can argue that it's anything other than well-deserved. 20 years in the making, plenty of highs and lows, and I dare say one of FMS' all-time great stories. Huge congratulations - it'll be a shame to see this end, but delighted to see everything come together. Well done Chris!

Relying on another result rather than winning the Premier League off our own bat did take a little shine off the achievement, but I'm delighted. To be honest, I'm also surprised we won it as soon as we did. I thought that this would be the season in which we merely broke into the top three, and that it would take us another season or two to win the title.

2 hours ago, mark wilson27 said:

A purely legendary manager now sir,,,, Well done on the League win.

No other words can be (Tips hat to you sir)

Thanks once again, Mark. With the last remaining major trophy safely in the cabinet, I can now retire as a true Dagenham & Redbridge legend. There's just one more match to go before I hang up the proverbial sheepskin...

1 hour ago, oche balboa said:

Great achievement 

Thank you.

[CFuller]

MAY 2043 (continued)

Not many teams in England get the opportunity to call themselves national champions. Dagenham & Redbridge were the 24th club since the Football League's inception in 1888 to win the top division, and only the SIXTH to do so in 51 years of the Premier League. The last club to win their maiden league championship were Nottingham Forest, way back in 1978.

 

Our victorious league campaign was no mean feat, especially as we had never even cracked the top three before kicking our first ball in anger. It was perhaps even more incredible that a club representing two London boroughs with a combined population of barely 500,000 had managed to win every major trophy in the space of three seasons.

 

After lifting the UEFA Champions League two years ago, I told then-chairman Neil Booth that I would retire as Daggers manager once I'd won everything that there was to offer. With the PL being the last title to be ticked off my list, I now had nothing else left to achieve. Just like Alexander of Macedonia when he was 33 years old, there were no more worlds left for me to conquer. (Admittedly, I was a quarter of a century older than him, but still...)

 

On the Monday morning after our championship win was sealed, I handed a letter of resignation to current Dagenham chairman Darren Mitchell. Though I still had a year left to run on my contract, I felt that this was the right time to bow out. My resignation would take effect at the end of May.

 

Mr Mitchell tried convincing me to stay on in a new capacity, which would see me take up an executive Director of Football role and work in conjunction with a Head Coach. I politely declined, insisting that I wanted a clean break from the club. Having given over 30 years of my life to football management, I wanted to enjoy my retirement and spend more time with my family.

 

I gently broke the news of my decision to my coaching staff later that afternoon, and then to the players after training on Tuesday. There were more than a few tears shed, especially by our homegrown players and our most loyal servants.

 

George Darvill was particularly upset to hear that I was retiring. He was just nine years old when I became Daggers manager, and he made his first-team debut under me in League One aged 15. George was now a week shy of his 30th birthday and steadily closing in on Chris Lewington's club record of 446 league appearances.

 

The stage was now being set for an emotional finale at Rainham Road. On 16 May 2043, after the best part of 21 years at the club, I led Dagenham & Redbridge into battle for the 1,092nd and final time. After facing League Cup winners Chelsea in our last game of the season, we would receive the Premier League trophy, and I would say my farewells.

 

While the likes of Eric Knox, Antonis Siafos and Gianfranco Torre had served us with distinction over the past nine months, they would have to enjoy this final match from the stands. I fielded a starting line-up consisting entirely of homegrown players - in other words, those who had either been made in Dagenham or developed by other English clubs.

 

Goalkeeper Kayo Rowe continued his ever-present record in the league this season. Hicham Martin made his final Daggers appearance in midfield alongside 19-year-old Ken Burton, who was handed his first-team debut. Wing-backs Michael Walters and Milen Danchev - who each joined our academy shortly before turning 16 - were our only non-English starters.

 

On the bench were a handful of reserve and youth players, some of whom had successfully defended our FA Youth Cup and Under-18s Premier League titles. I also found room for club captain Orlando Salvador, who hoped to play some part in the finale of a season that - for him - had been ravaged by injuries.

 

16 May 2043: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Chelsea

This was our end-of-season party, but Chelsea were doing their best to try and spoil it. Spain midfielder Pablo López almost broke the deadlock with a drive that just cleared our crossbar in the eighth minute. Two minutes later, López had a corner cleared by Dagenham captain Nathan Guppy, and the follow-up cross was then nodded out of harm's way by Lee Allen.

 

Our first shot at goal was a hopeless long punt from midfielder Josh Beadle on 11 minutes. The departing Hicham Martin also missed the target seven minutes later, not long after Wales striker Callum Lea had flicked a header wide for Chelsea.

 

The standard began to improve in the 23rd minute, with Martin setting up a chance for Elliot Cook to send the home fans wild. Cookie's vicious low attempt was pushed away by goalkeeper Lukas Chlup, and the Blues quickly countered. Right-back Xu Pu's long ball to Lea was moved further forward to David Johnson, but the Canada striker shot from too far out to get near the Daggers goal.

 

Then, after 26 minutes, Xu brought Stevie Merson crashing to the turf deep in Chelsea territory. Debutant Ken Burton was a decent free-kick taker, so it was he who lofted the ball into the box from out wide. Ken's delivery evaded several Chelsea players before Nathan got to it and stabbed in the opener! Guppy's goal was a fitting way for him to end what had been a sensational first season at Rainham Road.

 

It would've been even more special, though, had Cook found the net and equalled Gianfranco Torre's club-best tally of 19 goals this season. Elliot was kept off the scoresheet again in the 28th minute by a fine catch from Chlup. Eight minutes later, Cookie nodded another excellent Burton free-kick down for Merson to slot it home... only for the offside flag to quickly go up.

 

Chelsea ended the first half strongly, and when their ex-Daggers winger Shaun Powell was tripped by Welsh compatriot Michael Walters in the 40th minute, it resulted in our left-back being booked. The Blues thought George Darvill should've faced further punishment in the 45th minute, when he forcefully outjumped their winger Ariel Ochoa to intercept a corner from López. The referee rejected their penalty claims, and we went into the final 45 minutes of the season still leading 1-0.

 

There was one change in Dagenham personnel at half-time. Orlando Salvador came on for the second half in place of Walters, with Martin moving to left-back to free up a midfield role for our returning skipper. In the 52nd minute, Orlando kick-started a counter-attack by nodding George's defensive clearance on to Elliot. Cookie fed the ball to Merse, who was closing in on his first league goal of the campaign until a fantastic tackle from Chelsea's captain Sébastien Etoundi stopped him in the penalty area.

 

The Blues went back on the offensive two minutes later, with Powell whipping a cross into the box for Lea. Guppy made another fine clearance, but when Ochoa went to ground after apparently being pulled down by Milen Danchev, the visiting players turned to the referee once again. On this occasion, he accepted their calls... and pointed to the spot!

 

López was entrusted with taking Chelsea's penalties, even though he'd only scored once from three spot-kick attempts this term. The Argentine-born 29-year-old's poor record would continue here, as Kayo Rowe guessed correctly that López would drive the ball to his right-hand side. Kayo's save had kept us in the ascendancy... for the time being.

 

When Chelsea won another corner in the 65th minute, López stepped forward to swing it in. Lea outjumped Guppy to head it goalwards, but Rowe pulled off another fantastic save to concede another corner, which proved more successful. López's second attempt cut through our defence and was turned into the net by... Shaun Powell! It was pure poetry that one of my former Dagenham players had scored against us in my final game!

 

Shaun's equaliser reinvigorated Chelsea, and we had to be careful if our season-ender wasn't to end in defeat. I decided to bring Beadle off for a third centre-half in Bradley Douglas, who joined Burton in making his PL debut. That said, our defence struggled to cope with another Blues attack in the 71st minute, and Rowe had to push away a crashing drive from midfielder Eddie Harrison.

 

We somehow held firm before I made my final substitution, with Danchev being replaced at right wing-back by 16-year-old Gareth Sainsbury - surely a future Daggers captain in the making. Merson was another candidate for that role, and it was he who would restore our lead five minutes from time.

 

Our second goal came about from a scrappy move, which began with Cook stretching a leg out to reach Darvill's long pass and set the ball loose in the Blues' penalty area. Xu, Chlup and Merson all ran after the ball, and it was the former who prevailed. However, a miscontrolled first touch from the Chinese defender knocked the ball to Stevie, who gleefully slotted it into an unguarded net from a tight angle! Merse had broken his league duck for this season - at the latest possible opportunity!

 

Chelsea disintegrated after their defensive catastrophe, and it was only a matter of time before we finished them off. Sure enough, in the third and final minute of injury time, two of our midfield maestros combined beautifully to deliver a fitting climax. As Allen hoisted a long ball upfield for Salvador, the Portuguese magician impeccably timed his run past Etoundi, leaving the Blues skipper chasing in vain as Orlando approached the goal. Once he broke into the box and sidestepped Chlup, everybody at Rainham Road knew exactly what would happen next.

 

As a calmly-placed shot rustled into the net for 3-1, a huge roar went up across the ground - louder still than the previous week, when it'd been confirmed that we'd won the Premier League! If the Liverpool draw had felt a little anti-climactic, then this was the dream finish we'd been waiting for! This was our crowning moment!

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (Guppy 26, Merson 85, Salvador 90)

Chelsea - 1 (Powell 65)

Premier League, Attendance 26,772 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 1st, Chelsea 9th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Rowe, Danchev (Sainsbury), Guppy, Darvill, Walters (Salvador), L Allen, Martin, Burton, J Beadle (Douglas), Cook, Merson. BOOKED: Walters.

 

We had finished the season unbeaten in our last 32 Premier League matches, while also going through 24 successive matches without defeat in any competition. Not since Arsenal's Invincibles from 2003/2004 had any top-flight English club looked so difficult to beat. I had assembled a dream team that possessed incredible fighting spirit.

 

About 15 minutes after the final whistle, it was time to reap the rewards of our labour. One by one, we received our champions' medals from the Premier League chairman and sponsors. Though captain Orlando Salvador had not played enough matches to qualify for a medal, there was no way that arguably the most talented player in the club's history could be deprived of one.

 

Then the time came for us to receive the league trophy. Orlando took one handle, with Nathan Guppy - who'd deputised as captain for most of the campaign - taking the other. The team leaders jointly hoisted the trophy into the air, and our Premier League title celebrations could begin in earnest!

 

I later got a chance to publicly thank the Daggers fans for their "absolutely incredible" support over my 21 seasons at the club. I also urged them to "back the new manager as much as you backed me". There was always the fear that I would start to choke up at some point, but I managed to keep my emotions in check. Just about.

 

With the campaign now over, it was time to hand out the end-of-season awards. Guppy received arguably the biggest prize, becoming the first Dagenham & Redbridge star to be named PFA Player of the Year. He was also just the third defender to collect that award this century, after Chelsea's John Terry (2004/2005) and Manchester United's José Luis (2037/2038).

 

More surprisingly, Nathan was the only Daggers player selected in the starting XI of the PFA's Premier League Team of the Year. Kayo Rowe and Gianfranco Torre were both named as 'substitutes'.

 

Elliot Cook received the Premier League's Goal of the Season accolade for his 30-yard swerver at Norwich City in August. That was the first of 16 league goals Elliot scored this season, though neither he nor Franco were anywhere near Derby County hotshot Yassine Allali, whose 30 goals saw him run away with the Golden Boot.

 

You won't be surprised to hear that I was overwhelmingly voted the Manager of the Season - the third time I'd claimed that honour in the top flight. I also received a special award from the League Managers' Association for my various achievements over my 31-year career.

 

While I prepared to depart Rainham Road for the last time, the board tied up contract negotiations with many of our best assets. Players such as Elliot Cook, Kenneth Jorgensen, Antonis Siafos and Michael Walters agreed to sign improved long-term deals that would keep them at the club long after I was gone. It was important that we retained the core of our squad if we were to enjoy sustained success in the new era that was about to begin.

 

I spent my final fortnight at Dagenham tying up some loose ends, as well as helping the board decide on who would take the reins from me. They seemed to be thinking along the same lines that I was, which made me feel confident that the Daggers would be in safe hands under a new regime.

 

I later said my goodbyes to the players, and then the coaching staff. Most of my backroom - including long-time assistant manager Fabio Saraiva and club icon Joel Honeyball - would stay on for the time being to help the new manager settle. A few staff members left on their terms for fresh challenges.

