Daggers 1-0 Colchester: Moonwalking On Up

As Barcelona and Arsenal were being watched by millions around the world, a little story was unfolding in a tiny pocket of Essex between Dagenham & Redbridge & Colchester. This was not a game of mega rich stars, mass media coverage or a 98,000 capacity stadium, it was a game of shoestring budgets, one man with a camera and a jubilant sieve making up part of the 2140 attendance at a freezing Victoria Road, this is Dagenham & Redbridge.



Femi Returned



Walking up Victoria Road with my mate as per usual I was once again suprised to see no winkballers asking for an interview with made for a nice start to the evening, although I was absolutely freezing ! Along with the usual ritual of programme, 50/50 and golden goal was the added task of directing my friend around as it was his first Daggers league game, the more the better eh ? Going in and getting my cup of tea I learnt something after the many years of going, they do doughnuts, who knew ! After getting up into my seat and hearing the team news I was as per usual optimistic although hearing the forced change of Femi back at left back was slightly worrying, however Abu Ogogo was able to start after recovering from an injury he picked up in training last week which was a major plus point.



Savage In October

The referee led the teams out for an unusually hasty start, 19:42 on my watch, not even time for the pre match music, how dare you Mr Ward !! The usual pre match stuff, although for the second home game in a row, the opposition changed sides with the Daggers forced to attack the Bury Road terrace. The referee blew the whistle and we were underway on a chilly evening at Victoria Road. Straight from the kick off near enough the Daggers earned a free kick on the sieve side after a foul on Romain Vincelot. Danny Green, fresh from his wonderful strike at the weekend stepped up confidently to take it, but blazed it over the bar after getting good power behind it. For the next ten minutes or so, no one really got a grip on the game, both teams having a middle of the park battle, a cross from Gain came to nothing for us whilst Colchester very rarely made a foray into our penalty box. Then on 10 minutes, the first and only goal of the game came from a somewhat unlikely source. After a Vincelot knock down header just outside of the six yard box Bas Savage hit home the first goal of the game, cue moonwalking. It had been a long time since we'd seen a Savage moonwalk, Swindon at home in October in fact, that was his third of the season, Bas scored in the previous game against Colchester, a 2-2 draw at the Weston Homes Community Stadium.

Bond provided Colchester's
main threat.

Just after came a near moment of madness from the Daggers, looking to hold onto the lead the ball looked like it was going to be head back to Tony Roberts routinely from Mark Arber, but he got too much on it and Robbo just managed to get fingertips on it, eventually gathering it up. It was a hearts in mouth moment really, and to be honest it was probably the hardest the Welsh veteran had to work all night. Colchester then began a small period of pressure, a decent move down the left hand side ended up with a powerful Ian Henderson shot hitting Robbo's side netting, probably the closest they came all evening in truth. As ball after ball went over the stand the game started to somewhat peter out in the first half with not really any chances of note.  Colcchester did go few a couple of times in quick succession, but they were ruled offside by the linesman, to the U's fans dismay. The first booking of the game went to Lloyd James of Colchester after a late tackle on Peter Gain, and I personally would not mess with Gainy ! Just after Andy Bond tested Tony Roberts who made a fairly comfortable save in his only real action of the first half, just before the half time whistle the Daggers got a corner which was cleared away at the near post, the referee then blew for half time.

So then into half time, the players came off the pitch, the referee and linesmen with stewards by their sides for "protection" I suppose. The stand in PA man read the scores, 0-0 at the Nou Camp, claiming he predicted a draw, of course what happened ? Yeah, you guessed it Messi made it 1-0 as we heard over the tannoy. Onto the League One's everything was going pretty rosey results wise, with the game of the night coming from Boudary Park where Oldham & Sheffield Wednesday were drawing 2-2. After mulling it over, I was very cautious going into the second half on a horrible stat I saw, we hadn't won back to back games for about 37 games, a run that dates back to last season, added to that the stat of having the worst record against teams in the top half. At the end of the day it is the daggers we are on about and when Bas scores it's proven we never lose. Anyway the team's came out to the second half in front of a boisterous sieve, ready to serve up another half of entertaining football.



Doe Made A Great Challenge

 So then we started the second half with another period of midfield battle which involved the game of the day, head tennis, which we are remarkably good at it seems, even Bas joined in ! I have to mention that Lloyd James made way for Steven Gillespie for Colchester. At this point it turned quite end to end with a flurry of crosses and corners from both teams, the main man was Danny Green for the Daggers and Wordsworth for Colchester. The newly introduced Gillespie took a shot that was well blocked by our French sweetheart Romain Vincelot. A good ball in from our Barbadian international Jon Nurse came to nothing unfortunately, but it seemed as though there could be another goal coming. Vincelot found himself on the edge of the "D" and took a shot that I half expected to fly in, but he caught it wrong and it dragged slowly wide of the goal, no real threat. Then John Still made a sub, Bas Savage who got a great reception replaced by marvelous Marvin Morgan who made a great impact as a sub in his last home game. Then as it seemed Colchester were through almost, cue Scott Doe, named in the League One team of the weekend made a great sliding tackle that made the ball go out for a throw in. Wordsworth then almost scored, a delightful dink shot just went onto the roof of the Daggers net to our relief, that proved to be his last involvement in the game. Ashley Vincent then replaced Wordsworth as John Ward looked to fashion some more opportunities to get at least a point for the somewhat under par U's. Colchester then made their third and final substitution, Kayode Odejayi off and former Watford man John Joe O'Toole coming on. A cross was instantly put in by Nathan Clarke as Colchester looked to pressure in the final stages, but it was well cleared by Vincelot. Danny Green was then booked for what must have been time wasting by the Daggers luck omen ref Gavin Ward, Taiwo was then unfairly barged off the ball which resulted in our free kick which was lumped upfield as usual. Colchester then got themselves a corner which was headed towards the sieve by a Daggers player, danger gone for now. The ball found it's way upfield as the fourth official gave 3 minutes added time, a small piece of time wasting was followed by an inch perfect ball into the box by Danny Green, I cannot stress how good a ball this was, if anyone was there, it was a goal. However no one was there so it ran down the pitch, collected by a Colchester player who booted it upfield, with just minutes to go. Solomon Taiwo then gave away a needless free kick on the edge of the box, a goal now would have been so cruel, as Ian Henderson hit it with fierce power, it was blocked superbly by the wall. After a mini break upfield, the Daggers lost the ball and the referee blew the final whistle, the Daggers had won and were out of the relegation zone for the first time since the Swindon game in October.
Final Score: Dagenham & Redbridge 1-0 Colchester United


