VNL#43 - Daggers 1 Wrexham AFC 1
Another season has drawn to a close, and that it concluded with a last-minute equaliser being conceded is quite an apt reflection of how it's gone for us overall throughout the past few months. However, despite it taking the gloss off what was a commanding performance, I doubt there was anyone within Victoria Road who was overly bothered when the ball hit the net. It did underline our ongoing weakness of not being able to kill teams off. We seemed to develop that knack during our impressive unbeaten run, yet it resurfaced today and ultimately cost us the three points we deserved. That Wrexham had ten men only furthers the sense that it should never have happened. However, win, lose or draw, today was always about enjoying being back in the ground. The players produced a performance that justified the anticipation, largely dominating the game and playing some really entertaining football. It was about as much of a stark contrast as comprehensible from the last time fans were present, a drab 1-0 defeat to Altrincham, after which the tier 3 announcement came as quite a relief. There was a brilliant intensity today and the supporters fed off it. Every single player did themselves proud and anyone watching the game with no prior knowledge of the context surrounding it would have been surprised to discover that it was Wrexham pursuing a play-off spot rather than us. Considering their permutations, Wrexham's display was astoundingly bad. We limited them impressively, but they were still dreadfully poor in most departments, and the eventual scoreline doesn't do justice to what was largely a one-sided contest at Victoria Road. We were excellent defensively, with Reynolds, Clark and Wright all impressing - the latter bagging a ninth assist of the season too. At the other end of the pitch, Weston, Balanta and McCallum excelled, while Robinson's industrious display in the middle earned him the BT Sport 'Man of the Match' award. His performance complimented that of Saidou Khan, who continues to demonstrate why there is such a ferocious desire amongst the fanbase for us to sign him permanently. There are definitely foundations for next season and an important summer now awaits, but if we manage to pick up in August where we've left off now, we'll certainly be a force to contend with.
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Sloppy decision-making, from both the players and the referee, costs Daggers their unbeaten run22/5/2021 VNL#42 - Chesterfield 2 Daggers 1
From the moment team news was released with the notable omissions of Balanta and Vilhete, this had the making of a frustrating day, and so it proved with our unbeaten run coming to an unceremonious end at the hands of a remarkably incompetent referee who, as manager Daryl McMahon declared, simply couldn't handle a crowd. Pinning the result entirely on him, though, would be neglecting a poor performance on our part. It's difficult to be too harsh on a team that have been absolutely flawless for a sustained period now, but today we fell vastly short of the expectations we'd set. There was no fluidity in attacking positions, no composure in the middle of the pitch, and the outcome was probably a fair one. That it happened due to a series of...interesting decisions from the referee, however, makes it hard to take. He seemed to lack the autonomy to make his own decisions, enabling both the crowd and home players to influence what happened. The inexplicable overlooking of the foul on Weston, the Jones red card, the penalty at the other end - three crucial moments that just happened to go the way of the team that had 3,000 supporters in attendance. Individually and as a collective, it simply wasn't good enough. There were a few exceptions: Gordon was outstanding, Wright played well, Khan was busy. Largely, though, there wasn't much intensity out there. In Balanta we were missing the glue that holds the team together, and this clearly affected McCallum too. The striker may have been in red hot form but he played like a man on a 30-game goal draught. It's was no surprise to hear McMahon announce that he was playing with an injury. He was taken off at half-time, and another player who would leave the action early is Joey Jones. From the outset here, he was a disaster waiting to happen. With the red card, although the referee buckled amidst pressure from the home players who were surrounding him, that doesn't alter the fact that it was justified. Chesterfield would have probably been disappointed to see him trudge off the pitch because he was was the primary instigator of most of their attacks. As soon as it happened, though, a late winner felt inevitable. With how we were playing, it felt like a case of when rather than if we could cave. Unfortunately that was exactly what transpired, but the defeat doesn't undermine what has been a superb few weeks for the club. We'll no doubt be looking to make amends next Saturday, when we have the opportunity to influence a referee ourselves. Fingers crossed for one as weak-minded and spineless as today. The advancement to the next phase of the Coronavirus exit road-map incorporates a return of football supporters to stadiums across the country, which will add an extra dimension of tension to what already promises to be an enthralling climax to a typically unpredictable National League season. It's a testament to Dagenham's recent revival, glorious and wholly unexpected in equal measure, that they harbour outside hopes of creeping into the play-offs even at such a late stage of a campaign that has been bitterly underwhelming for the most part. Though their prospects remain improbable logically and mathematically, they've nonetheless salvaged a sense of pride while also laying down foundations for a promotion charge commencing next August. For that to materialise, and for the Daggers to succeed where they have failed in each of the past two seasons, there will be no margin for error in the upcoming summer's recruitment. However, unlike previous years, all that seems to be required is minor yet important tweaks as opposed to an entire overhaul. The spine of a decent team already exists, but a few areas need addressing if we are to finally achieve our ambition of returning to the Football League. That the division will again be littered with a plethora of strong, financially-backed sides, each competing for one of two coveted places, illustrates the magnitude of the challenge that will await McMahon's men. Evaluating every area of the squad, here's what I think is required to make ourselves a genuine contender next season.
