The hugely-contrasting nature of our first two performances of the season have done nothing in terms of helping supporters decipher whether we're actually any good or not. On the basis of the Woking performance we'd be lucky to stay up yet judging by Tuesday at Dover we should be targeting the play-offs at a minimum.
So are we one, the other or somewhere in between? Of course we can't read too much into either of the two performances so it will take upwards of eight games to judge where we're at and how the campaign is likely to pan out. Today will perhaps be the most accurate reflection so far of our team's credentials as we head to Halifax in what will certainly be a tricky contest. The Shaymen, under new manager Pete Wild who has instilled bundles of confidence into his team, are the only team with a 100% record so far. Not only does this epitomise the competitiveness of the National League this year (in 2018/19 there were four clubs with two wins from two), but it gives an indication of the kind of opposition we'll be up against today. Generally, Halifax aren't the greatest outfit in the division but once again we've caught them in August, where they tend to get off to a flyer before inevitably falling away. As usual, they're the early pace setters and it's the third year in a row where they've topped the table in the opening few weeks. They're going to be well up for it today as they're in front of their own supporters and obviously full of confidence. However, I'm quietly optimistic about this one - we're the better team on paper and the wide, expansive Shay surface would suit us perfectly if we set up like we did at Dover, where we were excellent down the wings. There have been few places more miserable to visit in recent years than Halifax, with our visits to the MBI Shay Stadium being marred with instances of severe misfortune, from our 2016 FA Cup exit to 2016's. As the Daggers return for an away game which seems synonymous with anger and frustration, Peter Taylor will not only be looking to end our bad luck in West Yorkshire, but indeed his own this season I can't see Taylor deviating from the lineup that proved so successful in midweek, where we produced a controlled and assured display to defeat a decent side who not many will beat at their own ground. In particular, Dobson, Luque and Balanta were brilliant and they linked up brilliantly with fluid interchanges and intricate interplay. Bagasan Graham at left-back and Ángelo Balanta as an attacking midfielder are things Peter Taylor has never tried before yet they proved highly effective. Balanta ran the show in his deeper role and was assisted by the wingers Luque and Dobson, whose directness and crossing caused problems. Of course, if Taylor does fancy mixing it up a bit then he has two highly capable players in Liam Gordon and Reece Grant, both of whom were unfortunate not to start in either of our games so far. After two fairly pedestrian displays, Joe Quigley's position may be under threat but I expect Taylor to persist with him. Halifax beat Hartlepool 2-0 on Tuesday evening and their lineup was as follows: Sam Johnson; Jerome Binnom-Williams, Michael Duckworth, Matty Brown, Nathan Clarke; Cameron King, Josh Staunton, Niall Maher; Jeff King, Danny Williams, Tobi Sho-Silva. By all accounts, Cameron King has been pulling the strings in midfield and so we'll have to watch out for him today. Earlier in the week, Halifax manager Pete Wild said “I’m not going to sit at home worrying about Dagenham and Redbridge, I’m going to make sure that my lads are ready to go." - I hope Taylor adopts the same mentality and goes for it, playing to our own strengths without worrying about what Halifax are capable of. We focused too much on nullifying Woking's threat last weekend and got what we deserved, but on Tuesday we played on our advantages and it worked so let's hope for much of the same. So let's see what today brings and no doubt we'll learn more about the team with each passing game. It's going to be difficult, but let's hope the long journey is worthwhile and we return to Dagenham with our second victory on the road in just a few days, ahead of two upcoming home fixtures. If we get something today, then all of a sudden things will be looking decent. Up the Dags
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January 2024
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