Gain was my man of the match

 A great performance by the Daggers, a tough game to play in, the physical strength is really paying off this season, the man of the match was Peter Gain, but the real men of the match was the sieve this evening. A great performance to create a terrific atmosphere for the lads on the pitch, their contribution is unrecognised for the majority, but tonight it was tremendous. As I said this win lifted us out of the relegation zone, bearing in mind we still have four games in hand on some teams, it all looks so much more promising. Tonight wasn't the best performance, but these results are the ones that count, a 1-0 win, a clean sheet, a gritty tight the game, a second clean sheet on the trot. A little mention has to go to the 500 or so Colchester fans that made the trip across Essex, a great effort by them. Saying that, well done to the Daggers, could have stayed in to watch Arsenal & Barca, but came out and watched proper football ! John Still will have a tonne of positives to pick out going into the weekend's game and it will give the lads a massive boost !

My ratings, Roberts 7, Ogogo 7, Femi 7, Arber 7, Doe 8, Green 8, Gain 9, Vincelot 7, Taiwo 7, Savage 8, Nurse 7. Subs, Morgan 6.

Referee, Gavin Ward 7, had a pretty good game compared to some of the refs we've had this season.

Next Up: Swindon Town Away This Weekend.

The Bottom 8

The Big Preview: Daggers vs Colchester United

The Daggers return home to Victoria Road on Tuesday night to contest the Essex derby against Colchester United, a win for us could see us out of the relegation zone, whilst if Colchester win it enhances their play off prospects.

As per usual we'll take a look at the most recent results of the two teams. Starting with Colchester who were beaten at home on Saturday against a strong Southampton side. With David Mooney getting sent off for the U's in the first half they never looked like getting a result. The sending off changed the game as you would expect, but they still put in a spirited performance. Last Tuesday night they were victorious against the Daggers last opponents, Bristol Rovers by one goal to nil, Kayode Odejayi with the goal following from a mistake by Rovers keeper Conrad Logan, a deserved 3 points at the Memorial Stadium. Moving onto the Daggers who achieved a great win against fellow relegation rivals Bristol Rovers on Saturday with goals coming courtesy of a superb Danny Green free kick and a Romain Vincelot header. Jerel Ifil was sent off for Rovers and Green scored from the resulting free kick for the first goal in a deserved win. The game previous to that was a 2-1 defeat at home in the 87th minute by promotion chasers Bournemouth, the goal scored by Danny Ings. A game that the Daggers deserved a point out of at least, but as I've said before we need to play the full 90 minutes.



Mooney Banned

 Next it's the form guide of both teams, which shows a slight contrast from where the teams are in the table. Colchester's form has been up and down of late with two wins, one draw and three defeats which is why they find themselves 16th in the form table although they do find themselves 8th in the league pushing for the play offs. Their away form is slightly below average with 18 points taken from 51 available, their home form really keeping them where they are. Their two most recent wins have come against teams that are fighting against relegation, Walsall & most recently Bristol Rovers, with their main goal threat being David Mooney who is banned for the game, although they can still rely on Andy Bond. The Daggers have as I mention on every preview been in good form recently being 11th in the League One form table. The 2-0 win on Saturday has been accompanied by a 2-1 win against Yeovil earlier in the month as well as two draws and two defeats, one of each at home and one of each away. The Daggers have also been scoring well recently with seven in six which isn't that bad a return for a team down the bottom with the defence being key especially Tony Roberts. The home form is also picking up now with only one defeat in the last four, Tuesday night games seem to favour us at home having picked up four points from six in the last month or so including a valuable draw against Huddersfield.



Ifil may play against his former club

 The Team News: Colchester United will be forced to make one change from the weekend defeat with hotshot striker David Mooney banned after being sent off in the first half of the 2-0 home reverse. Not that it probably matters to the team but striker Matthias Vilhjalmsson is unavailable as he's been recalled by parent club FH to start their pre season preparations. The Daggers have a few injury concerns, with Damien McCrory likely to be out for the game Femi should return to the left back position that he lost in recent weeks. Abu Ogogo is also a doubt for the game although he may come through, if not Phil Ifil will continue there and play against his former club. Damien Scannell is also rated about 50/50 so it depends on the day whether he is included. The usual injuries apply with Josh Scott who is out for the season and Will Antwi who is once again out. John Still may also opt to take out a midfielder in place of a striker and adopt the familiar 4-4-2 formation seen at home rather than the 4-5-1 used away.


