A year that began with things as bleak as you could possibly imagine ends with optimism at it's highest point in recent years. Despite there being very realistic fears that that the existence of the club could be in jeopardy, it's amazing that we enter 2019 feeling hopeful for the future. There were notable departures, both on the pitch and amongst the staff, but with our new American owners are gradually rebuilding our club. So, as a frantic twelve months come to an end, it's time to look back on the defining moments, from the sublime to the heart-sinkingly traumatic. There have been great goals, lose-yourselves-in-the-moment madness and times where you wonder why you even do the stuff you do. MOMENT OF 2018Balanta's header up in Salford was magical. Seeing Nunny's deflected strike roar into the net on Boxing Day, knowing we'd finally got one over on the perennially-superior Orient, was just as euphoric. However, the one moment which instantly springs to mind is that goal from Robinson at Hartlepool. Everybody thought that the 6am start and mountainous trek up north had been worthless and as the clock ticked past 90 minutes with us still 1-0 down, having barely threatened all game, it was all over. Of course, though, we produced the comeback of the season and after Goodliffe powered home a free-kick, moments later an Adeloye cross was spilled to Robinson. Time almost stood still, then there were incredible scenes. I flew down about ten steps of stairs, defying gravity in the process. It was simply outstanding, the memory of it always will be, and I feel that epitomises the belief of the current team. There are other moments that stick in my mind as being memorable, some not even pleasurable yet they all still encapsulate what the club is all about. For example, in our darkest hour against Aldershot back in February just a few days after our financial crisis had become public, we went 1-0 down early on and immediately everybody began chanting a few decibels louder. That show of defiance and support I found remarkable in the circumstances. Similarly, the support given to the team around August and September, irrespective of the result, was brilliant to see. Other joyous moments include Romain's opener at Barnet, which would probably eclipse the joy of the Hartlepool winner had it not been ultimately inconsequential to the result. It's a similar scenario with the FA Cup comeback at Boreham Wood, which would've been a right contender had we not lost the replay in limp fashion, meaning it counted for nothing. LOWEST POINTI'm not going to include anything much our financial crisis because that was more a period of sustained misery rather than anything that could be pinpointed by a split second's events. I think the moment when we all found out that our best player at the time, Michael Cheek, had left two days before the start of the season was one of our lowest this year because the excitement ahead of a new campaign almost completely dissipated. Of course, when we found out that there was a chance we wouldn't even be in existence, it was absolutely terrible, but even then there was overriding hope. Similarly, finding out that John Still, the man most would have trusted to use his experience to help us battle relegation, resigned, was another awful moment, only worsened when he pitched up at Barnet just twelve hours later. Yet there can only be one winner for the lowest moment of 2018, and it came in the midst of our problems to make matters worse. The frustration and sheer bemusement at finding out that our game at Halifax had been postponed at around 2pm, with every Daggers fan already there following a long journey, simply can't be topped. Three days later our best players started departing with alarming regularity, so not only had we missed out on a chance to potentially enjoy one last win before everything came crumbling down, but we also lost our last opportunity to see them play for the Daggers. Thanks for that one, Halifax. BEST GOAL SCOREDDagenham & Redbridge are more characterised by scruffy tap-ins than thirty yard screamers, but that hasn't stopped us scoring some great goals this calendar year. Whether it's for individual quality alone, like Okenabirhie's postage stamp strike against Chester in February, or it's because of the team play involved, such as McQueen's against Hartlepool in August, or even one that isn't particularly special or has the capacity to stand out in a collection, but was just massively significant - Kandi's penalty against Braintree for example - there are many to choose from. Of course, Matt Robinson's winner against Hartlepool could quite justifiably come out on top given the amazing emotions it evoked but, according to the three attributes