Anwar Uddin has enjoyed a successful season
It has been an interesting season for Asian footballers.
Anwar Uddin and Michael Chopra have had relative success with their respective clubs while Zesh Rehman and Adnan Ahmed have had mixed fortunes.
Here's a look at how they fared in the 2006/2007 season:
Captain fantastic
The biggest winner this season was Dagenham and Redbridge's captain Uddin.
He led his side to the Nationwide Conference title and promotion to the Football League for the first time in their history.
Uddin was made captain of the east London side earlier this season and grew as a leader. The former West Ham trainee told the Eastern Eye Newspaper at the start of 2007 that the club had the heart and desire to achieve promotion from the Conference.
"We have a great team here and there is no limit to where we can go," said Uddin.
The Daggers were involved in a fight for top spot with Oxford United and by January 2007, had achieved a four point lead over their rivals. Throughout the season, Dagenham kept Oxford at bay. They clinched the title on April 7 after a 2 - 1 win over Aldershot. Uddin vowed to stay with the club for their first venture into League football next season.
Goal machine Chopra
Meanwhile, in the Championship, Chopra's early season scoring streak shot Cardiff City to the top of the table. The Bluebirds were riding high after Chopra knocked in 11 goals in 15 matches. He was awarded the Championship Player of the Month in October, but he was soon singing the blues after just one goal in 14 games, which saw Cardiff stutter and slide down the table.
He told the media that he suffered from nightmares because of his lack of results infront of goal.
The striker then got his second wind, scoring nine in six games, but his high was again followed by a low, becoming goal shy towards the final part of the season. He finished with 22 goals but Cardiff's early season promise ended in late season mediocrity.
Chopra also revealed his frustration at not making it into the England squad after Oreston North End striker David Nugent was picked for the game against Andorra in March. This prompted fellow Asian footballer Rehman to say that Chopra should consider playing forIndia if he realistically wanted an international career. He als defended his own decision to play for Pakistan and said Asian players should stick to their roots.
Zesh Rehman
Rehman himself had a mixed season.
He signed for Championship side QPR after leaving Fulham and played nearly every game until December befoer he found himself shunned by manager John Gregory. Rehman finished the season on loan to League One side Brighton. On his debut with the Seagulls, he came face to face with Huddersfield Town's Ahmed, whose performances this season have been limited due to injuries. Ahmed only played a handful of games this year and willbe hoping for better luck next season.
Young stars
Rikki Bains found himself without a club after being released by Coventry City at the start of the season, along with team mate Vijay Sidhu. Bains found a new home with Accrington Stanley but played just three games for them into mid table safety. Though Bains performed valiantly in the heart of defence, he couldn't help Tamworth stay up.
Walsall Football Club celebrated promotion into League One after a commanding display throughout the season. They also made a bold move in offering 17 year old defender Netan Sansara a professional contract in December. Sansara has impressed in the reserves and may feature in the first team next season.
Harpal's Ireland experience
Meanwhile, Harpal singh continues his love affair with the Emerald Isle after signing for Bohemians for the new season. Singh, who was sidelined for two months with a shoulder injury, joined Sligo Rovers in July 2006 after being signed by manager Sean Connor, who watched him whenhe was a Leeds United trainee. Singh then moved to Bohemians for the new season which began in March, following Connor who took up a manager's position there.
As the season comes to a close, players across the country will be off for a rest, but it won't be long before pre season begins and the rollercoaster starts again.
By Zohaib Rashid, Eastern Eye www.easterneyeonline.co.uk