 

And so, on 31 May 2043, I cleared the last of my belongings from my desk. Having achieved everything that was possible in English club football, my work at Dagenham & Redbridge was done.

 

After exchanging handshakes with the chairman and the other board members, I left Rainham Road for the final time as Daggers manager. I'll admit that there was a lump in my throat when I walked out of the door, but now the time had come to begin the next chapter of my life.

 

Football management? I've completed it, mate.

[CFuller]

Premier League Table (End of 2042/2043)

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    C/CL  Dag & Red              38    25    11    2     77    28    +49   86
2.    CL    Arsenal                38    24    7     7     70    26    +44   79
3.    CL    Man City               38    24    5     9     74    33    +41   77
4.    CL    Man Utd                38    23    5     10    77    36    +41   74
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.    EL    Rochdale               38    19    9     10    47    35    +12   66
6.          West Brom              38    18    5     15    57    52    +5    59
7.          Southampton            38    15    11    12    43    44    -1    56
8.          West Ham               38    14    13    11    57    55    +2    55
9.    EL    Chelsea                38    15    7     16    58    57    +1    52
10.         Norwich                38    15    6     17    57    55    +2    51
11.         Nottm Forest           38    14    9     15    47    51    -4    51
12.   EL    Derby                  38    15    5     18    58    56    +2    50
13.         Liverpool              38    14    7     17    52    55    -3    49
14.         Wolves                 38    12    8     18    50    71    -21   44
15.         Blackburn              38    10    10    18    38    54    -16   40
16.         Everton                38    11    7     20    52    70    -18   40
17.         Coventry               38    7     14    17    35    59    -24   35
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18.   R     Tottenham              38    9     7     22    39    72    -33   34
19.   R     Sheff Utd              38    7     10    21    43    88    -45   31
20.   R     Fulham                 38    6     10    22    49    83    -34   28

 

[CFuller]

Dagenham & Redbridge Player Statistics (2042/2043)

(Includes stats from all first-team matches & 6 Essex Senior Cup matches)

 

GOALKEEPERS               APPS    CON  CLN  MOM  P%   TR   ST%  Y    R    AV RAT
António                   7       16   1    0    67%  -    -    0    0    6.66
Terry Brightly            1       1    0    0    69%  -    -    0    0    7.10
Joe Caton                 2       3    0    0    51%  -    -    0    0    6.70
Martin King               1       1    0    0    67%  0.75 -    0    0    7.10
Kayo Rowe                 49      39   20   0    72%  -    -    0    0    7.01
OUTFIELD PLAYERS          APPS    GLS  AST  MOM  P%   TR   ST%  Y    R    AV RAT
Ebenezer Agyemang         5 (6)   1    1    0    74%  5.39 50%  1    0    7.16
Lee Allen                 18 (15) 1    4    0    83%  7.34 26%  4    0    7.10
Odain Allen               2 (4)   3    1    0    75%  1.15 39%  0    0    7.38
Enrique Álvarez           31 (7)  3    3    1    82%  6.80 40%  8    0    7.17
Leonardo Arrieta          10 (1)  0    3    0    76%  6.65 25%  2    0    7.18
Gary Bannon               5 (2)   0    0    0    73%  0.91 50%  0    0    6.86
Nicky Barton              1       0    0    0    71%  0.00 -    0    0    6.70
Josh Beadle               6 (10)  1    2    0    83%  2.76 23%  1    0    6.89
Trond Christian Bjorknes  3 (1)   0    0    0    76%  3.71 0%   1    0    6.65
Alfie Blackburn           2 (2)   1    1    0    71%  2.11 50%  0    0    6.95
Ken Burton                3       0    1    0    83%  2.80 25%  1    0    7.10
Jimmy Cleary              1       0    0    0    57%  -    -    0    0    6.60
Elliot Cook               25 (4)  18   6    3    77%  2.61 47%  1    0    7.39
Allan Cullen              1 (1)   2    1    0    78%  0.00 60%  0    0    7.80
Milen Danchev             21 (9)  3    6    0    79%  4.69 35%  4    0    6.99
George Darvill            30 (1)  1    1    3    79%  2.51 33%  4    0    7.34
Robert de Jong            5       1    0    0    76%  1.42 50%  1    0    7.44
Bradley Douglas           1 (2)   0    0    0    76%  0.00 -    0    0    7.00
Justin Eames              0 (1)   0    0    0    76%  0.00 -    0    0    7.10
Giorgio Facheris          6 (3)   0    0    0    82%  3.90 -    2    0    6.97
Pat French                2 (1)   2    1    0    85%  1.43 50%  2    0    7.53
Dzenan Genjac             3 (1)   0    2    0    87%  3.05 10%  0    0    6.63
Bertie Gerken             1       0    1    0    82%  0.00 0%   0    0    7.10
Raju Gomes                21 (4)  1    0    3    72%  2.61 50%  2    0    7.36
Benjamin Guerin           26 (4)  1    3    0    87%  6.07 20%  4    0    7.19
Nathan Guppy              42      4    2    9    75%  4.29 50%  8    0    7.95
Johnathan                 10 (13) 5    4    0    75%  2.66 42%  1    0    7.09
Kenneth Jorgensen         39 (4)  3    5    0    87%  6.69 44%  4    0    7.32
Stelios Kalogeris         1 (1)   0    0    0    84%  2.00 0%   0    0    7.10
David Kasungu             1       0    0    0    64%  3.00 -    0    0    7.00
Scott Keevil              1       0    0    0    89%  0.00 -    0    0    6.60
Eric Knox                 21 (8)  6    14   2    82%  5.46 31%  7    1    7.29
Kamil Lewandowski         29 (4)  9    9    3    82%  4.07 49%  3    0    7.31
Macaulay Lucas            1       0    0    0    70%  1.50 -    0    0    7.70
Matty Maddison            1       0    0    0    79%  3.00 100% 0    0    7.40
Hicham Martin             24 (5)  1    1    0    79%  6.50 29%  2    1    7.05
Thulani Mazibuko          2 (1)   0    1    1    69%  6.00 -    0    0    7.70
Stevie Merson             12 (9)  8    0    1    76%  2.03 40%  0    0    7.06
Peter Mikkelsen           2 (5)   2    3    2    74%  1.33 50%  0    0    7.43
Lucky Moloi               1 (1)   0    1    0    49%  1.07 0%   0    0    7.15
Daniel Murdoch            6 (1)   3    2    2    87%  3.21 32%  0    0    7.73
Jacob Newton              1       1    0    0    88%  1.00 40%  0    0    7.20
Liam O'Leary              0 (1)   0    0    0    63%  0.00 -    0    0    7.00
Juan Esteban Olvera       21 (10) 1    1    0    82%  6.39 50%  4    0    7.02
Frédéric Pereira          26 (6)  2    4    2    84%  9.47 33%  7    0    7.25
Gareth Sainsbury          1 (6)   0    0    0    74%  4.20 -    0    0    6.18
Orlando Salvador          8 (5)   2    0    0    80%  5.19 52%  2    0    6.99
Mirko Saric               12 (5)  1    8    0    80%  3.19 24%  2    0    7.09
Altino Schramm            4       1    3    1    81%  2.35 50%  0    0    7.58
Antonis Siafos            27 (4)  16   11   5    77%  2.12 46%  4    0    7.41
Jack Spiller              1       0    0    0    78%  0.00 -    0    0    6.90
Gianfranco Torre          35 (6)  19   13   5    78%  3.00 46%  4    1    7.32
Michael Walters           40 (5)  5    0    1    84%  3.25 56%  9    0    7.41
Troy Woodward             2 (1)   2    0    0    74%  1.41 50%  0    0    7.40

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

 

[oche balboa]

Epic Story. Shame you can’t carry it on in some form 

[CFuller]

Just now, oche balboa said:

Epic Story. Shame you can’t carry it on in some form 

I decided some time ago that I would end the save as soon as I'd won everything with Dagenham & Redbridge. Part of me would've loved to have ended with a spell as England manager, but I think that ship has sailed now. Besides, 31 seasons is a very long time for a single CM/FM save, considering my previous longest was 12 seasons on CM00/01.

[CFuller]

Romford watch: 2042/2043

Having broken into the Conference Premier's top five this season, it seemed that Romford were closer than ever to achieving Football League status. Could Dominic Shimmin and his team now take that final step up?

 

Conference Premier: 7th

A four-match unbeaten start boded well for Romford, who found themselves in 6th place after two wins and two draws. However, their next four games - all away from Ship Lane - yielded just a single point and sent falling crashing as low as 20th. A run of three straight home wins helped rocket the Boro back up the table, and their only major blip from that point until the end of October was a 4-0 thrashing at Birmingham City. With a pre-Christmas surge, they would surely find themselves in the play-off spots.

 

Alas, that pre-Christmas surge didn't come. November was a miserable month for Romford, which included just two wins from six games, and a 2-0 home defeat against Macclesfield Town. That would actually be the Boro's only league reverse at Ship Lane all season long. Form picked up in December and January, though they perhaps drew too many games to get themselves near the top five. By the start of February, Shimmin's side were barely in the top half.

 

The contrast between Romford's form at home and on the road was very clear during the final three months of the season. In that time, they won six home fixtures in a row, yet pitifully collected a single point from their last six away games (a 1-1 draw at Crawley Town). A 3-0 thumping of Burton Albion in mid-March momentarily sent the Boro into 5th place, but losses at FC Halifax Town and Barrow knocked them back down. Dreadful results outside of Essex would ultimately see the Boro miss out on the play-offs by four points, while a similarly poor defensive record left them with an equal goal difference.

 

FA Cup: Round 1

Romford only just squeezed past St Neots Town - a team two tiers below them - by a single goal in Qualifying Round 4. Their reward was a Round 1 trip to League Two Grimsby Town. Despite grinding out a 1-1 draw in Lincolnshire, the Boro couldn't win the replay at Ship Lane, with a 2-1 defeat continuing their poor record at this stage of the competition.

 

FA Trophy: Round 1

Romford were drawn against Conference South outfit Leyton Orient in Round 1. Despite being favourites to prevail at Brisbane Road, the Boro lost out by the odd goal in five, exiting the FA Trophy early for a second straight season.

 

Essex Senior Cup: Round 1

A random draw pitted Romford away to Brentwood Town in Round 1. Brentwood successfully bridged the three-division gap to secure a 1-1 draw before winning on penalties. This was the first time in well over three decades that the Boro had been knocked out of the county cup at the opening round.

 

Best Players

With last season's hero Nathan Hutchinson having been picked up by Portsmouth, Romford lacked an out-and-out scorer. Stalwart Phil Holmes would top the Boro's charts with 13 goals, with former Birmingham City youth player Stewart Clarkson and Australian journeyman Phil Musemeci the others to reach double figures. Billy Traynor underlined his status as a fan favourite with seven goals and 10 assists, and fellow midfielder Terry Harris was also very productive during his loan spell from Millwall.

 

The backline was a real problem area for the Boro, with 34-year-old ex-Football League centre-half Fred Marshall being their most consistent defender. His much younger colleague Jacob Salt often struggled, as did left-back Alex Marrison. 20-year-old Tom Boys didn't fare too badly in goal early in the season, though he was bumped out by Craig O'Halloran when the Irishman arrived on loan from Matlock Town in January.

 

The Future

Romford fans will be hoping that this season was just a blip, and that normal service will resume in 2043/2044. With Shimmin entering his 13th season as manager, though, some are asking if the 55-year-old has perhaps done all that he can at Ship Lane. Personally, I still have faith that Dominic can lead the Boro into the Football League in the near future. It's surely now a matter of when, rather than if.

[CFuller]

2042/2043 season round-up: Part 1

Premier League

The reign of the Premier League's so-called 'Big Three' was brought to a sudden halt, as a sensational surge from Dagenham & Redbridge claimed a maiden championship. The East London club recovered from a shaky start to go unbeaten in 32 successive PL matches and displace Arsenal from top spot. Their rock-solid defence had been reinforced by the arrival of England centre-half Nathan Guppy, who went on to be named PFA Player of the Year. After the season was over, Christopher Fuller announced his immediate retirement as Daggers manager.

 

Arsenal finished seven points adrift of the new domestic champions, but they regained the UEFA Champions League with a narrow 1-0 Final win over holders Paris Saint-Germain. Manchester City came home 3rd in their first season without legendary captain Kike Martínez. Deposed champions Manchester United finished outside the top three for the first time in 16 years, despite reaching the Finals of both domestic cups. Rochdale were a distant 5th, but their joint-best league finish got them back into the UEFA Europa League.

