Daggers 0-1 AFC Wimbledon, Sainte-Luce Sends Daggers Down.

It may have been the inauguration of the newly christened; District Line Derby at Victoria Road on Saturday afternoon, but it was the same old story on the pitch as Daggers continue to look for an inaugural win against their South West London opponents. Kevin Sainte-Luce scored the solitary goal as all 3 points returned to Kingsmeadow for the second year on the bounce, leaving the hosts with the increasing possibility of being dragged into the relegation mire.

The Sieve (NorthTerrace) before kick off.

But before all of that woe and despair, there was some enjoyment to be had from the afternoon.  After getting a bus to Victoria Road which contained Daggers forward Jake Reed, we headed for the clubhouse where friend of the club (well, us), Joe (@JoeBillGibbo) was waiting. Our Northern acquaintance was down to continue his pursuit of the completing the 92 football league grounds and we gave him a good reception in the clubhouse! Well, we had a couple of pints and he bought a cut price home top, what's not to love?

After that, we headed through the turnstiles and into the newly acclaimed Estadio De LBBD, where the teams were duly announced;

Dagenham & Redbridge: Lewington, Hoyte, Doe, Wilkinson, Femi, Saunders, Ogogo, Howell, Elito, Williams, Strevens. Subs: Seabright, Maher, Reed, Bingham, Caprice, Green, Woodall.

Following two more than satisfactory performances against Cheltenham & Gillingham, unsurprisingly John Still named an unchanged side. This meant Abu Ogogo continued in central midfield whilst Gavin Hoyte remained at right back. Billy Bingham had to be content with a place on the bench once more as the midfield trio of Luke Howell, Abu Ogogo & Matt Saunders continued to impress.

AFC Wimbledon: Sullivan, Balkestein, Meades, Bennett, Hussey, Moore, Pell, Dickenson, Midson, L Moore, Alexander. Subs: Jaimez-Ruiz, Cummings, Mitchell-King, Long, Sainte-Luce, Yusseff, Darco.

Neal Ardley was made two changes from the side that drew with Northampton Town in midweek. The enforced change saw Peter Sweeney replaced by Sammy Moore in the midfield, whilst the tactical change concerned loan signing Brennan Dickenson making his full debut in place of Toby Ajala. Jack Midson & Gary Alexander continued up front, whilst on the bench the attack of the double barrelled surnames was primed and ready if needed.

And with that, the teams emerged to soft applause from the 2200 odd supporters inside Victoria Road. Rather annoyingly the Wimbledon captain then decided to switch ends to take away the possible second half emphasis/advantage that we may have had. The slightly stumpy referee then blew his whistle to signal the start of this cross-London derby.

As expected from two sides at the lower end of the table, the game started rather slowly. Ben Strevens tested Neil Sullivan after 30 seconds, but the Wimbledon stalwart was more than equal to his tame drive. Jack Midson was next to try his luck from close range. Midson, who previously had a loan spell at Daggers latched onto the end of a Sammy Moore lofted ball over the top before lashing into the side netting. A good opportunity - squandered.

The game continued in the same vain as the first half wore on, with both Scott Doe & Jack Midson taking turns to warm the gloves of the opposition 'keeper. The clever link up play of Alexander & Midson was causing problems, and the latter came close once again soon after with his off balance effort being skewed wide of the mark. The hosts on the other hand continued to be restricted to long range efforts that didn't really trouble the 67 year old Sullivan in the Wimbledon goal.

Despite it being a quiet opening quarter of the match, on the 30 minute mark it burst into life. Harry Pell burst down the left hand side before looping a ball to the back post where Gary Alexander crashed a volley goalwards. Chris Lewington produced a brilliant fingertip save to deny Alexander as the scores remained at 0-0. Only minutes later Lewington had to be alert once more. This time Scott Doe sold him short with an underweight back pass meaning Lewy had to race out of his goal to deny Midson a clear run into the 18 yard box.

Wimbledon were clearly looking like the better side through a combination of mistakes at the back from Daggers and good link up play from the midfield onward. Then, in a near carbon copy of the previous attempt, Harry Pell swung a ball into the box once more but this time Alexander could only fire at the side netting much to his frustration.

Strevs!

Reading the first half analysis tells a sordid story for Daggers who were stifled going forward and under pressure at the back. The Wimbledon defence was coping admirably with what we had to offer. Ben Strevens had the best of the chances if you can call them that, whilst Abu Ogogo continued the trend of tame shots just before the half time whistle. 

Gary Alexander was looking like the most prominent threat as we went in for half time, whilst Jack Midson was also holding his own. The Wimbledon midfield appeared to be dominating the game whilst also winning the majority of the second balls and headers - a key aspect you need to master in League Two if you want to be victors over any team. The only solace as we went into the second half was that the Daggerettes had seemingly disappeared. Or maybe they were put into a findus lasagne, who knows? All I know is that my throat was hoarse after eating my burger before the game.

The second half began with more impetus from the hosts. On 49 minutes Matt Saunders picked up the ball on the edge of the box before firing a rasping strike just wide of the post that had Neil Sullivan beaten all ends up. Wimbledon were then forced into a change when Jonathan Meades limped off injured. He was replaced by Mat Mitchell-King who nearly scored within 10 minutes of coming on, however his goalbound header from a corner was blocked inside the box amidst appeals for a penalty.

Neal Ardley then opted to throw all of his eggs in one basket, using up his full quota of substitutes before the 65 minute mark. Jesso Darko & Kevin Sainte-Luce came on in place of Gary Alexander and Brendan Dickenson. A bold move you might say, but would it pay off? Well, it almost backfired instantly as the subs failed to acquaint themselves into the game, allowing Luke Howell time and space to flash a shot over the crossbar.

