Barnet 0-0 Daggers, Blunt Daggers Neutralise Bees Sting.

Picture from Arnu.

It may have been the last ever meeting of Barnet and Dagenham & Redbridge at Underhill before the Bees move to the Hive next season, but it certainly wasn't a classic. A game between two relegation candidates played on a tough surface failed to get going, with the anticipation in the build up failing to materialise. It meant that both sides took a valuable point for the second season running into the final month of the campaign.

Before the enthralling 90 minute encounter, we were faced with the exciting prospect of getting to Underhill. Thankfully with it being relatively local, it's a pretty simple journey. After meeting at Barking we caught the District Line to Embankment before changing onto the Northern Line for the final leg to High Barnet. Upon arrival we had a quick bite to eat before heading to the Old Red Lion Pub which was voluntarily designated as the away fans pub.

Whilst there we were given a brief insight into what it would be like if we took 600+ away every week. The supporters were in full voice as the pub was drowned out by a chorus of Daggers songs. But then the realisation hits that this isn't what it's like every week, and the majority of those singing, "I was there when Femi scored", probably weren't there when Femi scored. Following that we abruptly left and headed down the dark menacing alleyway towards the away turnstiles where the only thing that mugged us was the Barnet coffers.

After heading through the rustic building, we were greeted with the Underhill Stadium for the final time. Unsurprisingly it hadn't changed from our last visit - unless you count the several piles

Daggers players warm up.

of remaining snow around the pitch. Underhill is made up of seven different stands of varying size and nature, with six of those housing the home supporters.

Daggers fans were as usual given the choice of two stands. The majority chose the East Terrace North which is as the name suggests, is a covered standing terrace. We were to share it with the more vocal of the Bees fans that were to be separated from us by flimsy netting and several stewards. Daggers fans who wanted to be seated were allowed into the small North Family Stand which cost just a few pounds extra.

After finding our position towards the back of the terrace, the announcer who seemed to have been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, announced the two teams:

Barnet: Stack, Fuller, Johnson, Stephens, Flanagan, Byrne, Weston, Oster, Davids, Nurse, Hyde. Subs: N'Toko, Ganbin, Yiadom, Barnes, Jenkins, De Silva, Beattie.

Dagenham & Redbridge: Miles, Femi, Wilkinson, Doe, Hoyte, Saunders, Howell, Ogogo, Silva, Elito, Strevens. Subs: Seabright, Fortune, Maher, Shariff, Bingham, Reed, Gracco. 

It was a busy loan deadline for Daggers with Toni Silva, Mo Sharif, Jonathan Fortune, Jonathan Miles and Peter Gilbert all signing. Wayne Burnett was forced to start two of the loan signings following last weekend's 2-1 defeat at Fleetwood. Chris Lewington, who picked up an injury and was forced off last weekend, was replaced by Spurs goalkeeper Jonathan Miles. Toni Silva was also given his debut in place of Josh Scott who missed out altogether with an apparent knock picked up in training on Thursday afternoon.

After that the ground began to gradually fill up, even the uncovered terrace behind the North end had a flock of supporters in. Daggers fans continued pouring into the ground to give an away attendance of 634 as the teams were introduced onto the pitch. After a quick turnaround, the referee blew his whistle to signal the beginning of this crucial fixture. 

From the off it was clear the game was going to be a hard fought battle. Opportunities were limited in the opening 10 minutes with both sides looking to establish a firm grip in proceedings. After a flurry of free kicks Daggers looked to get things moving down the left, but to no avail as Elito failed to beat his man for the umpteenth time this season. With little over 20 minutes gone the visitors began to look more threatening. Good interchange between Femi & Elito saw the latter cross for Strevens whose toed flick rolled neatly into Stack's arms.

Matt Saunders was then booked by the referee as the game threatened to have some degree of action. With the match already petering out, the hosts finally managed an effort on goal. Mark Byrne's whipped cross from the left hand side found Jake Hyde who could only manage to head the ball wide of the far post for a goal kick. 

The visitors were now beginning to look more inventive down the right hand side through Toni Silva, yet they were still unable to create any clear cut opportunities. Silva was stifled by the Barnet left back whilst Ogogo wasn't having any luck playing in a role higher up the pitch. Abu almost fashioned a chance for himself with 35 minutes gone, but the Barnet defender recovered well to clear the ball out for a throw.

Toni Silva backs into Edgar Davids
(Arnu)

As the half drew to a close, the Bees turned up the pressure and were unlucky not to take the lead. A corner from the right found Jake Hyde whose header was cleared off the line by Ben Strevens, before seconds later Hyde was through again in what looked like an offside position. This time though the Barnet forward who found himself in acres of space could only direct his quickly taken shot over the crossbar to the relief of a shell-shocked Daggers defence.

That turned out to be the final chance in what was a hard fought first half with limited opportunities for either side. Barnet had looked the most likely to take the lead, whilst Daggers' new loan signing Toni Silva had failed to impress thanks to stringent Barnet defending. Luke Howell & Abu Ogogo were both playing well in the midfield as the sides went into the break at 0-0.