above, I've gone for Munns' strike against Fylde. Being a tap-in, it doesn't seem too difficult a finish but it was expertly dispatched by the midfielder, who showed his determination to get into the box in the first place. It also proved to be the winner and everything about it was perfect; the team play was excellent, summed up by the quality of Robinson's throughball, the finish was superb and it was significant too because it earned us a vital three points that were the springboard for our amazing sequence of form. Other notable mentions were: - Wilkinson against Havant & Waterlooville, the best for individual ability alone. The striker got the ball by the corner flag and somehow burst along the byline, skipping effortlessly past challenges before cutting in and applying an equally-fantastic smashed finish into the top-left corner. - Okenabirhie's aforementioned goal against Chester. At a time where he could literally do no wrong, this was a superb strike from a man at the peak of his powers. Checking inside on the edge of the box, there were no options for Fejiri so he went for the shot and somehow swerved it into the minuscule angle between post and bar. - The best free-kick scored at Victoria Road since Billy Bingham somehow belted a 30-yarder against Hartlepool some three years earlier. This was another left footed-strike, coming from Dan Sparkes against Woking back in April. Everything about it was perfect as it bounced off the crossbar and over the line, from a similar distance. - This one doesn't really get the respect it deserves, Jack Munns against Halifax a few weeks ago. His first touch is excellent, taking it away from two defenders in the box, but he still has so much to do from an angle that is becoming increasingly tighter, yet he swung it perfectly into the right-hand side of the net. - Okenabirhie again, this time with a strike so precise that the keeper is as much of a spectator as the supporters at the Racecourse Stadium. After a neat spell of passes, he gets a yard and curls it into the corner off the post, equalising for the Daggers who went on to win 2-1. MOST ENTERTAINING GAMESDaggers 4 Hartlepool 2 | A really good game but never one that the Daggers were in jeopardy of losing. We dominated from pretty much the start but only led 1-0 at the break through Dan Sparkes' first for the club, yet the game exploded into life after the interval. Hartlepool equalised but a mass burst of goals saw Daggers make it 4-1 in the space of sixteen minutes, before a late consolation took the gloss off things somewhat. Daggers 3 Chester 2 | It was the second season in a row that Daggers went into the final ten minutes losing 2-1, having initially taken the lead. This time it was Okenabirhie who gave us the lead before the strugglers turned the tables with a sudden comeback either side of half-time. However, Okenabirhie equalised late on before an own goal broke Chester hearts, and history had repeated itself in dramatic fashion. Daggers 2 Leyton Orient 1 | Daggers' record on previous Boxing Days was poor, their form against Orient even worse, and things seemed to be going the traditional way when Josh Koroma fired the O's ahead. When McQueen equalised almost instantly, though, the momentum changed and a late winner was on the cards, secured when Nunn smashed past Brill at his near post. BEST & WORST DISPLAYSA lot of our better displays this year would've probably come in the last couple of months and, in particular, the one against Orient stands out for the determination and resilience we demonstrated, plus how much it meant to everybody. However, on that occasion we were sloppy at times and there have been more complete performances. The one against Havant was dominant and the football we played was superb, so it would probably be that. Harrogate was similar, but our standards slipped in the last ten minutes which wasn't the case against Havant. there are a few main contenders for worst display but given the standard of our squad from August to October, poor performances are understandable. What isn't understandable is losing at home to relegation-threatened Solihull Moors while playing abysmally - that's the worst we've played in some time.
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Dagenham & Redbridge are becoming one of those teams that nobody wants to play. Back-to-back victories over the top two teams in the league, Salford City and Leyton Orient, have equipped us with a level of stylish confidence that means we approach every game in search of another win to add to our ever-growing collection. Three months ago, it was 'anything but three points against that lot is failure'. Now, it's 'we'll be lucky to get a point there, that would be a great result'.