Previous Meetings:-
Colchester United 2-2 Dagenham & Redbridge                  2010/2011
Colchester United 1-0 Redbridge Forest (predecessor)      1991/1992
Redbridge Forest (predecessor) 2-1 Colchester United      1991/1992
For the eagle eyed, I have missed out the Essex Senior Cup win for the Daggers this season.

The referee was due to be Andy D'Urso, but it was changed to Gavin Ward, the Daggers game's he's reffed are:-
Milton Keynes Dons 2-1 Dagenham & Redbridge       2010/2011
Dagenham & Redbridge 3-1 Accrington Stanley          2009/2010
Aldershot Town 1-2 Dagenham & Redbridge              2008/2009
Dagenham & Redbridge 2-0 Barnet                             2008/2009
Dagenham & Redbridge 6-2 Chester City                    2007/2008
Southend United 2-2 Dagenham & Redbridge              2007/2008
Weymouth 1-1 Dagenham & Redbridge                       2006/2007
Oxford United 2-2 Dagenham & Redbridge                  2006/2007
Dagenham & Redbridge 0-0 Grays Athletic                  2006/2007
The linesmen are C T Breakspear & J O'Brien
The fourth official is M J Foley.



The League One Table



My prediction is 1-1, a tight game with nothing given away by either team, I reckon that either team are capable of winning it, but I'm not sticking my neck out considering form and stats I can't predict it. The Daggers should start attack minded as we usually do at home, however Magnus Okuanghae is unable to play against his former club. Come On You Daggers, In John Still I Believe !!!

The Big Preview: Bristol Rovers vs Daggers

The Daggers are off to the West Country this weekend, to face 22nd placed Bristol Rovers at the Memorial Stadium, the previous meeting ended with the Daggers being comprehensively beaten 3-0 at Victoria Road courtesy of a Jeff Hughes hat trick, but much has changed since then.

The first little look is at the recent results of the two sides. As always the opposition go first, the pirates lost 0-1 at home to Colchester United on Tuesday night that helped the Daggers out, but plunged the pirates into further trouble. The last Saturday game for them was away at Griffin Park, where they were defeated 1-0 courtesy of a Gary Alexander penalty 20 minutes in. Their games have been very tight of late with only one goal being the difference in the last three. The Daggers were last in action on Saturday, losing 2-1 at home to Bournemouth courtesy of a Danny Ings 87th minute goal to break the resistance in a game that could have gone either way. The Daggers goal came from Jon Nurse who is in good form recently along with Romain Vincelot. The last away game was at fellow relegation rivals Walsall in a dire performance that saw the lads lose 1-0 in the 82nd minute.



Jerel Ifil



Next look is at the form of both teams which has been patchy to be totally honest. Bristol Rovers haven't won since the 19th February with a great result against promotion chasing Oldham, since then they have lose both games by a goal to nil. They have endured a pretty torid couple of months, the worst being the 6-1 away defeat by Walsall, they have however beaten Swindon earlier in January which was a good result against a team also down the bottom. A terrible February saw them pick up just three points, leaving them 22nd in the form table, just in front of Plymouth and Swindon. Coupled with this is a dreadful goal difference, having scored an average five goals, they've conceded far to many; thirteen this month, a reason for their decline. On Tuesday, they were the architects of their own down fall, keeper Conrad Logan took a goal kick, which hit Jerel Ifil (brother of Phil) and fell to Kayode Odejayi who put the ball into the net. Rovers only created five chances and really didn't look like scoring against promotion chasing Colchester which I suppose can be expected. The Daggers have been unlucky of late, but as they say you have to create your own luck at this level. A gut wrenching 2-1 defeat at the weekend came on the back of a rather successful February, where eight points were picked up from eighteen which is very good return for a side at the bottom end. Victories against Brentford & Yeovil were the highlights, but a point at home to Huddersfield was a great result. The goal difference has been very good attacking wise, with nine goals scored but seven conceded at the other end of the scale. We all know what the Daggers weakness is, late goals, it happens far to often costing points that could well have seen us out of the relegation zone. The individual form of Tony Roberts has been key recently and as long as he stays fit and well we have every chance.



Scott Doe Should Return



Team News: Bristol Rovers will be boosted with the return of their influential captain Stuart Campbell who has been unavailable for the past four games. They have had an influx of injuries to defenders of late, with David McCracken and Byron Anthony both doubtful for the game, however Gary Sawyer should just make it into the team. The main threat for Rovers is that of Will Hoskins, the man who wears the number 8 shirt has been in fine form with eighteen goals in all competitions this season. They have also extended the loan of hitman Rene Howe who is on loan from Peterborough United. Of course we have to watch out for their number twelve, the shirt officially designated to the "Gashead supporters." A great initiative that gets everyone involved. It is unlikely the Daggers will stay unchanged, Scott Doe who pulled out of the squad late last Saturday should be back for this one, but the final decision will ultimately be made on the day. Other than that we should be unchanged, Gain should move back to the bench with Vincelot returning to his familiar central midfield this season. Once again we will be without Will Antwi who seems to have a never ending injury, whilst Josh Scott is out for the rest of the season with a blood clot. Phil Walsh could be back among the substitutes, he was at his sisters wedding last week so was unavailable. Our main man is Vincelot or Nurse from the outfield players, but Tony Roberts has been key in recent months with his fine form keeping the Daggers in contention to stay up.

