Jackie Bass catches up with two former Daggers legends.

DAGENHAM and Redbridge v Morecambe, play-off semi final. Daggers win. Now where have we heard that before?

Of course this time we'll all be hoping for a different result come final day, and there will be two ex-Daggers who played a part in that famous day in 2003 who will be cheering the Daggers on every step of the way.

Steve Heffer and Mark Janney, former Daggers legends, will both be looking out for the scoreline from both near and far. We caught up with them both to see what they're up to now and what their thoughts are on the Daggers' road to Wembley.

What are you up to now?

SH - I was playing at Great Wakering Rovers last season where we finished ninth in the Ryman North. Still enjoying it although it's getting harder as I'm now 37! I have two young boys of five and seven who are both into football so keep your eyes peeled!

MJ - I'm a courier driver for an archive company based in South East London and I'm also playing for AFC Hornchurch in the Ryman Premier.

What are your memories from the Morecambe semi-final of 2003?

SH - Well I was relegated to the bench for this game so I wasn't best pleased and had to sit there for the majority of it. I came on towards the end of the game and I remember PT scoring a worldie and us all bundling on top of him. Then winning the penalty shootout and Robbo nicking the trumpet and playing it in celebration in true Robbo style.

MJ - Firstly I remember being subbed after about an hour which I wasn't too happy about! We were on the verge of going out when PT came up with a wonder goal in the last minute to send it into extra time then penalties. Robbo saved a couple I think and then I just remember celebrating on the pitch with both sets of fans all around us, the Morecambe fans were top class to be fair and were congratulating us.

What are your fondest memories of your time at the club on the whole?

SH - There are lots of great memories as we had such a successful few years. Getting to the third round of the FA Cup for three consecutive years, beating teams like Plymouth and Exeter to get there and breaking the record for the longest unbeaten run in the Conference. But it has to be the match at Charlton, the memories from that will live with me until I get Alzheimer's.

MJ - Breaking the record for consecutive clean sheets under John Bennett was probably the best football we played during my time at the club; he had us playing with so much confidence. The FA Cup obviously stands out; games like Lincoln, Charlton, Exeter, and Plymouth will stay in the memory forever. The 'Boston' season, albeit for the wrong reasons in the end, was very memorable, an absolute roller coaster that I still think about to be honest. We really should have gone up that season but it just wasn't to be. Those first three seasons in the Conference under Garry Hill were a very special time, we didn't have anywhere near the budget of the Doncasters, Yeovils and Chesters of the world but we had an unbelievable team spirit and really played for each other.

Do you think that was a special group of players?

SH - Yes I do. I haven't experienced the togetherness that we had since at other clubs. As Garry Hill once famously said we had a great "camaradero!' The banter and spirit in the dressing room was always quality.

MJ - As I said the team spirit we had was something I had never seen before, there were no cliques and it really was like playing with mates every Saturday. The dressing room banter was brilliant and the camaraderie (or camaradaro) was second to none. We also had some very good players which helped! How more of the squad never got moves into league football is still a mystery to me.

Heffer to the rescue, 'cameradero' at its best!

Do you still speak to any of the lads?

SH - Yes I still speak regularly with a few of the lads Broomy, Coley, Janners, PT. We had a bit of a reunion a couple of years ago and will hopefully get together again soon. Cobby is getting married in the summer so hopefully we'll see a few of the lads there.

MJ - Yeah I'm still in touch with quite a few of the 'old school.' I talk to Broomy, Heffs, PT, Gooders and Coley (especially at Christmas when I want my turkey!) I'm sure there will be a bit of a reunion at Cobby's reception. Broomy will be boring us with stories of every injury under the sun and playing at Wembley!

Did you watch the game 6-0 win at Dagenham? If so, what were your thoughts?

SH - No I didn't see the game as I was at my son's football tournament, but I was keeping up to date with the scores. I saw the goals though later in the day. What a great result, I was expecting it to be a bit tighter.

MJ - I didn't see it as I was flying back from our end of season trip to Benidorm!

Do you keep an eye out for Daggers' results still?

SH - Yes, I always look out for how they are doing. We still have one survivor of the old school playing!

MJ - Yeah, after West Ham it's the next result I look for.

How do you think the current squad compares to your era? What's changed most? What's remained the same?

SH - They certainly wouldn't like some of the tackles if we were to play each other! Obviously they are full time now and we were part time, so they get a lot more time to work on things.

MJ - It's impossible to compare to be honest, looking at where this squad are they are obviously a very good group of players. The only thing that's remained the same is Robbo, the man's a living legend!

How do you think they'll get on against Rotherham at Wembley?

SH - Well if they play like they did last week they've got every chance of gaining promotion, but I think it will be a lot tighter.

MJ - Cliché time, but it's a one off game and anything can happen. You know John will have them as prepared as they can possibly be and they must be brimming with confidence after their performance in the semi-final, so I fancy a Daggers win.

And how do you think they'll fare in League 1, all going well at Wembley?

SH - John Still has bought in a lot of the team from non league so will be interesting to see if they can make that next step up. There are a lot of big teams in League 1 but hopefully they will be able to hold their own.

MJ - Again who knows, people thought we would struggle in the Conference and we were challenging from day one and most people probably thought the Daggers would struggle in League 2, yet here they are one game away from promotion. It would be a huge step up, but in John Still they have a man who knows how to get results so it wouldn't surprise me to see them consolidate if they did get there.

Did you ever think in your wildest dreams that Dagenham would be a League 1 club?

SH - No. We were quite happy winning the Ryman Premier at Hampton and Richmond! Those were the days!

MJ - I don't think I'm alone when I say not in a million years! Nine years ago we played Premiership Charlton in the FA Cup and now they are one game away from that becoming a league fixture!

Will you be at Wembley?

SH - Unfortunately not as I will be on Holiday in Florida, but I will try and find out the result somewhere.

MJ - Yes I'm planning on going, I have never seen a game at the new Wembley, so now seems the ideal time.

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