These boys are special and slowly carving a pathway into one of the great Dagenham sides. We've got an abundance of quality within our ranks, we've got nerves of steel which means we can win games even when we're a goal down in stoppage time, but above all else we've got that Dagenham spirit. You can't buy it, or learn it, you've either got it or you haven't. As the likes of Nunny and Goodliffe lose themselves in the moment after every great win, it's obvious that they possess that unteachable mentality. Now we experience the typical overexcitement that leads to a sudden rise in expectations. Such was the manner with which we began the season that finishing 13th would be absolutely incredible in the circumstances, but after beating four of the top seven and coming from behind in three of those games, play-offs aren't impossible. Ten games ago we were relegation certainties, now the fact we're even talking about play-offs shows how far we've come. If we can beat the top two, though, we can beat anyone. So the next team to try and end our tremendous run of form are Barnet, and it's a game which brings the curtain down on a rollercoaster 2018. Twelve months seems minuscule compared to the magnitude of the drama crammed into it, which would be enough to fill half a decade. But it's ended well and I can't imagine many times, genuinely, since we went down from League One that the vibe around Victoria Road has been this good. Contrast that to January, it's crazy! Back to today's game, and it promised to be a feisty one with the return of manager John Still, who would receive an interesting welcome for sure. However, and you couldn't write this, he's retired on the eve of the game. It's frustrating and the timing feels very deliberate. Although he left under a cloud of deceit, though, the man took us to League One and I love him for that, but it will remain forever tarnished by his undignified exit from us unfortunately. It's hard to shake that ill feeling. Darren Currie will therefore take charge of the game and it seems to have instilled a lot of hope towards Barnet fans ahead of the game. He might play a new system but we can rejoice in the fact that it's still very much John Still's mob we're playing and, though it's taken the spice away from the encounter, it's a good incentive for the boys. Not that they need an incentive anyway, I have every confidence we can keep up our hot streak today. We'll stick with the side that beat the leaders on Boxing Day - it would be mad not to providing we don't have any fresh injury concerns. It would appear that both Matt Robinson and Tomi Adeloye have picked up a knock after both were absent from the squad completely. Nathan Smith and Liam Bellamy have gone missing as well, but I doubt anybody has even noticed if I'm being honest. We've got a great starting lineup, albeit somewhat reliant on loanees, but there's quality everywhere. Barnet arrive having lost three of their last four league fixtures, all by a one-goal margin, despite some impressive cup results sandwiched inbetween. Their biggest problem this season has been a lack of territory in the opposition box, with too many lazy players by all accounts. They have some decent players, Mark Cousins, Craig Robson and Wes Fonguck all seem very decent players for this level, but it just hasn't worked out. John Still probably jumped before he was pushed. They'll head to the Daggers as desperate for victory as us, especially given that their adored former player Darren Currie will be taking charge. Currie is one of a number of familiar faces to be heading back to the Chigwell Construction Stadium. His former counterpart will now be his assistant today, Junior Lewis, whose emotionless monotone is very familiar with us. Cousins and Robson deserve good receptions, so does Boucs although he won't play, but Charlee Adams perhaps less so after his behaviour in August. So it's another game to look forward to and a local derby. As Mr Still used to say, they're the hardest to win and almost resemble cup matches at times. Both will want to win, certainly neither will want to lose, but I think we'll have enough to get over the line today. It's over to the lads to do us proud as always, Up the Dags. The sharp recoil of Christmas crackers, the glowing grins of children struggling to contain their excitement, blankets of snow enveloping the calm skies, the indulging aroma of meat and potatoes wafting through every house, festive songs on a seemingly-endless loop, remnants of wrapping paper resembling debris after an earthquake, following the tearing open of Christmas presents and the annual visit of Father Christmas.
Then you have Boxing Day football, as intricately intertwined within archetypal seasonal celebrations as all of the above. Fierce local derbies demonstrating everything other than goodwill and generosity, watched by supporters who always have that extra slice of anticipation, such have been the celebrations of the previous 24 hours. At least, that's always what happens with the Daggers. And then we lose. Bragging rights are gone, and Christmas is ruined. Here we go again, another year having passed since we entered those games against the O's last season, full of confidence given our superiority, only to destroy all hope with two of the tamest displays you are ever likely to see from Dagenham. Our luck on Boxing Day may be bad but our fate against Leyton Orient has been worse, with seven years having passed since Romain Vincelot scored two headers to earn our first victory in League One. That was ages ago, but it feels even longer. It doesn't take a genius to work out that it's been downhill ever since, and a fixture that was once quite a good derby for League 1 standards now takes place in the Vanarama National League. Both clubs have neared the brink of extinction then were saved by new owners, for whom we are both immensely grateful. Yet the will to win is still as strong as ever - it's a game nobody wants to lose. The form table promises an absolutely tremendous encounter, destined to be a tight battle, hopefully exhibiting the fierce passion everybody wants to see. They sit atop the tree at Christmas, with a four point lead at the summit and a sense of invincibility amongst their supporters. Macauley Bonne, the division's top scorer, carries their main threat and it's a testament to his talents that Premier League clubs are supposedly interested. Then there's future star Josh Koroma, a nippy and marauding winger who loves nothing more than a one-on-one with a defender. His tally of seven goals is respectable but, of course, he's overshadowed by Macauley Bonne. Anchoring the side is Jobi McAnuff, who may be in the twilight of his career but exhibits all of the qualities of a model professional and shows no signs of deteriorating in ability. Our last two goals conceded have both come from corners, an area we seemed to be superb at defending up until recently, and that will be music to the ears of