John Still then made his first change of the afternoon as Daggers looked to freshen up their attack. Jake Reed, who scored in a development game during the week was brought on for Matt Saunders which effectively triggered the end of any creative influence we may have had going forward. In fairness though, Matt didn't have the best of games and his set piece delivery in particular really wasn't up to scratch during the whole afternoon.

As the game reached a crucial point, it looked as though Wimbledon had scored a decisive goal. A quick throw into the box caught Daggers off guard which allowed Luke Moore to slip in and fire into the side of the net. Fortunately for us and unbeknown to the travelling supporters, it had hit the outside of the net. Cue ironic cheers from the Sieve as Wimbledon fans celebrated their side taking a false 1-0 lead. A minor plus point in a drab afternoon.

Minutes later though, there was no joking as Wimbledon did take the lead. A ball in from a corner was hammered towards goal and initially blocked not once, but twice. The Daggers defence could only partially clear before it fell beautifully for Kevin Sainte-Luce who volleyed home past a crowd of players and a helpless Chris Lewington. How quickly your career can change in a month. From, escaping jail for assaulting one female and punching another to scoring a possibly decisive goal at Victoria Road, who'd have thought it?

Sammy Moore

From that moment on, it was a daunting task for Daggers to get back into the game. The introduction of Dominic Green for Medy Elito improved spirits though; hopefully the tricky winger could cause more problems than the ineffective Elito. Luke Howell & Sammy Moore then had something of a falling out, with one clipping the others heels before a degree of verbal before it ultimately coming to nothing. Sam Williams then came close, but his powerful volley was blocked superbly by the head of a Wimbledon defender to preserve the away sides lead.

A flurry of late penalty appeals was then waved away as the hosts were looking increasingly devoid of options going forward. So much so that as the fourth official raised his board to announce the injury time, Chris Lewington was thrust forward for a corner. The ball came in and Lewington connected with a glancing header but it was cleared agonisingly off of the line by Chris Hussey as Wimbledon held on for both a crucial and deserved victory.

And that my friends, is the tale of the tape. I wish I could bring you a Daggers win with a performance of any kind, but it just didn't come! It's disappointing as we played very well against Gillingham last week and lost, moreover you feel that sort of performance this week would have seen us take a point at the least.

A good indicator of how well we've played in the game is the performance of Femi. Even the cult left back had a bit of an off day yesterday afternoon which just about typified the whole day. Matt Saunders never really looked like imposing himself, whilst talking about Medy has just become a pointless and fruitless cause. Sam & Ben up front received little service and what they did get they weren't able to do particularly much with.

We all know where we want the season to go from here. With the Play Offs out of the question; a comfortable mid table finish would suffice. Unfortunately, there's still that niggling feeling that we're yet to shake off the threat of relegation. On 41 points you'd imagine we'll be ok. Surely we can find at least another 6/7 points which should see us home? You wonder though. Our toothless nature in front of goal since the departure of Gayle is worrying and looks as though it's going to get worse before it gets better.

Wimbledon supporters pre-match

As for Wimbledon though. What more can you say other than they probably deserved the victory courtesy of our woeful performance. That and their fans were sublime; a credit to their club such was the noise they created throughout the match. Their defence was rock solid, something which was lacking in the early part of the season for the Wombles. With the front two of Alexander & Midson I imagine they'll stay up now - and provided we do I hope they do as well. We don't need this league becoming increasingly more Northern. I wish them good luck for the remainder of the season!

Next up on Wednesday night are [League Cup Winners]/[Perennial League Two strugglers] (Delete where appropriate), Bradford City. Our recent record against them would suggest we have a fantastic chance, with us being unbeaten at Valley Parade since we joined the Football League. Hopefully we can bounce back from two straight defeats with a win over a side that will hopefully be feeling the effects of a big day out on Sunday! (Today)

Thanks for reading and remember that you can follow me on Twitter, @NickMurphyDRFC

Daggers Supporters vacate the ground at Full Time.

AFC Wimbledon 2-2 Daggers, No Defence

Despite a dominant second half performance, the Daggers' search for a first win of the season continues following a pulsating 2-2 draw against AFC Wimbledon at Kingsmeadow on Saturday.

The day started with the somewhat annoying journey to Wimbledon's ground, which as you will gather, isn't actually based in Wimbledon. After several changes on the tube, I arrived at Waterloo at 14:12 to catch the train to Shepperton (via Norbiton). A packed train arrived at Norbiton just after 14:30 where there was a police car waiting just in case that infamous AFC vs Daggers rivalry broke out. One of my least favourite walks to a football ground then ensued as I arrived at Kingsmeadow, just before kick off to stand with Lee & Mike.

This was my second visit to Kingsmeadow so I won't bore you with one of my infamous ground descriptions. What I will say though, is that the new stand that's almost completed will make the ground look a lot nicer and bring it up to league regulation for seating. Like last season, we were allocated The John Smith's Terrace along one side of the pitch, which gives a largely fantastic view of the match - bar the near side.

One final thing I have to mention is how great it is being directly behind the dugout, being able to hear exactly what the management say. I may be alone in this, but I find it really fascinating to listen to what instructions are given during the game. Enough with that though and onto the teams...

AFC Wimbledon: Brown, Balkestein, Fenlon, Francomb, Bennett, Harris, Long, Moore, Jolley, Harrison, Midson. Subs: Jamiez-Ruiz, Cummings, MacDonald, Johnson, Kiernan, Merrifield, Stratton.

Terry Brown opted to make two changes from the side that were crushed 5-1 at Valley Parade last weekend, with Mat Mitchell-King & Curtis Haynes-Brown both making way. They were replaced by two loanee’s, in George Francomb from Norwich & Dale Bennett from Watford as the Wombles attempted to tighten their defence. Perennial thorn in the Daggers' backside Jack Midson, was also starting for the hosts.