 

Unlike in most seasons, 6th place was not enough to qualify West Bromwich Albion for Europe. League Cup winners Chelsea - who finished 9th - will be in next season's Europa League, as will Derby County. Yassine Allali's PL-best haul of 30 goals couldn't stop Derby from slipping out of the top half, though they did play in the FA Cup Final, which they lost 2-0 to United. Wolverhampton Wanderers had a frustrating league campaign and were then beaten in the Europa League decider by Lyon.

 

Shoddy defending and a sharp downturn in form accounted for Fulham, who won their final league match in January. Sheffield United were also relegated to the Championship, having only stayed up for a single season. Following them down on the final day were Tottenham Hotspur, whose fate was sealed by a late winner from Wolves. Spurs' 3-2 defeat at Molineux spared goal-shy Coventry City from the drop.

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    C/CL  Dag & Red              38    25    11    2     77    28    +49   86
2.    CL    Arsenal                38    24    7     7     70    26    +44   79
3.    CL    Man City               38    24    5     9     74    33    +41   77
4.    CL    Man Utd                38    23    5     10    77    36    +41   74
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.    EL    Rochdale               38    19    9     10    47    35    +12   66
6.          West Brom              38    18    5     15    57    52    +5    59
7.          Southampton            38    15    11    12    43    44    -1    56
8.          West Ham               38    14    13    11    57    55    +2    55
9.    EL    Chelsea                38    15    7     16    58    57    +1    52
10.         Norwich                38    15    6     17    57    55    +2    51
11.         Nottm Forest           38    14    9     15    47    51    -4    51
12.   EL    Derby                  38    15    5     18    58    56    +2    50
13.         Liverpool              38    14    7     17    52    55    -3    49
14.         Wolves                 38    12    8     18    50    71    -21   44
15.         Blackburn              38    10    10    18    38    54    -16   40
16.         Everton                38    11    7     20    52    70    -18   40
17.         Coventry               38    7     14    17    35    59    -24   35
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18.   R     Tottenham              38    9     7     22    39    72    -33   34
19.   R     Sheff Utd              38    7     10    21    43    88    -45   31
20.   R     Fulham                 38    6     10    22    49    83    -34   28

 

Championship

Despite some autumn wobbles, Reading stormed to the Championship title after ending the season undefeated in 19 league games. They won the league by nine points, but the battle for 2nd place was much closer. Aston Villa eventually pipped Huddersfield Town by a single goal, with Matthew Haynes' 37 goals undoubtedly the key to ending the Villans' seven-year Premier League exile.

 

Huddersfield went on to blow a 3-1 first-leg lead in their Play-Off Semi Final against Corby Town, who won the rematch 3-0 in Yorkshire. Ipswich Town also reached the Final after edging out Crewe Alexandra, and they then took a 2-0 lead at Wembley. Despite having ex-England winger Stacy Palmer sent off, Corby got back level and began to dream of a PL debut. However, Kyle Jukes made it 3-2 Ipswich in the 65th minute and sent the Tractor Boys up!

 

Brighton & Hove Albion were a couple of points shy of making the Play-Offs, while 8th-placed Burnley had their worst finish in over three decades. A late slump from Charlton Athletic denied them a top-six placing on their first season back up, with Oxford United also surviving comfortably.

 

Having stayed up for a third season, Hereford United eventually found the Championship too much to handle and finished bottom. Leicester City returned to League One after only a single campaign, and York City crashed and burned after making seemingly steady improvement year-on-year. Watford were very fortunate to avoid the drop.

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    C     Reading                46    29    8     9     92    48    +44   95
2.    P     Aston Villa            46    24    14    8     90    55    +35   86
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          Huddersfield           46    26    8     12    89    55    +34   86
4.    P     Ipswich                46    25    10    11    83    49    +34   85
5.          Crewe                  46    24    12    10    81    45    +36   84
6.          Corby                  46    23    14    9     69    43    +26   83
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.          Brighton               46    23    12    11    69    48    +21   81
8.          Burnley                46    21    7     18    61    59    +2    70
9.          Charlton               46    19    12    15    72    66    +6    69
10.         Wycombe                46    17    15    14    65    59    +6    66
11.         Plymouth               46    18    11    17    60    59    +1    65
12.         Sunderland             46    18    10    18    64    69    -5    64
13.         Sheff Wed              46    17    9     20    64    68    -4    60
14.         Oxford                 46    18    5     23    63    79    -16   59
15.         Cardiff                46    15    12    19    63    78    -15   57
16.         Newcastle              46    15    10    21    66    72    -6    55
17.         Stoke                  46    14    12    20    61    66    -5    54
18.         Luton                  46    13    15    18    55    75    -20   54
19.         Hull                   46    14    10    22    63    73    -10   52
20.         Leighton               46    13    11    22    63    86    -23   50
21.         Watford                46    11    10    25    47    84    -37   43
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22.   R     York                   46    10    9     27    54    84    -30   39
23.   R     Leicester              46    9     12    25    52    88    -36   39
24.   R     Hereford               46    8     8     30    45    83    -38   32

 

League One

Leeds United lost just four matches on the way to a comfortable victory in the League One title race. Also celebrating a return to the Championship were Middlesbrough, who overtook AFC Telford United in 2nd place on the final day of the regular season.

 

AFC Telford's dreams of promotion were crushed by Cambridge United in the Play-Off Semi Finals. The U's would face Bolton Wanderers at Wembley after the Trotters beat Wrexham by the odd goal in five. Cambridge had not played in the second tier for exactly half a century... and their wait would have to continue, as William Cole and Darin Travers secured a 2-0 win for Bolton.

 

Kidderminster Harriers will move division yet again after being relegated straight back to League Two. Chesterfield, Millwall and Northampton Town were also condemned to the Football League's bottom tier, but Harrogate Town pulled themselves from oblivion by ending the season with four successive wins.

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    C     Leeds                  46    27    15    4     75    37    +38   96
2.    P     Middlesbrough          46    25    9     12    68    47    +21   84
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          AFC Telford            46    23    13    10    75    50    +25   82
4.          Wrexham                46    22    11    13    70    60    +10   77
5.    P     Bolton                 46    21    11    14    74    52    +22   74
6.          Cambridge              46    17    19    10    66    60    +6    70
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.          Chester                46    19    10    17    63    60    +3    67
8.          Bradford               46    18    12    16    78    71    +7    66
9.          Bournemouth            46    17    14    15    61    63    -2    65
10.         Crystal Palace         46    14    19    13    62    53    +9    61
11.         Swansea                46    15    16    15    60    51    +9    61
12.         Morecambe              46    17    10    19    59    62    -3    61
13.         Cheltenham             46    16    13    17    59    64    -5    61
14.         Southend               46    16    11    19    65    61    +4    59
15.         Stockport              46    15    14    17    56    66    -10   59
16.         Scunthorpe             46    14    15    17    69    75    -6    57
17.         Southport              46    14    15    17    62    69    -7    57
18.         Fleetwood              46    13    16    17    59    67    -8    55
19.         Dartford               46    13    14    19    59    71    -12   53
20.         Harrogate              46    12    13    21    47    61    -14   49
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21.   R     Northampton            46    12    12    22    46    61    -15   48
22.   R     Millwall               46    11    13    22    40    62    -22   46
23.   R     Chesterfield           46    8     20    18    46    66    -20   44
24.   R     Kidderminster          46    8     15    23    48    78    -30   39

 

League Two

25 years after dropping out of League One, Preston North End will return to that division as champions of League Two. They won the title just ahead of Gateshead, for whom local lad Nick Edgeworth topped the division's goal chart with 23. Bristol Rovers pipped Rotherham United and local rivals Bristol City to the other promotion place.

 

Bristol City and Rotherham would go on to contest the Play-Off Final, following their Semi Final victories against Gillingham and Grimsby Town. Though City had nearly twice as many shots at goal, it was Rotherham who secured victory with a 29th-minute goal by Robbie Hopkins. The Millers' yo-yoing between Leagues One and Two continues!

 

Peterborough United reached the FA Cup Final in 2014 and made it to the Premier League in 2025... but now they must adapt to life in the Conference National. Posh's 83-year Football League membership ended with relegation, while Doncaster Rovers went down too after four decades in the professional ranks.

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    C     Preston                46    26    9     11    70    50    +20   87
2.    P     Gateshead              46    25    11    10    75    43    +32   86
3.    P     Bristol Rovers         46    23    10    13    76    55    +21   79
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.          Bristol City           46    20    16    10    68    43    +25   76
5.    P     Rotherham              46    21    13    12    59    49    +10   76
6.          Grimsby                46    19    16    11    66    54    +12   73
7.          Gillingham             46    19    12    15    54    44    +10   69
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8.          Matlock                46    17    16    13    61    49    +12   67
9.          Yeovil                 46    18    13    15    68    62    +6    67
10.         Darlington             46    17    15    14    53    48    +5    66
11.         Exeter                 46    16    15    15    56    55    +1    63
12.         Colchester             46    15    15    16    51    53    -2    60
13.         AFC Wimbledon          46    17    9     20    63    69    -6    60
14.         Notts County           46    15    12    19    51    51    0     57
15.         Oldham                 46    14    15    17    46    49    -3    57
16.         Eastleigh              46    15    10    21    59    67    -8    55
17.         Kingstonian            46    14    13    19    53    64    -11   55
18.         Ashford Town           46    14    13    19    51    71    -20   55
19.         Aldershot              46    13    14    19    54    66    -12   53
20.         Wigan                  46    12    16    18    44    54    -10   52
21.         Shrewsbury             46    14    9     23    46    72    -26   51
22.         Portsmouth             46    12    14    20    47    64    -17   50
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
23.   R     Doncaster              46    11    13    22    46    59    -13   46
24.   R     Peterborough           46    8     15    23    44    70    -26   39

 

Conference Premier

Birmingham City didn't hang around in the Conference Premier for long. The Blues led the league for most of the season and had automatic promotion to League Two wrapped up with one weekend to spare.

 

Both of last season's relegated teams went back up, as FC Halifax Town eliminated Macclesfield Town in the Play-Off Semi Final and then overcame Altrincham 2-0 in the Final at Wembley. Despite edging out Mansfield Town 4-3 in the Semis, Altrincham couldn't quite secure back-to-back promotions.

 

Dorchester Town and Hampton & Richmond Borough were quickly cut adrift at the bottom of the table. Horsham also went down, as did Swindon Town, whose Football League days are now nothing but distant memories.

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    C     Birmingham             46    24    12    10    83    48    +35   84
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.    P     FC Halifax             46    23    13    10    66    49    +17   82
3.          Altrincham             46    23    11    12    78    57    +21   80
4.          Mansfield              46    21    13    12    63    49    +14   76
5.          Macclesfield           46    21    11    14    65    52    +13   74
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.          Lincoln                46    20    11    15    61    54    +7    71
7.          Romford                46    19    13    14    64    64    0     70
8.          Barnsley               46    21    6     19    66    61    +5    69
9.          Marine                 46    18    14    14    58    56    +2    68
10.         Boston Utd             46    18    12    16    63    50    +13   66
11.         Forest Green           46    15    19    12    56    52    +4    64
12.         Crawley                46    16    15    15    54    43    +11   63
13.         Torquay                46    16    14    16    49    51    -2    62
14.         Walsall                46    15    16    15    54    56    -2    61
15.         Brentford              46    16    11    19    44    53    -9    59
16.         Port Vale              46    15    12    19    58    59    -1    57
17.         QPR                    46    16    9     21    48    56    -8    57
18.         Barrow                 46    13    18    15    48    59    -11   57
19.         Mossley                46    13    16    17    59    68    -9    55
20.         Burton                 46    15    9     22    44    57    -13   54
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21.   R     Swindon                46    11    19    16    49    58    -9    52
22.   R     Horsham                46    9     15    22    39    57    -18   42
23.   R     Hampton & Richmond     46    9     11    26    37    77    -40   38
24.   R     Dorchester             46    6     18    22    45    65    -20   36

 

Conference North

Promoted: Hartlepool United (1st, 77 pts), Stalybridge Celtic (2nd, 75 pts).

Also in Play-Offs: Ilkeston (3rd, 74 pts), Bury (4th, 70 pts), Sheffield (5th, 69 pts).

