JULY 2006-JAN 2007: FULHAM

There had been all sorts of rumours flying about towards the end of the season about clubs interested in me. The manager had come out and said he´d rejected certain bids. Barry Hearn took the players to Las Vegas at the end of the season as a reward for promotion. It was difficult for me because I couldn´t look him in the eye. I didn´t know what was going on and whether I was going to be an Orient player the following season.

Fulham made an offer of £1million, rising to £1.6m depending on appearances. That was not only the biggest transfer in Orient´s history, but the biggest in that league. It was an honour to be at the centre of that and it was really nice to leave Orient on a good note. They´d won promotion and the money from my transfer could help to strengthen them for the following season.

I was very sad to leave because Orient was like a second home. I loved the club, the players and the fans. But it was time to move on. When you have ambition in football you simply can´t ignore an offer like that.

When I first arrived at Fulham the manager Chris Coleman was very supportive. He told me I was still a young lad and that I couldn´t expect to walk into a Premiership side, but that in time I would be given my chance.

In my first year at Fulham I made the bench a handful of times and played in League Cup and FA Cup matches. I was in and around the first team, learning my trade at the highest level.