Dannie Bulman - a midfielder who will always be seen as a legend at Crawley Town

His third book is Stagni Ollam et Superbus - and we are serialising it in the Crawley Observer. This is episodes 17 and 18.

If you had to ask a cross section of today’s Crawley Town fans who should be thought of as a legend, I am absolutely positive that Dannie Bulman would be chosen by people of all ages, genders and races. I have to confess, that Dannie has always featured high in the Leake and Humphrey households ranking of Crawley players, ever since his arrival back in 2006. He has always given his all, both on and off the pitch, for the club he has grown to love. Indeed, when asked “what percentage of him is a red?” his answer was :

“Wellllll. I’m a Chelsea boy. but I’m a Crawley Man that’s for sure. So to answer your question, I'm 100% RED!!”

Born on the 24th January 1979 in the town of Ashford , Surrey (historically Middlesex) he played for his school and, in his own words, “Yeah played for my school, won a few cup finals. Played at college too and scored from the kick off in one game”. At the age of 15 he was signed by Ashford (Middlesex), evidently a confident fifteen year old who stayed there for four years until signed, at the age of 19 , by Wycombe Wanderers, then in the second division, which is now known as EFL 1. He attracted a fee of £10,000, and was the first player ever to leave Ashford’s Short Lane ground for the Football League. The fee was a record at the time involving a Combined Counties League club, and Ashford’s website pays this tribute to him.

“Dannie’s legacy is a significant one, as the fee helped the club to construct the Main Stand.”

Dannie became a folk hero at Wycombe Wanderers, when he scored on his debut. Now Crawley fans will remember Dannie for thunderous efforts, like the one against Colchester United in the Carabao Cup (when he shouldn’t have been playing) or the hat trick against our friends from Kingston (a game which I missed) but I’ll let Wikipedia and the Ashford and Wycombe websites describe that first goal for the chairboys.

“Bulman made his debut as a late substitute in a 1–1 draw at home to Bristol Rovers on 31 August 1998, and within 15 seconds of coming on the pitch, he scored as Lee Jones' clearance had deflected off his buttocks and into the net” Wikipedia

“He became a cult hero among the Wanderers faithful after scoring on his debut with his first touch… which was off his backside! Ashford Town (Middlesex)

“There may not have been many people there to see it but Danny Bulman's backside helped Wycombe claim their first League point of the season against Bristol Rovers on August 31, 1998. An 84th minute goal by Barry Hayles had given Rovers a deserved lead and as many Wycombe fans were wondering where the next goal, let alone point was coming from Bulman's fluke made it a never to be forgotten Football League debut. The enthusiastic youngster blocked a clearance from Rover's keeper Lee Jones during the third minute of injury time and the ball rolled into the empty net to delight the loyal Wycombe fans who had stayed to the end.” – Wycombe Wanderers FC

The Wycombe years

Over the next six years Dannie played 202 games for the Chairboys and scored 12 goals, one of which, we know, was scored off his posterior. That, however, does not do justice to his time at Adams Park. From 1998 to 2004, he served under five managers. Starting with Neil Smillie, who signed him, he actually had three in his first season, with Terry Evans replacing Smillie, but only being in charge for a month before Lawrie Sanchez took over towards the end of the season. Sanchez brought some stability to the Chair boys and remained there until the September of Dannie’s last season at the club. For most of the time that Dannie was there, Wycombe were a comfortable midtable team but in his last two years they had fallen to 18th and eventually were relegated to the bottom tier of the football League which coincided with Dannie’s departure at the end of his six-year contract. The manager at the time was ex-Arsenal and England centre back Tony Adams, but wasn’t he the player who once applauded the mural at the north Bank, Highbury? What does he know, eh?

A not very successful time, you might say, but that would be to ignore the 2000-2001 season in which Wycombe became one of the few third tier clubs to reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup. The run to the semi-final started in the First-round proper against Harrow Borough with a three-nil win, but Dannie’s first appearance in the cup that season wasn’t until the second round when Second Division (League 1) Millwall were defeated in a replay at Adams Park. Grimsby, Wolves and Wimbledon (the real one), all First division (Championship) clubs were all beaten in the next three rounds taking the Chair Boys through to the quarter final against Premier League Leicester City at their old Filbert Street ground. However, it was in the Wimbledon tie when Dannie really came to the fore. Wycombe were drawn at home and had to come back from two down to force a replay at Selhurst Park (Plough Lane was no more). In the replay they went behind early on but then Dannie, on a sortie into the box, saw his shot deflected into the path of Dave Carroll who slotted home the equaliser. Despite having a penalty saved in normal time, the Dons re-established their lead early into extra time and looked to be going through in the dying seconds. But cometh the hour cometh the Man, the Bulman. Another shot, or was it a pass, found McCarthy who levelled and took the game to penalties. The shoot-out was won by Wycombe by eight goals to seven, including Wycombe’s third, taken emphatically by Dannie and ending in the top right-hand corner of the net.

In the next round it was time for Dannie to make the acquaintance of Robbie “can’t get into the Broadfield” Savage but Wycombe were running on empty as far as forward players were concerned, and special measures had to be taken.

Next Episode: The power of Ceefax and the crossing of Dannie “the legend” Bulman