League One, thank you and goodnight...

The biggest game in our history. How many times have we heard that over the last few years? Well they say the most important game is always the next one, so after beating Carlisle this final day trip to Peterborough was the biggest game of our season at least.

I had spent the week in a state of flux. One minute I was convinced we would get the required result and stay up, the next I was convinced that Walsall and Notts. County would both win, against Southamton and Brighton respectively, thus sending us down. Then, all of a sudden, it was Saturday morning...

The trip was a fairly straightforward one for me, just 165 miles south down the A1, so after setting off at half-past-ten, Emerson and I arrived in Peterborough just after 2pm. After parking up we made our way to the ground to collect my press pass. I had been in two minds all week whether to sit in the press box and 'work' or stand with the fans in what was sure to be a great atmosphere. In the end the press box won, mainly because I was unsure if I would doing this again next season so I wanted to make the most of it in case it was the last time.

London Road, the venue where our fate would be decided.

We collected the pass from the club shop and were then admitted to the Main Stand via a side entrance. The press box was, as is usually the case, situated at the back of the stand on the half-way line and this one was enclosed in what appeared to be a polyester box. With ten people in there it was like a sauna with hardly any air to breath and was not the most comfortable place to be in on a warm May afternoon.

Now I am not one who is against women being involved in football, and I have met some very knowledgeable and intelligent woman in the press box before (particularly the one working for Rueters at Oldham - smart and fit, the perfect combination!!) but the two in here put the argument for woman in football back 20 years.

One was working for a local radio station and every so often she would shout updates into her microphone with the most inane nonsense you have ever heard. She clearly had no understanding of the game or any of the players, and while I would never question her knowledge of the offside law, she was the biggest argument against women ever being given jobs in football.

Coming a close second however was the other woman, who I later found out was working for the Football League Show. Strange then that she kept shouting out updates from the Premier League games. 'Everton are winning! she screamed. We don't care love, we are only interested in Walsall and Notts. County.

Anyway back to more important matters, and by now the players were out warming up. However, after consulting my team sheet I realised Abu Ogogo was not playing. Thankfully the guy from the Barking and Dagenham Post was sitting next to me and informed me he had been injured in training earlier in the week, but with Greeny suspended it meant we had a new-look right side - Phil Ifil and Darren Currie.

More bad news followed when Femi limped out of the warm up and suddenly it seemed everything was going wrong. Damian McCrory, who had not been named in the squad, was asked if he was fit but he clearly did not fancy it so it seemed Doey, who had also been out injured, was being prepared. However Femi emerged a little later, walking slightly gingerly, but we were told he was fit to start. Maybe things were going to be okay after all...

Danny Green, a big miss.

The atmosphere in the away end was building up nicely now and it seemed the rumours of us bringing 1,000 were not going to be far off the mark. With kick off less then ten minutes away we were entertained by a mascot race and with the Daggers fans going mad behind the goal, Digger won by a mile. Yes, it really was looking like being our day!

With my laptop wired up to the BBC Sport website for news of any goals from Southampton and Notts. County the game kicked off and we were immediately under pressure. With Ifil looking off the pace and slightly (??) overweight it was no surprise when their opening goal came from down our right. The tricky Mendez-Laing outpaced both Ifil and Arbs before firing under Robbo, who appeared to slip as he came off his line.

But we responded with one of the best performances I have ever seen from a Daggers side. We simply ripped them apart and created six, yes six, clear-cut opportunities to score before the break. Currie hit the post twice, Akinde missed two one-on-ones while Romain and then Akinde fired wide as we dominated the team who had finished 4th.

Yes we missed the chances but it was exciting stuff and had all on the edge of our seats. Plus Walsall were 2-0 down, no thanks to the Football League Show woman who seemed totally uninterested in the Football League.

John Akinde, had the chances to save us.

Half time saw a Peterborough steward pass around a plate of sandwiches, which Emerson and I were only to happy to accept, but Emerson was now wanting to sit with the fans for the second half so he could 'sing the songs.' With his older brother Rees standing behind the goal I said he would not see anything if he moved, so after a short debate he decided he would stay in the sauna with me for the second half.

As you all know things did not quiet go to plan after that. Peterborough played much better and we could easily have been 3 or 4 down before they inevitably scored a second. CMS looked as though he did not want to score as he missed a couple of easy chances but it was a shame he hadn't told McCann to miss too as he didn't think twice about smashing home from the edge of the area.

We brought on Bas and DJ Green and really went for it, and had we scored at this point I really think we could have done it. Romain saw one effort cleared off the line while Nursey then missed a gilt-edged chance with a close range header ten minutes from time. That proved to be the turning point as they finished us off with two goals in two minutes, CMS finally doing the wrong thing to make it 4-0. The good thing was it gave us all ten minutes to accept our fate and at least it meant I could stop looking at the Southampton score.

The final whistle brought the inevitable tears both on the pitch and in the stand, although not in the press box where Emerson was surprisingly chirpy. 'We played well though didn't we, Dad?' he said and I had to agree. It was hard to feel upset when the lads had given everything.

So while the players and management team went over to applaud the fans away to our left, and throw various bits of kit into the stand, we went down to pitch-side to try to grab an interview or two. We were told to wait as the players wanted time to recover their composure but within ten minutes Arbs had emerged looking totally devastated. He said how disappointing it was but he was proud of the performance and said it was never a 5-0 game. He also said that he loved all the lads but if we had a player like CMS we would have been safe. Finishing on a slightly brighter note he said he was now going home to his wife and two boys who would try to bring a smile to his face. He looked at Emerson and smiled at him as he said it and I have to say that brought a lump to my throat. The lads had given everything all season but it wasn't quiet enough in the end.

I then saw Darren Ferguson emerge from the tunnel and gatecrashed his interview with the local press. He mentioned something about getting Scott Griffiths back on-loan from Chesterfield for the play offs after an injury to all the other left backs at the club and he said that he knew he could come in and do a job for him, but the arrival of John Still soon cut short my encounter with Fergie's son.

No doubt you will have heard the interview he gave on the BBC but the one thing that stuck me was how proud he was. We had been relegated but he wasn't feeling sorry for himself or the team, he was just immensely proud of what we have achieved. After shaking hands and having his usual little chat with Emerson, the great man disappeared back down the tunnel and we prepared to make our way out.

My new mate Fergie Junior!

By now the ground was empty so the only way out was through the players entrance and we could see a few Peterborough fans waiting behind the barriers to get autographs of their heroes. In front of us was the Daggers kit man who was getting ready to load the stuff onto the coach, and as he emerged through the doors the Peterborough fans gave him a loud round of applause. Next through were Emerson and I, both in our Daggers shirts and me with my bag over my shoulder. I'm not sure if the Peterborough lot thought I was someone far more important but as we went out we also got a round of applause! Emerson of course loved it and was grinning madly but I felt slightly embarrassed, although I politely smiled as we walked past them. But it was a wonderful end to what has been a wonderful season...although there was more to come.

The great John Still with my lads Emerson and Rees.

We then met my older son Rees and his mates in the car park but they wanted to wait for John Still to come out. Eventually he did and was only too happy to stop for a chat and have his picture taken with Emerson and Rees, which of course made their day! And with that we left for McDonalds where the five of us had kick about in the car park with a football we had found, before leaving Peterborough and League One behind....hopefully not for long!