It goes without saying that we are absolutely fine in this department. Elliot Justham has consistently established himself as one of, if not the, best keepers in the division - a viewpoint that exists even beyond East London. Some of the saves he produces are mesmerising and single-handedly keep us in games. That, alongside firepower at the other end, means we are well-equipped to both score and keep out goals. As for backups, I expect us to stick with Strizovic, who is not yet at the stage Lewis Moore was whereby he felt he had to pursue first-team opportunities. Though we had it in our first year back at this level with Justham and Cousins, no team really needs two decent goalkeepers on their books due to the low likelihood of the preferred one sustaining an injury. Opportunities to watch Strizovic this season have been infrequent but he will probably do the job of backup.
A 5-3-2 formation worked when McMahon first came into the club and is yielding further success now, so I expect him to deploy it again. However, essential to that shape is the wide players, who need to be pacey, have a good engine and be able to deliver crosses. Our current options are Mauro Vilhete, Myles Weston, George Saunders and Andrew Eleftheriou. Though each have unique and decent attributes, there are problems with some of them. Vilhete has excelled there but has openly stated that he is not as comfortable in this role. Weston carried a large burden of our creative output this season, however is 33 and sustaining more injuries. Saunders has shown promising glimpses of quality yet whether he can fulfil the defensive duties necessary in that position remain unknown. Eleftheriou is a defensive player whose form has been patchy - can he be relied upon? Therefore, I think we'll bring in at least one wide player over the summer. It's not somewhere that requires drastic improvement, but over a demanding season it's likely we'll need more than what we currently have.
We haven't been too bad defensively whatsoever this season and I doubt anybody within our fanbase would be too disappointed if we started next season with the three centre-halves we're currently using there. Elliott Johnson and Will Wright have been exceptional there since the turn of the year, the latter also racking up a mightily impressive tally of eight assists too, while Callum Reynolds has demonstrated recently his ability to perform well in the side. Add to the equation Luke Croll, whom many would regard as our best defender, and we appear to be okay in the defensive department. If he was to be released in the summer, which would be disappointing yet not wholly unexpected given his sudden exile from the team, then we may have to bring another one into the club. In addition to this, there's Kenny Clark, who has been shaky at times but largely reliable. I suspect McMahon will offer him another year, but his best days are naturally behind him and it might be time to move on. The versatile Joey Jones can also provide cover at centre-half, too, though his unnecessary risk-taking is undesirable in such an important position on the pitch.
The engine room on the pitch and driving force behind the team lies in midfield. We've experimented with no fewer than eleven different players in that position but very few of those have been able to provide what we need on a consistent basis. There will most likely be several of those departing the club this summer including Mitch Brundle and Sam Deering. With many of that eleven having already departed or being on loan, that leaves us relatively short in that position. We currently have Matt Robinson, Dean Rance, Mo Sagaf and Joey Jones there. Harry Phipps is also an option and a very good one at that but quite whether we will offer a new contract to a a player who has spent the vast majority of two campaigns unavailable through injury is unknown. Considering Rance may also be a long-term absentee stretching possibly into 2022 if it is cruciate damage, we'll clearly need to bring in at least two new midfielders. It would be very nice if one of those would be current loanee Saidou Khan, who has drawn rave reviews for his all-action displays there. He has the making of a real gem at this level, certainly of the John Still mould, and we simply have to do all we can to get him here on a permanent basis. That, and extending the contract of Matt Robinson, has to be our absolute priority this summer. We should also be paying very keen attention to the fact that legend Abu Ogogo is a free agent.
Paul McCallum has notched a season tally only bettered by Ollie Hawkins in the past five years, and his strike-partner Ángelo Balanta is on track to do the same. As a duo, their combined tally of 27 goals is impressive, especially when you consider how much of a struggle the first few months were. Neither hit their best form during that period but have exploded recently to forge the partnership we all hoped we'd see. It's proving just as beautiful as was imagined.