Into the second half and Daggers started the brighter. Wayne Burnett's men had marginally more possession and looked more dangerous going forward. It showed on 52 minutes as Silva was allowed time and space before curling his speculative left footed effort just over Graham Stack's crossbar. The visitors were now looking the more likely to open the scoring and continued to threaten down the flanks.

The game wasn't without its controversy though and soon both sides were up in arms about a mistimed Femi challenge on former Dagger Jon Nurse. It had both sets of supporters baying for blood and after Nurse rolled himself off the pitch, it was Graham Stack who found himself in the referee's little black book for racing half way up the pitch to take part in the ensuing fracas. Then came a wonderful moment as Daggers fans chanted the name of their idol, Femi, and the cult left back just looked up as if to suggest, "Yeah, I know, you love me." Oh Femi, you cheeky minx.

Despite Daggers pressure they were still open to a Barnet counter attack and on 65 minutes, the Bees managed their first shot of the second half. Neat play in the midfield allowed centre half Barry Fuller to overlap and test Jonathan Miles with a tame strike along the ground that the Spurs debutant gathered comfortably. Tom Flanagan then went into the book for a late challenge as the game threatened to boil over.

With just under 70 minutes played, Wayne Burnett made his first change of the afternoon. Toni Silva, who probably lacks match fitness, was withdrawn for QPR loanee Mo Sharif. Instantly Sharif was a hit and it's clear he could become a talismanic figure from now until the end of the

Burnett made his first change.

season. The winger took the ball, beat two men and passed out wide to Elito, who with the ball bobbling, unleashed a rasping 20 yard drive that was superbly tipped onto the bar by former Arsenal 'keeper, Stack to keep the scores level.

Determined to force the advantage, it was the same duo that combined minutes later with Elito this time firing a cross-cum-shot across the 18 yard box before it went out for a goal kick. Already it was clear the impact Sharif had made after combining with Elito twice in two minutes.

The game continued to be a fiercely fought midfield battle, although Matt Saunders was doing his best to give the ball away at every attempt. Edgar Davids whose ball control had been exceptional all afternoon withdrew himself from the action, to be replaced by Andy Yiadom, with Kyle De Silva also coming on for John Oster. The subs did little to change the tide with Daggers continuing to look the more likely scorers.

Ben Strevens continued to look out of depth up front, which prompted cries of, "Unlucky Strevs" amongst the 600+ strong away support. I almost feel a little sorry for Strevs. He tries his hardest and no one can fault his effort, but there's no spark in his play, nothing's clicking - and that

Daggers fans look on.
(@Irish_Mags)

makes it all the more frustrating when watching the man who was lauded upon his return; fail.

The game looked to be fizzling out towards the latter stages, and but for a controversial challenge from sub De Silva, it may well have done. The midfielder went in late on a 50/50 challenge with Luke Wilkinson to win the ball which left the referee with no other option but to send the Crystal Palace loan star off. In all fairness to the lad, it was a harsh decision made worse by the noise his studs made when colliding with Wilkinson's own raised boot.

The red card meant Daggers had a man advantage for the final few minutes, but could they make it count? Of course they couldn't. In fact they somehow managed to finish the game on the back foot as Barnet exerted uncharacteristic pressure. Despite the late push by the hosts, they were unable to find a goal which meant the game ended in a 0-0 stalemate. It leaves Barnet 4 points clear of the drop zone, whilst Daggers now have a 7 point gap down to 23rd.

After the final whistle we also learnt that Barry Fuller was sent off after the final whistle for directing foul and abuse language at the referee. That was followed up by Edgar Davids’ post match interview where he stated that there was a conspiracy theory in the FA against Barnet. Oh Edgar, you’re really sticking your clogs in where it hurts.

In all truth it was a very poor game with few opportunities. I was of the opinion that a draw was a fair result, despite a dominant second half performance, and yet a Barnet fan disagreed with me - funny game football, eh! Still it's a vital point that lifts us onto 48 for the season with only five games to go, which should see us safe assuming we take at least one or two more from the remaining 15 available.

As for the performance, Abu Ogogo & Luke Howell were both terrific. Howell in particular impressed. His passing was accurate and he combined that well with both nimble footwork and some sublime challenges to break up the play. Abu, in a more forward role, also impressed and put in a real captain's shift. He took hold of the ball and looked calm and composed in possession, hopefully it's a role where he can continue to excel for the final five matches of the season.

The defence vastly improved on last week’s performance. The two full backs were far better, helped by the fact Gavin Hoyte reverted to a more familiar right back position. Their assured performance was accompanied by the continued sturdiness of Scott Doe and Luke Wilkinson in the centre of defence, with Wilkinson in particular putting in a dominant aerial performance to prevent any Barnet threat.

As for the front line - the less said the better regarding Strevens. As I alluded to earlier it's just not worked out since his highly anticipated return. A combination of isolation up top and just a lack of natural instinct made him look lost yesterday afternoon, even his hold up play looked poor. 

