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The matchday programme for today's game against West Ham United packs an emotional punch as Carney Chukwuemeka reflects on a season where he has grown mentally stronger in the face of adversity, while Joe Cole discusses his journey from the West Stand benches, to wonderkid at West Ham and, finally, Chelsea champion.
Chukwuemeka scored a stunning effort that was voted our first Goal of the Month of this season in our away fixture at the London Stadium back in August, only to suffer a serious injury later in the same game. He talks exclusively to the programme about his journey back to fitness and how he has faced the challenge head on. 'It was quite tough,' he admits, with a little bit of understatement. 'I'd been waiting a long time for my breakthrough and after that goal I felt it was coming. I felt this could have been my season, but it obviously wasn't meant to be. I'm still grateful because, off the pitch, I've grown a lot, mentally as well. 'I just viewed it as an opportunity to grow stronger mentally, and strengthen myself physically, because that was one aspect I knew I needed to work on going into this season. I set myself the goal to come back stronger, to build more muscle mass, which I've done. I thank God, and hopefully there are more highs to come. 'With rhythm, with playing game after game - there's a lot more to come. We've got so much attacking quality here, we understand each other and we've shown that in a few games as well. Hopefully, God willing, everyone just stays fit and I get a run of games with those players - the sky's the limit, for sure.' Our other programme interviewee, Joe Cole, operated in the same areas of the pitch as Carney, and both were boyhood Chelsea fans. Given his association with the West Ham youth set-up, that fact is often overlooked in Cole's case, and he walks us through his journey from the Bridge to the Boleyn Ground, and back again, in typically lively detail. 'I lived in Lisson Green estate just off the Edgware Road,' he explains, 'and my best mate was a Chelsea fan. His dad took me to my first Chelsea game in either '89 or '90. I sat on the benches over on the West Stand, and I was hooked. I'm sure it was Luton. I can't remember the score, but just the experience of going to the game. 'It must have been 1990, because England then played at the '90 World Cup. That's when I fell in love with England, so it was England and Chelsea. From that moment, like the story of any young footballer, you just say, "I want to play for my club, I want to play for Chelsea, I want to play for England," and that's your dream. I just loved it. Kerry Dixon was probably my first idol.' You can read the full interviews with both men inside the matchday programme on Sunday, along with the reflections of Mauricio Pochettino and Reece James on Thursday night's win over Spurs, plus all the info you need on West Ham, the latest updates from around the club, and much more. Get your copy from the programme sellers around Stamford Bridge on Sunday or order online from our publications partner Reach Sport.