FROM White Ensign to Wembley.

That’s the amazing footballing journey Dagenham and Redbridge striker Paul Benson will be confident of completing when his side visit Morecambe tonight for the second leg of their League Two semi-final play off.

Just five years ago, Benson was playing his home games at Eastwoodbury Lane in the Essex Olympian League.

But, with Daggers 6-0 up from the first meeting between the two teams, the 29-year-old now seems certain to be just 90 minutes away from playing at the national stadium.

“It is unbelievable what has happened to me but I never tire talking about it,” said Benson.

“I was 24 when I was still playing for White Ensign and if you had written a book about what had happened to me since I don’t think anyone would have believed it.

“When I first came to Dagenham getting in to the Football League was a dream but playing at Wembley would be the proudest day of my career.

“Everyone dreams of getting to play there and it would be everything to me if we did.”

But despite Daggers’ huge lead from the first leg, Benson — who scored twice in the drubbing at Victoria Park, is refusing to accept the tie is over. And he is urging his team-mates to approach the re-match in the correct manner.

“We have to go in to the game as if it’s still 0-0,” said Benson.

“It’s hard to explain what happened in the first leg because Morecambe are a big, strong side who are hard to break down.

“Everything we tried came off but they will make it hard for us tonight and we have to apply ourselves properly.

“Only if we’re still winning when the referee blows his final whistle can we start thinking about Wembley but we do have a good chance of getting there.”

Benson has again also played a huge part in Dagenham’s success and his brace at the weekend took his season’s tally to 20. That delighted the forward and so too has his team’s displays this term.

“Everyone has been fantastic,” said Benson.

“We lost some players during the summer and got some new ones in to replace them. How we did was going to depend on how we all gelled but they have been brilliant and the results show that.

“For me personally I’m really pleased to have got to 20 goals but, as long as we go on to get promotion at Wembley, I don’t really care who scores.”