Grays Athletic away on March 29th 1997 was an entertaining game in many ways. Utility man John Stimson was named as an unlikely goalkeeper, and proved more than adequate until Paul Daley arrived at the ground to take over. Vinnie John, the mercurial striker with the white ear-tape, hit a hat-trick to seal a 3-0 win. But the most significant part of the day was the debut from the bench of Tim Cole.
A slightly overweight 19 year old, he replaced Lee Double in central midfield and proceeded to bound around like an excited Jack Russell. When he did get the ball however, it was immediately obvious that he had something. On first impression, it looked as if Ted had uncovered another gem. It later emerged that we’d paid a 4-figure fee and 3 packets of Red Hot Monster Munch to Leyton Pennant for Cole, and it proved to be one of the best purchases the club ever made. Having not quite made the grade at Spurs and Wimbledon, their loss was most definitely the Daggers’ gain. Cole recalled:
“I played for Leyton Pennant in the evening and then signed for Dagenham & Redbridge. I turned up for the game in jeans and trainers because I’d spent the night at my girlfriend’s house!”
Tim eventually settled in a central defensive role, and at a more sensible weight for a footballer, and went on to form one of the best partnerships in non-league with Lee Matthews, signed mid-way through the following season. The club won the Ryman League in 2000 under new manager Garry Hill, and when he wasn’t hauling carcasses round Smithfield, Tim was weighing in with 8 goals during the march to the title. For Tim, the day job working in the freezers as a storeman was more like a night job, meaning he often had to go to work straight after playing in midweek games.
The club’s first season back in the Conference was perhaps Tim’s finest in a Dagenham shirt. An unexpected 3rd place in the league was an excellent return, but the highlight of the season was without doubt the FA Cup and a 3rd round tie away to Charlton Athletic. Before the game, Tim was was in typical spirits:
“I think we might have to kick a few early on. We just can’t let them knock it around all afternoon.”
And Tim proved that he had every right to be in such bullish mood. A truly magnificent performance saw him showered with accolades in the national press, being named in the Mirror’s ‘team of the week’ section. The 1-1 draw meant a replay at Victoria Road and once again Cole was more than happy to provide the soundbites for the press in his own unique style.
“They kept complaining to the referee that we were too physical – but I wouldn’t call that a physical game. That’s life in the Conference – hard but fair with no room for wimps. Let’s get them back to our place where pitch ain’t so good, the fans are almost on top of you and the changing rooms are rough. We’ll see if some of their players are ready to roll their sleeves up.”
Another fantastic performance from Cole was not quite enough – he had his equaliser chalked off for a foul on Kiely as the Daggers lost 1-0 after extra time. Anybody watching at the time though would have been in no doubt that Tim was one of the finest defenders that non-league had to offer. His fame apparently didn’t stretch as far as some of the Daggers’ league rivals however, as he was renamed ‘Sid Cole’ and ‘Tim Olé’ by various matchday announcers.
Unfortunately for Tim, this was to be his last season without injury troubles. He was restricted to just 4 games as the Daggers were pipped to the title on goal difference in 2002, and who knows how things could have turned out had he stayed fit. He again missed a large chunk of a promotion race the following season when the Daggers again fell just short, this time in the playoff final.
Battling back to fitness during the 2003/04 season, Tim was deservedly handed the captaincy after Lee Matthews’ departure. Retaining this honour under new manager John Still, Tim was a vital member of the squad during a period of rebuilding, having an excellent run towards the back end of the 2005/06 season as the lynchpin in a back 3. More injury misery was to follow however, with Tim missing almost all of the Conference winning season the following year. Despite this, it was fitting that Tim got his hands on the trophy to cap a glittering Daggers career.
Since leaving the Daggers, Tim has made approximately 73 comebacks from various types of leg-knack over 2 seasons, in the colours of Thurrock and Billericay Town. He has recently agreed a contract to occupy the physio’s treatment table at Brentwood Town for the coming season. In total Tim made 304 appearances for the Daggers, scoring 30 goals. He was granted a testimonial against Southend United in July 2007, attended by less than 1000 fans on a Monday evening. You can’t help but comment that a more lucrative game would have befitted his contribution to the club.