Medy on the other hand was given a new lease of life following Sharif's introduction, although prior to that he was poor. I've often had a go at him for not taking on his man and yesterday when he did, he failed miserably. My gripe with him now is that he seems to fail to make the right decision in crucial situations - there was several times when he should have played the ball but opted to take on the man before giving it away.

The three loan players all gave hints as to what they're capable of. Toni Silva was almost marked out of the game by the Barnet left back, but showed signs of what he's capable of. Mo Sharif on the other hand was superb when introduced. The ball virtually stuck to his boots and the QPR loanee looks like a real talismanic player when given possession - something that should help Daggers in the coming weeks. Goalkeeper Jonathan Miles enjoyed a stress free debut, making few saves from the blunt Barnet forwards. 

I wasn't particularly impressed by the Bees who turned in a poor performance. The talent of Edgar Davids however, is clear. The former Dutch International has obvious star player quality and controlled the ball excellently when given the opportunity. And also a word to the Barnet left back who loves that ball down the channels with the outside of his boot - very creative and it nearly worked on several occasions.

So that was our final visit to Underhill, and providing we both remain in the league next season we'll be travelling to the Hive in Edgeware. Until then, we'll just have to wait and see. Next up for Daggers is a home game against Bristol Rovers on Easter Monday, whilst Barnet travel to AFC Wimbledon.

Until then, have a good remainder of the Easter weekend and remember to follow me on Twitter, @NickMurphyDRFC.

Daggers 1-0 Barnet, Matt Puts The Gloss On It.

Dagenham & Redbridge vs Barnet

Not many people will be aware of this, but Dagenham & Redbridge's 1-0 victory over Barnet on Saturday bore a minor significance. Matt Saunders' strike ensured all three points, but it also means we eclipse the Football League point’s tally of Boston United in the same year we destroyed a team managed by Steve Evans. The victory itself lifts the Daggers to a season high 12th position in League Two, with just three games of 2012 remaining.

Traditionally the Daggers usually do well at home to Barnet. It's the fixture every year that usually provides a victory for the hosts. This year was looking like no different. We were unbeaten since mid September on our own patch, whilst Barnet were coming into this on the back of a five match winless streak. Just to stoke the already burning fire, former Daggers legend Jon Nurse would also be returning along with Ollie Lee.

After a brief stay in the clubhouse and with all bets placed, we headed inside the ground for what was sure to be a dull and frivolous encounter. The Sieve felt unusually packed, but not that packed. Barnet who may as well just give up playing away from home were only given a quarter of the Traditional Builders Stand and in all honestly they struggled to fill that. Just as the festive Christmas lights began to flicker at the teabar, the teams were announced...

Dagenham & Redbridge: Lewington, Femi, Doe, Wilkinson, Ogogo, Saunders, Howell, Spillane, Elito, Williams, Reed. Subs: Seabright, Hoyte, Bingham, Wakefield, Scott, Maher, Woodall.

John Still named an unchanged side for the umpteenth game in succession which meant the in form Sam Williams would once again start alongside Jake Reed. Dominic Green is still in hibernation which allowed Medy Elito to continue in a role somewhere between the midfielder and the forwards. 

Barnet: Stack, Fuller, Kamdjo, Johnson, Stephens, Pearce, Yiadom, Davids, Nurse, Holmes, Hyde. Subs: Cowler, Fortune, Iro, Lee, Abdulla, Edgar, Weston.

The Daggers 'B' side had three former players in their ranks, only one of which started. Jon Nurse who has legendary status at Victoria Road began the match, whilst the midfield pairing of Ollie Lee & Ahmed Abdulla would have to be content with a spot on the bench. Former Champions League winner Edgar Davids also started, meanwhile Clovis Kamdjo & Andrew Yiadom were also brought in following last week’s defeat.

After the pre match pleasantries and a rousing reception for Jon Nurse, we began. To some surprise, it was the Bees who started on the front foot. Almost immediately Nurse drove down the right hand side before crossing for an unmarked Kamdjo who fired his header over the bar. Jake Hyde and Andrew Yiadom both had efforts that forced Chris Lewington into action as the visitors started the match positively.

With the Daggers' first real attack of the game, they were ahead. Femi fed the ball into Sam Williams who laid it back perfectly for Matt Saunders to curl a first time strike into the top corner. A wonderfully flowing move that saw three of the Daggers key men this season involved to give the home side a perhaps undeserved lead. The finesse of which Saunders had stroked the ball home was truly something to behold.

From there, the hosts didn't look back. Michael Spillane wasted a good chance by heading over from close range, meanwhile tricky forward Jake Reed was also causing problems for a fragile Barnet defence. Soon after and Luke Wilkinson nearly doubled the lead as he saw his header rattle off of the crossbar following Matt Saunders' pin point delivery. The Daggers were in the ascendancy and Spillane came close once more before the half time whistle, however his strike went wide of the post. 