McAnuff, who can deliver a fantastic cross. Let's not give him the chance to, though. Extra spice will be added to the clash with the inclusion of two ex-Daggers amongst Orient's lineup. Joe Widdowson will likely receive a hostile reception but Sam Ling, a good servant to the club and someone who our fans loved, deserves a better one. He was one of the sacrifices for the survival of the club when financial instability dawned upon us, but before then was arguably the best right-back in the league prior to then. Coming up against that talent and an astute manager in Justin Edinburgh won't faze us. Daggers are the only team in the division in better form than Orient over the last ten games and come into the clash after beating Salford City away. The highs don't come much higher than that, but it wasn't a one-off because two other high-flyers in Fylde and Harrogate have succumbed to the Daggers revolution recently. We fear nobody, approach every game with no fear, and have the belief to beat any side. Orient at home is an easier game than the one we played just three days ago so we've got every chance of getting something. Wilko and Balanta are bang in form and will certainly cause problems, and we've got solidity in every position. There's not a single player I look at and think 'Orient will exploit him, he's weak'. That's a testament to the squad and to Peter Taylor too. It's a game both will look forward to, both be determined to win, and both will try their hardest to do so. Orient have sold out their allocation (fair play) which means there will be a bumper attendance of around 3000 at Victoria Road. What a game we have in store, the two most in-form sides going head-to-head. Another test of the extent we have progressed and a big one at that, but we've passed every one with flying colours so far. Absolutely buzzing for this one, the spoils will be more than just any old win. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everybody, Up the Dags. You've brought a smile back to all of our faces over the last few months and no doubt will continue to do some. Keep doing us proud. Keep battling. Keep embodying the Daggers spirit. Adam Rooney was playing Europa League football with Aberdeen not too long ago. Nathan Pond was the figurehead of Fleetwood, two leagues above, for whom he chipped in with many goals from defence as recently as last season. Winger Danny Lloyd, also plying his trade in the third tier of English football, was on a wage of 80k a year at Peterborough and another player competing in his division was Rory Gaffney, an important asset to Bristol Rovers especially during the season they were promoted to League 1.
Then you have Danny Whitehead, who learned his trade at West Ham as a youngster and helped Macclesfield to their National League title win last season. Finally, completing their list of players that should be playing at a higher standard, Matt Green from Lincoln City. He chipped in with fifteen goals as the Imps challenged at the top of League 2 in 2017/18. Managing them all is the well-known Graham Alexander, while billionaire Peter Lim and Manchester United's Class of 92' shareholders Gary Neville, Nicky Butt, Phil Neville, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs all keep a keen eye on things. That was the challenge that awaited Dagenham & Redbridge, whose biggest signings this season arrived from Boreham Wood and Ebbsfleet United. The core of our team consisted, by contrast, of the likes of Harry Phipps and Alex McQueen, who would go on to compete fiercely with Salford's stars. Phipps was released by Maidstone and McQueen was a signing we could only get for six months because of financial limitations. Other members of our starting lineup were academy graduate Liam Gordon, Gavin Hoyte who signed on the cheap after leaving Eastleigh and a few loanees. It was almost a different world to what faced us. While the Daggers team huddled prior to kick off, Salford merely stood in their positions with casual nonchalance, as if the task of brushing Dagenham aside was so easy it didn't need to be discussed. Yet two hours later the same red shirts were once again standing around, this time watching a sea of yellow shirts celebrate with their delighted supporters after inflicting Salford's first home defeat of the season. In 2018/19 they'd averaged 2.5 points at the Peninsula Stadium, where they'd lost just once in 2018. It was a truly brilliant, battling display from the boys. We had to withstand a lot of pressure as is to be expected when Salford have that amount of quality amongst their ranks, but in the end I think it was a victory we deserved. A lot of territory went to the hosts' who put us under sustained spells of pressure yet never really had too many clear-cut chances. In the end, we were composed and managed the game superbly. The goals were absolutely brilliant. Balanta and Wilkinson both conjured up tremendous headers but they were just as influential at the other end where one of them would smash the ball away just when it seemed as if a goal was looming. Not only that, but our strikers showed their intelligence by tempting fouls to earn us a reprieve from the danger. Everybody on the pitch fought their hardest. It's another example of how far we've come - nobody expected us to get even a point at Salford, let alone three. We're the most in-form team in the league and that's a testament to the no-fear attitude with which we approach every game. Every player is giving everything to the cause and really epitomising what it means to be a Dagger. We simply wouldn't lie down, even when it seemed for all the world like they were on the verge of finding the net, one of our lot would burst their lungs to get a block or tackle in and for me that sums up our recent turnaround. We have the quality as demonstrated by two outstandingly good headers, we've got the belief to beat any team and you can see that by the way we were unfazed, but above all else we've got desire and that's one department that Salford couldn't use their millions to outdo us in. All in all an absolutely fantastic day and stands us in great stead for a busy few days, Salford away is a harder game than Orient at home in my opinion so who knows what will happen there? They won't be looking forward to it, that's for sure! So proud of the boys, we're an absolute pleasure to watch and you could see how much it meant to the team. Oh what fun it is to see the Dagenham win away! Merry Christmas It was on the 21st April that Salford City last suffered a league defeat at the Peninsula Stadium, where they've averaged 2.5 points per game this season in a tremendous run of form only bettered by two sides across the top five divisions: Luton Town and Salford's near-neighbours Manchester City. Yet they're not the only team in good form and, being one of only two teams to have collected more points than the Ammies since the start of November, the Daggers will arrive in Manchester with quiet confidence.
