Liam Daish

The early years

Daish was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, and began his career with his hometown club Portsmouth F.C. However, he only made one appearance for the club's first team before he was released in 1988. He went in search of first-team football, which he found at Cambridge United. While at Cambridge, Daish helped the club to successive promotions from the Fourth to the Second Division. He also made his international debut for the Republic of Ireland, on 19 February 1992 at home to Wales, while Cambridge were pushing for a third successive promotion. However, they fell in the playoffs and were relegated a year later.

At Birmingham City

The quality of his performances for Cambridge United inspired Barry Fry to sign him for Birmingham City for a fee of £50,000 in January 1994.

Daish spent just over two years at St Andrew's, making nearly 100 appearances in all competitions. He captained the side to the Division Two championship in 1994–95 and to victory in the Football League Trophy final at Wembley. Fry, who managed him throughout his spell at Birmingham, once said of Daish that if a squadron of F-111s attacked the Birmingham penalty area he would attempt to head them away.

To Coventry City

In February 1996, Daish joined Coventry City for a fee of £1.5 million. He made an immediate impact, bolstering Coventry's shaky defence and improving their form overall. However, in the four seasons that he spent at Coventry, Daish was never a regular in the first team (he played in only 34 games for the Sky Blues). This was the result of a severe knee ligament injury which eventually forced his retirement from the professional game after two years on the sidelines.

As a manager

He joined non-league Havant & Waterlooville in 1999, going on to make 157 appearances (1 as substitute) in league and cup competitions, scoring 15 goals, before his playing career was finally ended by a knee injury sustained in October 2002. In April 2000 he took on a joint-manager role alongside Mick Jenkins after Billy Gilbert stood down. He spent three-and-a-half years in this role, during which time he took the club to the semi-final of the FA Trophy in 2003, before being sacked in January 2004 following a string of bad results. Following this, he joined Welling United F.C. as a coach. For a time, following the dismissal of Paul Parker, Daish served as caretaker-manager of Welling but did not get the job full-time, despite leading the side to three wins and a draw in his four games in charge.

Daish left Welling in February 2005 to become manager of Gravesend & Northfleet F.C., which in May 2007 was renamed Ebbsfleet United F.C., and he oversaw the club's move to a full-time playing squad.

Daish led Ebbsfleet United to a 1–0 victory in the FA Trophy final on 10 May 2008, and for two seasons running made the Fleet a contender for the Conference National promotion play-offs. His profile was raised by the takeover of Ebbsfleet by MyFootballClub, although the website's initial boasts that its members – and not Daish – would pick the team had as of 22 May 2010 yet to come to fruition.

Daish left Ebbsfleet by mutual consent after discussions with new owners and eight years in charge on 17 May 2013.

Daish joined Conference Premier side Nuneaton Town on 22 September 2014 as first-team manager. He left the club on 25 April 2015 following the club's relegation from the Conference Premier. He now works for the football academy at Brockenhurst College

Honours

Anecdotes

On 10 December 1994, Daish – then Birmingham City captain under Barry Fry – scored a goal against Chester to make it 0–4. In the ensuing celebrations, some Blues fan threw a toy trumpet onto the pitch, which Daish proceeded to play. Although he wasn't sent off, the referee booked him, taking his season's points tally to 41 and resulting in a three-match ban. Fry was not amused: "I know the referee has directives to adhere to, but to get banned through being booked for that seems a bit harsh."