As darkness envelops every waning afternoon, while icy winds whip through every heavily-layered soul nearby, it's clear to see that we're approaching the time of the year synonymous with togetherness and joy. However, the weeks around Christmas have always been difficult for Dagenham & Redbridge as we typically struggle with form; in both of our post-relegation National League campaigns, this spell has very nearly proved the undoing of our season and we'll be doing everything in our power to ensure that history doesn't repeat itself this year.
The arrival of Winter this year of course coincides with a trip to one of the coldest places in the country, Hartlepool. A 249-mile round-trip to the North East may not seem like the most ideal way to spend a Saturday but such has been the standard of performance by our rejuvenated side in the last few weeks, that it could be very worthwhile. Our upturn in fortunes has been dramatic as some effective new signings have helped us to a run of five victories from six encounters, which places us at the very summit of the form table, and we seem to be getting increasingly better by the week. Weeks ago, though it seems longer because of our rapid rise, we were stuck in the drop zone not knowing where the next point would come from, yet from the ashes of this has emerged a title-winning spell of form. Aside from a defeat to Sutton United at the beginning of November, we were faultless, beating Harrogate, Dover, Fylde, Bromley and Havant & Waterlooville. Against Fylde and Harrogate, we proved that we're capable of defeating talented outfits and it showed that we're actually not too far away from that standard. Against Havant and Dover, we demonstrated our ability to win pressure, six-pointer games. All good signs. We're playing with a supreme level of confidence with there being a slick arrogance about us that almost resembles the way we were performing last August, when we were blowing teams away and had players like Morgan Ferrier, Michael Cheek, Corey Whitely and Fejiri at the peak of their majestic powers. Peter Taylor has been criticised and I'll admit that I've been sceptical with some of his tactics or decisions, but he's doing nothing wrong at the minute - it's glorious to see. This weekend, Taylor and his troops face another test with their being an expectation behind us winning, especially given Hartlepool's recent form. They're the only team against whom we played earlier on in the season and, on that simmering August afternoon, they were well-drilled and had a lot of quality amongst their ranks. Alex McQueen rounded off a tremendous team move to hand us a deserved lead but we crumbled in the second-half, conceding two sloppy goals which proved decisive. It was a frustrating encounter but epitomised how every game seemed to unfold in the first few weeks, but now we have the quality that we lacked then. Conor Wilkinson has been integral to our transformation as he's scored four goals in three games and has been absolutely clinical so far. He's a pest to the opposition but one thing that's clear is that he's capable of playing much higher up the pyramid, but for one reason or another he's just lost his way. This loan spell seems to be benefiting both parties at the minute, though, and long may the mutual benefits remain. Another one without whom we wouldn't be nearly as good is Jack Munns, who is very familiar with Hartlepool fans after a spell there last season. As a young lad living a long way away from home, he struggled there but seems to found a settled rhythm at Daggers. He's formed a good partnership with Balanta, who is contributing more and more with every game. His first goal for the club against Bromley was vital because it's got the monkey off his back somewhat, and this allowed him to bag his second in our midweek victory over Havant, which was easily our best performance of the season. While things are going brilliantly for Dagenham, things are very different at Hartlepool, who have lost six consecutive league games. Naturally this would seem like a great time to play the under-pressure Pools but they parted company with their manager Matthew Bates on Thursday, which means that they're likely to enjoy the customary boost that follows every sacking. Craig Hignett will take caretaker charge of this weekend's clash but while he may inject a bit of hope into Hartlepool, it's still the same players who lost six in a row and that should fill us with confidence. Bates seemed like a promising manager but his inexperience showed, as he was unable to turn their fortunes with pressure mounting after every defeat. They suffered recent losses to Bromley, Dover, Wrexham, Sutton and Barnet, but it was Tuesday's 2-1 reverse to AFC Fylde that sealed Bates' fate, and when the attendance for that game was announced as their lowest in two decades, it became clear that something needed to change because people were voting with their feet. Their clash with Barnet was broadcast live on BT Sport and they certainly weren't terrible, yet they just struggled to create chances and everything seemed disjointed with the side, who were clearly unsettled. Their main threat is always Liam Noble, one of the talented players in the division and a true professional, though admittedly someone not too fondly regarded by supporters of other clubs. However, I believe that we have it in us to limit his control on the encounter. So two sides in contrasting form meet at Victoria Park but previous form counts for nothing in the National League. Last season we were brilliant throughout away at Hartlepool yet suffered a smash-and-grab defeat, so anything can happen. I hope for a similar performance with a result to match this time. As Matt Robinson said in his pre-match interview, we owe them one after August's defeat, so that's all the motivation we need. Safe travels everybody, Up the Dags. Keep doing us proud boys.
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January 2024
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