Gillingham 2-1 Daggers, Pulling My Legge, Ref?

Despite an abject refereeing performance, Dagenham & Redbridge have many positives to take following their 2-1 defeat at Priestfield to Gillingham on Saturday afternoon. Daggers chief John Still described the two decisions leading up to the host’s goals as, "Two mistakes", which ultimately lead to the visitor’s downfall. One thing to take from the afternoon however, was that cult hero Femi finally notched his first goal, albeit inbetween the strikes of Leon Legge & Deon Burton.

The journey to Gillingham was slightly more eventful than first anticipated. A series of, shall we say, "Cock ups", lead to us leaving Victoria Station just before 13:00. After an hour on a sparsely populated train, we arrived in the Medway area just before 14:00. Not much had changed from last year, aside from the fact that came with slightly more optimism this time around; (Although that was misplaced).

Following that, we found a pub that for some reason wasn't showing the Luton vs Millwall game, before embarking on a game of pool. After a more Donald Trump than Judd Trumpesque performance, we headed to the ground where in a surprising twist, it wasn't raining for once! After a brief encounter with the comedian stewards, we went through the turnstiles to be confronted with the infamous away stand scaffolding. At this point, you wonder why you've made the effort and paid £13 for the privilege. 

There were only two things that we could be certain of today. These were that one; it would be bloody cold on the metal structure of doom. And two, the scoreline would end 2-1 to either side as it always seems to do when we meet. I was personally mildly optimistic having set about flaunting the stat that we have more away victories since November than Gills have home wins. That of course, did somewhat come back to bite me on the arse.

After witnessing the Gillingham cheerleaders who put our Daggerettes to shame in more ways than one - the teams were announced.

Gillingham: Nelson, Fish, Martin, Legge, Frampton, Barrett, Whelpdale, Lee, Robinson, Weston, McDonalds. Subs: Forecast, Williams, Dack, Richardson, Gregory, Birchall, Burton. 

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

Daggers named an unchanged side from the one that defeated Cheltenham for the first time last time out. This meant that Ben Strevens would return to Priestfield less than a month after his exit, whilst another former Gill Kevin Maher was on the bench. Gavin Hoyte remained at right back which allowed Abu Ogogo to continue in his central midfield role alongside the ever present Luke Howell.

With that, the teams were applauded onto the pitch as The Liquidator, rang around the Priestfield Stadium. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite create the same atmosphere it does at Chelsea which means it's slightly pointless. Still, it gets you in the football mood so I suppose you could say it does its job! The referee then blew his whistle and we were off.

A cagey opening 10 minutes saw both sides have a fair share of possession without troubling either goalkeeper. Gillingham were looking dangerous down the wings with a number of testing crosses being cleared by the Daggers defence. The visitors on the other hand were restricted to long balls forward in search of Strevs or Sam Williams, neither of whom were able to connect as yet.

It was Daggers who had the first chance of the game with 15 minutes gone. Abu Ogogo weaved his way past two Gills defenders before seeing his shot deflected wide for a corner that ultimately came to nothing. Nonetheless, positives signs for Daggers who endured a brief spell of worry early on when Femi went down under a 50/50 challenge with a Gillingham forward. 

John Still's men continued to look dominant as we completed the first quarter of the match. Luke Wilkinson saw his close range header blocked by Andy Frampton, whilst Matt Saunders' teasing cross was dealt with well by the Gills back line. Despite that, Gillingham continued to threaten. Anton Robinson hit his free kick too deep for Leon Legge to make a difference at the back post, whilst soon after, Matt Fish saw his half volley fly well over Chris Lewington's crossbar.

Even though the opening 28 minutes were contested in fairly even fashion, it was Martin Allen's side that scored the opening goal in controversial circumstances soon after. A ball into the box from Myles Weston on the right hand side was flicked on by Cody McDonald before being turned home by the unmarked Leon Legge. Despite a linesman's flag and fervent protests from the Daggers players and supporters alike, the referee overruled his assistant and let the goal stand.

With the goal, Gillingham were in the ascendancy and looked the more likely to score once more as the half wore on. First, Leon Legge and then Chris Whelpdale came close with similar headers as the visitors continued to battle against good Gills wing-play on either side. Daggers still had chances of their own though and Sam Williams was unlucky not to connect with Femi's drilled ball into the box late in the first half after a spectacular run down the left hand side.