Dagenham & Redbridge: Lewington, Hoyte, Doe, Spillane, Femi, Ogogo, Bingham, Howell, Elito, Williams, Gayle. Subs: Seabright, Wilkinson, Reed, Scott, Woodall, Green, DJ Green.

The Daggers were completely unchanged once again as John Still stuck with the same line up that lost against Gillingham last weekend. Dwight Gayle netted his first goal in that game, and everyone was hoping he could add to that tally as he faced up against a fragile Dons defence.

The game started with a fast tempo albeit with few chances being created. Luke Howell got the first shot away on the right hand side, however it flew wide of the post leaving Seb Brown to breathe a sigh of relief. Byron Harrison then narrowly missed for Wombles after being set into space by Jolley, Chris Lewington must have been wondering where his defence had disappeared too.

The Wombles were having a dominant spell in the game and they came even closer just before the ten minute mark. Jim Fenlon advanced forward into the Daggers half before letting rip with a rasping 25 yard effort that had Lewington scrambling. Despite everyone assuming it was a goal kick, the referee gave a corner that ultimately came to nothing.

With 15 minutes played though, and the away side continually edging into the game, Dwight Gayle broke into the box and was brought down by Sammy Moore. The referee had no hesitation and pointed to the spot to give the Daggers, and Gayle in particular their second spot kick in a week. You don't get one in a year and then two come in a week - typical.

I have to admit at first it looked stonewall, but on reflection (FLS), it did look rather soft, but we'll take what we get! Just as everyone was expecting the back of the net to bulge, Seb Brown gone down to his right to make a fantastic save from Gayle's initial penalty. Brown then spread himself to deny Gayle's follow up before the ball was eventually cleared away for a corner. Superb 'keeping from Brown who redeemed himself following a shocking error at Bradford last weekend.

Wimbledon now had the bit between their teeth and wanted to punish the away side for their wastefulness. They nearly took the lead as well, however Lewington was on hand to get down low and deny Louis Harris his first Wimbledon goal. The game was becoming intense, and the away side were making the hosts defend under pressure from several deep corners.

Mickey Last season...

With 27 minutes played, the Daggers made one of the corners count as Bingham's delivery was met with the flying head of Spillane who glanced the ball home. It sent us all wild as we witnessed our side take the lead for the first time this season. Incidentally it was also Spillane's second goal against Wimbledon in 2012 and rather ironically it was thanks to his aerial presence, something he's been lacking recently. Terry Brown will undoubtedly be disappointed with the goal as good marking would have prevented the opportunity arising.

Just as soon as Dagenham took the lead and we were finished celebrating, the scores were level. A poor clearance allowed Christian Jolley to get a shot away that was heading into the far corner until Lewington outstretched his right hand to push it away. Unfortunately though, it was Jack Midson who reached the rebound before the Daggers defenders to level the scores. Much like Spillane, Midson scored in the corresponding fixture last season at Kingsmeadow.

John Still will not have been pleased

That goal gave Terry Brown's men the edge and they continued to pour forward in search of the lead. On 35 minutes, they got exactly that following defending that would put a Sunday League team to shame. First we witnessed Luke Howell's air shot that allowed Sammy Moore to pump the ball back into the box. Then Dwight Gayle completely ignored the man he was marking, allowing Harrison to take time to pick his spot and volley home into the far corner, leaving Lewington no chance.

I don't think I, or any other Dagenham & Redbridge supporter can emphasise how awful that defending truly was. I bet I know someone who did though, in the dressing room at half time, his name is John Still. I can tell you now he wasn't very pleased about it in front of us at the time. It really was disappointing, and from in a leading position ten minutes prior, we were now chasing the game. Football, it's a funny old game eh?

Sophie Hosking

Neither side was really able to create another opportunity as the half petered out somewhat which meant we went into the half time break 2-1 down. One bright spot though was Team GB Gold medal winner Sophie Hosking's parading her medal around the pitch at half time which drew applause from all sides of the ground - even the singular workman in the uncompleted stand.

At half time I also decided to go and get some food. My experience of Wimbledon last year taught me to not get the Hot Dog, so I didn't. I opted for the chips at the rather high up counter and they were average, a bit greasy but edible. The Dons' catering will not be getting The Daggers Scale Michelin award for catering this year I'm afraid.

As soon as I had finished moaning, the teams re-emerged for the second half where there would almost certainly be more goals. Almost immediately the Dons were on the back foot as Dwight Gayle flashed a volley just wide of the post that left Seb Brown as a mere onlooker. The game continued to be end to end as first Byron Harrison headed the ball inches wide from a good position, whilst Gayle's close range effort also fell wide of the mark.

Femi at Crewe last year...

With 55 minutes played though, the away side did get that deserved equaliser. Femi's gut busting run down the left hand side was completed with a cross that was cleared to Luke Howell on the edge of the box. Directly as the former MK man stepped up to the rolling ball, I knew it was going into the top corner - and so it did. The scores were level thanks to a well placed strike that had the away support jubilant once again.

Terry Brown then opted to change his side, bringing off Stacy Long for Frank Merrifield. The game opened up even more so now as Ogogo's speculative effort cannoned back off of Balkenstein. Byron Harrison then attempted to give the home side the lead; however his shot from just inside the box hit the side netting. In the Dons' final spell of prolonged pressure, Jack Midson saw his shot drift wide of the near post after yet more poor defending.

We were then treated to a double change as first Huw Johnson replaced the tiring Louis Harris for Wombles, and then Williams was withdrawn for Woodall. The away side continued to press down the channels with Femi & Medy Elito showing good interchange without an end product.