As such, we don't need to invest in a striker this summer, or at least not one who will be expected to start the majority of games. A backup, though, is necessary, because neither Balanta nor McCallum will be able to play every minute of every fixture. Our current reserve options are Adrian Clifton, Darren McQueen and Scott Wilson, with a combined tally of one league goal. It's clear that we need better, but with McQueen under contract for a further year we might have to persist and hope he kicks into gear. VNL#41 - Daggers 3 FC Halifax Town 0
Though the play-offs are beyond our reach barring a minor miracle, it remains nonetheless useful to test ourselves against sides that have spent the majority of the season battling towards the top end of the table. A Halifax outfit that coasted past us on opening day made for interesting opposition, and it was once again a challenge that Daryl McMahon's men passed with flying colours. After accruing a point that inflicted an almighty dent into Stockport's title hopes, we did similar to Halifax's aspirations of finishing in the top seven. They arrived at Victoria Road full of determination, and for a brief period really had us on the back foot, but ultimately we were able to take control. It once again proves that our exceptional run of form is due to the fact that we're a good side, rather than a lucky one who have simply had the fortune of a generous fixture schedule. If there were just a few more games available, I've no doubt that we'd fulfil our pre-season target of making the play-offs, but it's still pleasing to end strongly. We can lay down a marker for the next campaign too. It's taken us six months and we've gone through over thirty players in the process, but we've finally found a coherent system that can bring the best out of our team. McCallum is becoming the striker we all hoped he would be and has now registered a superb nine goals in as many games. His header here was absolutely wonderful and demonstrated exactly why he was so sought-after. Vilhete's goal, his first for the club, was executed with similar precision and came somewhat against the run of play. From that moment on, though, there was no doubt about what the outcome would be. The fact that we were shaky at times, with a few misplaced passes and unforced errors, makes the eventual margin of victory all the more impressive. Nobody wants to play the Daggers at the minute. All the ingredients of a top side are there. Unlike previous summers, we don't require a severe overhaul. Renewing some expiring contracts, while also sealing a permanent deal for Saidou Khan, are going to be our main objectives. We might need to recruit another wide player, midfielder and backup striker, but largely the core of a potential promotion-challenging team is already in the building. Performances like this prove it. We weren't at our best by any stretch but still managed to register a convincing victory, ruthlessly taking our chances as all good sides do. That's the primary difference between the Dagenham of today and the Dagenham of a few months ago. We'd produce some lovely interplay but miss a hatful of opportunities and ultimately lose 1-0 amidst a narrative of 'bad luck' and misfortune. Now, we're clinical and getting what we deserve. It does naturally make you wonder why it's taken so long for us to find our feet. Questions pertaining to our horrific start to the season still need to be asked. However, there's confidence in both the fanbase and players now, which is an important platform to build on. VNL#40 - Stockport County 1 Daggers 1
''We've not seen anyone come here and do this to Simon Rusk's team all season'' - this was one of the many quotes from Stockport's impressive commentary team paying homage to our brilliant display tonight, which encapsulates exactly why there is so much pride within our fanbase. Though the two dropped points here, coupled with results elsewhere predictably going against us, make the play-offs a virtually impossible aspiration, there are foundations for next season. It has been an outstanding few weeks, albeit tinged somewhat by the frustration of us leaving it so late. Too late, as will ultimately transpire. However, when you consider the state of the club and it's performances as recently as a couple of months ago, our transformation since has been nothing short of incredible. The standards on the pitch are reminiscent of when McMahon first took over, generating hope that he has finally got it right. Lessons need to be learned from this campaign, which began in unforgivably poor fashion, and we will quite rightfully be made to pay for it now. You can't play well for one third of an eight-month calendar and expect to get away with it. However, performances like tonight leave hope that we can develop into a force at this level. That we've been hailed as the best side to visit Edgeley Park all season highlights the beginning of that process. To visit high-flying, in-form Stockport County and leave disappointed to have only accumulated a point really underlines how far we have come. Their form prior to the clash was outstanding for a sustained period but we went at them on the front foot and for large parts of the contest had them pinned in their own area. Had the referee been as diligent as our players were, we'd have been awarded at least one penalty. Add to that the Robinson crossbar chance and Saunders' agonising last-minute opportunity - there's a real case to be made that we could, possibly should, have won that game. It was a brilliant response to the claim that our form was deceptive and superficial because we played struggling teams. Though that is true, it became apparent tonight that we didn't win six in a row because our opponents weren't good, we won them because we are. |
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