Daggers Fans
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With the referee ready to blow his whistle to signal the end of the first half, Gavin Hoyte hammered a half volley over the bar and into the Brian Moore Stand where the 248 Daggers fans were housed. With that, I headed down for my second sausage roll of the afternoon where jeers for the officials could be heard from up above. 

On the whole, the first half was pretty evenly contested. Neither side had really imposed themselves on the match or created enough clear cut chances. Both were relying heavily on play down the wings which was backed up by a multitude of corners that came to nothing. Still, being 1-0 down at the break wasn't all bad and meant that there was definitely a route back into the game if we could step it up a bit in the second half.

The second half was soon underway and continued in the same vein as the first, with both sides matching eachother in all areas. Scott Doe had to be on the ball to deny Cody McDonald a run on goal, whilst Gillingham nearly benefited from an advantage played when Ben Strevens fouled Myles Weston.

But then - then came the moment that all Daggers fans had been waiting for. Since his debut against Oldham in 2011, Femi has developed into a cult hero. And since that time, he has been unable to find the back of the net - until now. The fans favourite broke into the box on the left hand side before seeing his pass returned where he then sliced his controlled volley into the bottom corner beyond Stuart Nelson. Disbelief, rapturous, overwhelmed - all words to describe our reaction to his strike. 

After everyone had recovered from that strike, Daggers were forced to defend once more. A free kick into the box was met by Charlie Lee who couldn't quite direct his header onto the target. Lee came even closer minutes and in truth, he really should have restored the lead, however he directed his header just wide of the far post. We were then treated to the first substitution of the afternoon. With no electronic board, the fourth official was forced to use two bits of card with numbers on them to show that Deon Burton would be replacing Andy Frampton.

Chris Lewington

Within seconds of coming on, Burton was called upon to take a Gillingham penalty after Chris Lewington was adjudged to have brought down Anton Robinson. From where we were, this looked like a catastrophically wrong decision, with Chris Lewington clearly diverting the course of the ball from its original direction. Nevertheless the referee would have none of it and Gillingham had a wrongly awarded penalty.

With Burton's first kick of the game, he put the Gills 2-1 ahead - sending Lewington the wrong way. Goal music rang around Priestfield once more as Daggers fans were left to feel a sense of injustice from the officials once again. Then came the changes for both sides. Steven Gregory replaced Cody McDonald for the hosts, whilst Jake Caprice was brought on in place of Medy Elito for Daggers. You did read that right, Medy Elito was actually substituted. 

Daggers were now doing the majority of the pressing with Femi tormenting his full back counterpart as the visitors looked to load the box with crosses. Still's side were showing good intent and Sam Williams came close on 80 minutes when a neat passage of play created an opening for him to volley straight at a thankful Stuart Nelson. Unbelievably Dominic Green was then thrust into the fray for Matt Saunders in the hope he would repeat the heroics of last year.

Almost instantly he gave Dagenham a new dimension, with his whipped cross being met by Luke Wilkinson who could only head over the crossbar from close range. Daggers came close to equalising once more soon after when Stuart Nelson fumbled a cross into the box. Luckily for him however, no Daggers players were on hand to turn home the rebound despite a scramble with the Gills defenders.

Luke Howell and Sam Williams both squandered late chances following good work from Ben Strevens, whilst up the other end Deon Burton saw his header hit the outside of the post. Despite sustained pressure and the belated introduction of Jake Reed, Daggers were unable to find a way through which meant Gillingham clung on for a vital 2-1 victory. What made the defeat even more disappointing was the manner in which it came, two controversial goals ultimately costing us what I feel would have been a deserved point. 

As for our performance, I don't really have any complaints. No one had a particularly poor game; we were just somewhat unlucky on the day. Ben Strevens & Sam Williams didn't get in the game as much as I'd have liked, but we can put that down to a fairly resolute Gills defence. Luke Howell did the wiping up job in the middle of the park, whilst Matt Saunders put in something of an average performance.

The back line didn't really do anything wrong either and were unlucky to see themselves concede two goals. Femi in particular had a superb game once more and finally broke his scoring duck much to the delight of all Daggers fans. He dominated the left side all afternoon, meanwhile Medy Elito turned in another ok performance. On the bright side, Dominic Green looked sprightly after coming on and hopefully he gets more of an extended run in the team.