Barnet fans (Pre Match)

Upon reflection at half time, I think most would agree we deserved our lead. Apart from a spell of Barnet pressure at the beginning of the half where they probably should have scored, we had dominated. Edgar Davids wasn't as yet making much of an impact, and as alluded to by several others, Jon Nurse was playing a fine 12th man role for the hosts. Meanwhile in other scores, it was looking as though Mark McGhee's time as Bristol Rovers boss was over as his side trailed 4-1 at Bootham Crescent against York City.

As we began the second half, Medy Elito made his sole contribution to the game by crossing straight into the arms of Graham Stack. Matt Saunders was enjoying a terrific game and such was his confidence he attempted to add a second. The midfielder progressed forward before firing a shot over that didn't trouble Stack in the slightest. 

John Still's men continued to dominate despite there being very few chances in the contest. Jake Reed fired a terrific ball into the box from a difficult position that met Sam Williams whose looping header crashed against the crossbar to deny the Daggers once more. 

Barnet and Davids himself then briefly woke up. The Dutch maestro slalomed inbetween the Daggers defensive line before fizzing a wonderful ball across the six yard box that Lewington dealt with at the back post. Minutes later after a period of possession, Davids was released once again. This time however, his goal-bound strike was blocked by the backside of Luke Wilkinson.

The seemingly annual substitution of Brian Woodall on for Jake Reed then commenced as the Daggers began to sit back. The hosts were later denied a half hearted penalty appeal as Kamdjo appeared to handle inside the box - however the referee waved it away. Mark Robson then introduced Curtis Weston for Barry Fuller as the Bees looked to capitalise in the later stages. Minutes later Abu Ogogo spurned a fantastic opportunity as he went for power rather than placement, with his shot ultimately going narrowly over the bar. 

As Dagenham sat back, Barnet began to pour forward in search of an equaliser. Jon Nurse wasted a golden opportunity at the back post from Holmes' ball in, whilst a late free kick was fired directly into the wall. Try as they might, the visitors couldn't find that elusive goal to draw the scores level, despite the home side resting on their laurels somewhat. Following some late pressure from Still's men, the referee blew his whistle to signal the end of the encounter.

The victory extended the home unbeaten run to seven games since the mid September defeat to Northampton Town. It's also the third straight 1-0 home victory; moreover it's now been just over 6 & a half hours since the Daggers have conceded a home goal. That's a vital quality for a side that's pushing towards the Play Off places like us - defensive sturdiness and the ability to grind out results. 

As for the performance, apart from the opening 15 minutes and the final 5, we pretty much dominated a poor Barnet side. It wasn't a vintage display, but it was enough and that's what counts at the end of the day. Matt Saunders orchestrated it perfectly from the midfield, whilst the defensive line was resolute. Jake Reed also deserves some credit following his constant pestering, one moment in particular in the first half where he got down the left and kept the ball in sticks in my mind.

Barnet on the other hand, were largely poor. Despite attempting to knock the ball around, there was no real purpose to it. The strikers were blunt, with no real service going up to dangerman Ricky Holmes in particular. The defence was fragile and backed off far too much on many occasions. The midfield often went missing, however when they had prolonged periods of possession they felt dangerous, as though they could cause something. Unfortunately for them though, they lacked a killer ball.

Next week we travel to Morecambe for a 2pm kick off at the Globe Arena in our final away game of 2012. We started the year with a point at Southend, so hopefully we can do just as well, if not better in Lancashire. For the first time in some while I'll be travelling, so hopefully I'll have something to write home about!

Barnet 2-2 Daggers, Mayday

There are points in the season that you look back to if the worst comes to the worst. Last season, a personal favourite of mine was the Marvin Morgan miss at Leyton Orient, or the Robbo fumble at home to MK Dons. This season however, if we do go down by the odd point, this is the game I will look to for a number of reasons that will become clear throughout the Blog. By the end of the ninety minutes, the final score from Underhill was Barnet 2-2 Dagenham & Redbridge, but in truth, there was only one team that deserved any points from the game from my point of view at least.

First I'll start by telling my journey to the wonderful world of Barnet, I'm sure you'll all be reading this part avidly. It began with meeting Tom at Stratford for around 5:15, we eventually got the central line to Bank, where we changed onto the Northern Line all the way through to High Barnet. When there, (90 minutes early), we decided to evaluate our plans. After seeing a bloke walk past with a McDonald’s bag, we investigated and eventually found ourselves walking down Barnet High Road in search of the food outlet. Upon finding it amongst the cluster of exotic shops, (spot the lie), we went in and had some food for half an hour, before heading to the ground.

On our way back down the high street, you begin to see the lights of the famous Underhill, the stadium that is a weird cross between your local power league and the Nou Camp, only due to its floodlights I may add. We walked down before heading through an alley next to a pub where the majority of Daggers fans were congregating. After encountering some friendly stewards, we headed through the rusty old turnstiles to be greeted with something that made Accrington look like The Emirates.

I'm not going to lie, it wasn't very nice. Then again, I'm not really sure what I was expecting. Don't get me wrong, I love older grounds, but this just went past the awe factor and backed unwillingly into the, "avidly dislike" factor. We were housed in the East North Terrace which was under cover; from underneath it looked like glorified scaffolding. The cobbled steps were quite dangerous even for a sober person, whilst there were several beams in the way obstructing your view if you're stood towards the back.