We then witnessed a clash inside the box and it was instantly clear that Mickey Spillane's head was the same colour as John Gowen's crimson red towel. As a result, Mickey was withdrawn which meant Luke Wilkinson was thrust into the fray for the final 15 minutes - his Football League debut. Brendan Kiernan was then brought on for the tiring Byron Harrison who hadn't really had much service up front all afternoon.

With ten minutes to play, the 246 Daggers thought it was the moment that everyone had been waiting for. Femi picked up the ball just inside his own half and went on a superb run into the box, with his mouth agape he let fire and Seb Brown just tipped the ball round the post. A superb piece of play by the young left back who has been one of the best performing players so far this season.

The Daggers then went increasingly more attacking as Dominic Green was brought on for midfield anchor Billy Bingham. With 89 minutes played it nearly paid a dividend as a ball was swung over to Woodall inside the box whose outstretched head could only nod it into the side netting. A superb chance to wrap up the three points, alas it wasn't to be.

Wimbledon did come on the attack once more in the encounter in injury time as Huw Johnson fired an effort just wide of the goal. I can tell you now that it got me nervous! That was full time though and whilst I was satisfied with a point, I can't help but feel we deserved all three. The annoying thing is, this was the worst we've played so far this season yet it's the game we've been most dominant in.

On the bright side, Gavin Hoyte & Femi had superb games, their tackling was spot on and Femi in particular looked extremely dangerous going forward. Mickey Spillane has improved in the air which is a great boost and Dwight Gayle continues to look like a serious threat up top. Despite several moans from some people, Sam Williams once again done what was asked of him extremely well, he's a hold up player, not a goalscorer!

As for Wimbledon, the only player that really created something was Christian Jolley. He ran the show for the Wombles all afternoon, very rarely in fact did last season’s top goalscorer Jack Midson trouble our defence. Both sides though need to drastically improve at the back and cut the silly errors out of their games - then maybe they'll start to move up the league.

For Dagenham though, we have to be patient as we only have a young team. The oldest player on the pitch on Saturday was Luke Howell at 25, which tells its own story. Just give the side time and the results will come, I’m sure of it. I would also have a moan at the officials, but it's just become too repetitive and tedious now in this division.

Next up for us is Stevenage on Tuesday night, a game that is so low profile that I won't even be doing a Blog on it. Next up for me is the trip to Southend United on Saturday...did someone say, Essex Derby?

Remember to follow me on Twitter, @NickDRFCMurphy

The new North Stand

AFC Wimbledon 2-1 Daggers, Dijilali Is No Joke.

Dagenham & Redbridge succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at Kingsmeadow against AFC Wimbledon on Saturday afternoon, to all but enhance our relegation credentials. At this rate, we'll be drawing up our plans for Tamworth & Braintree pretty soon, especially if we're defeated in the vital clash with Northampton Town on Tuesday night.

The day started at 12:15 where myself, Charlie, Andy & Matt enjoyed a nice breakfast in the cafe, before going on to meet Billy at Chadwell Heath Station for 13:00. With that, we hopped on the train to Stratford, before getting the tube to Bank where we eventually transferred to Waterloo after a mad dash. At Waterloo we found the platform for the South West Train to Norbiton, the closest train to Kingsmeadow and dually got on it, meaning that we would end up at the ground earlier than previously thought.

We arrived at Norbiton for about 14:20, we then headed down a small side road which joined onto the main road that led to the ground. We went past the home fans entrance before heading to our allocated turnstiles where our tickets were checked for the correct age. All was fine so we headed through, we were later joined by Andy & Bill who had looked for a pub, but mistakenly went into a strip club. An interesting start to the afternoon you may say.

First impressions of Kingsmeadow are that it's a non league ground, which it is; as it was primarily Kingstonian's home stadium. Three sides are terracing, with the main stand being rather small and seated, I imagine if they stay in the Football League they'll need to increase their seating capacity like we did with the Traditional Builders Stand. Either end behind the goals are closed terraces, where some noise came from. The far end was the most prominent; it was also the bigger of the two.

We were housed in the "John Smith Terrace", which had both a large covered section and a small uncovered section. This was satisfactory as it was a nice day, which makes a change as when we have open terraces away from home it usually pours down, (See Accrington & Bristol Rovers). We opted to go under cover as better noise would be generated, with about 20 minutes to go I'd make the estimation that there were over 300 Daggers in the ground. A good atmosphere was being created as the sun glared down upon us.

The teams were then read out by the over excited announcer.

AFC Wimbledon: Brown, Gwillim, Mitchell-King, Balkenstein, Hatton, Jolley, Moore, Yussuff, Knott, Midson, Harrison. Subs: Turner, Johnson, Kiernan, Dijilali, Luke Moore.

Don’s boss Terry Brown opted to make four changes from the side that were defeated by relegation rivals Plymouth on Tuesday night. Former Daggers man Gareth Gwillim replaced youngster Chris Bush at left back, whilst Callum McNaughton was also withdrawn for on loan Brentford defender Pim Balkenstein, as the Wombles looked to address their worryingly leaky defence. West Ham youngster George Moncur was also taken out for Sunderland loanee Billy Knott. Up front Jason Euell was out of the team, Wimbledon's record signing Byron Harrison coming in for him up front.

Dagenham & Redbridge: Bond, Doe, Spillane, Arber, McCrory, Nurse, Bingham, Ogogo, Reeves, Elito, Woodall. Subs: Lewington, Rose, Edmans, Green, Abdulla.

