Regardless of what happens come 5pm today, a sense of defiance will grip Victoria Road as these two ex-League clubs clash. They may be separated by over 250 miles but were both rocked by financial issues which threatened the very existence of both teams. Alas, both rallied, fought and battled painstakingly to save themselves; now, having overcame possibly the most difficult period of their respective histories, continue to heal their wounds.
However, their won't be any mutual respect on that sun-kissed Chigwell Construction Stadium surface today. After a week's break from league action, the Daggers have regrouped and are desperate for that first victory, which would significantly ease the pressure. In their five games so far they've tasted defeat four times with just a point to show for their sizeable efforts. They have provided Boreham Wood and Aldershot Town with their only victories so far, also suffering defeats to Maidstone and Halifax while only managing a draw, their only point so far, against Maidenhead United, who are the only side keeping Dagenham off bottom. It's not all doom and gloom, though. In every game the Daggers have shown glimpses of talent yet are succumbing to only the finest of margins. Last week, up in Yorkshire, we were the better side but one moment of defensive indecision cost us and that's been the story of the season. We dominated against Maidstone but got nothing, were conned out of a point by incompetent officials against Aldershot and had chances against Maidenhead. A combination of bad luck and poor finishing is costing us, but that must change. To rectify that, we've brought in three new players since the start of the campaign. Alexander McQueen and Tomi Adeloye joined days before our last home game and since then have each got off the mark, while also establishing themselves as key first-team players. More recently, we've brought in Noel Leighton who got his first full appearance in Tuesday's friendly match away at Hornchurch. He scored, and looked sharp, but will probably only be on the bench today. Also playing during that match on Tuesday was a trialist, Jack Munns, who may well be the next through the door. The Dagenham-born midfielder is very familiar with Hartlepool supporters having represented them for a while, and looked like a nippy midfielder who was good on the ball. It shows that Taylor is constantly trying to strengthen his squad but at the minute he's happy with the amount of players on our books. Today will be a massive opportunity for us to get our first three points of the season and build momentum ahead of Monday's eagerly-anticipated trip to Barnet, where we'll be reunited with some old friends. However, mindful of the strain put on the young players by playing twice in three days, Taylor could make some alterations either today or Monday. We haven't played for a week though and he's likely to stick with the same side that only narrowly went down to high-flying Halifax, because judging by that performance the players are really starting to gel more. Hartlepool United are going to be a tough team to play; they're a side with a new manager since we last met and almost fresh side. Good players have come in and out but their signing of Liam Noble was arguably the best in the entire National League. The talented and experienced midfielder knows how to infiltrate the play and thread good passes in behind the defence. He shone while with Forest Green and is definitely the man to watch out for today. Other than that, they have prolific forward Niko Muir amongst their ranks after taking a gamble on the 40-goal Hendon forward, and so far it's paid off with him netting twice in five games. They also possess a brilliant goalkeeper in Scott Loach who was single-handedly responsible for Dagenham somehow losing 1-0 in the North-East last September. They have a number of good players, but also won't be relishing the challenge of facing pacy Reynolds and Kandi. Hartlepool's only win of the campaign came against Maidenhead last weekend but they were ran close by the basement side, offering Dagenham hope that they can edge it against the Pools today. A 95th-minute leveller also condemned them to just a draw at Braintree Town. Those two teams certainly aren't better than us so if they can push the Pools far then so can we. Other than that, they've drawn against Maidstone and Harrogate, while losing to a last-minute Corey Whitely goal for Ebbsfleet. This is Dagenham's opportunity to gain a reward for their efforts recently. The young players have done themselves massively proud with a number of courageous displays and it's about time we got the points to match. there's no reason why we can't be out of the relegation zone later today. COYD
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January 2024
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