Andy Carroll starts with a win! Ex-Liverpool star wins first ever game as manager after being drafted in by KSI to take Dagenham and Redbridge hotseat

Carroll managed his first Dagenham match on Saturday, after being placed in interim charge following the sacking of Lee Bradbury. Carroll, who joined the club on a three-year contract last summer, was placed in interim charge just weeks after KSI was announced as a new investor at the club. Carroll has scored seven goals in 13 games for the club at the age of 37 but he has not featured on the pitch since December due to injury and has now been placed in the dugout. 

Carroll, who underwent surgery on a fractured foot and ligament damage in January, was joined after the game by his family. Their winning goal came from George Marsh, who managed to score directly from a corner in sensational scenes at the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Stadium. 

Carroll has played at the very highest level, representing England at Euro 2012, as well as Liverpool and Newcastle in the Premier League, but the burly frontman admits he was a bag of nerves before kick-off.

“Honestly, before the game, I was all nerves and a little bit stressed," he said. "Throughout the game, it was just a great feeling, seeing the lads work hard.

“We’ve only had two days to work on a few things and they stuck to the game plan. It’s just an amazing feeling when you work hard in the office, in the rooms, and you come out and see what they do there. It’s fantastic.

“I don’t even know how I’ve ended up in this role, but I’ll do anything for this club at the end of the day. 

“I’m part of it now. Whether I’m a player, whether I’m a manager, owner, picking up the litter, whatever it is, I’ll do it for this club. That’s something I’ll do forever now.”

KSI is aiming to replicate the success of Wrexham at Dagenham, with the club now just five points off the play-offs with six games left, sparking the potential of a late push for the play-offs.

KSI has gone from making YouTube videos about FIFA to becoming a global superstar, and he is not putting a limit on his ambitions at the club.

He said upon the announcement of his investment: “I’m so excited to start this journey. It’s gonna be a rollercoaster for sure but I hope to bring Dagenham and Redbridge back to the glory days. And once we reach that point, I want to go even further. Reaching the Premier League would be a dream. And I believe it is 100% doable. 

"It will take a long time, so to the Daggers fans, please be patient. I want you to know that I am fully committed to making sure Dagenham and Redbridge is a team that everyone will know worldwide, and will be an exciting team to watch and support. I’ve been watching games secretly at home for months on YouTube streams so it feels so good to finally show my support publicly. For those of you that are OG fans (Race to Division One), you’ll know that this is a full circle moment for me."

Dagenham face Hampton and Richmond Borough next weekend as they look to build on their first positive result under Carroll's management. Hampton and Richmond sit 18th in the table in the National League South, while Dagenham are 12th. Amazingly, they are only nine points behind second-place.