The rest of the stadium is something of a botch job. You can count in total that there are eight different stands available for you to watch the match in. The North Terrace to our right is completely open to the elements along with the adjacent North West Terrace. These were both old fashioned standing area's which didn't attract any crowd throughout the match, one clever touch however were the nets behind them which stopped balls going into the roads that they backed into.

Opposite to us was the "main stand" that looked relatively new, the dugouts were also situated in front of this. Next to that was a smaller stand which was billed as the "Family Stand", similar to our own Barking College Stand. You then see the South Stand which was opened in 2008, this holds 1016, furthermore it is located next to the brand new club offices/ executive box area.

The final stand which I have partly described is the one we were in, The East North Terrace. This was split half way between the Daggers fans and the more vocal of the Barnet faithful. The only thing separating the two sets of supporters was a net, seven stewards and two metal bars placed about two metres away from eachother. This made for a great atmosphere and good banter between both sets of supporters. One thing I didn't quite understand was this sign that was situated in front of us, we can't really help standing......

The ground began to "fill up", at least our section did anyways, before the teams were announced by the tannoy man.

Barnet: Brill, Dennehy, Mustoe, Hector, Kamdjo, Downing, Hughes, Byrne, Holmes, May McLeod. Subs:O'Brien, Deering, Saville, Yiadom, McGleish.

Former Northern Ireland manager Lawrie Sanchez made two changes from the side that was defeated at home by Morecambe at the weekend. There was an exchange in goalkeeper as Liam O'Brien was replaced by the regular stopper Dean Brill, whilst in midfield the tricky Sam Deering was left on the bench in place of the powerful Cameroonian, Clovis Kamdjo. Daggers' perennial pain in the backside Scott McGleish would be a fantastic option to call upon from the bench for the Bees.

Dagenham & Redbridge: Lewington, Doe, Arber, Bauldry (Baldrick), McCrory, Nurse, Ogogo, Spillane, Elito, Parker, Akinde. Subs: Bond, Woodall, Wassmer, Bingham, Scott.

John Still made a single change from the weekend victory; however it was a decision that impacted drastically upon the positions of particular individuals. Luke Howell was unavailable through injury; this meant Mickey Spillane pushed up from right back to partner Ogogo in the centre of the park. Scott Doe also returned from injury/illness, which meant he was able to fill in at right back, a position he has been accustomed to recently. Josh Parker partnered John Akinde up front in attack that had both pace and power.

As the clock ticked nearer to 19:45, Lee, Bill & Chaz walked through the turnstiles along with a number of others, meaning the Daggers' support was looking very good. The time finally got here and with little warning from the man on the tannoy, the teams came out to good applause and song from the majority of the East Terrace. They lined up, done the pre match handshake before getting ready to start the vital encounter. Mark Arber won the toss against his former employers and opted to swap ends in the first half. This meant we would be attacking upwards as Barnet have the big sloped pitch I have ever seen. I've seen ski slopes that are less vertical.

Just a couple of facts before I begin the report. The away side hasn't won in this fixture for around seven years, furthermore, Dagenham have failed to win at Underhill in eight years. Just though I'd show you the literal and metaphorical uphill task we faced in North London.

Straight from kick off and there were half chances down either end. Top scorer Izale McLeod managed to hit a poor effort towards the body of Lewington, whilst Medy Elito struck a ball first time from a tight angle which didn't trouble former Oldham 'stopper Brill. Just over ten minutes into the match and a good chance came the away sides’ way. Josh Parker bamboozled the full back before putting in a ball on the floor towards Akinde & the surprisingly attack minded Mark Arber. Both managed to get a connection on it, but neither could get it past Brill who managed to claim it with no assistance from his static defence.

Lewington Earlier In The Season

Then for the first time this season, Chris Lewington came out of his box and headed the ball rather than catching it, clearing the ball to Spillane from a Ben May punt upfield. Mickey then gathered it before working his way around two defenders and going on a barn storming run towards the goal, however his reluctance to shoot at the correct time was shown as he was eventually closed down and his shot blocked.

Dagenham & Redbridge were having a good spell of pressure and with just under 20 minutes played, they threatened to score the first goal. Josh Parker won the ball and took a heavy touch which enabled Nurse to latch on to it, even though I'm sure Parker wanted the shot himself. However Nursey took another touch before hammering a shot towards the near post under pressure from a Barnet defender. His strike went just wide of the post, hitting the side netting when he really should have done far better.

The home side then managed to get something of a foothold in the contest, with Ben May shooting at Lewington, whilst Ricky Holmes fired a shot high over the bar minutes later, when crossing the ball for his counterparts in the box would have been a far better option. The Underhill outfit hadn't really offered anything in the opening twenty minutes or so and it showed as the vocal support began to deteriorate.



