Dagenham & Redbridge are becoming one of those teams that nobody wants to play. Back-to-back victories over the top two teams in the league, Salford City and Leyton Orient, have equipped us with a level of stylish confidence that means we approach every game in search of another win to add to our ever-growing collection. Three months ago, it was 'anything but three points against that lot is failure'. Now, it's 'we'll be lucky to get a point there, that would be a great result'.
These boys are special and slowly carving a pathway into one of the great Dagenham sides. We've got an abundance of quality within our ranks, we've got nerves of steel which means we can win games even when we're a goal down in stoppage time, but above all else we've got that Dagenham spirit. You can't buy it, or learn it, you've either got it or you haven't. As the likes of Nunny and Goodliffe lose themselves in the moment after every great win, it's obvious that they possess that unteachable mentality. Now we experience the typical overexcitement that leads to a sudden rise in expectations. Such was the manner with which we began the season that finishing 13th would be absolutely incredible in the circumstances, but after beating four of the top seven and coming from behind in three of those games, play-offs aren't impossible. Ten games ago we were relegation certainties, now the fact we're even talking about play-offs shows how far we've come. If we can beat the top two, though, we can beat anyone. So the next team to try and end our tremendous run of form are Barnet, and it's a game which brings the curtain down on a rollercoaster 2018. Twelve months seems minuscule compared to the magnitude of the drama crammed into it, which would be enough to fill half a decade. But it's ended well and I can't imagine many times, genuinely, since we went down from League One that the vibe around Victoria Road has been this good. Contrast that to January, it's crazy! Back to today's game, and it promised to be a feisty one with the return of manager John Still, who would receive an interesting welcome for sure. However, and you couldn't write this, he's retired on the eve of the game. It's frustrating and the timing feels very deliberate. Although he left under a cloud of deceit, though, the man took us to League One and I love him for that, but it will remain forever tarnished by his undignified exit from us unfortunately. It's hard to shake that ill feeling. Darren Currie will therefore take charge of the game and it seems to have instilled a lot of hope towards Barnet fans ahead of the game. He might play a new system but we can rejoice in the fact that it's still very much John Still's mob we're playing and, though it's taken the spice away from the encounter, it's a good incentive for the boys. Not that they need an incentive anyway, I have every confidence we can keep up our hot streak today. We'll stick with the side that beat the leaders on Boxing Day - it would be mad not to providing we don't have any fresh injury concerns. It would appear that both Matt Robinson and Tomi Adeloye have picked up a knock after both were absent from the squad completely. Nathan Smith and Liam Bellamy have gone missing as well, but I doubt anybody has even noticed if I'm being honest. We've got a great starting lineup, albeit somewhat reliant on loanees, but there's quality everywhere. Barnet arrive having lost three of their last four league fixtures, all by a one-goal margin, despite some impressive cup results sandwiched inbetween. Their biggest problem this season has been a lack of territory in the opposition box, with too many lazy players by all accounts. They have some decent players, Mark Cousins, Craig Robson and Wes Fonguck all seem very decent players for this level, but it just hasn't worked out. John Still probably jumped before he was pushed. They'll head to the Daggers as desperate for victory as us, especially given that their adored former player Darren Currie will be taking charge. Currie is one of a number of familiar faces to be heading back to the Chigwell Construction Stadium. His former counterpart will now be his assistant today, Junior Lewis, whose emotionless monotone is very familiar with us. Cousins and Robson deserve good receptions, so does Boucs although he won't play, but Charlee Adams perhaps less so after his behaviour in August. So it's another game to look forward to and a local derby. As Mr Still used to say, they're the hardest to win and almost resemble cup matches at times. Both will want to win, certainly neither will want to lose, but I think we'll have enough to get over the line today. It's over to the lads to do us proud as always, Up the Dags.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
WRITERArchives
January 2024
|