Josh Scott was banned, which meant Brian Woodall started for the first time since the victory over Rotherham in late January, as he's been carrying a slight knock. Jonathan Bond retained his place in goal, whilst Rob Edmans once again found himself on the bench. New loan signing Josh Parker wasn't included as he missed the team coach to Wimbledon, what a great way to make an impact at your new club eh?

At this point I probably should congratulate Wimbledon on their superb choice of pre game music, many of which were toe tappers. Although, "Hey Jude", by the Beatles, made the mood the slightly more sombre as kickoff approached. The teams then came out of the tunnel and on to the pitch just before 15:00; this was probably the only time in the game where I was able to see all 22 players at one time, due to the blocked view from The John Smith Terrace.

After some singing from us, and some clapping from John Still, we were ready to kick the game off, the Daggers would be attacking the Tempest End, whilst Wimbledon were heading towards The Kingston Road End. It was the Daggers to kick off as the nerves began to settle in.

The pace of the game was very slow at first, with Byron Harrison trying to nip in before Bond, but to no avail. The Daggers went on the attack twice, but both Nurse & Elito were called offside, much to my frustration. The first attempt of the match came in the form of Beavis, or Ben Reeves to you and I. A ball was crossed into the middle of the box, but the Southampton youngster leant back and got underneath the ball, putting it over the bar for a goal kick. Butthead wasn't particularly pleased I can assure you.

The game then slowed down once more as the intensity of the atmosphere increased, both sets of supporters were really up for this encounter. On 13 minutes, Damien McCrory headed back a poor ball to Jonathan Bond in the goal, meaning the on loan stopper had to move fast to avert the danger. Luckily he got there before Jolley to take control of the situation, a bit of a scare nonetheless.

The home side then had the first good opportunity of the match. Some neat play from a corner saw the ball played out to Yussuff on the edge of the box, the ex Gillingham midfielder played a superb dummy allowing the ball to flow through to Knott, who got his feet in a twist as he completely missed his shot. A really good chance and one that Knott really should have done better with.

The Daggers were enjoying a good spell in the Wimbledon half; however there was no real penetration when going forward. Jon Nurse looked to get on the inside of a defender, but his first touch let him down, whilst Brian Woodall wasn't particularly having any luck being the lone striker in a 4-4-1-1 formation. We looked a bigger threat from corners which have become our fortè this season, however early set pieces saw no goals. Not even the infamous Doe to the front post routine could yield that all important first strike.

http://www.oxtedfc.intheteam.com/

After that good spell of pressure and some teasing Elito crosses from the byline, it was the turn of the Dons to form an attack. Christian Jolley who was playing for Surrey County Intermediate League Team Oxted & District just three years ago, then crossed the ball for Sammy Moore. The midfielder rose highest amongst a crowd of players, but could only head on to the roof of the net, much to the 3800 home fans' disappointment.

It then became increasingly scrappy, with neither side giving much away. Ben Reeves managed to prod a shot towards the body of Seb Brown, but he could only force a simple save. Whilst up the other end, Jonathan Bond was forced to rush out of his area to clear an oncoming ball, smart goalkeeping by the youngster from Watford. Minutes later and Sammy Moore picked the ball up about 35 yards out before going on a short dribble. He then unleashed a shot which went just over the bar and through the gap between the roof & the wall of the home fans' stand. Immense precision

On 40 minutes, Brian Woodall was handed a superb chance to give the Daggers the lead. Jon Nurse created some space for himself down the right hand side thanks to a great through ball. The Barbadian wormed his way around two defenders before laying the ball into Woodall who snatched at the strike, putting it high over the bar. Yet another really good opportunity that we could well live to regret later on in the afternoon.

It was Wimbledon who managed the last attack of the first half. Some good breakaway play saw Byron Harrison lose his marker before cutting into the box on the left hand side. The striker hadn't scored yet for the Dons, and so it remained as his fierce shot across goal was palmed away for a corner by Bond between the sticks. With that, the referee blew his whistle to end the half, meaning there was no time for the resulting corner.

I was fairly pleased with the first half, pretty average and if we're all honest, the draw was probably the deserved outcome. I was particularly impressed with the tracking back of our forward players, Elito & Nurse in particular, who were both seemingly putting in double shifts. Spillane & Arbs looked assured as a partnership at centre half, whilst Doey was having no problems in the right back position.

Abu Ogogo was my man of the half, it's a bit of a cliché to say he was the engine room in the middle, but he really was. His conversion to a central midfielder was a superb move by Stilly; he was breaking up the play, as well as going on short busting runs to create valuable opportunities. He's a real asset to the side, another string to his bow et al. We needed a change of formation though, as Woodall up front on his own wasn't bringing dividends, Nurse would need to push up or Edmans would have to be brought on for it to work as 4-4-2.

Enough about the football, it's now time for my food appraisal. The queue was relatively short, which is always a good thing, however the staff were rather rude which I didn't particularly like. It appears they didn't know that I am the author of The Daggers Scale. Prices were adequate; moreover I opted for the £3.00 rollover hot dog. Roll over hot dogs are extremely nice and I am very fond of them, however this one was absolutely dire. Not only was it in a rubbish package, it was small and wasn't even a nice sausage. I can hear you laughing! Not impressed with either of the food or your level of comedy.

As I got back to my standing position towards the end of the terrace, we watched the substitutes have some fun keeping the ball up on the pitch. It was quite nice to see that the team still have good spirit and camaraderie, despite being where we are in the league. It then also hit me that I should have had chips, for £2 you were given a massive portion. If I have a single regret about 2012, I'm sure that will be it. Absolutely crestfallen.

Terry Brown then made his first change of the afternoon, bringing of Brett Johnson for the Cambridge born midfielder, Mat Mitchell-King. The second half began with a fluster as Wimbledon came close to breaking the deadlock. Christian Jolley made space for himself down the left hand side and swung in a delightful ball that just missed the head of Harrison, if he'd have gambled on it he probably would have scored. Minutes later and Damien McCrory won a corner on the near side, he dually whipped a ball in, but it was gathered well by Seb Brown between the sticks.

