THE FLEET AT WEMBLEY: Daish plotting Wembley glory

LIAM DAISH will be bidding to make it a memorable Wembley hat-trick when he leads out Ebbsfleet United in the final of the FA Trophy against Torquay United on Saturday.

As a fearless central defender, Daish lifted the Auto Windscreens Shield for Birmingham City in 1995 and also tasted play-off joy with Cambridge United under the old twin towers five years previously.

Now leading from the dug-out, the former Republic of Ireland international is hoping to inspire his squad to follow in his footsteps and enjoy the biggest moment in the history of the club formerly known as Gravesend and Northfleet.

"It's a massive thing - I would rather be playing than managing but I will have the responsibility for the players and I will take a lot of enjoyment from watching the players, the supporters and everybody connected with the club," Daish told BBC Radio Kent.

"There is a lot of hard work gone into the club over the years and this is a bit of pay-back.

"It's been a fairytale year with the name change, then the takeover and now a Wembley final.

"There will be 25,000 following us, which will brilliant for everyone in Kent. It will be a cracking day and I'm pleased to be a part of helping to create something a bit special for our club and the community."

The community following Ebbsfleet is no longer restricted to the proposed new town on the Thames estuary which will bear that name thanks to a takeover earlier this year by fans' website MyFootballClub.

Of the 30,000 members of MyFootballClub, around 18,000 were able to vote on the £700,000 buy-out of the Blue Square Premier club.

Many of those involved will be at Wembley to swell Ebbsfleet's following to well over 10 times its normal figure, making it the biggest day in the lives of most of their players, who have beaten Carshalton, Dorchester, Weymouth, Burton Albion and Blue Square Champions Aldershot Town to reach the final.

"I want the players to breathe it all in and the rewards are out there if we beat Torquay," said Daish. "It will be a great experience and it will be even better if we go on and win the Trophy."

Torquay had hoped that Saturday's showpiece would be the first of two Wembley visits this month following their qualification for the Blue Square Premier play-offs.

Sadly for them a semi-final defeat to local rivals Exeter City meant there will be no instant Football League return, leaving the Trophy as their potential consolation prize if they can pick themselves from the shattering blow of Monday's 4-1 second leg defeat.

"It could go either way and I am not reading too much into anything," said Daish. "I have not got a clue how they will react. I am not their manager. He will have a better idea."

"They have been a good side all season and it does not make them a poor side just because they have missed out on the play-off final."

While Torquay have been expending physical and mental energy, Fleet, who have only been back at the top level of non-league football for six years following a 20-year gap, have had a fortnight since their last game.

"The first week was a little bit of ticking over and getting our legs back but this has been a normal working week and we have prepared from Monday onwards focussing on Torquay," said Daish, whose side shared a win apiece with the Gulls during the regular season as Fleet came up just short in their own play-off push before finishing 11th.

"In the last month of the season we played a ridiculous amount of games. We played nine games in April alone, which took its toll.

"But looking at the table we finished only three points off seventh place and arguably the seven big spenders in this league.

"We have had a good season. We have reached a major cup final and we have been looking up the table all season, rather than down, which is an achievement itself for a club of our size."

Nothing, though, would surpass a Wembley win.

Article courtesy of BBC Sport - www.bbc.co.uk/kent

Visit the following websites:

www.ebbsfleetunited.co.uk

www.wembleystadium.com

www.thefa.com

FA CARLSBERG TROPHY FINAL
EBBSFLEET UNITED v TORQUAY UNITED
SATURDAY 10 MAY 2008
KICK OFF 2:30PM
AT WEMBLEY STADIUM, WEMBLEY, MIDDLESEX HA9 0WS