As for Gillingham - fair play to them for the victory. I think a draw would have been a fair result but I can't begrudge them the victory. It was the officials that ruined the game, for both sides for that matter. Their constant stop-start of play, poor officiating and seemingly intermittent blindness was evident on several occasions and hopefully both clubs launch a complaint to the Football League. With all of that, Gillingham have good fans on the whole and I wish them well for the remainder of the season.

Next up for us is the visit of AFC Wimbledon Saturday, after that we take on League Cup finalists Bradford City on the following Wednesday evening. Until then, have a good week and hopefully we can get back on track next Saturday afternoon!

Remember to follow me on Twitter, @NickMurphyDRFC.

Daggers 1-2 Gillingham, A Stormy Start

Despite another decent enough performance that may well have warranted a draw, Dagenham & Redbridge's wait for a win in the 2012/2013 season goes on as they were defeated 2-1 at home by promotion chasing Gillingham. It was the same story for the Daggers as they were denied through a lack of luck, Gills' good defending and poor officiating.

I was perhaps overly optimistic of a win against the Gills given our recent record against them; however I felt that we had goals in our team that could overpower the away side. In reality though, all of Martin Allen's sides are hard to beat, and today would be no different. They've started the season well; with a 100% record in fact so we all knew it would be a tough task to earn so much as a draw yesterday afternoon.

Following a brief chat with Horan et Dawson, I resumed back to the usual Sieve standing position where the rain began to come down - wearing shorts did not look like a good idea anymore. Following a brief pause, the teams were read out as follows...

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

John Still opted to make a single change from the side that started the last two consecutive games. Brian Woodall was dropped to the bench as Sam Williams who impressed on Tuesday night came in. Dominic Green was restored to the bench after overcoming an injury which meant there was no place for youngster Louis Dennis. The home side would once again be lining up in that familiar 4-3-3 formation.

Gillingham: Nelson, Fish, Martin, Frampton, Davies, Whelpdale, Lee, Allen, Montrose, Weston, Burton. Subs: Forecast, Essam, Jackman, Payne, Dack, Kedwell, Strevens.

Martin Allen made no less than five changes to his side, with Andy Frampton, Charlie Allen, Lewis Montrose, Callum Davies & journeyman striker Dean Burton all returning to the starting XI. They replaced Danny Kedwell, Jack Payne & Bradley Dack who all dropped to the bench, whilst Tom Flanagan was suspended and Adam Barrett not even named in the squad. Former Daggers striker Ben Strevens who would come on later in the day, had to be content with a place on the bench.

After all of that, yet more rain came down as the sides came out for the pre match rituals. The 900+ Gills fans were creating a good atmosphere; meanwhile the home supporters were trying their best to liven the mood. There was no change in sides which meant the home side would be attacking the Traditional Builders Stand in the first half, whilst the Gills would be facing the rather sparse Bury Road Terrace.

The visitors were out of the blocks the fastest with Dean Burton having a goalbound effort denied by Chris Lewington who rushed off his line to thwart the danger well. The Gills continued to attack in the opening 5 minutes with both Charlie Lee & Myles Weston registering opportunities.

With just under 10 minutes played, the home side began to come back into the game. First Billy Bingham had a testing shot saved by Stuart Nelson, whilst minutes later Medy Elito drove a powerful strike over the crossbar. The Gills though came back once more, and if it were not for a Scott Doe block diverting Myles Weston's shot into the side netting, they could have taken the lead.

Martin Allen's men were continuing to dominate going forward, causing the home defence another hairy moment with 15 minutes played. Weston was proving to be the thorn in the defensive backside as Lewington forced him wide after the front-man raced clear. His pull back fell to Charlie Allen (full relation to Martin), at the backpost who knocked it down for Whelpdale, his deflected shot went for a corner amidst cries of handball from the travelling support.

Following an encouraging start, the game began to die down a bit as we entered the middle of the half. The awful weather became even more torrential, making conditions more difficult for both sides. Opportunities were becoming increasingly hard to come by, however Sam Williams should have done better from six yards out when provided with a good ball in from Luke Howell. Up the other end and Mickey Spillane was being given a torrid time in the air by the opposition forward line.