The Wombles then began to assert some pressure on the game. Former Daggers striker Jack Midson was released through thanks to a header on from a Seb Brown free kick, his prod towards goal beat Bond, but it hammered back off of the inside of the post. The rebound fell to Rashid Yussuff, his sliced strike forced a good save from Bond who recovered well to clear the danger and prevent a near certain goal. I thought it was in, but some frantic defending from Dagenham just about kept the scores at level pegging.

John Still then decided it was time to make a change; the somewhat anonymous Ben Reeves was withdrawn, in place of Dominic Green. Minutes after the change and the Daggers nearly took the lead. Green's first touch saw him play it into Nurse on the near side, with a quick shimmy, Nursey hit a ball into the box where Billy Bingham rose highest, but could only manage to head harmlessly over the crossbar.

The side from Essex then began to look like the more dominant outfit, with Brian Woodall heading a half chance over the bar in the same fashion as Bingham did previously. On 62 minutes, Jon Nurse was released down the left hand side; some clever work saw him bearing down on goal at an acute angle. He did extremely well to get a decent shot away which tested Brown to force a corner, although I think we all knew that he had next to nope hope of finding the net from that position.

The Dons then made their second change of the afternoon, bringing on Kieran Dijilali (no relation to Omid), for the lively Byron Harrison. In the same, "phase of play", Jon Nurse was booked for a foul on Billy Knott, a challenge not to dissimilar to the one which saw Josh Scott sent off on Tuesday night. Dijilali was then at the centre of play, crossing in a ball towards the centre of the box witch Bond pounced on after flapping widely at it in mid air.

Brian Woodall then managed to get a volley away from outside of the box, but it was only troubling the steward in the car park, so the scores stayed level. John Still then made his second change of the afternoon; Medy Elito was replaced by giant Rob Edmans. I was excited at this change as Edmans promised to be a real nuisance from what I witnessed at Millwall earlier in the season, furthermore he can be a real threat from crosses and corners due to his massive height.

And then came the Daggers season summed up in a frantic two minutes of action. Jon Nurse received the ball on the right and crossed in a teasing ball towards the head of Edmans at the near post, all the big man had to do was get his nut on it unchallenged, but he failed to make contact as the ball rolled out for a goal kick. The best chance of the game and one that should have seen us take the lead. We were then straight up the other end as poor defending from Damien McCrory allowed Midson to get a shot away that looped over the diving Bond to send the Dons a goal up. From what could have been jubilation at one end, to despair at the other.

The Wombles fans were now overjoyed as you may expect, moreover they had their singing voices back and were creating a raucous atmosphere. Mickey Spillane was then booked for dissent as everything threatened to go all downhill. The Wombles were looking to double their lead, but a shaky save from Bond coupled with a simple save from a Dons' free kick, ensured the deficit remained the same.

After the 80 minute mark came a sustained period of Daggers pressure. Rob Edmans went on a Yaya Youre like run, with the ball glued to his feet from the half way line onwards. He created acres of space for himself and when presented with the chance to shoot, he played in Woodall who was perfectly placed for a first time shot across goal with his left foot. However, the high pitched striker decided to cut the ball back onto his right foot, enabling the home defence to recover to eventually see his shot deflected over the bar.

From the resulting corner, Jon Nurse tried his luck with a header from point blank range, but it was blocked on the line. The ball then fell to Brian Woodall who was standing on the penalty spot. The striker's fierce drive towards the roof of the net forced a fine save from Seb Brown, who probably has a broken wrist from palming it over the bar.

On the 82 minute mark however, the Daggers found that massively important equaliser. Dominic Green centred in a corner towards the centre of the goal, where it found the unmarked Spillane who was on hand to head the ball into the corner of the net to level the scores, despite the best efforts of an athletic Brown. Cue barmy celebrations from the 381 Daggers including, a Jose Mourinho like run down the walkway by Billy. Overjoyed. However, I then had a horrid gut feeling, we have in recent years, had a habit of conceding just after we've levelled the scores; and I thought that it would be the same case at Kingsmeadow.

Sure enough with just three minutes gone since we had levelled the scores, the Wombles were back in front. A cross eluded several players from both sides in the box, before falling to the feet of Dijilali at the back post, whose tame volley squirmed between Bond and the post to leave the Daggers down in the dumps. The AFC fans were once again extremely vocal with their very catchy, "A-F-C Wimbledon" chant as they looked to close out the game and take all three points rather selfishly for themselves.

Just before the fourth official indicated a minimum of four minutes added time, Mickey Spillane went close with a header at the near post; however he could only contrive to hit the stanchion behind the goal, much to my despair. Goalscorer Dijilali was then shown a late booking for time wasting.

The Daggers final chance of the game came two minutes into the original four added on. Jon Nurse who has been a menace all day down the wings, put in a ball from the far side which found Rob Edmans who made contact from a diving header, but it was pushed behind superbly by Brown to make sure the scoreline remained the same. It was game over and Wimbledon had taken a massive three points to leave us rock bottom, with a rather sick after taste of the afternoon.

The lads came over to applaud our support, but by this time at least half had already filed out of the stadium, ready to make their way home. This was probably one of the hardest defeats to take, especially when you consider we had the best of the chances throughout the game. Credit to Wimbledon though, they took theirs, so ultimately they deserved the three points to lift them further clear of the relegation zone.

