JOE COLE

JOE COLE

JOE COLE

The best season of Joe's Chelsea career was followed by his most frustrating as two spells of lengthy injury ate away the months during 2006/7.

Yet his return for the final two months came as the quadruple was still being chased and he played the first-half of the Wembley FA Cup win over Man United.

Joe had turned his long admired potential into genuine achievement during the previous two seasons at Chelsea. Regularly played on the left or right of an attacking three, he weighed in with crucial goals and assists.

A born Londoner, Joe watched Chelsea from the stands as a boy but it was to West Ham he went as a junior where the spotlight found him at a ridiculously early age.

His dazzling goal on back-to-back championship-winning day versus Man United was his favourite for the club so far and signed-off an excellent season in the perfect way. He had played 26+8 of the 38 Premiership games, scoring eight times.

JOE COLE