Previous Meetings:-
Dagenham & Redbridge 0-3 Bristol Rovers      2010/2011
Bristol Rovers 4-1 Dagenham & Redbridge      2001/2002              LDV Vans Trophy
Bristol Rovers 3-2 Leytonstone (predecessor)  1947/1948              FA Cup

The referee for this game is Mr Carl Boyeson, the Daggers games he has reffed are:-
Carlisle United 0-2 Dagenham & Redbridge             2010/2011
Accrington Stanley 0-1 Dagenham & Redbridge       2009/2010
Accrington Stanley 0-0 Dagenham & Redbridge       2008/2009
Dagenham & Redbridge 1-1 Shrewsbury Town        2007/2008

The linesmen are R J Corp & A M Turner
The fourth official is M C Dexter

My prediction is actually a 2-1 Daggers win, I feel that with the decent run of form we have been on prior to the weekend and that Bristol Rovers have been a bit shady recently so to speak, so it is very winnable. However saying that, it depends what Dagenham & Redbridge team turn up on the day and which team wants it more. I'm sure the Daggers will do us proud.

Come On The Daggers in John Still I Believe !!!

Daggers 1-2 AFC Bournemouth: Norway Ref !



A sad way to start.
RIP Dean Richards

The Daggers succumbed to a late Bournemouth goal to lose 2-1 at Victoria Road in a game full of talking points, as the survival hopes are dented, but only slightly. A quickie at the start, well done to the eight Norwegian Daggers who came over today, nice to see you down here.

As per usual we start with the walk down Viccy Road, of course fully expecting the "winkballers" but luckily for me they didn't show, what a good start to the afternoon ! I walked into the car park and done the usual ritual of getting a programme, a 50/50 ticket and a golden goal, which of course I wouldn't win, but at the end of the day who cares ?

As we walked in we were greeted with the news that Dean Richards, formerly of Spurs had sadly passed away. At this stage I would like to offer my condolences to his family and friends, a tragic loss at such a  young age really.

After hearing that and having a quick flick through the programme for the match, I got my coke and a burger and settled in to the usual routine. The team news came in and I was once again optimistic, especially seeing the out of sorts Femi had been  replaced by Damien McCrory at left back. Then a late announcement, Scott Doe had been taken out of the team, I can only assume that he was injured in the warm up and replaced by Peter Gain in the starting line up, with Femi coming to the bench. As the rain came down slightly heavier the teams came out for what promised to be an entertaining game of football.



Age Hath No Limit



So Bournemouth won the toss and done the dastardly thing, swapped sides, much to our displeasure, but it didn't matter, it's football get on with it. The game kicked off with the usual pump down field to no one with it going out for a throw in. The opening ten minutes were quite action packed, with a number of chances. The first of which fell to Danny Green, who hammered a free kick at Shwan Jalal, which was saved well and cleared quickly with big bad Bas waiting to pounce. Then McCrory was seemingly fouled, with Feeney one on one with Roberts and looking odds on to score, the veteran made a terrific stop to deny him, which led to a corner that was cleared away. Then came a flurry of free kicks to both sides by the worst ref I have ever seen at Victoria Road, whistle happy, didn't let the game flow and made dreadful decisions, sort it out Football League !!! Just under 20 minutes gone and the ball fell to a cherries player who hit a powerful left footed shot which cleared Roberts' bar. Then the ref continued his hate campaign by booking Peter Gain for standing in front of the ball, yes that's right, standing in front of the ball. Ludicrous. A good move down the flank and a slightly lucky rebound, but hey we never usually get that, saw Savage in with a chance of scoring, but he put it about a foot wide of Jalal's post, the closest the Daggers came in the first half. The rain then came lashing down, it was like a monsoon for five minutes, I'm sure the Norwegian Daggers felt right at home in these conditions. A few minutes later, we gained a corner, Green whipped one in with Vincelot getting his head to it, seemingly going in, it was booted away about a yard from goal. Damien McCrory was then booked for a miss timed challenge on a cherries player, what usually would be given as a ticking off was once again a bookable offence to the Daggers dismay. Once again it was just a barrage of free kicks for the last five or so minutes with no flow to the game whatsoever, however it wasn't as bad a first half as you may think with a few chances, but none turned in.

The referee blew up for half time to a chorus of boos, as I got my coke from a pretty empty tea bar it has to be said and trundled back up along the slippery steps and the almost flooded concrete; I was confident of getting something out of the game, we had shown more than enough spirit, fight and it has to be said performance to warrant a result so far. The announcer read out the 50/50 result which of course I didn't win. After a lengthy wait for the half times, in which no decent music was played, we learned that Brentford were beating Bristol Rovers, Plymouth were drawing and that Swindon were losing, not bad so far. So continued the music and a bit of Jessie J, which was much better than the previous selection, we waited for the teams to come back out. They dually did as it brightened up for the second half I think we were all slightly confident, but was this a good thing or a bad thing ?