Relegated: Hyde (20th, 47 pts), Rushall Olympic (21st, 41 pts), Bradford Park Avenue (22nd, 38 pts).

 

Conference South

Promoted: Bath City (1st, 86 pts), AFC Hornchurch (4th, 69 pts).

Also in Play-Offs: Boreham Wood (2nd, 79 pts), Eastbourne Borough (3rd, 71 pts), Slough Town (5th, 66 pts).

Relegated: Woking (20th, 42 pts), Welling United (21st, 37 pts), Oxford City (22nd, 36 pts).

 

Regional Premier Divisions

Promoted from Northern Premier League Premier: Chasetown (1st), Hucknall Town (4th).

Promoted from Isthmian League Premier: Ebbsfleet United (1st), Histon (2nd).

Promoted from Southern League Premier: Gloucester City (1st), Winchester City (4th).

[CFuller]

2042/2043 season round-up: Part 2

Major Transfers

• Two of England's leading strikers went to Italy after being snapped up by Serie A's leading lights. Juventus paid Southampton £32million for record scorer Maurice Hockley, who secured 36 goals in as many league games during his first season with the Old Lady. Marc Bennett took Italian football by storm as well, finding the net 29 times for Empoli after his £11.75million move from Manchester City. The Azzurri also bought Bennett's City team-mate Leonardo Paiva - a 22-year-old Portuguese centre-half - for £15million.
• Premier League holders Manchester United invested in a couple of frontmen over the summer. Gary Roux arrived from Chelsea for £17.5million, but he was almost immediately rendered redundant when Eder Jiménez signed from Real Valladolid for £31.5million. The Colombian scored 13 goals in his first PL campaign at Old Trafford, despite missing three months with a torn hamstring.
• Liverpool made their biggest buy in over 30 years when Venezuela right-winger Rolando Sánchez was acquired from Valencia for £24.5million. The explosive 24-year-old immediately stood out in an average Reds team, racking up 19 assists in all competitions. Meanwhile, Manchester City signed England's midfield workhorse Kyle Allcock - a former United trainee, no less - from Juventus for a cut-price £9.75million.
• Rochdale matched their best-ever PL finish of 5th after another busy summer in the transfer market. Argentine left-back Hugo Cordone was deemed a £17million success after joining from Barcelona. 20-year-old Germany anchor man Vojislav Vidic more than justified the £14.75million that Dale paid to Bayer Leverkusen with a series of energetic performances.
• January saw a couple of German frontmen arrive in the Premier League. However, Arsenal's Jens Kuhne (£18.25million from Juventus) and Manchester United's Manfred Gobel (£20.5million from VfB Stuttgart) each struggled to make impacts during their first few months in England. In contrast, Chile left-back Leonardo Arrieta hit the ground running after eventual champions Dagenham & Redbridge broke their transfer record to sign him from Valladolid for £27.5million.
• Ukraine striker Yuriy Cherepanskyi was seen by many as a £39million flop for Bayern Munich, having failed to justify the huge fee Dynamo Kiev were paid in July. Cherepanskyi was perhaps not ready for such a huge step up... but 23-year-old Brazilian sensation Elton was. Having scored 33 times for Sao Paulo in the 2042 Brasileirao season, he was bought by Real Madrid for £29million, and immediately started banging in the goals for Los Merengues. Have Real found their long-term successor to William Schmidt?

 

Managerial Movements

• England manager Rogier Molhoek resigned after the FIFA World Cup, returning to his native Holland to coach FC Utrecht. He was replaced with former Under-21s boss Marcus Appleton, who'd been in charge of Liverpool for less than 18 months. Appleton's successor didn't even last four months at Anfield, as ex-Nottingham Forest boss Cauley Woodrow was sacked after a disastrous start. Oliver Zigante then rebounded from his axing by Barcelona to drag the Reds out of a relegation battle and into 13th place.
• Will Grigg lost his job at Fulham in November and was replaced by his direct predecessor. Kenneth Vermeer's return to Craven Cottage was not an enjoyable one, as the Dutchman failed to keep them up. The club he left - West Bromwich Albion - went on to secure a 6th-place finish under Neil Briers, narrowly missing out on European qualification.
• Also in November, Chelsea axed Musa Nizam for the second time in less than three years before luring Steve Doswell away from Blackburn Rovers. Ironically, Nizam then nabbed Doswell's old job at Ewood Park! Doswell went on to lift the League Cup with Chelsea, while his previous employers barely survived.
• A terrible run of form saw Ryan Fulton dismissed as Everton boss in February. Though successor Jamal Fyfield had mixed results in his first few months at Goodison Park, he did at least keep the Toffees up. That was more than could be said of the club he left, as Barry Loughlan failed to pull Sheffield United out of the bottom three. Meanwhile, Matt Lowton completed his first full season as Forest manager by guiding the Reds to 11th place - their best Premier League finish in nine years.
• Ten games into the La Liga season, Barcelona found themselves in a dismal 11th place. Zigante was swiftly dismissed, and Adria Carmona - who won the league with Real Sociedad in 2039 - picked up the pieces. A strong end to the campaign saw Carmona's Barca finish 3rd, while his old team slipped to 5th. Los Txuri-Urdin sacked Sylvain Marveaux in December, after a little over a year in charge, and brought back Petr Bystrov for a second spell in charge.
• Bayern Munich finished outside the Bundesliga's top four for the first time in nearly 50 years, despite changing their manager mid-season. Pablo Velasco was given his marching orders in March and replaced by Schalke 04's title-winning coach from the previous campaign - Mario Fussenegger. Naturally, Schalke decided that Velasco was the ideal manager to take over from Fussenegger!

 

Other Major Stories

• The infamous UEFA Champions League curse is still standing, as Paris Saint-Germain became the latest holders to lose their title in the following year's Final. They couldn't follow up last season's Wembley success at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, where they were edged out 1-0 by Arsenal in a cagey decider. Veteran striker Shane Hay's low 36th-minute drive earned the Gunners their fourth European Cup, and captain Liam Wood announced his retirement immediately afterwards.
• Jérome Rothen's 20-year reign as PSG manager ended in total frustration. Les Parisiens were pipped to the Ligue 1 championship by Marseille, who also beat them in the Coupe de la Ligue Final, while their pursuit of the Coupe de France ended in the Semi Finals. That said, 65-year-old Rothen still retired with an enviable record of 14 league titles, two Champions Leagues, a FIFA Club World Cup and nine domestic cups.
• With Federico Macheda having been appointed as Italy's new head coach in the summer, Empoli failed to keep hold of the Serie A scudetto. The Azzurri were displaced by Juventus, who hoovered up 99 points and lost just one league match all season - away to Inter Milan in March. Empoli did console themselves with the Coppa Italia, which they lifted after a comfortable 4-1 win over AC Milan.
• Real Madrid won La Liga for the third season in a row, despite city rivals Atlético Madrid pushing them close, to win their 45th Spanish championship. Porto fared even better in Portugal, racking up their 50th Primeira Liga title after triumphing in a final-day decider at Benfica. The Dragoes would inflict more pain on their 'O Clássico' rivals a week later, beating them 2-0 to claim a record-equalling 28th Taca de Portugal.
• Porto's record looks impressive... but perhaps not as much as Linfield's haul of league titles in Northern Ireland, which now stands at 76! The Blues' 17th successive IFA Premiership win probably wouldn't have batted an eyelid had they not completed the whole 38-game season undefeated, drawing just five games!
• José Luis retired as Manchester United skipper after a glittering 15-year Old Trafford career that saw him win seven Premier Leagues and three Champions Leagues. Club-mate Sebastián Núnez also hung up his boots, as did legendary strikers Ruben Leblanc (Monaco) and Per Nielsen (Empoli). There was also a fond farewell to Dagenham & Redbridge manager Christopher Fuller, who guided them from the Conference National to the top of English and world football in 21 seasons.

 

Cup Winners

FA Cup: Manchester United 2-0 Derby County.

League Cup: Chelsea 2-1 Manchester United.

Community Shield: Dagenham & Redbridge 1-0 Manchester United.

Football League Trophy: Eastleigh 1-1 Bolton Wanderers (5-4 penalties).

 

UEFA Champions League: Arsenal 1-0 Paris Saint-Germain - at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff.

UEFA Europa League: Lyon 1-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers - at Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund.

UEFA Super Cup: Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 Sporting CP - at Letzigrund, Zurich.

FIFA Club World Championship: Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 Botafogo - at Rose Bowl, Pasadena.

 

Major European Leagues

Dutch Eredivisie: Feyenoord (1st), PSV (2nd), FC Utrecht (3rd).

French Ligue 1: Marseille (1st), Paris Saint-Germain (2nd), Lyon (3rd).

German Bundesliga: Borussia Dortmund (1st), Borussia Moenchengladbach (2nd), Schalke 04 (3rd).

Italian Serie A: Juventus (1st), Empoli (2nd), AC Milan (3rd).

Portuguese Primeira Liga: Porto (1st), Benfica (2nd), Sporting CP (3rd).

Russian Premier League: Anji Ramenskoye (1st), CSKA Moscow (2nd), Lokomotiv Moscow (3rd).

Scottish Premier League: Celtic (1st), Rangers (2nd), Hibernian (3rd).

Spanish La Liga: Real Madrid (1st), Atlético Madrid (2nd), Barcelona (3rd).

 

Award Winners

PFA Player of the Year: Nathan Guppy (Dagenham & Redbridge).

PFA Young Player of the Year: Pierre Brunet (Chelsea).

FWA Footballer of the Year: Paolo De Vecchi (Arsenal).

Premier League Manager of the Season: Christopher Fuller (Dagenham & Redbridge).

PFA Premier League Team of the Year:

• Seán Rooney (Manchester United and Republic of Ireland)
• Klevis Idrizi (Manchester United and Albania)
• Nathan Guppy (Dagenham & Redbridge and England)
• Aaron Perkins (Norwich City and England)
• Lider Bay (Manchester United and Turkey)
• Juan Martín Díaz (Arsenal and Argentina)
• Karim De Vuyst (Manchester City and Belgium)
• Pablo López (Chelsea and Spain)
• Hany El Sayed (Manchester United and Egypt)
• Yassine Allali (Derby County and Belgium)
• Paolo De Vecchi (Arsenal and Italy)

 

FIFA Ballon d'Or: William Schmidt (Real Madrid).

World Soccer World Player of the Year: William Schmidt (Real Madrid).

European Golden Shoe: Maurice Hockley (Juventus).

UEFA Best Player in Europe: Maurice Hockley (Juventus).

FIFA/FIFPro World XI:

• Dawid Wisniewski (Barcelona and Germany)
• Christoph Kerstiens (Porto and Germany)
• Emrah Ozbalta (Valencia and Germany)
• Ciro Lattarulo (Manchester City and France)
• Simon Rintelen (Bayern Munich and Germany)
• Rafael Pinau (Lyon and France)
• Jean-Baptiste Cros (Sevilla and France)
• Juan Martín Díaz (Arsenal and Argentina)
• Joachim Schwarz (Juventus and Germany)
• Kosi Mbele (Real Betis and Germany)
• William Schmidt (Real Madrid and Germany)

[CFuller]

Dagenham & Redbridge - Season-by-season summary: Part 1

On 1 October 2022, Dagenham & Redbridge were a club on a downward spiral. Having accrued large debts and gone through a succession of managers over recent years, the Daggers were now struggling to bounce back from their recent relegation from the Football League. The mood around Victoria Road was as low as it had been since the club's formation three decades earlier.

 

Then the club's owner Antonello Scolaro decided to take a chance on a 37-year-old manager who had limited experience in professional football. After a decade in charge of his hometown club Romford, he went over to northern Spain for a brief and very unhappy stint at third-division minnows Elgoibar. A return to north-east London was the ideal place to restart his career. That manager was me, Christopher Fuller.

 

Over the next 21 years, I took a club that had lost its way and guided it through the leagues. With shrewd financial planning and squad-building, the Daggers rose back into the Football League, and then the Premier League, and later into Europe.

 

The Dagenham & Redbridge of 2043 is very different from the club that I arrived at. We have a world-class squad full of domestic, European and world champions. Our facilities and youth set-up are the envy of nearly every other club in England. Our 21st-century stadium at Rainham Road still has a modest capacity of 26,772, but it is frequently filled every other week by passionate supporters who love their team and enjoy the football they play.