Mickey Spllane

 With 25 minutes on the clock, the Daggers took a thoroughly deserved lead. From a free kick 30 yards out, the ball was laid into Damien McCrory’s path, his terrible shot/ amazing pass found Elito on the left hand side. The former Colchester winger got round his man before hitting a wonderful ball into the box which found the head of Spillane who rose highest amongst a crowd of players at the near post. His pin point header went in just underneath the bar to leave Dean Brill helpless and the 351 Daggers in attendance going mental. It was such a massive goal, lots of singing and a Poznan ensued as we celebrated taking the lead.

Minutes after the restart and the away side who were increasingly dominant hit the woodwork three times in successive seconds. Josh Parker got down the left before curling in a ball towards the near post which found the head of Baldrick, his glancing header came back down after hitting a combination of bar and post before falling to John Akinde. Akinde managed to rise above his marker and head the ball over the helpless Brill, but he also hit the bar when it was easier to score! Unbelievable scenes as no one could quite come to a conclusion as to why we were still only 1-0 up.

Then came the cruel and fatal blow that we've come to expect to many times this season when watching Dagenham. From a foul throw, Barnet broke down the left hand side. A chipped ball over the top found the onrushing McLeod who had seemingly broke the offside the trap set by Daggers' defenders. With one touch, he chipped the ball neatly over Lewington as everyone watched it bounce agonisingly into the empty net. 1-1 when it should have been 2-0 just minutes earlier.

After a period of slightly quieter play, there was a major talking point with 30 minutes gone. The away side from Essex had two penalty appeals turned down. Firstly Medy Elito was crowded out after cutting into the box, I personally thought this one could warrant a spot kick, but the referee decided otherwise. In the same phase of play, Jon Nurse was also brought down; once again the referee waved it away and play continued.

The only other action during the rest of the first half was a couple of half chances from Barnet players Ricky Holmes and a surprise header from Mark Byrne that went over. Jon Nurse hit a shot that got a double deflection before finding its way through to Dean Brill, whilst John Akinde was proving to be a difficult man to handle up front.

That was the end of a frantic first half in which the Daggers dominated. The sheer fact we failed in our attempt to get a second whilst 1-0 up, is what had cost us. Those two/three times we'd hit the woodwork could well come back to haunt us, moreover we should have killed the game off by now, typical Dagenham some may say. One player that I haven't mentioned enough is Mickey Spillane, an absolutely sensational first half for him, pulling the strings and making the passes in the midfield, not to mention his well taken header.

I won't ramble on about half time or other player performances so I'll skip straight through to the start of the second half where it was the Daggers to kick off attacking the South Family Stand. John Stills basement men were slow out of the blocks so Barnet managed to get the first attempt of the second 45 away. Chief troublemaker Ricky Holmes created space on the right hand side before drilling his shot over the bar for a goal kick when he really should have been hitting the target.

Neither side were able to create any real opportunities for the following quarter of an hour, with optimistic shots from Jon Nurse & Mark Byrne the only thing to really talk about. John Still then made his first change on 65 minutes, when the lively Josh Parker was replaced by striker Josh Scott who was returning from a three game ban after being shown red at Swindon two weeks previous. This was a decision that bewildered me as Parker looked as though he had a lot left in the tank, furthermore he was really troubling the Barnet backline with his immense pace. With him off, we had lost a really good outlet.

Holmes who was given increasing space and license to roam on the right hand side then got another two shots away in quick succession. First he fired wide along the ground, whilst the second time he fired high and into the netting behind the terrace. The Daggers weren't really offering much, with a Josh Scott flick on the best build up play in a poor period of the game, that tells a story doesn't it!



(Artists Impression of Scott Doe Front Post Header)

 On 72 minutes though, the infamous Scott Doe front post run heralded yet another reward. A Medy Elito corner went towards that infamous near post where Scott Doe was on hand to glance a header off of the bar and into the far corner of the net. His celebrations matched ours as he came over to join in the jubilations with us. It was now 2-1 Dagenham, we really needed to keep this lead.

Within five minutes Lawrie Sanchez made a change in an attempt to instil some creativity into the Barnet side. Former Oxford man Sam Deering was on in place of the fiery midfield engine Clovis Kamdjo.

Within minutes of this change, the scores were level from a nothing shot. Ben May turned and took a pot shot from 30 yards out which Lewington watched calmly as he believed it was going wide of the far post. Of course, I and the other 351 travellers believed in the 'keeper’s judgement, so when we saw the net ripple and then shocked Ben May celebrating we couldn't believe our eyes. We stood in awe as our 'stopper had made a horrendous error through poor judgement and horrid positioning. It was now 2-2 and Chris Lewington wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole as you may expect.

Both sides were now on the attack hoping for a winner, with both sets of supporters nervous whenever the ball went towards their goalkeeper. Mark Hughes (not related to Sparky), was the first to have a go, but his speculative right footer curled wide of the post and into the 50 seated Daggers. Minutes later and Elito hit a shot towards the near post; unfortunately it just didn't creep in, despite us willing it in.