With 25 minutes played in the soggy conditions, the home side nearly took the lead. Dwight Gayle was fouled just outside the box which gave the Daggers a chance to test Nelson from a set piece situation. Billy Bingham stepped up to the plate and hammered a strike directly at Stuart Nelson that was palmed into a central position where Abu Ogogo couldn't sort his feet out in time to test the 'keeper once more.

With just under half-hour played at Victoria Road, Gillingham took a somewhat deserved lead. Matt Fish picked up the ball on the right hand side before curling in a perfectly plaiced ball in that found the head of Dean Burton whose header glanced into the bottom corner, giving Lewy no chance - (spot the pun in the sentence). Mickey Spillane could have done better to mark Burton who was plying his trade out in Azerbaijan last year, whilst Billy Bingham could have been quicker to close Fish down.

Not long after the opening goal, four minutes in fact, the Daggers were given the chance to make amends from the spot. Luke Howell sent through Dwight Gayle who was brought tumbling in the box by an outstretched Stuart Nelson. It was your classic penalty giveaway from the striker and Nelson fell for it. Despite calls for his sending off, the 'keeper was only booked and Gayle left with spot kick duties after fighting off Spillane. Within minutes the former BSN 42 goal marksman was off and running for the home side as he smashed his spot kick down the middle to level the scores.

The Daggers now had the advantage as first Gayle and then Williams both tested Nelson shortly after the penalty. Minutes before the half time whistle went and the home side came inches away from taking the lead. Billy Bingham's pin point cross was headed goalwards before being blocked on the line - cue goalmouth scramble. Try as we might, the Daggers just couldn't find a way through, having several efforts blocked by the resolute Gills backline.

Straight into the second half we went and Mad Dog's men nearly took the lead for the second time. A neat move between Lee, Whelpdale & Weston, saw the latter fire into the side netting for the second time in the contest. Chris Whelpdale was continuing to be Gillingham's architect and so it proved five minutes later when his back post cross was stabbed over by Weston.

As the game approached a crucial period, the weather overhead became even more intense with fork lightening clearly visible from the Sieve. The rain continued to lash down causing the game to be almost unwatchable at times. The referee though saw no reason to halt the game, a la Wycombe vs Bristol Rovers, so the action continued.

The home side were also pushing forward in search of that elusive second goal and it nearly came eight minutes into the second half. Gavin Hoyte got down the right hand side before firing in a low ball across goal that bypassed all in the vicinity - much like on Tuesday night vs Plymouth. Great work from Hoyte once again who looks to be a very good acquisition at right back.

The home side continued to look the more likely to score minutes later as Billy Bingham saw a thunderous effort cannon back off of Callum Davies' thigh. Martin Allen then made a double change as Danny Kedwell & Jack Payne were introduced for the labouring Dean Burton & Chris Whelpdale as the away side went in search of the lead.

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Within minutes of the double change, Gillingham were back in front. Myles Weston beat Spillane to a header in the centre of the park before skipping past a Scott Doe challenge and slotting the ball between the legs of Chris Lewington. An exquisite goal from the former Brentford man, although being aided by lacklustre defending is always a great help.

Just minutes after the goal was scored, the home side were looking for a way back into the game once again. It nearly came on 64 minutes when Luke Howell was felled in the box, however, influenced by the previous penalty decision the referee waived away the appeals. We were then treated to another double change as Howell was replaced by DJ Green, whilst Strevens made his return to Victoria Road in place of Charlie Allen.

The action was becoming increasingly end to end, with Dwight Gayle flashing a shot over the bar in one minute & Myles Weston forcing a block out of Mickey Spillane the next. Sam Williams almost equalised five minutes later, but he didn't get a telling connection and his attempt grazed the post.

It was an onslaught now from the home side who were throwing everything at their counterparts from Kent. First Billy Bingham saw a strike go wide of the post, and then Femi was denied by Stuart Nelson. Abu Ogogo then saw two of his efforts thwarted by a courageous Nelson who was in the thick of the action. In between the dominance of the home side, Dwight Gayle was withdrawn for a rather skinny looking Josh Scott to try and draw us level.

Medy Elito was the latest player to fire an effort over the bar as the fourth official raised four minutes on his luminous board. The best chance of the lot came on 93 minutes. Elito's low corner was met by Abu Ogogo whose diving header was directed straight at Nelson who made yet another comfortable save - a yard either side and we were level.