 

As I step away from the club and head into retirement, this is a good time to look back and reflect on how far we have come. Let's review every step of our rise to the top of world football, one season at a time:

 

2022/2023

Conference Premier: 5th (Lost in Play-Off Final).

FA Cup: Round 2. FA Trophy: Round 1.

Player of the Year: Jamie Bell. Top Goalscorer: Jamie Bell. Most Assists: Yasser Ibrahim.

 

I arrived at Dagenham & Redbridge in October 2022, with the club sitting 5th in the Conference Premier after 15 games. The team had been much-changed after relegation from League Two the previous season, but there was little quality on display. I had inherited a mixture of has-been journeymen and loanees. Naturally, it took a while for us to find our feet under my management, only winning our first league game at the fifth attempt. Ronnie Banton's late winner at Southend United began a brief resurgence before things started to go south again.

 

We were out of both domestic cups by the end of November, with our FA Cup campaign infamously being crushed by Conference North outfit Guiseley. That was part of a pre-Christmas slump that saw us slump as low as 11th in the league, making me question my decision to take charge of the Daggers. Then came the tide-turner - a 7-1 humbling of play-off rivals Newport County in which star striker Jamie Bell scored a hat-trick and Yasser Ibrahim flourished as an inside-forward. After clearing out some dead wood and bringing in fresh blood, we went unbeaten in nine matches.

 

As we closed in on a top-five finish, our charge suddenly went off the rails, and we won one of our final six league matches. The low point was a 4-2 home loss against Crawley Town, who went on to secure automatic promotion. We then almost threw away a play-off place in our season-closer at Farnborough, who went 2-0 up with 20 minutes to go. An 81st-minute penalty from Ibrahim, and then a dramatic injury-time equaliser by Adam Barton, saw us sneak into 5th place ahead of Salisbury City.

 

We played runners-up Newport County in the Play-Off Semi Final, but all looked lost when we were held to a goalless draw at Victoria Road in the first leg. Luckily, we turned on the style in the second leg in south Wales, prevailing 3-0 after a virtuoso display from on-loan Everton defender Les Sawyer. That set up a Final showdown with Stevenage at Wembley. Alas, James Wilson put Stevenage ahead in just the third minute, and some appalling shooting from our attackers meant we could not find an equaliser. We would be staying in the Conference Premier for another year at least.

 

2023/2024

Conference Premier: 1st (Promoted as Champions).

FA Cup: Round 1. FA Trophy: Winners.

Player of the Year: Aaron McEwan. Top Goalscorer: Jamie Bell. Most Assists: Yasser Ibrahim.

 

After the previous season's disappointment, I pretty much ripped the team up and started again. A few players - like captain Robbie Ryder, top scorer Bell and the enigmatic Ibrahim - were retained. Joining them were a mixture of exciting prospects (Wayne Coton, Paul Hart), loanees with points to prove (Stuart Gould, George Green) and experienced professionals (James Dunne, Aaron McEwan). We hit the ground running by thrashing Milton Keynes Dons 4-0, but early defeats to Chelmsford City and Cambridge United raised questions about our resolve.

 

Amid growing concerns over our financial status and my job security, we went on an incredible unbeaten run throughout the autumn. For 15 league games over the course of three months, we looked very difficult to beat, with centre-backs Coton and McEwan particularly impressing. Our only loss during that period was in the FA Cup against Swindon. We even went top of the Conference until our run was halted by a 4-1 humbling at Bury in mid-December. Our form quickly declined again, and we slipped to 7th place before finding our mojo again late in January.

 

While our title push gained further traction, we eyed up another prize. After four easy victories in the early rounds, Bell's hat-trick dismantled Salisbury City in the first leg of our Semi Final. Despite losing the return leg at home, we still prevailed 4-2 on aggregate to book a return to Wembley. We took on Preston North End, who took an early lead before Green equalised in the 76th minute. Despite dominating possession, we were taken to a penalty shoot-out, which went to sudden death. After Preston missed their seventh penalty, Stevenage loanee Geraint Harding stepped up to earn us a 6-5 win... and my first trophy as Daggers manager!

 

Victory at Wembley gave us a massive confidence boost at just the right time. Home thrashings of Bromley and Eastleigh enabled us to go one point ahead of both Cambridge United and Stalybridge Celtic going into the final day. We only had to win at mid-table Boreham Wood to secure automatic promotion... but it wasn't easy. Robbie Shenton's Daggers opener was cancelled out early in the second half, leaving us with more work to do. In the 66th minute, Shenton's through-ball was slotted home by Dunne, whose tidy finish eventually secured a massive 2-1 win. We were returning to the Football League, having won the non-league Double!

 

2024/2025

League Two: 13th.

FA Cup: Round 2. League Cup: Round 1. Football League Trophy: Round 2.

Player of the Year: Wayne Coton. Top Goalscorer: Jamie Bell. Most Assists: Willie Dickson.

 

Reinforcements were made before our first season back in League Two, including Harding (now on a permanent deal) and Kyrgyzstani cult icon Ahletdin Israilov. However, this proved to be a real baptism of fire for Dagenham. The gap in class was clear as we lost our first four league games and exited the League Cup at the hands of a Notts County team managed by ex-Daggers nemesis Steve Evans. It wasn't until we edged a couple of five-goal thrillers against AFC Bournemouth and Leyton Orient that we started to feel at home in our new surroundings.

 

The Daggers would be wildly inconsistent for the rest of the season. If we weren't being outclassed by rock-bottom Blackpool, Bell was putting four goals past eventual champions Morecambe at the Globe Arena. Despite that, we were never really in danger of being relegated back to the Conference National. Meanwhile, we endured an early exit from the Football League Trophy and missed the chance to upset League One Wrexham in the FA Cup.

 

From February onwards, we started to show signs of being a quality team in the division. We would lose just three more matches over the final three months as Bell enjoyed fine scoring form, as did target man Willie Dickson before a hamstring injury prematurely ended his season. We would eventually finish the campaign in 13th place with the very average record of 65 goals scored, 65 conceded, and 65 points. Though Bell and Dickson would both leave us in the off-season, everything was in place for us to challenge for a play-off spot in the following season.

 

2025/2026

League Two: 4th (Lost In Play-Off Semi Final).

FA Cup: Round 1. League Cup: Round 1. Football League Trophy: Round 1.

Player of the Year: Wayne Coton. Top Goalscorer: Troy Hands. Most Assists: Mark West.

 

Our start to the season didn't promise much, as some late defeats and leaky defending quickly left us off the pace. First-round exits in all three domestic cups also offered little reason to be cheerful. We eventually began to settle down, with new centre-back Gavin Dalton nicely complementing Coton and teenage attacking midfielder Paul Hart blossoming into an exceptional talent. However, it was the signing of a beastly Yorkshireman by the name of Mark West that gave us a strike partnership to be feared.

 

While Troy Hands was already scoring regularly before West's arrival, there was soon little doubting that he'd found the perfect partner in the powerful target man. Once those two clicked, we gradually moved up the table and began to cause opponents problems. At the other end, though, our own defence was causing me problems, and captain Ryder was no longer assured of a starting place in goal. Daryl Ryan temporarily replaced him, but the young Irishman's shakiness - especially in a 3-3 home draw against Leyton Orient at the end of February - put Robbie back in favour going into the run-in.

 

The Orient match was a turning point. Having knuckled down and tightened up the defence, we finished the regular season unbeaten in 11 consecutive matches. Highlights included a 5-0 away demolition of Yeovil Town in which Hands picked apart his former employers, and a 3-1 Victoria Road win over Chester. The latter result lifted us into the play-off spots for the first time that season, and we never looked back. Further home victories against Wycombe Wanderers, Aldershot Town and Bristol Rovers secured a 4th-place finish and made us Play-Off favourites.

 

Our Semi Final was against Blackpool, who'd just held on to 7th place. After battling to a 0-0 draw at Bloomfield Road, we arrived at Victoria Road confident of booking our Final place. A blistering Mitchell Clark free-kick got us up and running, but Reis Collins' equaliser forced extra-time. Collins would then level the scores again following Harding's maiden Daggers goal, and after a two-hour 2-2 draw, it all came down to penalties. The Seasiders were spot-on in the shoot-out, but Israilov and Coton's penalties were saved, and so our season ended in agony.

 

2026/2027

League Two: 2nd (Promoted).

FA Cup: Round 3. League Cup: Round 3. Football League Trophy: Round 2.

Player of the Year: Mark West. Top Goalscorer: Mark West. Most Assists: Yasser Ibrahim.

 

Another Play-Off near-miss meant another pre-season shake-up. Out went Israilov and McEwan, and in came Portuguese left-winger Marcelo Andrade and future Daggers stalwart Matthew Fraser. The latter announced his arrival in September with a superb strike against Chelsea in Round 3 of the League Cup, in which we'd already stunned Championship sides Millwall and Peterborough United. Sadly, we couldn't quite pull off an even greater upset at Stamford Bridge, and the Blues edged us out 2-1.

 

Back in League Two, we set our stall out immediately by winning four of our first five games. Back-to-back losses against Wycombe Wanderers and Kidderminster Harriers only temporarily knocked us off our stride, and we were soon firmly established in the top three. Part of that was down to the early-season form of Manchester United loanee Bill Mooney, who got plenty of vital goals when new captain West was slow to get his campaign running. Once Mark hit his stride, though, nobody was going to stop 'The Beast' from collecting the Golden Boot.

 

There were some jaw-dropping attacking performances from the Daggers in November and December, which saw us challenge and then leapfrog Chester at the top. By the turn of the year, we were 15 points clear of 4th place. Then our best FA Cup run yet came to an end, with top-flight Aston Villa edging us out in Birmingham. That took away a lot of momentum, and while West and Hands continued to produce the goods, other players started to crack under pressure. As we started to wobble in the league, Chester powered on and retook 1st place, never to relinquish it again.

 

Our tendency to throw away points late on resurfaced in February, when we started to inexplicably switch off for the final 10 minutes of matches. When we choked on a victory at Brentford, leaving us only three points ahead of 4th with two games to go, I gave the team their fiercest tongue-lashing yet. They responded by effectively securing automatic promotion at Chesterfield, twice coming from behind to win 3-2 after a 93rd-minute header from West. Mark would then score twice more in a 5-0 demolition of relegated Mansfield Town to finish the season on 32 league goals. That victory saw us home in 2nd place behind Chester's champions, and League One awaited!

 

2027/2028

League One: 4th (Lost in Play-Off Semi Final).

FA Cup: Round 5. League Cup: Round 1. Football League Trophy: Round 2.

Player of the Year: Mark West. Top Goalscorer: Mark West. Most Assists: Paul Hart.

 

This season began and then ended with Sheffield United snatching a creative talent from our grasps. Andrade went to Bramall Lane for £450,000 before we entered League One, while Hart joined him for £1.6million after another sensational campaign. He got 12 goals and 12 assists during a season that defied all Dagenham fans' expectations. Despite losing stalwarts Ryder and Clark, and making few major signings, we destroyed Fleetwood Town 5-0 on the opening day and immediately settled into the third tier.

 

Yes, there were a few early wobbles. We lost our League Cup opener to Rotherham United and then went 4-0 down at Gillingham within 25 minutes before pulling it back to 4-3. The Gills also ended our Football League Trophy challenge early. By and large, though, Ryan was proving to be a capable permanent number 1, and we were setting the division alight with some exciting attacking football. Four goals from Hands and two from West secured us a stunning 7-0 October win at Oxford United, beginning a four-match winning run that ended with us topping the table.

 

Though we quickly tumbled back down to 6th before Christmas, we also began our longest FA Cup run to date. Lincoln City and Kidderminster Harriers were accounted for in the early rounds, with Championship sides Swansea City and Coventry City being scalped in January. That earned us a Round 5 meeting with another second-tier side, but in all honesty, Blackburn Rovers outclassed us from start to finish. Rovers went 3-0 up before half-time, and we were lucky that they couldn't add to our misery.

 

The mid-season signing of Danish attacking midfielder Victor Dam added more flair to our play-off charge. Despite some mediocre results in February and early March, we clicked back into gear at just the right time. Comfortable home wins over Oxford and Scunthorpe United solidified our top-six place, while moving West closer to winning League One's Golden Boot. He would top his division's goal charts for the second season in a row, falling just one short of his tally from the previous campaign in League Two.

