Wrexham v Dagenham & Redbridge, a fixture that will be greeted with contrasting emotions from both sides in spite of the league positions, which would indicate a complete other story. For the Daggers, a trip to North Wales is synonymous with delight. When Paul Benson secured our place in the 2016/17 play-offs with a match-winning header at the Racecourse, it capped an amazing season for the boys, which the performance epitomised in every aspect. Last season, when we were at our lowest ebb, a smash-and-grab 2-1 victory was a rare moment of joy at a time when hope was in short supply for the club.
Wrexham have very different memories of our visits in the last couple of seasons, which usually mark the very peak of their capitulation. Last campaign, Wrexham were promising title-challengers who somehow slipped out of the top seven altogether, and it seems that a similar story could be unfolding at the moment with the club in turmoil following a disastrous series of events. In the week, Bryan Hughes was appointed as their third manager since August. The departure of Sam Ricketts, no longer a popular man around those parts, derailed their season somewhat, and Graham Barrow was named as his successor yet that was seemingly a decision made on impulse as he lost five games towards the start of 2019. Now he's resigned and Wrexham have made the brave choice to appoint a manager without any previous experience on a three-and-a-half year contract. So it's a good time to play Wrexham, yet these kinds of situations can galvanise a team and we have to be wary of that tomorrow. They're fifth in the table on merit so irrespective of the turbulent nature of the last few days, the team that they will name will still be strong enough to rip us to pieces if we have the kind of off-day we did against Aldershot. Cole Stockton and Ben Tollitt are both dangerous attackers, while Wrexham also boast the best defence in the division. It should be an interesting encounter and I actually think we'll fare better against Wrexham than we might've against Maidenhead last week. Our style of play is suited to the counter-attack, which is why we struggle when the pressure is on us to open up a defence, like against Halifax and Aldershot for example. When Wrexham are the home team, with a big crowd, plus the added dimension of them being desperate for crucial points, it could play right into our hands. We come into the game having had an enforced two-week break after last week's unfortunate postponement. The decision to call the game off was disappointing yet at least it gave us an extra weeks' rest, which can be used to get Balanta ready to return to the team. We missed him against Aldershot and his presence up front with Wilkinson is something which we'd be absolutely lost without. It's such an effective duo. That's just one of the conundrums for Peter Taylor. He's switched between three and four at the back recently and had to sacrifice Liam Gordon for the Aldershot game, which did seem to limit us somewhat. Now we have a fully-fit squad, with so many options, which is a massive strength. This will be a really tough clash, but with the attitude we've displayed against other sides towards the top of the division, we'll be fine. We've beaten Salford, Fylde, Harrogate and Leyton Orient by performing a certain way so if we can emulate that against Wrexham, then there's no reason we shouldn't claim all three points. Hughes will be looking to get off to a strong start in his new role - it's our job to completely spoil that. Up the Dags
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January 2024
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