1. Name - Paul Gothard
2. DOB - 24/6/74
3. Position - Goalkeeper
4. Favourite Position - Goalkeeper / Right Wing
5. Team supported - Liverpool
6. Nickname - Goffy or Gof

7. Why did you decide to leave the Daggers just before the 1999/0 season? Was it a hard decision to make?
Yes it was a hard decision but at the time it was the right one for me. I needed to play in the Conference.

8. What did you think when the Daggers won the league after you had left?
I was very pleased for the club and my old team mates. I still had a lot of friends at the club and I was very happy for the club.

9. Were you suprised that the Daggers reached the Trophy final in 1997, especially as many people had left after the relegation and that Ted Hardy had to pull players in quickly to fill the gaps?
Yes very. Our main aim that year was to stay in the Ryman Premier, but the season went much better than was expected. Ted got a great bunch of lads together getting in older and younger players that wanted to win and play well for each other and the club, so when we started the season things seemed a lot worse that they were. Also, we had that little bit of 'cup luck' needed.

10. What were your reasons for swapping first team football at Hayes for a return to Dagenham?
Well, Dagenham feels like home, so when Garry gave me the chance to come back I jumped at it. The club is going in the right direction and I want to be a part of that, even though at the moment it is hard not playing in the side. But it is a team game and my chance will come at some point this season, and when it does, it's down to me to take it with both hands.

11. How did the return to the Daggers come about?
Well, I was out of contract at the end of the season, and I had spoken to Hayes about a new deal. I also spoke with a couple of other sides, and like I said already, once Garry had spoke with me about coming back, there was only one choice and I made it.

12. What was it like playing for England several times as the only player outside the Conference?
At any time playing for the England side is a great honour, so being the only player outside of the Conference it was good but I did not think about it too much.

13. Were you surprised that moving into the Conference with Hayes didn't improve your England chances?
A little, yes, but no-one can see what is going to happen in the future and my time at Hayes was hard due to a lot of different reasons from personal to injuries. I had never really been injured at Dagenham and at Hayes I had a problem with my knee, a hernia op, and a broken leg.

14. What do you think of the current squad of players at the club compared to previous seasons spent at the club?
I feel that Garry has got together a great squad of players and staff with Terry Harris who is a very good coach and Richard Harper who in my eyes is the best physio in the Conference (he would say the world). The players are a good mixture between young and old, and it is all coming together very well. It feels around the club at the moment like the '97 year when we went to Wembley.

15. What do you think of the team spirit at the club?
Excellent. All the boys give and take a lot of stick from each other and Garry only gets players in who will improve and add to this. There is not one player who does not get involved. There us always a great buzz in the dressing room.

16. What has been the best experience or achievement in your career so far?
Well, a couple really. Playing for the England side has got to be one and the other would be the Wembley final in 1997, it was just a great day.

17. What do you rate as your best performance in a Daggers shirt?
It would be an easy answer to say the Wembley game, but I feel that the game away at Morecambe in one of the earlier rounds of the '97 trophy run, or Yeovil at home in the Ryman League where we lost 1-0 but I saved two penalties.

18. What aspect of your game would you like to improve?
Fitness. I would love to train every day to improve my fitness. Some would say concentration could be a little better in games as well.

19. Are there any players that you try to emulate, and if so, who are they?
Not really. I am someone who would learn from many different goalies. I watch them all from world-class to non-league, and if I see something I Iike that they do I will try to involve it into my game. You can always improve.

20. Describe the best save you have ever made.
That would have to be from that Morecambe game. It was early on and the shot came through a lot of bodies. I dived and pushed it over for a corner. Broomy still says it is the best save he has ever seen. I remember the game well, and he just turned around and started clapping me.

21. Do you think the Daggers stand a good chance of promotion in the near future?
Yes, the Daggers stand a very good chance of promotion in the near future, lets hope it is this year. Garry has got together a very strong squad and if we can carry on the way we have started this season, who knows where we will end up. Watch out Man Utd.