That was the end of the game though and Gillingham had somehow held on to retain their 100% record in league & cup this season. Whilst I won't begrudge the Gills their win, I will say that we were dreadfully unlucky not to find a perhaps deserved equaliser, or be awarded another penalty at 2-1 down.

Once again though we showed that we are capable of creating the desired opportunities, we just lack the cutting edge to put them away. One bright spark is that Dwight Gayle got off the mark, albeit with a penalty - however that should lead to a streak of goals from him. Sam Williams also had a very good game and done what was asked of him, being a superb hold up player.

Couple of things I feel that I need to mention though as a fan or maybe just as a supporter who wants to moan. Please Billy Bingham, work on using your right foot. There were too many incidents yesterday where it was given away through fear of using the weaker foot. Lastly, I and some others feel that Mickey Spillane was being beaten far too much in the air - hopefully though that will rectify itself in the coming few games.

My final moan though isn’t directed at the players, it’s directed to the officials. Some of the decisions yesterday really were barbaric. The amount of pushing and shirt grabbing committed on Williams without a free kick truly was ridiculous. The standard of officiating at this level really isn’t up to the standard required and something needs to be done.

As for Gillingham, I was very impressed with their organisation and closing down, not to mention the energy and creativity of Myles Weston who was also their main threat in front of goal. The back line looked largely solid and bar one mistake, Stuart Nelson was faultless between the sticks.

Next up for us is AFC Wimbledon away next Saturday who have shipped an astonishing 11 goals in their last 2 games.

Remember to follow me on Twitter, @NickDRFCMurphy.

Gillingham 1-2 Daggers, Out Of The Red & Into The Green.

Dagenham & Redbridge all but assured their place in League Two next season following a dominant 2-1 victory over Gillingham at the wet and windy Priestfield Stadium on Easter Monday. The game was far from a classic, but a Dominic Green screamer saw the Daggers on their way after Rowan Vine cancelled out Brian Woodall's opener early in the second half.

The day started in a wet and windy fashion and that's how it would continue throughout the trip to Kent. I started by meeting Sam & Charlotte in Romford at around 11am where we eventually got on the 269 to Newbury Park Station. After a wait we got on the Tube and headed to Stratford - or so we thought. We arrived at Gants Hill Station where we were greeted with an announcement that the Central Line had been suspended due to a point’s failure at Liverpool Street; this meant we would have to find an alternative route to Stratford or risk waiting for the Tube to start moving again.

Being my quick thinking self, I realised that we would get a 150 to Ilford before changing onto an 86 which would see us to Stratford in decent enough time. We arrived at Stratford for about 12:30 where we proceeded to get the DLR to Stratford International before eventually getting the 12:58 service to Gillingham. Finally we had a chance to rest, even though we did have to pay an exorbitant £1.65 extra as we'd jumped on a fast train; the liberty eh?

After a pretty quick journey that entailed very little in the way of action, we arrived at Gillingham for 13:40 where the police were gathered to control the hoards of travelling Daggers supporters. With plenty of time to spare we headed to get something to eat at the local McDonalds, a very high class eating establishment, I'm sure you'll agree. With 30 minutes of not so valuable time wasted, we headed towards the Priestfield via a long winding road and a glutton of houses.

As we approached, you can see the ground from a distance, its massive floodlight and the not so enticing backside of the away stand. We headed through the thin, rusty old turnstiles and were greeted with a mass of metal and bolts which kept the stand upright, although I was reliably informed that the stand does shake with a battering of wind or a possible celebration from us.

We headed up to steps into the authorised death trap where we were greeted with quite a nice remainder of the stadium. To the left was The Medway Stand, this is the main stand at Priestfield with several executive boxes to boot, it was opened in 2000 and at the time caused severe financial difficulties for the club, at least it looks nice! Opposite us is The Rainham End, a slightly smaller stand that houses 2400 spectators and once again is all undercover; this is where the more vocal of the home support are located.

Finally we head to the Gordon Road Stand which has a distinct feel of Luton about it for some reason. The stand itself is all undercover and houses 2600 supporters, it’s also significantly lower than all of the other home sections creating a weird stoop to the ground as a whole, this also makes it unique and luckily for Gillingham, I like unique. Bar the end we had, it was a nice enough stadium to be quite honest, furthermore the stadium is all seated.

