

Remember the euphoria of playing Championship Manager back in the day?
Not even a packet of Skips, a can of Panda Pop and a copy of The Beano could quite replicate the thrill of winning back-to-back Champions League titles with minnows like Accrington Stanley. By that point, all the greats were practically knocking on your door: Zidane, Maldini, Cherno Samba.
And, yes, we're well aware our skills never saw us plucked from primary school and taken to a Premier League dugout yourself. But miracles, it turns out, do happen - as one young fan has just gone and managed the lower league football team he supports against Bolton Wanderers. IN REAL LIFE. They even drew 1-1. Wonderful stuff.
Related: The Champ Man Dream Has Died: Cherno Samba Is Retiring
Some four tiers down the league than the Championship team, National League North’s AFC Flyde had auctioned the chance for a fan to become manager in the friendly fixture, shadowing usual gaffer Dave Challinor. But when that winner couldn’t make it, 11-year-old Daniel Fryer was handed the responsibility.
As a ball boy at the club who also travels to away matches to cheer the team, it was clearly a dream come true - it would be for any fan at any age. But Fryer wasn't messing around – he gave a team talk, in which he demanded the players give 100 per cent, held a press conference and even made his own substitutions in the game itself. And when the final whistle rang out to signal a richly deserved draw, all eyes were of course focused on the small chap wearing a jacket emblazoned with 'Boss’.
Challinor said of the move: "Dan's a massive help to the club on matchdays anyway, but he was obviously given a bit of a promotion. It's a great insight for him into what goes on in the dressing room and on the bench."
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Now, if he can win back-to-back promotions with AFC Flyde and sign Tonton Zola Moukoko up, we’ll be even more impressed.

As Content Director of Shortlist, Marc likes nothing more than to compile endless lists of an evening by candlelight. He started out life as a movie writer for numerous (now defunct) magazines and soon found himself online - editing a gaggle of gadget sites, including TechRadar, Digital Camera World and Tom's Guide UK. At Shortlist you'll find him mostly writing about movies and tech, so no change there then.
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