There were however a couple of positives to take out of a demoralising defeat. Rob Edmans looked fantastic when introduced, he caused big problems for the Dons defence, even though he missed a golden opportunity; furthermore he could be vital in the run in. Jon Nurse also had a very good game for me, caused a real threat down the right and left hand side, hopefully we can see more of that in the coming weeks. Abu Ogogo was also an engine room once more, not only breaking up a lot of the play, but even going on surging runs forward.

As for Wimbledon, they have a great striker in Jack Midson, add to that Dijilali looks like a very vibrant character and Seb Brown was in magnificent form. I reckon they'll have enough to stay up. I really like their policy on youth as well, with the average age of their starting eleven yesterday being a very tidy 24.8. I wish them well for the rest of the season as I no longer believe they are a threat to us in our bid for survival.

If I am to look across the board at yesterday’s results, it just looks increasingly bleak. Barnet mustered a last gasp win, Hereford won, Northampton won, Macclesfield managed a superb 2-2 draw against Crawley after being 2-0 down. The only bright spot was Plymouth losing, which means they fill the relegation spots along with us. I'm going to make a rather rash call and say that if we lose on Tuesday night, I can't see us getting out of it; I'm really that demoralised.

What's done here is done, so we now have to look forward to our next three matches that are truly vital. Northampton at home. Macclesfield at home. Barnet away. I'd be looking to yield four points from those at the very least. If not, I fear that's the end. However, we have to all get behind the lads on Tuesday night, because at this current moment in time, we still face a possible task and I believe that we can still do it.

Overall, a disappointing day in terms of the result, but an enjoyable day in terms of it was a laugh, especially the journey home.

Just a last note if you want even more good news, it looks as though Matt Saunders' injury could be long term according to, @Post_Daggers on Twitter. With that, have a happy Sunday.

Thanks for reading, remember to give me a follow on Twitter, @NickDRFCMurphy.

The Kingston Road End

The Paul Strank Stand

Daggers 0-2 AFC Wimbledon: Left Foot Syndrome

Dagenham & Redbridge succumbed to AFC Wimbledon at Victoria Road to lose their first opening home game since the 2006/2007 season.

Looking towards to the game on the walk to Viccy I thought we'd do well against the Wombles, they would be a stern test, but I thought we'd at least have enough to get a draw against thew new boys. With nearly 9 players injured and a patchwork midfield it was my main concern along with who would play in goal, I'm in the Chris Lewington camp if you didn't know by now. Walking up to Victoria Road and there was a mass of Wimbledon fans, the club that rose from the ashes and done the unimaginable had brought a brilliant following with them across London.

I met up with a couple of mates in the car park and proceeded in to see the ground filling up very nicely. Having made my way to the Sieve it was already rocking and I got the usual burger & coke, where they even keep the lids on in the Sieve, it just gets better! A quick flick through the programme with some good new features in, a little fact file on the away team and a quiz between fan and player. Mark Arber should be ashamed he didn't know Craig Mackail Smith joined us from Ayrsley Town, that's rookie Dagenham & Redbridge knowledge! A very good page for Tony Roberts and a very clever thought by the Borough by sticking in pictures of rioters, hopefully some of them will get brought to justice.

The teams were read out over the tannoy with Lewington restored in goal following the end of his one match ban and Jake Reed making his first start in place of Medy Elito who fell to the bench. Everything was set to go for the first home game at Victoria Road, talk of Orient (Away) in the JPT as well, it was set to be a good afternoon. The teams came out and all four sides of the ground sounded their appreciation for the sides. There was even a mascot chase as one of the little kiddies didn't want to stand next to Arber so Nurse picked him up and planted him by Arbs side, something that made me laugh.

Wimbledon kicked off and within 10 seconds it was a throw in after going out of play, a fine start I must say. Wimbledon had the first corner of the game on the minute mark with came to nothing, Lewington able to gather well. At this point I have to tell you the Daggers formation looked 4-3-3 I believe with Reed, Nurse & Williams being the front men. To be fair it looked like something out of "Football Manager" which was ironic as Sports Interactive, Wimbledons sponsors, actually make the game. Sam Williams was given the first half chance of the game,going into the 18 yard box and producing some sort of swivel movement to get his foot on the ball, but it went straight over Seb Browns crossbar.

Oliver Lee then got a shot away as the tempo intensified, it was blocked and went out for a corner which dually came to nothing, as most Daggers corners do. Jon Nurse came mighty close with a volley that was sliced slightly, no vodkas on offer today, but it went wide of the goal. When Wimbledon attacked they usually were given offside, but they do have a lot of pace going forward. Gareth Gwillim took a little bit of stick when coming over to the Sieve but all in good nature.

Jonny Nurse then broke down the right hand side and stuck in a neat low cross which found Jake Reed, who's scuffed shot was cleared easily by a Womble defender. A feature of the first half was Abu Ogogo getting forward quite a lot, however his judgement was very poor, there were times when he should have shot or passed but continued on running into a dead end, something that was very frustrating watching the game. Then the Daggers should really have gone a goal behind, about 30 minutes in, a Wimbledon winger got down the left and slung a low ball in which got to the feet of Midson who put it over the bar, a very good chance and one that he should have done better with in my opinion.

Then on about 35 minutes a Daggers player was upended outside the Wimbledon box which left referee Mr Madley no choice but to award us a free kick. With Gavin Tomlin & Damien McCrory over it, Damien was the one that took forward the duties. He took on the free kick and would have scored some points, if we were playing Aussie Rules football, high over the bar and into the Marcus James Stand.