 

Our late-season surge saw us finish 4th and book a Play-Off Semi Final against Wrexham, whom we had recently beaten 3-0 at the Racecourse Ground. Unfortunately, our next visit to north Wales did not go to plan. Though a Hands double put us 2-1 up midway through the second half, suspect defending saw us go down 3-2. We couldn't turn the tie around back at our place. Despite a star turn from teenage midfielder William Barnes, we fell prey to a solitary Robbie Kane goal and were eliminated 4-2 on aggregate. The Red Dragons went on to secure promotion to the Championship before signing Daggers favourite Coton for £200,000.

 

2028/2029

League One: 1st (Promoted as Champions).

FA Cup: Round 2. League Cup: Round 1. Football League Trophy: Round 2.

Player of the Year: Mark West. Top Goalscorer: Max Hicks. Most Assists: Ollie Pert.

 

Prior to our second season in League One, I rejected an offer from Premier League side Norwich City to become their new manager. It proved to be the right call to turn down the Canaries. Coton and Hart weren't too sorely missed as we began the season with three straight wins, including a 4-0 thrashing of AFC Telford United in which new arrival Max Hicks netted twice. Unfortunately, we then suffered another early League Cup exit - this time to Dartford - and then had a mini-blip. During that, we sunk to our lowest league position of the whole season - 4th.

 

An unbeaten September, followed by several more strong results later in the autumn, saw us go back to the top of the table. Though Colchester United displaced us for a while, we were back at the summit come early December. By then, we had suffered early exits from the FA Cup and Football League Trophy, allowing us to concentrate solely on the league. West and Hands weren't quite at their absolute best, but that didn't matter so much, as Hicks was regularly contributing goals. We were also getting consistently strong performances in midfield from Fraser and at the back from Dalton and Josh Charles.

 

January began with a very encouraging 2-0 win at Colchester, further bolstering our position at the top. Our defence was now undoubtedly the most solid in the division, though we did have an alarming meltdown when we shipped four goals at home to Ipswich Town. That reality check was just what we needed to get back to our swash-buckling best. We won five of our next six matches, which included back-to-back hat-tricks from Hicks, to close in on automatic promotion. Though Portsmouth and Scunthorpe United then inflicted surprise defeats on us, we wouldn't lose another match thereafter.

 

We entered the final seven games of the season determined not to throw our chance away. Eight points were claimed from our first four, and then we had the chance to secure promotion at Dartford. Young left-back Daniel O'Reilly was the unlikely hero as we won 1-0 and - thanks to other results going our way - booked our place in the Championship. We went on to win the title after coming back from 3-0 down to draw at Barnsley and then beating Charlton Athletic by the odd goal in five. A certain 15-year-old defender named George Darvill made his debut in the latter match, which would be our last in the third division.

 

2029/2030

Championship: 6th (Lost in Play-Off Semi Final).

FA Cup: Round 3. League Cup: Round 2.

Player of the Year: Mark West. Top Goalscorer: Mark West. Most Assists: William Barnes.

 

Goalkeeper Kieran Whalley, right-back Arran Banton and veteran midfielder Marco Verratti were amongst the arrivals at Dagenham for the new season, though Hands left for Chester. As the terracing at Victoria Road needed to be converted into seating, we would play our home matches at Fulham's Craven Cottage until mid-March. Despite being in unfamiliar surroundings in more ways than one, we went unbeaten in our first seven Championship matches. Our first loss in any competition was a heavy 6-1 thrashing at Everton, which proved to be a major learning experience for the likes of Whalley, Banton and Honeyball.

 

Then reality really did hit home. Our first league defeat at Swansea City in mid-September began a run of just two wins in 17 matches, in which we tumbled down from 8th place to 21st. Barnes' indiscipline became an issue, and Hicks' well of goals ran dry, prompting me to sign a couple of free agents in Armenia midfielder Samvel Karapetyan and Montenegro striker Mario Djokic. Their arrivals came during a month of major upheaval in November, with owner Antonello Scolaro selling the club to local businessman Neil Booth.

 

Relegation now looked like being a serious issue, but our fortunes turned with a 4-1 win at Colchester United on 8 December. That was one of seven wins in our next eight matches - a run that included victories by 7-1, 6-2 and 5-1 scorelines and rocketed us into the top half. West had formed a new devastating strike partnership with Djokic, though they briefly went off the boil in February and March. Then came another eight-match run that yielded seven victories, just in time to take us from nowhere to the Play-Off places. Honeyball's double at Crystal Palace on the final day had given us hope of an unlikely promotion to the Premier League!

 

Sadly, it was not to be. Despite holding Aston Villa to a couple of draws in the regular season, the 3rd-placed Villans proved too cunning for us in the Play-Off Semi Final. Marcelo's early goal got them a 1-0 win at a renovated Victoria Road, and we were denied a late equaliser when West's injury-time penalty was saved by Christoffer Kristiansen. Mark was too devastated to play in the second leg at Villa Park, where Marcelo got another first-half goal for the hosts. Though Dalton levelled late on, we still lost 2-1 on aggregate, and an incredible season came to an anti-climax.

 

2030/2031

Championship: 12th.

FA Cup: Round 5. League Cup: Round 1.

Player of the Year: Mark West. Top Goalscorer: Mario Djokic. Most Assists: Mario Djokic.

 

Dalton was sold to Huddersfield Town for £3.5million in the summer, and his defensive skills would be badly missed early in our second season at this level. Our sophomore struggles began with us accruing one point from four games, including a 4-0 home loss to Doncaster Rovers and another early League Cup exit to basement club Bristol Rovers on penalties. It hadn't helped that the owner's decision to expand Victoria Road had seen us move back to Craven Cottage for most of the campaign.

 

Once again, a thumping of Colchester United was just what we needed to get back on track. Three goals from Mario Tortora were the Italian teenager's first for us, and he quickly rivalled Djokic, who himself scored a treble during a 4-3 defeat at Crystal Palace. That was our only loss in a run of 10 league games that took us up to 7th place. Then came two crazy matches - a 4-3 reverse at Hull City, and a 6-3 home defeat to Aston Villa - that pushed us away from the play-offs and forced me to take urgent action. Ryan was dropped as first-choice keeper, with Whalley taking over, and the defenders were told to buck up their ideas.

 

Results were mixed in November but positive in December, giving us hope that we could push for another top-six finish. That was until our defence collapsed again in early 2031. Five goals were conceded against Burnley, three at Swansea City, four at home to Newcastle United... and then we gave away another five to Tottenham Hotspur in Round 5 of the FA Cup. Then came late chokes against Oldham Athletic and Cardiff City that left me wondering if we actually wanted to reach the Play-Offs again.

 

We played 14 league matches from the turn of the year. We only won two of them - 2-0 at home to Hull City, and then 5-3 at Wigan Athletic, in which Honeyball scored a couple of late goals. Suffice to say, our Play-Off challenge collapsed completely and we were fortunate to even finish in the top half. On the positive side, we now had three quality forwards in West, Djokic and Tortora. It was just the backline that perhaps needed attention, which meant veteran left-back Matt Warren had to move on after six seasons of fine service.

 

2031/2032

Championship: 10th.

FA Cup: Round 6. League Cup: Round 3.

Player of the Year: Baldur Hreidarsson. Top Goalscorer: Mario Djokic. Most Assists: Baldur Hreidarsson.

 

I felt positive going into this season, not least because it would be our first full campaign at Victoria Road since it had been expanded to a 8,994-capacity all-seater. My optimism slipped away after our opening four Championship games, all of which we lost. Back-to-back wins versus Hull City and Reading looked like being false dawns following further early-season losses, which included a heartbreaking League Cup Round 3 exit to Aston Villa. With a quarter of the season gone, we were third-from-bottom and facing the prospect of our first major battle against relegation.

 

Things picked up in the autumn, thanks in part to some major reshuffling. West was now 34 years old and past his best, but West Ham United loanee Baldur Hreidarsson proved a great replacement centre-forward to complement either of our Marios. 18-year-old Darvill established himself as a regular starter at centre-half, as did Wales vice-captain Gareth Lloyd after he arrived on a free transfer. After an encouraging start, though, we drew an awful lot of games and struggled to get a play-off charge going.

 

The FA Cup captured Daggers fans' imaginations in the first few months of 2032. After scraping past Wrexham, we held Tottenham Hotspur to an away draw in Round 4. The replay at Victoria Road was truly astonishing, as we went 2-0 ahead before a double from future Daggers striker Gerald Parsons sent us to extra-time. Penalties were looming large when Djokic popped up to score a late winner, thus securing our first ever victory against top-flight opposition. That was followed up by a 3-1 beating of Blackburn Rovers in Round 5, but Chelsea proved far too classy in Round 6. We left Stamford Bridge having been soundly defeated 5-1.

 

Some fine late-season results got us dreaming of making the Play-Offs, and we still had a slim chance of cracking the top six going into the penultimate round. Alas, a 3-1 loss at Crewe Alexandra accounted for our hopes, and we had to settle for 10th place. This season marked the end of an era, as Charles and West both left the team, with Mark retiring after netting a club-record 135 goals in 281 games. Fellow veteran Djokic was still going strong, having scored 17 goals in all competitions that season. Tortora had also got 17, but the Italian starlet would also leave us in the off-season for a £2.5million move to Burnley.

[CFuller]

Dagenham & Redbridge - Season-by-season summary: Part 2

2032/2033

Championship: 12th.

FA Cup: Round 3. League Cup: Round 1.

Player of the Year: George Darvill. Top Goalscorer: Baldur Hreidarsson. Most Assists: Joel Honeyball.

 

I made my first significant purchase in summer 2032, when I signed Northern Ireland forward Paul Nixon from Fleetwood Town for £100,000. He proved to be a terrible acquisition, failing to score a single competitive goal for the Daggers. More successful signings were free agents Velimir Radosavljevic (a centre-back) and Souleymane Nomaou (a forward), while returning loanee Hreidarsson scored four goals against both Luton Town and Charlton Athletic in August.

 

During the first few weeks of the season, we went through a phase of either winning by huge scorelines or losing by a single goal (often the latter). One of those defeats was against Bristol Rovers - the first of four successive Round 1 exits from the League Cup. Come the autumn, we had forgotten how to win in the league as well and were hurtling down the table at alarming speed. We did steer ourselves away from danger with some hard-fought wins, but a spate of draws meant we were already well adrift of a play-off place. Once we exited the FA Cup to Newcastle United, the whole season felt like a write-off.

 

Though there was a slight upturn in form in early 2033, our poor record at Victoria Road (now expanded to a 12,000 capacity) did for our play-off ambitions. Another disappointing finish just inside the top half convinced me that it was time to make further changes. Lloyd's retirement left Radosavljevic and star player Darvill as our undisputed top central defensive partnership, while the departures of Djokic and attacking midfielder Dean Martin made room for fresh blood. Nixon obviously wouldn't be involved, either, having been flogged to St Mirren.

 

2033/2034

Championship: 5th (Won Play-Off Final, Promoted).

FA Cup: Round 5. League Cup: Round 1.

Player of the Year: Velimir Radosavljevic. Top Goalscorer: Souleymane Nomaou. Most Assists: Jacques Polomat.

 

Before this season began, the board announced that they were building a new stadium at Rainham Road. The expenditure left me with little money to spend in the transfer market, though I did fork out £300,000 for a quality attacking midfielder in Málaga's Stipo Brkic. The great Dane attained cult status at Victoria Road alongside Scottish giant Robbie MacKenzie during a season that began very strongly. Despite an early wobble at home to Ipswich Town, a five-game winning streak sent us top by mid-September.

 

There were some erratic results after that run of wins, which meant we lost our automatic promotion place. However, a strong end to the calendar year meant that we remained comfortably in the play-off berths. Nomaou was now settled at Dagenham and forming a clinical partnership with Jacques Polomat, who'd found his calling as a deep-lying forward after three frustrating years in midfield. George and Velimir continued to make rapid progress at centre-half, and O'Reilly enjoyed his best campaign at left-back, despite coming under pressure from young Italian Rocco Mazzola.

 

Polomat's hat-trick dismantled Brighton & Hove Albion on New Year's Eve and began another excellent FA Cup run. Chelsea were outwitted in Round 4, and we then battled bravely at Arsenal in Round 5. The legendary Clive Johnson's early goal was all that stopped us reaching the Quarter Finals. Unfortunately, our cup exploits played havoc with our league form, and we fell out of the top six for a while. Had we blown another big opportunity to secure promotion?