Nurse For The Daggers



The referee blew to restart with the Daggers attacking the Marcus James Stand & Bournemouth attacking the Bury Road end. Just a few minutes in and Rhoys Wiggings was penalised for hand ball half way into the cherries half. Danny Green swung the ball in delightfully and Jon Nurse was on hand at the back post to apply a cool headed finish into the back of the net to silence the away faithful. Dagenham & Redbridge 1-0  AFC Bournemouth. As Victoria Road erupted, there was a sense of relief that we got the first goal, we tend to do "ok" when we score first, same again please ! A couple of minutes later it looked like the lead was doubled, but it was ruled out for offside, no doubt the BBC won't show that bit, as they never do. Then it was another Daggers chance, Nurse down the left played the ball to what looked like Gain, i may be wrong and his finish hit Jalal who fumbled , but recovered well. Bournemouth went straight up the other end with a great counter attacking piece of play and swung a delightful ball in which was directed into the corner of the net, luckily for us, it was given offside. Just a minute or so later with the warning not heeded, the same ball was swung in but at the backpost and the header was directed right into the top corner of the goal to make it 1-1. Then the scorer, Danny Ings, who had just come on, done the criminal thing, celebrated right next to the Carling Stand and was rightfully had a go at, to put it lightly. The Daggers continued to attack, with Savage's shot being deflected and going out for a corner at the sieve side, Green's corner coming to nothing. Then came the inevitable change, Morgan coming on for Savage up front, with Nurse having a terrific game, he was never coming off. Then Michael Symes had a great chance, but a fantastic point blank save was made by Roberts, even though the offside flag had gone up by this point. Another flurry of free kicks, most of them against the Daggers were given, a number of them were reputable and another ref would not have given them. Nurse then had a header that hit the side netting that we all thought was in, the reason i jumped up in celebration, and then looked like some what of a plonker. It was Bournemouth's turn to make a change with Symes coming off for the veteran and assistant manager at Dean Court, Steve Fletcher replacing him.

The Daggers then gained a free kick for a change which came to nothing before Damien Scannell replaced Darren Currie who put in another impressive display. Arber then gave away a free kick in the cherries box for challenging Shwan Jalal from a corner, a rule that should be changed in my opinion. If a goalkeeper has use of his hands and a normal player can only use his head, how else can he possibly win the ball, absolutely stupid. Marvin Morgan then done well to charge down the keeper from a short back pass, unfortunately it just went into the midfield, but a great work effort by the former Aldershot man. Then with just two minutes left, disaster. Anton Robinson was free in the box, after a knock down from Fletcher, he slotted the ball into the corner of the empty net with Robbo helpless. It rolled agonisingly in and it added to the list of points the Daggers have dropped in the last few minutes of games now. As much as I'd like to say the Daggers came within inches of scoring or we actually scored, I can't. It was even more direct than usual, with almost every ball forward being given offside, Morgan, Nurse & Scannell all joining in the offside frenzy. The real low point for me was towards the end, we got a free kick near our corner spot which was taken by Roberts and did unfortunately go out of play. It was the fan by the shop that angered me. It may have just been banter as Robbo usually does, but it seemed like he was having a go at Roberts, which in my book is down right wrong. This man has kept us in games so many times this season it's unbelievable, he is an absolute legend at the club and that is no under statement, but as I say it may have just been banter, but by Robbo's body language I wouldn't say it was.



A Look At The Bottom Half

 As the referee blew, the 1900 or so Daggers trudged out onto Bury & Victoria Road to go home thinking of what might have been.  Well done to the 800 Bournemouth contingent that made the trip, great effort by them from the south coast. Despite the result I was once again happy with our performance, we played well in thoroughly difficult conditions against one of the better side's in the league. This was a battling performance by a team with good confidence and belief that we can avoid the drop. I'm sorry, but I cannot go without mentioning the referee. He was absolutely dreadful, I have great respect for referee's it's a tough job and I wouldn't like to do it, but they dig holes for themselves. It was a terrible performance by him, he did not take conditions into account and he was too whistle happy. The Football League need to take a look at their referees and evaluate them better as this was absolutely abismal, before I become accused, I am not in any way blaming the referee for the defeat if you know what I mean.

Special mentions have to go to Romain Vincelot who done a marvelous job covering for Scott Doe at centre half and was a perhaps deserved man of the match. Damien McCrory, starting his first game properly since November i believe who done very well. Lastly Tony Roberts, another amazing performance with some brilliant saves that for the umpteenth time this season kept us in the match. I hope your reading this Gary Speed, Robbo for Wales !
 If it wasn't for another late lapse at the end, we would have got a well deserved point from the game, extended our good home run and edged closer away to safety.

Ratings: Roberts 9, Ogogo 7, Vincelot 9, Arber 7, McCrory 8, Gain 7, Green 7, Currie 7, Taiwo 6, Nurse 8, Savage 7, Morgan 6, Scannell 6. Bear in mind the last two only played 20 and 10 minutes respectively.

The Daggers stay in 23rd, 3 clear of Plymouth and 2 away from safety with games in hand on those around them.
Next Up: Bristol Rovers vs Dagenham & Redbridge, 15:00 Saturday 5th March.

I believe we can do this, we are the Daggers and we will never be beaten !!!!!

