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.
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May 2024
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