 

The turning point in our season came in late March at home to Wigan Athletic, as late goals from Scots aces MacKenzie and Fraser saw us recover from 2-1 down to win 3-2. We regained 6th place with that victory and stayed there, even after disappointing draws against Crystal Palace and Leeds United. Narrow wins in our final three games eventually saw us home in 5th position, just ahead of Blackburn Rovers.

 

Despite only drawing 0-0 at home to Sunderland in the first leg of our Play-Off Semi Final, we made amends upon arriving in the north-east. A 25th-minute red card for Mackems defender Yordan Kalchkov proved significant, as O'Reilly and Honeyball earned us a 2-1 win and sent us to Wembley. Awaiting us in the Final were Blackburn, who gave us a real battle that was only decided in the 86th minute. After playing a one-two with right-back Ross Pearson, Brkic took the ball into Rovers' six-yard box and smashed in our biggest goal yet! For the first time in our history, the Daggers were Premier League-bound!

 

2034/2035

Premier League: 12th.

FA Cup: Round 3. League Cup: Round 2.

Player of the Year: George Darvill. Top Goalscorer: Edmundo. Most Assists: Stipo Brkic.

 

I made a few notable purchases for our top-flight debut. Rangers anchor man Seb Brennan was my first million-pound signing, but our transfer record would soon be smashed by right-back Albert Khumalo and then by midfielder Greg Killick. It was four existing Daggers heroes who would be the star turns in our first Premier League match, as Fraser, Nomaou, Radosavljevic and MacKenzie all scored in an unexpected 5-1 demolition of Wolverhampton Wanderers. Then came the expected reality check, as we accrued one point from our next five games and fell towards the drop zone.

 

Our second home win of the season came on 7 October, with Darvill and Brazilian loanee Edmundo dealing out another 2-0 beating to defending champions Chelsea. That proved to be a false dawn, as we hit another rough patch... and then hit rock-bottom. We were briefly lagging being everyone else in the division on 9 December, but a maiden away PL win at Fulham began our revival. I knew everything was going to be alright on New Year's Day, when we pummelled Southampton 4-0 at St Mary's... and even Honeyball found the net at the highest level for the first time.

 

Despite being soundly beaten by Manchester United in FA Cup Round 3, we no longer felt overwhelmed in the league. Darvill was getting better with each passing month, while MacKenzie and Brkic were at the peak of their powers in an unforgettable 6-3 thriller against sleeping giants Liverpool. Fraser had also settled into the PL, despite missing two penalties at home to Burnley. A three-game losing run after Liverpool didn't shake our confidence, and it wouldn't be long before survival was secured.

 

An experimentation with a 3-5-2 formation helped us to win six of our final eight matches, including a home triumph over Arsenal, and finish 12th. The only blips on our record were a 1-1 draw at Norwich City (in which Polomat scored his final Daggers goal), and a 3-0 loss at home to Manchester City (in which 16-year-old Elliot Cook made his senior bow). The latter match was particularly emotional, being our final fixture at Victoria Road - our home for the first 43 years of our existence. It was now time to move on to bigger and better things at the brand-new 17,848-capacity stadium on Rainham Road.

 

2035/2036

Premier League: 13th.

FA Cup: Round 3. League Cup: Round 2.

Player of the Year: George Darvill. Top Goalscorer: Mark Washington. Most Assists: Mark Washington.

 

The grand opening at Rainham Road didn't go to plan. Though £5million striker Mark Washington scored twice for the Daggers, Burnley loanee Ivor Boyce had already bagged a hat-trick that condemned us to defeat. Early results were mixed, but Washington and attacking midfielder Billy Stevenson hit the ground running. Croatia centre-back Tomo Kurtovic also settled quickly as Darvill's new regular partner, with Radosavljevic falling down the pecking order. O'Reilly's departure left Mazzola and youngster Ante Djuzel to battle it out for a starting berth at left-back, with Rocco prevailing... for this season, anyway.

 

19-year-old Tristan Egueh scored a memorable home hat-trick against Aston Villa in October, though that was followed by some patchy autumn form. Nevertheless, we only dropped as low as 16th, pulling ourselves away from danger with some impressive home wins. Amongst them was a 3-0 Boxing Day battering of a Tottenham Hotspur who appeared to be in a downward spiral. On the other hand, we did have a very disappointing away record, which included only three league wins and an early FA Cup exit to Chelsea in a replay.

 

One thing that really did alarm me, though, was that Washington only scored twice from New Year's Day onward. With the American experiencing a major drought, we badly struggled for goals late on in the season. The nadir was a six-game losing streak that included five successive matches without scoring. Departing hero Brkic ended our famine to earn us four final points against West Bromwich Albion and Norwich City, but we still dropped a place compared to the previous season.

 

2036/2037

Premier League: 5th.

FA Cup: Runners-Up. League Cup: Round 3.

Player of the Year: Mark Washington. Top Goalscorer: Mark Washington. Most Assists: Orlando Salvador.

 

Our big summer signings brought mixed fortunes, with holding midfielder Kenneth Jorgensen being a huge £9million hit, but target man Elliot Hernández only scoring one Daggers goal after arriving for £6million. Then there was a Portuguese fellow named Orlando Salvador, who cost us diddly-squat from Braga. In spite of his recent drought, I handed Washington the captaincy after Barnes was sold to Corby Town. Mark relished his new responsibility, as he and Tristan were both in fine scoring form during an eight-match unbeaten start to the Premier League season that briefly had us leading the table.

 

Our first two defeats of the campaign were both inflicted by Manchester City. The first - a 5-2 humbling in Round 3 of the League Cup - would actually be the only loss we suffered on home soil all season long. City then defeated us by the same scoreline when we played them in the league at the Yaya Touré Arena on 25 October. Our away form from that point onwards was very mixed, though turning Rainham Road into a fortress kept us in the hunt for European qualification.

 

2037 didn't start too promisingly, as we were eight minutes away from being dumped out of the FA Cup by League Two Yeovil Town. We eventually beat them in a replay, and then we saw off Fulham to set up a Round 5 meeting with Liverpool. That was when our new January signing - South Africa defender Thulani Mazibuko - lit up Rainham Road with an incredible solo goal en route to victory. Other players who'd delighted our home fans over recent months included Killick - now thriving as a ball-winning midfielder - and teenage playmaker Salvador.

 

There would be more drama in Round 6. After an admirable goalless draw at Old Trafford, we took Manchester United to our place, only to fall 3-1 down after an hour. Washington and Mazibuko came to our rescue by forcing extra-time, and Mark then scored again in the 103rd minute to book a Semi Final date at Wembley. That match became known as Stevo's Semi, as Billy's double saw off Brighton & Hove Albion and put us into our first major cup Final. Those results were part of a 16-match winless run that saw us secure a top-five finish and complete an entire league campaign undefeated at home.

 

On 9 May 2037, we took on Manchester City in the FA Cup Final, and we would come away beaten 3-2 but unbowed. Two Washington equalisers could not deter Brazil striker Souza from claiming a hat-trick and taking the prestigious trophy back to the north-west. Manchester's other giants also inflicted defeat on us in our final league fixture, with United prevailing 4-2 at Old Trafford. It transpired that a draw would have taken us above Arsenal and into 4th, but I was still very happy to secure us UEFA Europa League football for the new season.

 

2037/2038

Premier League: 6th.

FA Cup: Round 3. League Cup: WINNERS.

UEFA Europa League: Round of 32.

Player of the Year: George Darvill. Top Goalscorer: Tristan Egueh. Most Assists: Mark Washington.

 

With the board deciding to expand Rainham Road, we played our home games at the New Boleyn Ground in West Ham for the 2037/2038 campaign. We got off to a steady start, as Washington returned to form and his new American team-mate - new number 1 Ben Perk - performed solidly in goal. My big summer signing was Inter Milan's young forward Enrico Messina, who scored our first European goal when we beat Galatasaray in the UEFA Europa League Group Stage. He also kicked off our best League Cup run to date, seeing off Norwich City to put us into Round 4 for the first time.

 

Though we were going strong in the cups, back-to-back home defeats to Manchester United and Chelsea knocked our Premier League challenge off track. We got back on track with four straight wins before a very disappointing December left us in 8th place at the halfway point. It was obvious that we had become far too reliant on Washington for goals when it came to the league. On the bright side, we topped our Europa League group with just one defeat on our record (a last-gasp 4-3 loss at Lyon) and coasted through to the League Cup Semi Finals.

 

We had more choking fits in January, with shock defeats at West Ham United and Reading further denting our hopes of qualifying for Europe again via our league position. We also lost to Manchester United in the FA Cup, and it appeared our League Cup charge would falter when Liverpool beat us 2-1 in the first leg of the Semi Final. Then came an extraordinary performance at the New Boleyn, where Salvador inspired us to a 4-0 win that put us through to Wembley. Egueh also scored in that match, kick-starting what had otherwise been an ordinary season for him.

 

February was a strange month. It began with us being torn to pieces at Old Trafford, where Manchester United inflicted my heaviest ever defeat - 9-1. We then barely scraped past rock-bottom Brighton & Hove Albion, thanks to Cook's first senior goal. The highlight of our month came in the League Cup Final at Wembley, where we recovered from conceding a very early Shane Hay goal to destroy Arsenal 6-1, with Egueh's hat-trick helping us to our first major trophy. We then exited the Europa League at the Round of 32, losing 4-1 on aggregate to La Liga outfit Sevilla.

 

When Washington's season was cut short by knee tendonitis, it appeared our season would reach an anti-climax. Fortunately, Tristan was on hand to carry Mark's goalscoring burden, scoring 10 goals in his final 11 games as we moved up to - and then consolidated - 6th place. A few poor results did for our UEFA Champions League ambitions. However, Darvill's continued brilliance and the arrival of enigmatic attacking midfielder Dzenan Genjac (who effectively replaced Stevenson) left me feeling optimistic about the future.

 

2038/2039

Premier League: 6th.

FA Cup: Round 4. League Cup: Round 3.

UEFA Europa League: Round of 32.

Player of the Year: George Darvill. Top Goalscorer: Mark Washington. Most Assists: Mark Washington.

 

Though Kurtovic left in a £17.5million transfer to Rochdale over the summer, his £2.2million replacement Siphesihle Gumede proved to be a fantastic signing at centre-half. Mind you, it took a while for us to get going again upon our return to Rainham Road. A heavy defeat at Norwich City was followed by three straight league draws and another early League Cup elimination. There was also a shocking collapse at CSKA Sofia in our first UEFA Europa League group match, where we were 2-0 up with 17 minutes to go but somehow contrived to lose 3-2.

 

Things improved over the autumn, as although Egueh was not in hot scoring form, Washington and Messina were. After a bright run of form that included just one loss in just eight league games, results became more inconsistent going into Christmas. Progress up the league table was erratic, though it was a different story in the Europa League. We beat Barcelona home-and-away on our way to winning the group, with Icelandic trequartista Engilbert Sverrisson proving especially deadly in continental competition.

 

Defensive frailties prompted me to make changes in the New Year. Peruvian left-back Juan Francisco Luperdi was sold after just half a season and replaced with Dutchman Tom Drost. Two more significant signings were Marseille midfielder Frédéric Pereira (initially on loan) and Chelsea striker Alun Harding, who was our new record buy at £17.5million. Harding came in as a replacement for Messina after Juventus prised him from our hands on deadline day for £25million. Alun immediately hit the ground running with four goals in three games, but then he faded away, never to truly live up to his price tag.

 

There was real disappointment in the Europa League, where Rangers dumped us out at the Round of 32. That meant we had to finish in the top six again to qualify for Europe for the third season in a row. The goals began to flow again, especially from Washington, as we hit form and pulled ourselves up the table. It appeared we'd blown our chance after losing 3-0 at Southampton, but a comeback win at West Ham United kept the dream alive. In the end, we would finish only a couple of points ahead of Derby County and West Ham in 6th place.

 

2039/2040

Premier League: 4th.

FA Cup: Round 4. League Cup: WINNERS.

UEFA Europa League: Semi Final.

Player of the Year: George Darvill. Top Goalscorer: Elliot Cook. Most Assists: Orlando Salvador.