The Big Preview: Daggers vs AFC Bournemouth

The Daggers are at Victoria Road again this Saturday for their fourth home game in six matches against a Bournemouth side unbeaten under Lee Bradbury. 15:00 Kick Off

The first look as always, is at the recent results of the two sides, we'll be nice and start with the cherries. They played a very tight game at Dean Court on Tuesday night against a currently poor Sheffield Wednesday, drawing 0-0 and Michael Symes missed a penalty to secure all three points. They had a slightly larger share of the possession in a tight game that probably could have gone either way. Their last Saturday game was also a draw against promotion chasing Huddersfield also at Dean Court, a game in which the cherries dominated entirely. Michael Symes scored their goal in that one, more about him later. The Daggers played out one of the most entertaining games at Victoria Road in recent seasons on Tuesday night, also against Huddersfield Town, the final score being 1-1. The game was very open and could have gone either way, the Daggers goal coming from winger Danny Green from the penalty spot who had a good game. The Daggers home form is really looking up recently, being unbeaten in their last three at home, turning Victoria Road back into the fortress it once was we hope !!



Danny Green slots home the Penalty



Next up is the form of both the teams, which has been pretty decent in recent times it has to be said. Bournemouth as mentioned previously haven't lost since Eddie Howe departed for Burnley, with Lee Bradbury doing a sterling job for the South coast club. Their last defeat was 2-1 away at Colchester in January that was screened by SkySports, since then they are unbeaten in eight, winning four, including a win against league leaders Brighton & Hove Albion. The current form table shows them to be fourth, with twelve points from a possible eighteen, which is pretty good considering the teams they have faced in recent weeks. If we look at their away form over the season, they have picked up eighteen points from a possible forty-five, conceding one more than they've scored, but on the day this will probably count for nothing. The form of striker Michael Symes has been key recently, scoring in his previous three games before Tuesday night. To the Daggers who have been on a decent run of form themselves recently, beaten only once in the last five outings, the only defeat coming at Walsall which I'm told was a very poor display. Our last home defeat was actually just over a month ago against MK Dons, as we have picked up quite considerably recently. In the form table we have eight points from eighteen which doesn't necessarily seem good, but it's quite a decent return for a side down the bottom end of the league. The form of Romain Vincelot & Jon Nurse has been key to the recent revival each gaining a good tally of goals, with Danny Green also chipping in recently.

The key man in this has been the form of Tony Roberts in 2011, he's kept us in so many games and without him between the sticks we could be a number of points worse for wear. The Daggers will be boosted by Plymouth being deducted ten points, whilst it's a bad thing, it's taken the Daggers up a place and we're now only two points from safety with three games in hand.



Symes of Accrington



Team News: The Daggers could be unchanged from the midweek draw, but Peter Gain will return from his three match ban and could replace Solomon Taiwo or Darren Currie who has become something of a regular at home in recent games. The Daggers will still be missing big centre half Will Antwi through a groin injury, but should be available next weekend. The one almost certain change for the Daggers will be at left back, Damien McCrory who replaced Femi 30 minutes in during the midweek game should start against the cherries. The only other possible change could be that of Marvin Morgan coming in for Bas Savage, but that's John Still's decision, however they will both play some part in the game. Lee Bradbury could name an unchanged side from the one that drew with Sheffield Wednesday in midweek with Warren Cummings still missing through illness. Their man to watch is Liam Feeney or Michael Symes, both carry a big threat with Feeney being the tricky winger, a Dagenham kind of player as he was signed from non league Salisbury City. Symes formerly of Accrington has scored seven goals this season, but has been their main threat home and away from Dean Court recently.

Previous Meetings:-
Bournemouth 3-0 Dagenham & Redbridge 2010/2011
Dagenham & Redbridge 1-0 Bournemouth 2009/2010
Bournemouth 0-0 Dagenham & Redbridge 2009/2010
Dagenham & Redbridge 0-1 Bournemouth 2008/2009
Bournemouth 2-1 Dagenham & Redbridge 2008/2009
Bournemouth 4-1 Dagenham (predecessor) 1985/1986 FA Cup
Walthamstowe Avenue (predecessor) 1-3 Bournemouth & Boscombe (predecessor) 1967/1968 FA Cup
Walthamstowe Avenue (predecessor) 2-3 Bournemouth & Boscombe (predecessor) 1959/1960 FA Cup
Bournemouth & Boscombe (predecessor) 8-1 Walthamstowe Avenue (predecessor) 1935/1936 FA Cup
Walthamstowe Avenue (predecessor) 1-1 Bournemouth & Boscombe (predecessor) 1935/1936 FA Cup

The referee for this game is Mr R L Lewis, whom I can't find stats for, the linesmen are P J Knight & W Atkin. The fourth official is H W Leonard.

This game should be a tough contest between two teams that gained promotion last season, expect a battle with some good football at times, the margins of scores between these two do tend to be tight in the modern era. My prediction, again it's an optimistic 1-1, I cannot see us getting a win, unless it's a late one.

Daggers 1-1 Huddersfield: The Great Escape Is On

The Daggers claimed a great home point against promotion playing Huddersfield in one of the most entertaining games at Victoria Road in the last few seasons.

As always we start as I walk up Victoria Road, once again quietly confident of a result here, with Huddersfield having drawn their last two and us having won our last two at home, as reflected in my prediction. Walking into the car park we was approached by my old friends, the interviewers from winkball, who still don't get the fact that I do not wish to be interviewed, I just want to get into the poxy ground ! Through the turnstiles and paid for my chips and a coke, settling into my seat as "pulse" come out and dance, seemingly dropping a member every home game now, we're down to five ! The team news came over and hearing Jordan Rhodes on the bench was a real boost, but then hearing Femi was once again starting for us deflated me, considering his recent form has been poor and the Terriers were liable to tear him apart.





Dami Mc, Has Come Back !



