The last few weeks has seen a brilliant surge in form during which we've really began to unlock the true capabilities of our squad. An excellent run of eight games unbeaten has taken us into the play-offs, with confidence amongst both players and supporters growing week by week. It's a far cry from five weeks ago when we entertained Boreham Wood on a Tuesday night. A shambolic 3-0 defeat made mockery of our supposed promotion ambitions as we ended the night in the bottom four and boos rung out across Victoria Road. Now, that night seems considerably longer ago than it actually was, and the fact that we're closer to the top than the bottom is a testament to the players, manager and staff who have all helped plot our turnaround. However, some would say results like today are the difference - the difference between drawing and winning on occasions like today represent the difference between being a promotion outsider or genuine contender. Too often, away from home especially, we've seemed to settle for a point; Eastleigh away and Chesterfield away were two prime examples of that. We didn't lose either, but they weren't results that left supporters too enthused. Today was a good point, albeit tinged by the fact we should've got all three. The fundamental difference between today and those two games outlined above were that we maintained a good standard throughout and never accepted just a point. We didn't go for the easy option and right until the end could've won it. The performance we produced at Plainmoor could've easily yielded a 1-0 or 2-0 win. What was lacking today wasn't down to individual mistakes, it was just a general absence of the edge we've had in recent weeks, all throughout the team. The spark was missing; though we played some tidy football and created a few chances, we never had that crucial key ingredient. I couldn't really put my finger on it, but something was missing compared to our other performances in the last few weeks. We weren't quite on it. Part of that is of course down to the nature of the opposition. Torquay are a good side, still revelling in the momentum generated by their title triumph last season. They nullified us well, containing Balanta and Luque more than any other side we've faced, and were decent going forwards. Exactly like us, though, they never really reached their peak performance levels. Also like us, they could've easily won the game though. For a 0-0 it was quite entertaining, even in spite of there being few significant goal opportunities. Both teams hit the bar, but aside from Dobson's thunderous strike in the second half, there was no real opportunities that looked destined for the back of the net. Dagenham and Torquay cancelled eachother out well and it made for an interesting encounter between two similarly-matched teams. Neither outfit really looked dangerous. On the day, though, we probably should've won it. It will be viewed as a positive point, and it's fair to say the positives definitely outweighed the few negatives that there are. That we limited the league's top scorer, Jamie Reid, completely, is a testament to the solidity we've found in our defence. Many people reckoned that one clean sheet would be all it would've taken to spark a good defensive run and so it has proved with just a single goal conceded in our last three games (a deflected one at that). In addition to this, we've now got Harold Odametey back, and presumably Mitch Brundle and Chike Kandi shouldn't be too far either. Unfortunately, Harry Phipps left Torquay on crutches and losing him would be very frustrating, not only because we're flourishing under the combination of him and Robinson, but also due to the fact that Phipps is finally getting the minutes he deserves. For him to be sidelined would be gutting as he is in increasingly-improving form. He had another good game at Plainmoor, but the standout players were those who formed the defence. In particular, Manny Onariase was outstanding and he made a number of perfectly-timed tackles that broke down dangerous Torquay attacks. We didn't have that much cohesion or precision at the other end; Balanta, Quigley, Dobson and Luque not really getting into any sort of fluent rhythm, either individually or as a unit. So in the end it was a tale of what could've been. Daggers were never quite on song, but a draw at Torquay can't be viewed as anything other than a positive. We have another game rapidly hurtling towards us and Sutton away on Tuesday is a game we should be targeting three points from, although given that they've just thrashed Chesterfield 4-0, it certainly won't be easy, not to mention the fact that our record there is dreadful. Eight unbeaten and a clean sheet - it could certainly be worse but we need to turn a couple of away draws into victories in order to take the next step. We're becoming hard to beat and long may it continue.
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WRITERArchives
January 2024
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