‘I had nightmare in Championship play-off closing earlier than relegation to Non-League’
Ex-Chelsea youth Fankaty Dabo has had a nightmarish 12 months or so.
He missed a crucial penalty in the Championship play-off final, was released by Coventry, dropped into League Two and then was relegated to Non-League football. Oof.
And to make matters worse, Dabo is now on the hunt for a new club after getting released for the second time in the space of a year. To think, he was a couple of kicks away from the Premier League last season. It’s quite the fall from grace.
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It all began when the former Coventry right back skied his spot-kick against Luton in the 2023 play-off final shootout at Wembley. The Sky Blues sent him packing a few days later, and he spent all summer looking for a new club before signing for Forest Green Rovers in the fourth tier.
The campaign was an absolute disaster for the Gloucestershire club, who were relegated to the National League after finishing rock bottom of the table. Dabo was also publicly criticised by manager Troy Deeney during the former Watford striker’s cataclysmic 29-day tenure at the helm at the New Lawn Stadium.
Speaking to reporters after a defeat to Harrogate Town in January, Deeney took aim at Dabo, warning him that unless his form improved he’d be spending the remainder of the season on the sidelines.
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“I said to him in front of everyone, six months ago, you had a kick to get to the Premier League. Now you won’t even get a game in the National League,” Deeney revealed.
Harsh criticism notwithstanding, neither Deeney’s predecessor, David Horseman, nor his successor, Steve Cotterill, seemed to share his views on Dabo, with the London-born star featuring 35 times for the club in all competitions over the course of the campaign.
Dabo started out at Chelsea, having joined the London club’s academy aged 12 back in 2007. He spent over a decade on their books, though never managed to break into the senior side.
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The defender was loaned out to Swindon, Vitesse Arnhem and Sparta Rotterdam before leaving permanently to Coventry in 2019. There, he helped the Midlands club seal promotion to the Championship in his first season.
Dabo eventually racked up over 131 appearances for Coventry before being released in 2023. He’s now on the hunt for a new club, but judging by last year’s lengthy search for one, that might be easier said than done.
Those playing for Leeds and Southampton in this year’s final at Wembley will certainly be hoping to avoid a similar fate to Dabo, especially given the winning team can expect to gain a revenue increase of at least £140million over the next three seasons.
