Eddie Moliano (Ed Sanders) 1999-2001

First Regular Appearance: 3.1 (#141)  Tuesday 21st September 1999

Last Regular Appearance: 4.26 (#228)  Sunday 15th April 2001

Duration: EP: 141 - 228  |  SE: 3.1 – 4.26

Squad Number/Position: #27 (1999-2000) / #6 (2000-2001) (Midfielder)

Last Seen: After the club's Champions League qualification, making up with Fletch. Takes a revised offer from FC Jazz over the summer.

The third of four children born into an Italian-English family, Eddie’s path to becoming a professional football player was laid out before he was old enough to kick a ball, with his father having played in his native Italy. Eddie progressed through the youth academy at Crystal Palace, and made his debut for the first team in the 1995-96 season. During the following season, Eddie’s input guaranteed the First Division club promotion to the top flight. When the club was relegated, there was no way Eddie would be going back with them, and was signed by Premier League side Harchester United in July 1999 for a fee believed to be between £250-500K.

Picking up a knee injury meant Eddie wasn’t available for immediate selection, which gave him the time to show off his natural fun and excitable side. He got on best with troublesome team mate Scott Lucas though Scott suffering a crisis in his personal life put an end to their laddish double-act. That and Scott unassumingly pulling Eddie’s sixteen-year-old sister Gina didn’t help. Eddie soon finds a sidekick again with the return of Karl Fletcher, and just with Scott before, he becomes the cocky back-up to the bolder, more upfront leader in Fletch. After a lukewarm first season in terms of pitch success, Eddie played his part in Harchester keeping it’s Premiership place with the final match against Spurs.

Into his second season, Eddie gets into trouble with Jamie Parker when the two unintentionally don’t return a car they are test driving and end up being stopped by police. Continuing to neglect his skill for his life off the pitch, Ray felt he had little use for Eddie, especially with youth team promotion Danny Rawsthorne working well in the squad. Queens Park Rangers are willing to take Eddie on loan, but his form is no better and soon he is back in Harchester without a place in the team. Still only twenty-five, Eddie knew his days as a player still had a long way to go, and realised he had to put the work in if he wanted selection again.

He thought he’d found inspiration with the return of Maria, a girl Eddie had previously come across when Campbell and Danny threw a Christmas party at his house. With Maria, Eddie’s game improved greatly and he gained his place back in the team, while believing he had found the girl of his dreams. Campbell and Danny were worried however, knowing how Maria and her friend Donna had previously been out to snare rich footballers. It seemed everyone could see through Maria but Eddie. Eddie’s friends tried to warn him about Maria, even presenting evidence of how Maria sold a story on a previous love-blind victim. Maria showed her true colours when she admitted to Eddie she couldn’t marry him and was going to Australia with Donna.

Eddie was heartbroken and wanted out of Harchester, but not before ending his time with the Dragons on a high, by scoring one of the goals that secured qualification for the Champions League. Over the summer transfer period, FC Jazz came in with a revised offer and Eddie left for Finland. In 2004 Fletch began a relationship with Gina, with news that Eddie had since married a Finnish model and was the father to young children.