Then came the major incident of the first half. A shot or cross in the Daggers area hit Scott Doe and from what I saw it didn't appear to be a handball, but the referee decided to give Wimbledon the penalty. This was by the way the 8th time the Wimbledon fans had appealed for a penalty, and if theres ever an award for appealing for penalties, they'd get it. Anyways it left myself and some others aggrieved for the second week running after the incident with Lewington last week at the game, looking back you know my stance on it. Anyways Luke Moore stepped up and as Lewington touched the top of the net and got focused, the whistle blew and he blasted it straight down the middle, the Dons were leading. May I say here that I'll look back at the game on the Football League Show and if it was a penalty, I'll happily admit I was wrong.

The Daggers kicked off and it was a midfield battle for another five minutes or so until Ogogo went on yet another run and this time got a shot away that was saved. Then some even more bad news. Abu Ogogo who had gone down previously went down once more and John Gowens signalled that was the right backs all. Phil Walsh come on for the injured Abu who received a good reception as he went off. This meant a re-shuffle in defence, with Scott Doe going to right back and Phil Walsh take the centre half reigns. That was about the final action of the first half, which was rather poor in all honesty.

The half time whistle blew and anxious faces were the order of the day in The Sieve. We were 1-0 down and we were marginally the better team in my opinion, although both teams were playing poorly. Now comes the time where we refer to the title of the blog. The amount of times we could have tested Seb Brown in the Dons goal if our players had used their left foot. Abu Ogogo, Oliver Lee, Gavin Tomlin & Jake Reed all had opportunities but decided to try and shift it to their right and consequently gave it away to leave me and some others cursing. The players emerged from the first half as I chucked my 50/50 ticket on the ground, I mean bin hoping for an improved second half performance.

Reed

Dagenham & Redbridge kicked off the second half attacking the Bury Road End with the Wombles going at the Marcus James Stand where their fantastic support of 950 odd was housed, well done Wimbledon. The first real opportunity was when Damien McCrory was give some time and space down the left and put in a beautiful cross which found the head of Jake Reed who headed it wide of the far post, he really should have got it on target. I then noticed Jack Midson was still on the pitch, he had a nasty incident at the end of the first half which caused his head to pour with blood, didn't even have a headband on!!

Luke Moore then ended up getting himself booked for being too close to Damien McCrory when he took a free kick, now Internet sites have this down as "unsporting behaviour", personally I'd have it down as "being an arsehole", the free kick came to nothing anyways.

The Daggers then fell further behind, with no immediate danger apparent, Rashid Yusseff of the Dons picked the ball up in the centre circle and took a couple of strides forward. He then unleashed a brilliant shot that went straight into the top corner of the net, the Daggers were now two behind through no fault of Chris Lewingtons might I add. The thing was, the closing down of Yusseff was terrible, mainly because there was none. A very big mistake and one that cost us this time.

Then on the 60 minute mark the usual flurry of corners came, rather ironically it was a McFlurry as Damien McCrory was taking the majority. How we didn't score from one of these was beyond me. Pinball in the box was an understatement. If one Daggers player got a firm and proper connection we would have scored, Seb Brown fluffed his lines once when Jake Reed scuffed a shot in his direction. It was then headed clear, where Gavin Tomlin took on his defender, got around in and stuck another floated ball in the box, this time a foul was given for something and Wimbledon got away with it.



Woodall Came On



It looked increasingly likely that we would lose this game and John Still then brought on two to change the game. Medy Elito came on for Jake Reed who had a good game and Brian Woodall took the place of Damien McCrory, or maybe they were the other way around. Sammy Moore then came on for Max Porter for AFC. Luke Moore was given an opportunity to add to their advantage, but Luke Moores driven shot was blocked well by Mark Arber who had a fairly solid game. Samuel Hatton was then booked, no relation to Ricky for unsporting behaviour, although you know my stance on that term as well. AFC Wimbledon then made another sub, with Charles Ademeno being withdrawn and Christian Jolly coming on, if only he'd have scored an own goal, such an apt song would have been sung.

Gareth Gwillim, the former Daggers then took a corner which found the head of a Wombles player and it looked as though it was going in before Arber I believe saved us from conceding a third before heading it off of the line. Not much action for 10 minutes or so before Oliver Lee managed a first shot on target from outside the box, a fierce strike well held by Seb Brown on his near side. Then a couple of minutes later Gavin Tomlin swung a right footed free kick in that went beyond everyone and out for a goal kick, cue groans from three sides of Victoria Road.

The game drew to a close with only a Phil Walsh header in injury time that I thought was in provoking any more noise, the referee blew up and the Daggers had gone down to AFC Wimbledon, and fair play to Terry Browns men, they took their chances and the Daggers didn't.

For Daggers fans reading this and maybe the Daggers players if they do, don't be disheartened. At the end of the day, I thought both teams were as bad as each other and there were some positives to take from the game as well as the negatives. For example, we were playing it well on the ground, passing it around and creating some openings. A real plus point for me was Sam Williams, whilst he may not be everyones cup of tea, he got some good headers away and held up the ball very well this afternoon. Jake Reed, a future gem, played well considering it was his first start. Oliver Lee, many peoples man of the match today, ran the midfield really and was picking out some very good passes.

Ollie Lee played very well this afternoon

At the end of the day, you have to remember we have nigh on 10 players out injured, it was always going to be tough, I fully expected a draw, but we showed promising signs. If we shoot early and with our left feet then we may get more success. It wasn't a particularly pleasing performance as I'm sure fans & players alike know, but we're two games in. We've lost a game at the end of the day it's not the end of the world, we were always going to lose games, Wimbledon are a tricky team and we failed to overcome then.

I have full faith that we will come good even if we have a tough start, we're Dagenham remember, we don't do things the easy way. To players and fans, keep the confidence up as demoralising as this may be, as I've seen us play worse and win, it was one of those days and we'll bounce back with a better performance on Tuesday, regardless if we win or not, as long as the players give their all and try their best, that's all you can ask for.