Baldrick was then given a booking, whilst in injury time John Akinde was replaced by Brian Woodall. A completely meaningless and pointless substitution given the quantity of time remaining. Despite the increased attacking presence, neither side could manager to score that elusive winner so the scoreline remained at 2-2 before the referee brought an end to proceedings with four minutes of added time played.

My summary is this. It's a point gained from the perspective that at kick off, I expected us to get nothing given our terrible record at Underhill. It can be conceived as two points lost given that we dominated and should have been out of sight by the half time whistle. They could have been such a valuable three points, but I'll settle for the one as it see's us draw level on points with Hereford & Macclesfield. As Lee said this is our season, always the ones playing catch up.

I was extremely impressed with Mickey Spillane who was immense all night, keeping a level head whilst challenging every given ball. Not only that, but he encouraged the team to play football and lead by example, stringing a number of good passing moves together. Josh Parker was also very good in the time he played, creating numerous opportunities thanks to his incredible pace; he’ll be a vital player at the weekend.

John Akinde was also very good despite not scoring once again. He created numerous chances thanks to his exquisite hold up play; moreover the linkup between him and Nurse was admirable all night. That leads me on to Nursey who is in good form and showed it once more last night, creating several opportunities, even if his final ball was on par with that of a drive down a fairway.

Looking towards the back line and we have superb pairing in Arber, the inspiration captain and Baldrick, probably the best centre half we've had the fortune of loaning at the club. They were both solid and Baldrick in particular looks very capable of being able to track back and make vital challenges to clear the danger.

My final point regarding the team is Chris Lewington. I feel so sorry for the lad; we have to remember he’s only young. The amount of points he saved for us at the start of the season are seemingly forgotten by some supporters. He was at fault last night, but that's no need for a section of supporters to berate him with constant swearing and abuse, especially those 10-20 chavvy teens who only watch us play when we're at a local derby where they believe they can cause some aggravation.

We all left Underhill in a sombre mood with a point to show for our travels across London, after changing at Tottenham Court Road & Stratford, I eventually arrived back at Chadwell Heath for 23:30.

Also a massive well done to the 351 Daggers in attendance last night who all played their part in creating a fantastic atmosphere. From now on, we need good support away from home constantly, however we have the task of negotiating our way past Accrington Stanley at Victoria Road at the weekend first, so let’s try and get a good attendance for that one! Let's also hope that the weather is slightly more pleasant than it was in deepest, darkest Lancashire in the reverse fixture last November.

Remember to follow me on Twitter, @NickDRFCMurphy. Here are a selection of pictures from the evening.

North Family Stand, Underhill.

The Daggers' Terrace

Daggers 3-0 Barnet, Festive Delights

Dagenham & Redbridge ended their losing hoodoo with a spectacular 3-0 victory over rivals Barnet on Boxing Day with emphatic goals coming courtesy of Cristian Montano twice and a superb Brian Woodall diving header. I'm afraid there are no pictures in this Blog due to them not being able to upload from my Blackberry camera to Blogger.

Ahead of the game I was quietly confident once more, the win in these encounters with Barnet always tends to go with the home side; especially when you take into account we've never lost at home to the Bees. Add to that we apparently looked a much better outfit against Burton last weekend; a game that I was unable to attend due to being struck by a last minute illness. I should apologise in advance for any grammatical errors in this Blog as I'm forced to write it on my Blackberry. You see some wonderful sod decided to hack through the BT cables in my area
 and those even nicer chaps at BT said they'll repair the service on the 5th January. Anyways; enough about that and onto the game!

I arrived at Victoria Road at around 12:40 as it was a festive 13:00 kick off. I performed the usual ritual of getting a programme and a 50/50 ticket before heading through the turnstiles and into the ground. I went straight up to the Sieve to get a burger and find my cohorts before getting in the mood for this Boxing Day encounter. The main threat was basically Izale McLeod if you asked me, if we stopped him they didn't score in my eyes. That leads us nicely onto the teams!

Dagenham & Redbridge: Lewington, Rose, Doe, Spillane, Femi, Green, Gain, Maher, Woodall, Montano, Scott. Subs: Hogan, Geohaghan, Cunnington, Bingham, Nurse.
Abu Ogogo was banned which meant that Dom Green replaced him in midfield whilst the rest of the team remained the same from the one that drew at Burton Albion last weekend.

Barnet Team: Brill, Senda, Borrowdale, Hector, Downing, Hughes, Byrne, Deering, Marshall, N'Diaye, McLeod. Subs: O'Brien, Saville, McCallum, Holmes, Taylor.

Just after the teams were announced they came out to a very good atmosphere and we were all set to go. Just after 13:00 Mr Stroud blew his whistle and we were off. The game started rather scrappilly if truth be told, with Barnet having an abundance of offsides go against them; mainly for McLeod. On 10 minutes however came the first corner of the game for Daggers, Maher's delivery was met with firm hands by 'keeper Brill to avert any danger.

On 13 minutes the Daggers took the lead in spectacular fashion. Josh Scott interchanged  passes with Montano before Montano shifted the ball onto his left foot. He unleashed magnificent 25 yard strike with his left foot which flew into the back of the net leaving Brill with no chance. A superb strike in this pivotal game to make it 1-0 Daggers.

