A year that began with things as bleak as you could possibly imagine ends with optimism at it's highest point in recent years. Despite there being very realistic fears that that the existence of the club could be in jeopardy, it's amazing that we enter 2019 feeling hopeful for the future. There were notable departures, both on the pitch and amongst the staff, but with our new American owners are gradually rebuilding our club. So, as a frantic twelve months come to an end, it's time to look back on the defining moments, from the sublime to the heart-sinkingly traumatic. There have been great goals, lose-yourselves-in-the-moment madness and times where you wonder why you even do the stuff you do. MOMENT OF 2018Balanta's header up in Salford was magical. Seeing Nunny's deflected strike roar into the net on Boxing Day, knowing we'd finally got one over on the perennially-superior Orient, was just as euphoric. However, the one moment which instantly springs to mind is that goal from Robinson at Hartlepool. Everybody thought that the 6am start and mountainous trek up north had been worthless and as the clock ticked past 90 minutes with us still 1-0 down, having barely threatened all game, it was all over. Of course, though, we produced the comeback of the season and after Goodliffe powered home a free-kick, moments later an Adeloye cross was spilled to Robinson. Time almost stood still, then there were incredible scenes. I flew down about ten steps of stairs, defying gravity in the process. It was simply outstanding, the memory of it always will be, and I feel that epitomises the belief of the current team. There are other moments that stick in my mind as being memorable, some not even pleasurable yet they all still encapsulate what the club is all about. For example, in our darkest hour against Aldershot back in February just a few days after our financial crisis had become public, we went 1-0 down early on and immediately everybody began chanting a few decibels louder. That show of defiance and support I found remarkable in the circumstances. Similarly, the support given to the team around August and September, irrespective of the result, was brilliant to see. Other joyous moments include Romain's opener at Barnet, which would probably eclipse the joy of the Hartlepool winner had it not been ultimately inconsequential to the result. It's a similar scenario with the FA Cup comeback at Boreham Wood, which would've been a right contender had we not lost the replay in limp fashion, meaning it counted for nothing. LOWEST POINTI'm not going to include anything much our financial crisis because that was more a period of sustained misery rather than anything that could be pinpointed by a split second's events. I think the moment when we all found out that our best player at the time, Michael Cheek, had left two days before the start of the season was one of our lowest this year because the excitement ahead of a new campaign almost completely dissipated. Of course, when we found out that there was a chance we wouldn't even be in existence, it was absolutely terrible, but even then there was overriding hope. Similarly, finding out that John Still, the man most would have trusted to use his experience to help us battle relegation, resigned, was another awful moment, only worsened when he pitched up at Barnet just twelve hours later. Yet there can only be one winner for the lowest moment of 2018, and it came in the midst of our problems to make matters worse. The frustration and sheer bemusement at finding out that our game at Halifax had been postponed at around 2pm, with every Daggers fan already there following a long journey, simply can't be topped. Three days later our best players started departing with alarming regularity, so not only had we missed out on a chance to potentially enjoy one last win before everything came crumbling down, but we also lost our last opportunity to see them play for the Daggers. Thanks for that one, Halifax. BEST GOAL SCOREDDagenham & Redbridge are more characterised by scruffy tap-ins than thirty yard screamers, but that hasn't stopped us scoring some great goals this calendar year. Whether it's for individual quality alone, like Okenabirhie's postage stamp strike against Chester in February, or it's because of the team play involved, such as McQueen's against Hartlepool in August, or even one that isn't particularly special or has the capacity to stand out in a collection, but was just massively significant - Kandi's penalty against Braintree for example - there are many to choose from. Of course, Matt Robinson's winner against Hartlepool could quite justifiably come out on top given the amazing emotions it evoked but, according to the three attributes above, I've gone for Munns' strike against Fylde. Being a tap-in, it doesn't seem too difficult a finish but it was expertly dispatched by the midfielder, who showed his determination to get into the box in the first place. It also proved to be the winner and everything about it was perfect; the team play was excellent, summed up by the quality of Robinson's throughball, the finish was superb and it was significant too because it earned us a vital three points that were the springboard for our amazing sequence of form. Other notable mentions were: - Wilkinson against Havant & Waterlooville, the best for individual ability alone. The striker got the ball by the corner flag and somehow burst along the byline, skipping effortlessly past challenges before cutting in and applying an equally-fantastic smashed finish into the top-left corner. - Okenabirhie's aforementioned goal against Chester. At a time where he could literally do no wrong, this was a superb strike from a man at the peak of his powers. Checking inside on the edge of the box, there were no options for Fejiri so he went for the shot and somehow swerved it into the minuscule angle between post and bar. - The best free-kick scored at Victoria Road since Billy Bingham somehow belted a 30-yarder against Hartlepool some three years earlier. This was another left footed-strike, coming from Dan Sparkes against Woking back in April. Everything about it was perfect as it bounced off the crossbar and over the line, from a similar distance. - This one doesn't really get the respect it deserves, Jack Munns against Halifax a few weeks ago. His first touch is excellent, taking it away from two defenders in the box, but he still has so much to do from an angle that is becoming increasingly tighter, yet he swung it perfectly into the right-hand side of the net. - Okenabirhie again, this time with a strike so precise that the keeper is as much of a spectator as the supporters at the Racecourse Stadium. After a neat spell of passes, he gets a yard and curls it into the corner off the post, equalising for the Daggers who went on to win 2-1. MOST ENTERTAINING GAMESDaggers 4 Hartlepool 2 | A really good game but never one that the Daggers were in jeopardy of losing. We dominated from pretty much the start but only led 1-0 at the break through Dan Sparkes' first for the club, yet the game exploded into life after the interval. Hartlepool equalised but a mass burst of goals saw Daggers make it 4-1 in the space of sixteen minutes, before a late consolation took the gloss off things somewhat. Daggers 3 Chester 2 | It was the second season in a row that Daggers went into the final ten minutes losing 2-1, having initially taken the lead. This time it was Okenabirhie who gave us the lead before the strugglers turned the tables with a sudden comeback either side of half-time. However, Okenabirhie equalised late on before an own goal broke Chester hearts, and history had repeated itself in dramatic fashion. Daggers 2 Leyton Orient 1 | Daggers' record on previous Boxing Days was poor, their form against Orient even worse, and things seemed to be going the traditional way when Josh Koroma fired the O's ahead. When McQueen equalised almost instantly, though, the momentum changed and a late winner was on the cards, secured when Nunn smashed past Brill at his near post. BEST & WORST DISPLAYSA lot of our better displays this year would've probably come in the last couple of months and, in particular, the one against Orient stands out for the determination and resilience we demonstrated, plus how much it meant to everybody. However, on that occasion we were sloppy at times and there have been more complete performances. The one against Havant was dominant and the football we played was superb, so it would probably be that. Harrogate was similar, but our standards slipped in the last ten minutes which wasn't the case against Havant. there are a few main contenders for worst display but given the standard of our squad from August to October, poor performances are understandable. What isn't understandable is losing at home to relegation-threatened Solihull Moors while playing abysmally - that's the worst we've played in some time.
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