VNL#25 - Daggers 2 Boreham Wood 2
Mixed emotions after that one, the obvious delight of yet another late salvation act offset by the frustration of us allowing ourselves to be in such a perilous position to begin with. Ultimately, that's a game we should have won, yet the circumstances behind the game make it a decent result. However, the overriding feeling is definitely one of positivity. It's the fifth game in a row we've played really well, a trend that ought to have yielded more than the seven points from a possible fifteen we've accumulated in that period. That we need ten-or-so big chances to score once, yet seem to concede every time the opponents venture into our box, is a big reason for that. That can be fine tuned, though. The fundamental thing is that we're maintaining a decent standard, which hopefully becomes a prerequisite before too long. It shouldn't have taken us half a season to start playing how we should have been doing from October, yet it's still encouraging that we've at least turned a corner performance-wise. When it comes to results, that shift seems to be far more gradual. Today we were indebted to Balanta, as we so often are. The Colombian was back to his brilliant best, exemplified by his wonderfully-struck equaliser. That itself came after he halved the deficit with a trademark near-post header from a corner; two very different goals, each highlighting a different attribute he has in his locker. As I've alluded to though, such heroics should never have been required. We dominated the first hour, with the exception of a five minute spell either side of the interval in which we scandalously imploded. The opener, converted by Corey Whitely of all people, was the result of some astoundingly poor Will Wright defending. There was a similar ease in the manner the second was scored, a simple tap-in from Tshimanga (?) after Whitely's shot was spilled into his path. That left us in a seemingly irreversible position yet one of the few positives with the team this season have been the comebacks. King's Lynn at home and Wrexham away are two notable examples where we snatched something in the most unlikely of circumstances. This can now be added to the list, since we looked drained by the 70-minute mark, at which point a stubborn Boreham Wood side led by a comfortable two-goal margin. Besides the obvious headline-maker, there are a few players worthy of specific praise. Saunders' corner for our first goal was excellent, as was Clark's knock-down for the equaliser not long after. Robinson was also very good in the middle of the pitch, in keeping with his impressive form of late. Likewise Weston, who was clearly pinpointed as the dangerman yet nonetheless managed to produce a number of impressive crosses. In conclusion, a pleasing finale, albeit one that distracts attention from what was shambolic defending. Arriving thick and fast is Tuesday's clash against Maidenhead, where only three points will suffice.
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VNL#24 - Solihull Moors 0 Daggers 1
Relief is as prevalent an emotion as delight after that one. Quite a scruffy victory in many ways but the three points is all that matters and it's exactly what we deserve after many of our recent dominant performances recently have gone scandalously unrewarded, primarily due to our own failures in front of goal. That lack of a cutting edge was certainly present in Solihull as McCallum in particular missed a couple of big opportunities, but thankfully he made amends with the kind of predatory finish we all know he's capable of. He needed that moment as much as the club did, and it'll provide a much-needed confidence boost for a striker who has been a shadow of the version of himself that has existed at many sides other than ourselves. Defensively we were just as impressive, albeit against a tame and passive Solihull outfit that were decent in possession but seemed unable to convert that into anything significant, much like ourselves for the vast majority of the season. It was a makeshift back three but one that looked decidedly more assured without Reynolds. Will Wright showed enough to indicate that he should already be higher than the ex-Barnet captain in the pecking order. Clark was solid too while Johnson continues to produce his best performances in a Dagenham shirt. It was also our first sighting of Tom Smith following his recent loan move from Bath. He did okay, especially considering he hadn't played a competitive fixture for nearly six weeks and had transitioned from part-time to full-time football since then. There were glimpses of quality and I expect that to grow with each game. He linked up quite well with Balanta, who was his silky self in possession but perhaps a tad rusty with his shooting. I was concerned about a front-two of McCallum and Balanta, specifically due to the lack of aggressive pressing, but they brought a level of intelligence that none of our other strikers can match. It's the strike pairing everyone was excited to see ahead of the season and I hope they can finally forge a partnership that justifies the fanfare. Weston is just as important, but last night we saw what happens when a team goes all out to nullify him. |
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May 2024
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