The 2020/21 National League season was a heavily diluted product, incorporating several hallmarks of the seemingly inescapable Coronavirus pandemic which formed a depressing, and hugely disruptive, backdrop to the on-field action.Football dissolved into a distorted version of itself, a sanitised and sterile spectacle which left supporters with a sorrow feeling of detachment that live streams simply couldn't mitigate. It won't be looked back upon with fond recollection, not least because it was another campaign of disappointment for the Daggers, the main components of which I've profiled below. Season Overview Daggers began a delayed season with a squad that seemed reasonable on the surface, spearheaded by marquee signing Paul McCallum whose arrival at the club propelled them to the status of one of the division's primary promotion contenders. However, a dismal opening-day defeat at Halifax drew worry from the very outset, and it was reinforced by a further sequence of results that left Daryl McMahon's side inexcusably languishing at the foot of the table after the opening month of fixtures. The FA Cup proved a source of welcome escapism from their domestic woes and eventually league form improved too, partially triggered by the loan capture of club legend Abu Ogogo, which uplifted supporters and fellow teammates alike. A positive period prior to Christmas gave McMahon's side hope of resurrecting their season going into the new year, but untimely Covid self-isolation spells, coupled with a disappointing digression of form, left them back at square one. Form remained patchy and supporters began to rapidly lose faith in a manager who looked set to oversee yet another season of mediocrity. Relegation was never a concern, and soon it was taken off the table altogether, but all indications pointed to the Daggers ending the campaign closer to the bottom than the top, a damning indictment of what was supposed to be a promotion challenge. As late in the calendar as mid-April, the club were languishing in 17th position. Play-offs were out of the question. Or so everybody thought. From nowhere, an influx of new signings made the Daggers look almost unrecognisable and they embarked on a near-flawless run, encompassing seven wins from ten and six in succession, that took them to the cusp of the top seven. Ultimately, it would prove too little, too late to salvage their ambitions, but nonetheless there was an overriding sense of optimism when the final whistle blew against Wrexham in the final fixture of 2020/21. Best Moments Two FA Cup goals, Scott Wilson's winner against Grimsby then McCallum's opener at Mansfield in the subsequent round, evoked sheer joy albeit tempered by the solemn realisation that supporters wouldn't be able to attend even if we drew a decent cup tie. Mitch Brundle's last-gasp goal against King's Lynn, within the scarcely-believable circumstances of him missing a penalty seconds before, was also a highlight of the season and certainly the best moment of the behind-closed-doors era, slightly eclipsing Dean Rance's injury-time equaliser at Wrexham. The winner for this category, though, goes to an own goal in our favour during the largely insignificant final game of the season against Wrexham. It meant much more than that, however, symbolising the first league goal cheered by our supporters at Victoria Road for a staggeringly long period spanning 445 days. The whole day was a fond reminder of what used to be a fortnightly pastime that had been abruptly snatched from everybody, and our goal was a lovely moment. Our first homecoming that season was in the December against Altrincham, and it was a day savoured by many given the impending announcement of London's transition into Tier 3, which triggered restrictions including the reclosure of football stadiums. It was short-lived but nonetheless pleasurable to return, despite the disappointing performance predictably poor result of 1-0 Altrincham that followed. Lowest Moments An empty Meadow Lane, on an aptly dark and snow-laden February evening, was the venue for an experience that the word embarrassing doesn't even begin to do justice to. Losing to Notts County is no disgrace in itself but it was the ignominious manner of this one that made it a distinctly low point not only last season, but in our recent history. Supporters watched from afar with utter disbelief etched across their faces as a team that had been reduced to ten men, with an outfielder in goal, inexcusably ran rings around eleven disinterested red shirts. An early penalty miss from McCallum set the tone for an experience so utterly ridiculous that comedy would displace anger as the prevailing emotion amongst the Dagenham fanbase. It soon escalated to astounding proportions, with an already-leading Notts side adding two more goals before the break. It was self-destruction on a monumental scale, to such an extent that McMahon's position at the club seemed immediately untenable. He survived the backlash, though, and ultimately the harsh inquest that would have inevitably followed had a positive impact in the long-term. Best Team Performance There were few occasions where the whole team was in beautiful synchrony, but Stockport away stands out more prominently than any other game. It was a tough encounter but we were in the midst of a brilliant run and arrived at Edgeley Park thoroughly unfazed, going full-throttle at the promotion challengers with a spirited showing that deserved more than the point we eventually accrued, and drew widespread praise from Stockport supporters, many of whom labelled McMahon's side the best to visit their ground all season. Best Individual Performance There were a number of games where Balanta was at his unplayable best, but he peaked in a home game against Eastleigh where he lead by example as captain, scoring a brilliant first goal then showcasing incredible quality to set up McCallum for the second. There were several exceptional performances from members of our squad during that period, Robinson's at Wealdstone in the game he scored a brace and ran the show for example. Had his brilliance not been in vain, then Justham would win this accolade by some margin for his phenomenal display against Hartlepool. The best performance I can remember was one that didn't involve a goal or assist, but was rather one characterised by ferocious spirit. It came from Abu Ogogo, whose loan arrival was deemed so crucial to us that he was almost immediately given the captaincy, and a Tuesday night at league leaders Torquay highlighted why. A red card to Brundle made an already daunting challenge significantly harder, but almost single-handedly through the warrior-like courage of Ogogo, we held onto all three points. Best Goal There can be three strands to this category - best goal in terms of technique, best team goal and best solo goal. The now-departed Sam Deering's only two goals for the club both conform to the first strand, and his sensational volley against Maidenhead stands ahead of any other for it's sheer majesty. Best team goal would be a lovely team move against Eastleigh that was finished off by Balanta, while the best individual goal was undoubtedly Gordon's lung-busting run and equally gorgeous finish at home to Weymouth. Best Assist Myles Weston away to Wrexham in the very last minute, with the club trailing 2-1. He'd already recorded one brilliant assist after coming on at half time, and produced another moment of superb quality to set up our dramatic equaliser, driving at their full-back with his usual aggressive vigour before standing up an inch-perfect cross for Rance. The circumstances means it eclipses Balanta's assist for McCallum at home to Eastleigh, which was quality. Best Player From January it's Robinson but, throughout the course of the whole campaign, I don't think you can look beyond Balanta, whose individual class single-handedly saved us so many times. The same could be said of Justham, recipient of the official award, but mine goes to the Colombian playmaker. He's one of the most talented players we've had the pleasure of watching in recent years and tying him down to a long-term contract over the summer was crucial business. Most Improved Player He wasn't bad by any means the year before, but Will Wright's transformation was nonetheless staggering, as he went from nearly being released to an indefensible and integral member of the team. As well as a solid defender, he demonstrated his attacking potential by producing nine assists, meaning he was crucial in both halves of the pitch. A future captain in the making, to say he's proven his worth to McMahon and the supporters would be an understatement. Most Underwhelming Player The majority of our signings from last summer fit the bill if truth be told, but Darren McQueen in particular was immensely disappointing considering his respectable record in the division below. It wasn't for the want of trying, but he just couldn't get going in a Dagenham shirt, failing to register a single league goal.
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January 2024
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