The game started with Huddersfield having the first "attack" that didn't come to anything. Then about two minutes in, possibly the most controversial incident of the game; Danny Green swung a ball in, Vincelot got a firm header on it, but it cannoned off of a Huddersfield plays hand. This was the most blatant penalty I have seen out of the what seems like hundreds that haven't been given against us this season, but it went out for a corner instead, to the disgrace of the home fans. For the next ten minutes each side had equal shares of possession and equal chances, Tony Roberts making a fantastic save to deny a town player and Mark Arbers header going just over the bar. A corner came in from Huddersfield which was cleared to the the edge of the Dag & Red "D" Scott Doe went to challenge and got absolutely kyboshed by a Huddersfield player, laid out flat on the deck. A terrible foul, made worse by the fact he didn't get the ball, what looked a nasty injury at first turned out to be not so bad and Doe continued to play on like the Essex warrior he is. Just previous to this, former Everton striker Danny Cademarteri danced his way past about four Daggers players, only being denied at the last by an excellent Roberts save, who put it out for a corner. Just after, they scored, Tom Clarke netting from inside the Daggers 6 yard box with the aid of a deflection or so into the far corner of the net. Just before the next part was one of the strangest things I've seen at Victoria Road, a drop ball was given inside the Huddersfield 6 yard box, needless to say, nothing came of it. Then came possibly the biggest cheer of the night, the out of form Femi substituted to the delight of the 1700 or so Daggers, replaced by fans favourite Damien McCrory who got a fantastic reception and dually had a great game. Just after Danny Green had a shot from outside of the area, that just went wide of the target, then a barage of free kicks for both teams as the first half peetered out; the last parts of the action were shots from Savage & Cademarteri that were both blocked.  The best thing about the first half ? When the lino gave offside and an old bloke in the Carling Stand shouted, "make sure you give it next time or I'll stick that flag up your arse sideways." Only at Dagenham, only at Dagenham.

The referee blew for half time with myself quite confident of the second half, with the Daggers showing more than enough to warrant a point out of the game and possibly even more. The half times were read out and results were going our way with Tranmere & Plymouth both losing. Then it was 50/50 time, first three numbers were correct, we just needed the last one, and yes you guessed it, I didn't get it. It was 3 numbers off, ahh well, at least Spurs were losing to the announcers displeasure. As i took a sip of my tea, which you could probably stand a spoon up in Huddersfield emerged from the tunnel under the MJ stand, later followed by the Daggers who took plenty of time.



Green scored the Penalty



A comical start to the second half, with the Daggers having to kick off three times due to Huddersfield players running towards the ball before it was even kicked, cue ironical crowd cheers. The Daggers were fired up, spurred on by a half time team talk seemingly. We came out all guns blazing with Green delivering some fantastic balls into the box. The best actually came from Nurse i believe, who whipped one in right on the 6 yard box, but to our disbelief no one could get on the end of it, Vincelot chased it and ended up in the wall by the sieve. The Daggers onslaught continued with numerous shots and crosses, but to no avail. On 53 minutes, Huddersfield had thought they'd doubled their lead, a good ball through was latched onto by Gary Roberts, whose left footed shot smashed off the post and was cleared by Mark Arber. Straight up the other end, Solomon Taiwo had a fierce shot from outside of the area, that went wide. Then came the moment. After such a long time it seemed, the Daggers won a penalty at home. A ball was swung in, then hit Lee Peltier on the hand and the linesman put his flag up. PENALTY. Despite continued protests by the terriers players, Green put the ball on the spot and hammered in an unstoppable penalty, straight down the middle of the goal that lifted the roof off of Victoria Road. The Daggers continued to press for the next 10-15 minutes, with Vincelot, Nurse & Green all coming close for the Daggers, Vincelot firing in, but missing. Then came a double sub, Dagenham lad Afobe on for Cademarteri and Marvin Morgan on for Bas Savage for us. Then another onslaught of corners from the Daggers, with Mark Arber close to turning one in after a swivel and shot that went over the bar. Jordan Rhodes came on for Huddersfield as they had a corner which was cleared to safety, the Daggers then went up the other end and got a corner of their own which came to nothing.  Then an amazing bit of play from the Daggers, Ogogo playing the ball foward to Currie, who took a sublime touch and completely mugged off a terriers player, only for the cross to go straight down Ian Bennetts throat. Before I go on, I think this proves that Currie & Green can play in the same team, they combined well tonight and I would definately like to see more of it in the future at home anyways. Back to the action, a ball swung in by the Terriers, which Jordan Rhodes got his head to, what looked like an unstoppable header into the back of the net was superbly tipped over by veteran Roberts who saved the day once again. My heart was in my throat by this point.

The last five minutes were a joy to watch, if not extremely nerve racking. A Daggers corner was cleared away upfield with Huddersfield looking good money to score, but step forward Solomon Taiwo who took one for the team, with Huddersfield racing away he committed a very smart foul, tackling the player with no intention of getting the ball, but getting a yellow card. If it weren't for him there, I doubt the scores would have stayed the same. The free kick led to a Huddersfield corner, which was once again whipped in delightfully, but didn't find it's way into the net from a scramble in the box. The ball went upfield for the last time, towards the Carling Stand Marvin Morgan got a free kick for having his shirt pulled. This was last chance saloon for the Daggers. The ball was swung in by Green and about five players went for the ball at the far post, as it was booted upwards it hit the bar, the last action of the game. How unlucky that was, was incredible, but at the end of the day, it was a deserved share of the spoils against a very good Huddersfield team, that won't particularly enjoy the trip up to Yorkshire, then again not many teams do from that part when we play them down here. Final Score, Dagenham & Redbridge 1-1 Huddersfield Town



Robbo once again in fine form.



