Away On Saturday: Where's Your Dadi Gone?

Tranmere Rovers 2-4 Doncaster Rovers

Coca-Cola League One

Monday 28th March 2005

Greg Blundell pokes the ball home for the opening goal (Photo: Alamy Images).

It was perhaps the best away day of the 2004/05 season - a six-goal thriller on a red hot Bank Holiday Monday, three points against genuine Play-Off contenders and memorable for a very witty chant aimed at the departing Eugene Dadi.

This was Doncaster Rovers' first season in League One following back-to-back promotions, there was a genuine buzz and excitement around the town, and things were going well with the team comfortable in mid-table and with an outside chance of gatecrashing the top six.

Tranmere were performing strongly as the third best team in League One; albeit behind run-away leaders Luton Town and second-placed Hull City. Their squad contained players who'd either been there and done it at a higher level (such as Jason McAteer) and several youngsters with the potential to have a great career such as Ryan Taylor, Iain Hume, Gareth Roberts and Chris Dagnall.

Nobody could have anticipated what was about to unfold when Rovers, still affectionately referred to as 'A Pub Team Having A Laugh!' rocked up at Prenton Park, but it was to be another golden moment in an era where there were so many days to be savoured.

After a pre-match offering over the PA system of all the charts hits of that time including 'Falling Stars' by the Sunset Strippers, 'Dakota' by Stereophonics and 'Amarillo' by Tony Christie (which had become hugely popular after Red Nose Day a couple of weeks earlier), it wasn't long until the 1,000+ away following which had packed into Prenton Park's Cowshed Stand were up on their feet in celebration.

Only three minutes were on the clock when the enigmatic Michael McIndoe latched onto a long cross and guided the ball past long-serving 'keeper John Achterberg who was pretty much rooted to the spot - and if things couldn't get better, one-time Tranmere trainee (and later to be physio at Prenton Park) Greg Blundell then made it 2-0 with a deft finish only a couple of minutes later.

With a two-goal cushion, Rovers (at least the red and white variety) were in dreamland but Tranmere weren't about having that and came storming back with Eugene Dadi quickly reducing arrears.

Dadi was a hugely popular figure amongst the home fans with his name being chanted regularly during the opening half-hour but the big forward's afternoon soon came to an abrupt end when he was shown a straight red card following an elbow on tough-tackling, mischief-making wind-up merchant John Doolan - with the referee about two yards away!

The sending off prompted possibly the greatest impromptu chant of all-time at a DRFC game as the away contingent broke into a sporadic chorus of 'Where's Your Dadi Gone?' to the tune of the 70s classic 'Chirpy, Chirpy Cheep' as the forward made his way back to the dressing room. Even a few Tranmere fans, appreciating the humour involved, were smiling though they had the last laugh (of sorts) as their 10 men levelled things up by half-time with Paul Hall making it 2-2.

It had been an action-packed, breath-taking first 45 minutes and the drama continued after the re-start.

With the team in red and white now attacking towards their own fans, Ricky Ravenhill restored Rovers lead by firing home from a cut-back on 52 minutes before Neil Roberts put the gloss on the win (complete with kissing the badge in his celebration) later on.

It was a very enjoyable afternoon of exciting, gripping football and it obviously left an impression on the home fans who were full of praise for Rovers' support on the internet message boards, etc, in the days afterwards - praising the humour and being impressed by the numbers which had made the Bank Holiday trip to The Wirral.