Though the existential necessity to do so has been lessened by the financial status under which we have operated in recent years, Dagenham & Redbridge have always been a self-proclaimed 'selling club' whose ability to nurture unpolished gems into profitable assets further up the pyramid is worn as a metaphorical badge of honour. Supporting them therefore incurs the realisation that your favourite players will occasionally leave for bigger and better things.
Yet that never makes it any easier to digest. For, every time, the feeling hits like an all-consuming gut punch burning deep within. Whether recency bias or the devastating timing ahead of our busiest month when the need for points is strongest, this one seems to hurt that little bit more. There were no murmurings of in-form striker Josh Walker being prised away by an EFL club on Deadline Day then, under the cover of darkness, came the sudden notification that he was gone. As possibly the most technically gifted striker to grace Victoria Road in years with undeniably the highest ceiling of attainability among the squad, supporters knew that the Walker Wonderland in which they had been taken on countless pleasant strolls would not last forever but at the same time might have expected more than just six months of a three year contract signed only last summer. While ultimately not securing his services for anywhere near the full duration like hoped, it would be comforting if that deal at least necessitated a decent figure somewhat consummate to the quality we will be losing. Though being heavily fuelled on confidence brought some intermittent patchy droughts, when in form he reached borderline unplayable standards, cultivating a reputation as one of the division's most underrated finishers by clinically dispatching opportunities frequently engineered through his own blistering pace and silky footwork - a rare commodity that guarantees transferable goals across all environments hence the demand for his signature alluded to by ultimately-successful Burton Albion manager Dino Maamria - as well as service elsewhere. That he scored a repertoire of very different strikes across diverse areas further enhances the appeal: both feet, his head, tight angles, outside the box, instinctive rebounds, solo efforts and so much more.
From the very first one at Stockport County with what was his first involvement in play mere seconds upon coming off the bench for a magical debut cameo, that phenomenal moment transforming the day into one of the most memorable in ages, it was obvious we were onto something potentially very special. The sight of our new number seven firing home followed by tumbling over rows of stairs to get pitchside with the celebrating players, then upon turning around back towards the top of the away end we had the corner which Matt Robinson flicked home, is something I'll never forget in a hurry. Nor the chaos-inducing last minute winner to complete a first professional treble against former club Barnet of all teams earlier this season.
The technical standout was in the FA Cup second round against Gillingham not long ago, when he trapped a long ball with beautiful precision before sending a defender sprawling across the turf with an even better turn inside then supplying a finish to match underneath the keeper; a goal that few others in the division would have the attributes to execute, worthy of earning a lucrative tie against Premier League opposition but of course it didn't work out that way. More come to mind, like the beautifully-dispatched opener at Chesterfield, the solo run from his own half against Wealdstone, the thunderous strike outside the box at home to Dover Athletic. His highlights reel is very impressive, characterised by an aesthetic fluency, and will definitely leave a compelling impression on Burton Albion where his progress will be watched with pride, as the latest Dagger rising through the divisions. I'm sure our fanbase will be unanimous in wishing the very best of luck. We cannot dwell for too long on what is now the past, and must now look at where to go from here having lost the only player who has looked capable of scoring regularly since about November time. A huge void, but to foreshadow the derailment of our season might be slightly reactionary because the attacking personnel left in the building remains more than good enough to fire us to a top seven finish, as we will likely revert to the Junior Morias-Paul McCallum partnership that struck a cumulative 23 goals in the second half of last season to consequentially consign Walker to the bench for prolonged periods albeit both have looked comparatively unrecognisable for a worryingly long time now. Let's not forget the impending return of Ángelo Balanta either, a difference-maker whom we can hopefully begin to rely upon if - and a big if - he manages to get concurrent games under his belt without sustaining another injury. So it's not all doom and gloom, though we can't afford to wait too long for somebody to rediscover their predatory touch because a here-and-now goalscorer is needed. However, it wasn't ages ago that Walker went fifteen games scoreless yet the quality soon came to the fore again and we have to hope it is the same for the above-mentioned players, ideally from Saturday onwards at Wealdstone. How a victory would feel good after the week we've had.
2 Comments
|
WRITERArchives
January 2024
|