Whilst Didier Drogba, John Terry and Nicolas Anelka were strutting their stuff in the grandiose settings of the Champions League it was a very different story for another Chelsea player.
Victoria Road – home of Dagenham & Redbridge – couldn’t be more removed from the palatial settings of Stamford Bridge, the Nou Camp et al.
But the beauty of English football is that there is room for all sorts within the 92 club professional system and the Daggers definitely have no delusions of grandeur.
Executive boxes, corporate dinners and celebrity supporters aren’t the norm at Dagenham where their main source of income is gate receipts and a thriving social club.
In just their third season in the Football League, the Daggers are making a real nuisance of themselves and are firmly entrenched in the promotion frame.
Upsetting the applecart is what manager John Still thrives on and he admits the earthy, raw nature of life at Dagenham & Redbridge is an integral part of their success.
Nana Ofori-Twumasi is a teenage defender on loan at the League Two high flyers from Chelsea and a chilly night in Essex can’t rival the glamour of the Champions League but Still insists his new signing is in his element.
“He thinks it’s fantastic,” Still told the London Evening Standard. “He can’t believe that everyone talks to you here.
We know we have created something quite special. It’s like a social club and the bar is open every night, people get married here, they have funerals here, birthday parties, everything.
“This club is part of the fabric of Dagenham and there aren’t many supporters that I don’t know personally.”
With an average attendance of just 1,944 that is easier at Victoria Road than at some other clubs. Success on the pitch hasn’t equated to huge attendances off it but Still is happy to keep generating income.
He has sold the equivalent of a full team in the last two seasons to balance the books but part of the fun for Still is identifying new talent from the non-league scene to fill their boots.
And if Daggers fans are concerned that Still’s appetite is diminishing as he approaches his 60th birthday then need not fret.
“I am very happy here,” he added. “I’m 59 and had a few offers along the way but I don’t think I’m ever going to leave now. Why would I want to?
“We can’t make players dreams come true financially; instead, we can put them in a shop window and provide a showcase for their talents. We identify players who will buy into that and have that attitude and desire to improve.”