The next few minutes I was very wary as in the previous home game with Port Vale we conceded directly after scoring. However it was Dominic Green who nearly  doubled the lead, his speculative effort going wide of the mark. However Barnet should have equalised on 20 minutes. A superb ball was crossed in by N'Diaye which found the head of league two top scorer Izale McLeod. I for one thought it was 1-1, but the former Charlton man contrived to put the ball wide of the mark to mine and several others shock. A real let off and a wake up call for the slack marking.

Barnet were beginning to come into the game a bit more and came close to levelling once more. A scramble in Lewingtons box meant the ball fell to tricky winger Sam Deering, luckily his shot didn't get any bend on it; meaning it flew harmlessly wide of the post. Just after that McLeod and Marshall both got shots away, the first was comfortably saved by Lewington whilst the second was blocked well by everyones favourite player, Femi.

During the 30-40 minute period of the game, the tempo settled down again with a variety of free kicks and corners to both sides, most of which were dealt with by defenders or claimed well by either Lewington or Brill. Then John Still was forced into a substitution on 37 minutes. Peter Gain who must have been carrying a slight knock was taken off as a precaution. his replacement was a player I'm particularly excited about, Billy Bingham. A like for like change.

Just before half time the Daggers doubled the lead thanks to another superb strike by Montano. Brian Woodall flicked the ball through to the Columbian before he unleashed an unstoppable strike into the far corner of the net leaving Brill with no chance. The Sieve went mental for a second time as the Daggers went into the break two magnificent goals to the good.

During the half time period I took the chance to have a read of the programme which featured a brilliant interview with John Still answering some questions. I hope this intervview will have convinced some doubters that Stilly is the man for this club.

The second half started with the Daggers attacking the Bury Road End and Lawrie Sanchez's Barnet side firing towards their own 500 odd fans in the Traditional Builders Stand. A decent turnout by the Bees supporters who had the rail strike to contend with. The second half started much like the first; several offsides and another corner going down Brill's throat to my annoyance. Barnet then made their first sub just over 10 minutes in, former Chelmsford striker Ricky Holmes replacing Mark Byrne.

One of the highlights of the game was undoubtedly when Sam Deering who reminds me of Orients Cox; unleashed a yelp when being tackled by a Daggers man. This meant everytime he got the ball for the rest of the match, everyone in the Sieve immitated his noise; great entertainment. The Daggers nearly added another goal on 60 minutes. Dom Green picked up the ball before running a few yards towards the Barnet goal. He then unleashed a powerful shot that left Brill with no chance, unfortunately it cannoned off of the bar and into the 'keepers hands.

On 62 minutes Brian Woodall etched his name onto the scoresheet to make it 3-0 and effectively seal victory. Cristian Montano crossed the ball from the right hand side and Woodall got down for a diving header which planted the ball into the far corner of the net. Another goal for Woodall who is now oozing with confidence; a superb header from a player who was plying his trade five leagues below the Conference last season we shouldn't forget.

Then came a flurry of changes for both sides. Charlie Taylor replaced tricky winger Mark Marshall for Barnet, whilst Josh Scott came off for Jon Nurse who has been confined to the bench in recent games. Minutes later Chris Lewington who was having a nice quiet game was called into action; palming away a McLeod shot to further increase the strikers frustration and 'keepers reputation. Charlie Taylor then missed a superb chance for Barnet. Much like in the first half a cross was floated into the box and the marking left a lot to be desired. However former Sutton United man Taylor couldn't keep his header down and it went over the bar and into the Bees fans.

Cristian Montano was then given a rapturous round of applause as he left the field to be replaced by Adam Cunnington who got the chance to make another cameo. His energy was evident from the off, chasing down loose balls and pressuring the Bees back line; which is what I want to see from a forward. The final chance of the game came nearing the 90 minute mark when another cross found McLeod. This time the former England Under 21 International got a firm collection and forced a great save from Lewington.

That was the end of the action and it meant that the Daggers had picked up a first league win since October, the first league clean sheet since August ad the first time we'd scored three since Carlisle at home the back end of last season. A decent performance made the victory even sweeter; although the marking needs to be tightened considerably.

Mark Arber may find it very difficult to get back into the side following the solid defensive partnership of Scott Doe and Mickey Spillane that has been formed. If Peter Gain is injured for Gillingham on Friday night; I would like to see Billy Bingham given a start. He's the perfect replacement and one that I've touted as a great midfielder for the future, such a shame injuries prevented him being a regular so far this season. I thought Richard Rose coped well with the pace of Deering and Kevin Maher ensures we play the ball on the floor which is a great influence to have.

A word for the crowd today as well, simply superb. The Sieve felt like its old self, plenty of songs and plenty of people getting behind the team which was great. Long may it continue!

Next up at home is Gillingham on Friday night, 19:45 kick off. I hope you have a enjoyable week and I'll speak to you again on New Years Eve oron the 6th when I get the Internet back!