The result was a fair indication of the game, with that being one of the most entertaining games at Victoria Road that I've seen in years. Both sides had chances to win and this result will benefit the Daggers more than the Terriers. The Daggers are now 2 points from safety and still with three games in hand on some teams, it looks increasingly possible that we can do the great escape and prove everyone, including some of our own fans wrong. With Tony Roberts continuing to be in stunning form recently this result will have spurred the lads on considerably. My man of the match is once again Roberts, although i thought Green had an exceptional game tonight.

Ratings: Roberts 9, Doe 8, Arber 7, Femi 5, Ogogo 7, Vincelot 7, Green 8, Currie 7, Taiwo 7, Nurse 8, Savage 6. Subs: McCrory 7, Morgan 6.

Attendance: 2336

Next Up: Daggers vs AFC Bournemouth on Saturday.

Come On You Daggers. I Believe !!!!

The Big Preview: Daggers vs Huddersfield

The Daggers are back at Victoria Road on Tuesday night hoping for a win that can lift them ever closer to safety against a promotion chasing Terriers side.

First look is towards recent results, at the weekend Huddersfield played out a tight game at Dean Court against Bournemouth, in a game that ended 1-1, their scorer was Danny Cademarteri on 89 minutes, but after the game gaffer Lee Clark described it was "the worst performance of the year" by his men. They also had a very undisciplined game having 6 yellow cards given against them. They did create a lot of chances in the game, but failed to convert any into goals and only two were even on target. The Daggers then, we didn't play at the weekend due to Leyton Orient being in the FA Cup against Arsenal on Sunday, so for yet another weekend we got "time off." The last game was one of the worst performances of the season I'm told, a 1-0 defeat to the hands of relegation rivals Walsall at the Banks Stadium. I'm told the Daggers didn't really fashion many chances and only good defending prevented a heavier defeat. Thinks have looked up recently however and if we take our chances we can stay up.

Let's take a look at the form of the two sides. Huddersfield are on a very good run, unbeaten since the 2-1 defeat to Arsenal in the FA Cup back in January. They haven't lost in the league since a 4-1 hammering at Southampton in the last game of 2010. The last away game was a 4-1 defeat of Exeter City, barring the 1-1 draw on Saturday, but they have drawn two on the bounce in the league with both performances below parr. In the form guide they are a very respectable 4th, having picked up 12 out of a possible 18 points in the last 6 games.  The Daggers are also on a decent run of form, 11th in the form table, which is fairly good considering we are bottom of the table. Having picked up 10 points from a possible 18, this game looks like it could go either way, but if it was on league positions, Huddersfield are clear favourites. The Daggers have picked up the home form of late, with two wins in their last two, if we're honest a undeserved 2-1 victory against Yeovil and a fantastic 4-1 victory against Brentford, which came on a Tuesday night.  Looking at scoring stats 3rd placed Huddersfield have netted 49 times, with 25 coming away from home, whilst the Daggers have scored 31 times in 28 games.

  



Jon Jo Bates In Action For Bedfont Town



Huddersfield Hitman Jordan Rhodes



Team News: The Daggers may once again stay unchanged from the defeat away at Walsall, with Peter Gain serving the last of his 3 game ban. Danny Green has come back into the side in place of Darren Currie, but John Still may change it and bring Currie back who has been on good form at Victoria Road recently when Green was serving his suspension. Damien Scannell has come back into the side and should once again start, unless Still feels he needs to make a change. Will Antwi is unlikely to be available once again as he's out with a recurrant groin injury, whilst Josh Scott is out for the season.  The only other concern for me is the form of left back Femi Ilesanmi. He has been quite dreadful of late and it wouldn't suprise me if former Plymouth man Damien McCrory made a return to the defence in his place. New signing Jon Jo Bates from Bedfont Town may get a place on the bench if Still feels he is ready, although the 18 year old is unlikely to be thrown in at the deep end this early on in his Dagenham & Redbridge career. Huddersfield may stay unchanged for the game at Viccy Road, but are sweating on left back Gary Naysmith who picked up a slight injury at the weekend and is on a race to be fit. Other than that they should be the same with keeper Alex Smithies and Tom Clarke & Damien Johnson all still injured and they won't be back. Their man to watch is Jordan Rhodes, the 16 goal hit man was on the bench at the weekend, but I'd be suprised if he doesn't make an appearance here.

Previous Meetings:

Huddersfield Town 6-1 Dagenham & Redbridge FA Cup Round 1     2009/2010

The referee for this one is Mr Graham Scott, the Daggers game's he's reffed are:-
Dagenham & Redbridge 2-0 Gillingham       2008/2009
Dagenham & Redbridge 1-1 Port Vale        2008/2009
Kidderminster Harriers 1-4 Dagenham & Redbridge        2006/2007

The Linesmen are P A Kelly & A Slaughter
The fourth official is W G Norcott.

My Prediction, unfortunately I cannot see us getting a win here, but I'll be optimistic and go for a 1-1 draw, one team will score, the Daggers haven't had a 0-0 for around 45 games.

Come On The Daggers, In John Still I Believe !!!