2022 was the ultimate nearly year for Daryl McMahon's Daggers: one agonising point outside the targeted playoffs, devastatingly close to a lucrative FA Cup tie only to concede last minute goals in the initial match then replay, and mere seconds away from an extremely winnable Trophy semi final before giving away a clumsy last-kick penalty enroute to a heartbreaking shootout. The fine margins which went against us in all three instances constructs a narrative of extreme misfortune but in reality are all symptomatic of a tendency to capitulate just when the finishing line appears in the horizon - the common denominator being that we contrived to relinquish control over our destiny and consequently ended up snatching defeat from the jaws of victory either metaphorically or in a quite literal sense. So near, yet simultaneously so very far. Mentality, or more specifically lack thereof, is at the root of it all. Though eight months apart, those cup scenarios bore strong resemblance in that we had scarcely sustained any pressure in either game before suddenly becoming panicky at the very end. York was an explicit mistake as Yoan Zouma - all in all a fairly disastrous signing - clumsily tripped a player going away from goal when the final whistle was imminent. While unfortunate in the ensuing shootout, we still had a match point to win it but missed and crumbled in sudden death. With Gillingham more recently, it was a simple switch-off still unacceptable in the circumstances. Even in the replay, we again took the lead before being architects of our downfall by allowing two unchallenged headers from set-pieces before Harry Phipps went full self-destruct mode. Then, after somehow finding an equaliser from nowhere, we lost it from our own corner in the dying embers. Our play-off saga was a more sustained case study characterised by similar tendencies. We were obviously unlucky that Woking didn't beat a freefalling Chesterfield to make our stunning victory over Wrexham count for something on the final day, but that we were reliant upon other results in the first place told the story of a missed opportunity for which we could only blame ourselves, especially after failing to dispatch Torquay United or eventually-relegated King's Lynn Town at home in the fortnight prior. It's an irrefutable fact that those make-or-break situations in 2022 fall in the latter category but that's not to say there were not some incredible moments whatsoever, far from it. The Roots Hall episode of our triumphant Southend trilogy stands out as particularly special, even more so because they had only lost once before in the year...away at Dagenham & Redbridge in the Trophy. Another great one, incidentally, even though it ultimately alluded to that game against York at the quarter-final stage. The only performance more complete than the 3-0 win at Southend was our one by the same margin at home to Wrexham, in which we were simply phenomenal in every single department. Along with this season's victories against Solihull Moors and Chesterfield - remarkably our only ones on the road so far - it proves how we are undeniably capable of competing with the very best at this level so frustration at not fulfilling our obvious potential only intensifies as a result. That the latter of those came just three days after we were humiliatingly demolished at divisional newcomers Dorking Wanderers tells another story in itself. For we are not consistent enough, especially away from home as mentioned above. Averaging two points at Victoria Road yet less than half that elsewhere is a bizarre contrast that needs to be rectified even slightly if we are going to finally make the top seven this term. Eight from a possible 27 overall is utterly atrocious, though we admittedly haven't been on the road in the league since Solihull therefore it might be that we've already taken the necessary strides which will manifest in the new year, much like we stemmed the problem of conceding excessively in that timeframe. Indeed, Halifax is our only defeat in that capacity since the transformative turning point at Dorking so there are encouraging signs. Game management is another area of attention, as we seem to lack the ability to grind out a scrappy one-goal win without being reliant upon extreme fortune or a wonder-save from Justham, whereas the amount of times a streetwise opponent has eased over the line against us is endless. Even Maidstone on Boxing Day, which should have been straightforward, instead featured several nervy moments including a big chance at the very end. It was the same against Maidenhead at home, too, likewise Eastleigh and Gillingham, except they both scored. So often we end up conceding a late sucker-punch, often undeserved, due to simply being unable to hold our nerve - it all comes back to mentality. Consistency. An improvement in away form. Game management through an enhanced mentality, particularly when defending an especially slender lead. Those are the New Year's resolutions that have to be emphasised within the club as we approach a crucial January period that could prove hugely influential in determining where we eventually end up. Though easier said than done, even one of those factors could be the difference.
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WRITERArchives
January 2024
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