Becoming the first ever team to defeat Salford City in the National League is a tough ask when you consider the millions of pounds splashed by them to get to this stage. Their meteoric yet despised rise through English football owes less to hard work and desire than it does the expansive wallet of five of Manchester's most decorated footballers, Phil Neville, Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt, plus Singaporean billionaire Peter Lim, who assumed majority control of the club recently. It's not as simple as money acquainting to direct and instant success though, a lesson many have been taught in the past. Salford are astutely managed and rely on expertise, just as they do cash. They've also shown respect to the quality of the National League by investing heavily in new talent such as Adam Rooney and Rory Gaffney, whose combined goals so far lend themselves perfectly to Salford's ambition of short-cutting their way to the Football League. They're not the first team to introduce new levels of finance to non-league football but it's frustrating for sides such as Gateshead who cannot possibly compete with them at any standard. Their approach to this season was perfectly outlined this week with their signing of Lincoln striker Matt Green, who bolsters an already-brilliant strikeforce and only adds to the talent that they have distributed throughout the dressing room. This includes, also, ex-Peterborough winger Danny Lloyd, powerful centre-back Nathan Pond, the imposing presence of Carl Piergianni and keeper Chris Neal. It's not a game we should approach with a defeatist mentality, though, because no team in this league is unbeatable and Salford won't relish a visit from a side like us. We're bang in form and have overcome a number of talented sides such as Fylde, Harrogate and Ebbsfleet in the FA Trophy, so we're used to playing outfits that are challenging at the better end of the table. For us, this begins a frantic period of four games all in quick succession. After Salford it's Leyton Orient (H), Barnet (H) and Orient (A) - a period that could define our campaign and potentially see us as high as the play-off places (hypothetically, of course) yet as low that we could be looking over our shoulders again. It's crucial to get off to a good start to that spell because it really can set the tone, and it's not completely inconceivable that we lose all four games! Similarly, if we manage to nick it at Salford, we'll feel invincible and surely go from strength to strength in the following days. The reverse fixture resulted in a 0-0 draw, meaning we're one of few sides to get anything from the high-flying Ammies, and one of even fewer to stop them from scoring altogether. That doesn't tell the full story, though, because they spent a lot of that game with ten men after a moment of petulance from Danny Lloyd, who was subsequently sent off and without whom Salford would've probably won. That was when we were devoid of both quality and talent so the fact that we got a draw in any circumstances will be a source of optimism, especially as we know possess assets capable of causing panic. This is without doubt the biggest challenge to our unbeaten run - most people will be heavily backing the hosts' to win quite comfortably. In their last league fixture, however, they gave Chesterfield their first victory since the second weekend of the season and, should they suffer another off-day, we'll be ready to take advantage. It's almost a free hit for us, we should have no fear, there's nothing to lose. We've been somewhat fortunate in recent weeks so hopefully we play better, though nobody will complain with any sort of result even if we play poorly. So bring on the challenge. Whatever happens, we're in a much better position than a couple of months ago, with the players doing us all proud. I'm sure that will continue this weekend. Finally, safe travels to those making the long trip up north - let's cheer the boys to another victory. Up the Dags |
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