 

Our transfer record was broken again in June 2039, with the exciting young Spain right-back Enrique Álvarez signing from Valencia for £19.5million. It was during that summer that we bade farewell to Egueh, Fraser and Whalley, with the former joining Rochdale in a £20million sale. His experienced replacement Parsons would only be at Rainham Road for a short while, but he certainly made his mark in a busy first half to the season.

 

That first half was a real head-scratcher in terms of the Premier League, where we won ten matches but lost nine, with not a single draw. It was during that strange period where two rising stars - striker Cook and Argentine centre-back Vicente Gridelli - began to stake serious claims for regular first-team places. Cookie would even finish as our leading scorer, mainly because he was in such scintillating form in cup competitions. Adversely, Killick's form took a turn for the worse, prompting me to re-sign Pereira permanently. Meanwhile, an erratic half-season saw Perk lose his starting place in goal to young Liverpudlian Kayo Rowe.

 

Though we would be eliminated from the FA Cup on penalties by Nottingham Forest in Round 4, we were fighting well on other fronts. We qualified from our Europa League group unbeaten and then overcame our fear of the Round of 32, defeating Orduspor 8-5 on aggregate before exacting revenge on Rangers. Those wins came during an exciting period in the season in which we returned to form in the PL and regained the League Cup. After thrashing Reading 6-0 in the Semi Finals, we dealt Arsenal another Wembley defeat, as new Greek striker Antonis Siafos netted our third and final goal without reply.

 

Defeats against Reading and Manchester United briefly knocked us off our stride in the league, but we went on to win six of our next seven league games to put ourselves on the brink of a top-four finish. We had also looked to be on course to winning the Europa League after comfortably seeing off Eintracht Frankfurt in the Quarter Finals. Sadly, we didn't do ourselves justice in the Semi Finals, as Kuban Krasnodar won 2-0 in Russia and then prevented us from scoring on home soil in the return fixture.

 

A tremendous 4-0 win at West Ham United in our penultimate PL match meant we only needed to take a point at Chelsea on the final day to qualify for the Champions League. Gridelli and Darvill excelled in that season-ender at Rainham Road, shutting the Blues out to prevent Rochdale from overtaking us at the death. We were now about to dine at Europe's top table, but the likes of Harding, Killick and Perk wouldn't be coming with us. It was time to step up to the next level.

 

2040/2041

Premier League: 4th.

FA Cup: WINNERS. League Cup: Runners-Up.

UEFA Champions League: WINNERS.

Player of the Year: George Darvill. Top Goalscorer: Antonis Siafos. Most Assists: Orlando Salvador.

 

Our squad took on a more continental feel when Italy centre-forward Gianfranco Torre arrived from Empoli for £7million. The 25-year-old was a slow-burner, as were we in the UEFA Champions League. A late capitulation saw us lose our Playoff first leg 3-1 at Monaco, but captain Washington and new vice-skipper Salvador shone as we won the rematch 4-0 at Rainham Road. Our first group match was an admirable 1-1 draw at home to Paris Saint-Germain, but that was followed by pain in Spain, where Real Sociedad smashed us 3-0.

 

Meanwhile, we had a few alarming results early in the Premier League season. The worst of them was at home to newly-promoted Blackburn Rovers, where wastefulness from our strikers and mistakes from defenders Michael Walters and Nolan Barber saw us lose 2-1. I gave my team a verbal kick up the backside, and they made sure that they wouldn't lose another home game all season. We would also suffer only one more league defeat before Christmas, by which we were in 2nd place behind Arsenal. We had also qualified for the Champions League's Round of 16, having finished 2nd in our group below PSG.

 

Though we couldn't stay 2nd in the league, we continued to go strong, even in the absence of injured skipper Washington. Cook and Siafos upped their game in the meantime and fired us through the various rounds of the domestic cups. We reached another League Cup Final, where teenage centre-back Walters gave us the lead against Fulham before the Cottagers came back to win 2-1. We also battled our way to the latter stages in the FA Cup, requiring replays to see off Norwich City in Round 4 and Newcastle United in Round 6.

 

Though Pereira was shown a straight red card in our Champions League Round of 16 first-leg at home to Benfica, we still managed to win that 1-0 with a goal from substitute Stevie Merson. Our new French centre-back Kevin Schaeffer also shone to keep a clean sheet, which proved significant after we lost the second leg 2-1 at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon. We were through on away goals to a Quarter Final against our group winners PSG, whom we took revenge on by a 4-0 aggregate scoreline.

 

After reaching one Semi Final, we won another, with two late goals seeing off Championship underdogs York City in the FA Cup last-four at Wembley. By then, inconsistent league form meant we were a long way off the 'Big Three' of Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United. With another 4th-place finish all but secured, we could now concentrate on the cups. A sensational 4-1 home win over United in the first leg of our Champions League Semi was followed by a dogged draw at Old Trafford, and thus we made it into the Final at our first attempt.

 

The first part of our cup double was secured on 11 May at Wembley, though we left it late to beat City, scoring three goals in the last 17 minutes to lift the FA Cup for the first time. A fortnight later, we faced a bigger challenge back at the Estádio da Luz. Serie A champions Empoli were all that stood between us and Champions League immortality. In the 54th minute, shortly after the Azzurri had Nahuel Luengo sent off, Gridelli made himself an instant Daggers legend by heading in Salvador's corner. We then put on a defensive clinic to claim our biggest win yet!

 

2041/2042

Premier League: 4th.

FA Cup: WINNERS. League Cup: Runners-Up. Community Shield: Runners-Up.

UEFA Champions League: Round of 16. UEFA Super Cup: WINNERS. FIFA Club World Championship: WINNERS.

Player of the Year: George Darvill. Top Goalscorer: Elliot Cook. Most Assists: Antonis Siafos.

 

Lisbon hero Gridelli was sold for a mind-boggling £46.5million in the summer, having been swayed by Real Madrid's financial pull. This would also be our first season without Honeyball, who was now coaching full-time after ending his 18-year playing career in that Champions League Final. The 2041/2042 campaign began with us losing to league champions Manchester United in the Community Shield, but then seeing off Real Betis in the UEFA Super Cup.

 

Our early Premier League form was excellent, as we only suffered a handful of blips away from home, including a 4-3 loss at Old Trafford. The Champions League Group Stage was a virtual procession for us... if you exclude the 4-0 shellacking we got at Marseille, of course. Cook and Siafos had each taken their scoring up a notch, though Torre remained inconsistent and Washington was on the decline. I'd passed the captaincy over from Mark to Orlando before the season, but our Portuguese playmaker never came close to replicating his 16 goals and 18 assists from the previous campaign.

 

Before travelling to the United States for our first tilt at the FIFA Club World Championship, we suffered a couple of chastening league defeats. Derby County were too strong for us at Pride Park, while Norwich City somehow recovered from 3-0 down to overturn us 4-3. Once we arrived in California, though, that was all in the past. My 1,000th match as Daggers manager was a 5-2 beating of Mexican side Club América in the Semi Final. Then came a hard-fought 3-1 win over Estudiantes de La Plata, which secured our first World Championship.

 

Back on home soil, we got our Premier League title challenge back on track and began to seriously pursue an unlikely Quadruple. In Round 5 of the FA Cup, Salvador inspired us to recover from a 2-0 half-time deficit to beat Derby County 3-2. That proved to be the penultimate match of an extraordinary run of 45 home games without defeat, which Everton would end a few weeks later. By that point, we had suffered another defeat in the League Cup Final, this time to Liverpool.

 

Paris Saint-Germain awaited us yet again in the Champions League Round of 16. Both ties finished 1-1 after 90 minutes, but PSG ramped up the pace in extra-time. Hugo Xavier's 106th-minute goal condemned us to our first European home defeat, as well as continuing the curse over European Cup holders. Startled by that loss, our Premier League form became more erratic, and our quest for that elusive first league championship would have to be put on hold for another 12 months.

 

Despite having another season devastated by injuries, Genjac was the star performer in our FA Cup Semi Final with Fulham, which we won by the odd goal in five. We therefore faced Arsenal in a Cup Final for the third time, and won for the third time, thanks to a double from Siafos. Our other star strikers - Torre and Cook - then got braces each as we overcame Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-2 to finish the league campaign on a high. However, that wasn't enough for us to edge above City into 3rd place, and so the 'Big Three' continued their triopoly of the top three.

 

2042/2043

Premier League: 1st (CHAMPIONS).

FA Cup: Round 3. League Cup: Round 4. Community Shield: WINNERS.

UEFA Champions League: Quarter Final.

Player of the Year: Nathan Guppy. Top Goalscorer: Gianfranco Torre. Most Assists: Eric Knox.

 

Schaeffer and Washington left over the summer, but our championship challenge was boosted by the arrival of two vastly-experienced players. Polish playmaker Kamil Lewandowski had won countless major honours at Paris Saint-Germain, and Nathan Guppy had been a consistently brilliant centre-half for West Ham United and England for close to a decade. Guppy in particular was an instant success, shutting out Manchester United as we won the Community Shield. Bulgaria winger Milen Danchev got the winner at Wembley before securing a draw in our Premier League opener at home to Manchester City.

 

Our early-season form fluctuated from sublime to ridiculous. Our Champions League Group Stage win away to German champions Schalke 04 was sublime, even if some of our defending was ridiculous. We'd very nearly missed out on that stage of the competition, but we scraped past Brescia in a Playoff and avoided being bumped into the Europa League. On the domestic front, 1-0 defeats to Arsenal (away) and Everton (home) left us well adrift of the Premier League pacesetters by October. With Mazibuko, Salvador AND Genjac all nursing serious long-term injuries, this season was fast becoming a nightmare.

 

Thankfully, other players stepped up to the fore to get our campaign back on track. Nathan skippered us superbly in Orlando's absence, while Cook and Torre each netted goals aplenty. The season's real breakout star, though, was Canada midfielder Eric Knox. A hat-trick against Nottingham Forest, and an array of assists in early 2043, were instrumental in getting us through an extraordinary unbeaten league run. From the moment we beat Fulham on 18 October, our only domestic defeats would come in the cup competitions, which I'd put way down my list of priorities.

 

Sitting 4th on New Year's Day, we moved up to 3rd and then 2nd as we reeled in an Arsenal team who'd been as many as 13 points ahead of us earlier in the campaign. Torre's first-half hat-trick against the Gunners in mid-January was a massive moment in the context of the title race. Another came on 28 February, when Siafos scored half of our goals in a 6-2 destruction of Fulham at Craven Cottage, which moved us above Arsenal into 1st. Four days later, a one-man comeback from Kamil stunned United - who had led 2-0 before losing 3-2 - and made us the new firm favourites to win the Premier League!

 

I had given the squad one last shakeup on the final day of the winter transfer window. With Genjac having been sold to Juventus for £21million, and Salvador blighted by more injury woes, I sought another attacking midfielder. Valencia agreed to let us take Daniel Murdoch on loan, and the former Chelsea star made an immediate impact, scoring in each of his first three Daggers outings. Also impressing was Leonardo Arrieta - our new £27.5million record buy from Real Valladolid - who gave us genuine defensive and creative quality on the left flank.

 

While our fans' excitement about a prospective first league title grew, our pursuit of a second Champions League reached its end. Having finished 2nd in our group after home-and-away losses to Empoli, we then battled past Barcelona with an 84th-minute Merson winner at the Nou Camp. Another Spanish side would await in the Quarter Finals, but Real Betis proved to be one hurdle too far. A 2-2 draw at Rainham Road and a 1-1 stalemate in Seville meant that we exited the competition on away goals.

 

With five PL games to go, we held a four-point lead over Arsenal. As we did our best to throw away the championship with a couple of tame draws, the Gunners cracked under pressure themselves. On 9 May 2043, we were briefly in despair after drawing our penultimate match 0-0 at home to Liverpool. Then we heard that Arsenal had lost at Wolverhampton Wanderers, which meant we led by four points with one game remaining!

 

Our official coronation as Premier League champions came the following weekend, when a 3-1 win over Chelsea concluded our greatest domestic season on a high. It was very fitting that a fit-again Salvador should score the final goal before lifting the league trophy alongside Guppy. Having gone unbeaten in our last 32 PL matches, and our last 24 matches in all competitions, this was the perfect time for me to bow out as Dagenham & Redbridge manager. Over the course of 21 seasons, I'd built a team up from the Conference Premier and won every major honour going.