As I clambered up to my seat high in the sky trying not to slip on the mixture of plastic and metal flooring, the tannoy man read the teams out and they were as follows:

Gillingham: Gazzaniga, Frampton, Martin, Fish, Jackman, Essam, Whelpdale, Payne, Montrose, Kedwell, Vine. Subs: Evans, Spiller, Lee, Oli, Kuffour.

Gills boss Andy Hessenthaler named an unchanged side from the one that drew 2-2 against Bristol Rovers on Good Friday meaning the menacing attack of Rowan Vine & Danny Kedwell would remain a threat. Former Daggers Danny Spiller & Ollie Lee were also given a place on the bench.

Dagenham & Redbridge: Lewington, Doe, Arber, Baudry, McCrory, Elito, Ogogo, Bingham, Spillane, Parker, Woodall. Subs: Hogan, Wassmer, Akinde, Scott, Green.

John Still opted to make two changes from the side that drew with Burton Albion on Friday afternoon. John Akinde & Dominic Green were replaced by Billy Bingham and the pacey Josh Parker as the Daggers changed to a more rigid 4-5-1 formation away from home.

As the rain began to steadily come down and the wind began to pick up, the Brian Moore Stand slowly began to fill up with the climax coming as the Gillingham cheerleaders took to the field. Whilst Pulse may be equally good dancers, the Gills cheerleaders win the looks contest with ease. I then received a message from Lee who was stuck on the train with several other supporters who wouldn't be able to make it to the game due to a fault on their line; that’s what I call karma!

As the time approached 15:00, the assortment of classic music finished and the teams came out from the tunnel located next to our stand. As I became increasingly cold, the teams swapped ends and we began the match that could well see the Daggers book their place in League Two next season and the Gills consolidate a play off place.

The game started very slowly which may have had something to do with the poor conditions, one main feature was several players slipping which could have suggested that they were wearing the wrong type of boots. The first opportunity for the Gills came when Chris Whelpdale found some space on the right hand side, however his cross was not up to standard and it drifted out for a goal kick.

The first attempt of the match came from the boot of Brian Woodall, the former Gresley man who netted at the weekend was forced into an early shot inside the box following good pressure from Andy Frampton, and unfortunately it hit the side netting as the scores remained level. That was followed up five minutes later by two fierce drives from Abu Ogogo that looked to be on target, but for a couple of superb blocks by Danny Kedwell, the makeshift midfielder could have opened the scoring.

After some good Daggers pressure it was the turn of the home side to turn up the metaphorical heat with Lewington dealing with an enticing Jackman cross before Rowan Vine blasted a shot over the bar from distance. Mark Arber then reeled Matt Fish in as he deflected the defenders cross for a corner which eventually came to nothing.

The game then began to get a bit tedious with poor play and the only efforts on goal coming from speculative positions. Firstly Josh Parker committed a foul throw which angered many a Dagger, whilst a Whelpdale shot from 20 yards called Lewington into action, the 'keeper making a good save after the ball had skidded along the damp surface. The game was very scrappy now with neither side really dominating; as a result the main outlet was Elito for the Daggers and Payne/Whelpdale for the Gills when an attack was formed.

With ten minutes to go until the half time the away side endured an almighty scare after Baudry continued his poor form with an unfortunate slip 35 yards out. This allowed 20 year old midfielder Jack Payne to get a run on goal; however Lewington came out and thwarted the danger by diving at the young man’s feet and smothering the ball calmly to extinguish the danger.

The Customary Brian Woodall Photo

With just seven minutes until the half time interval, the away side took the lead in the contest. Mickey Spillane played a delightful ball through to Ogogo who continued his run into the Gillingham box which resulted in a shot that was parried, but only to the eager Woodall who got there ahead of his marker to slot the ball home into an empty net. Cue wild celebrations in the rain which triggered the song, "1-0 up and we're soaking wet."

Woodall now brimming with confidence looked to add to his eighth league goal of the season by flashing a shot wide from outside the box as the Daggers looked to build and consolidate their lead. Just before half time and Gillingham nearly made it all square; but for an important Baudry block that could have been the scenario as Kedwell's fierce drive looked to have been on target, sterling defending from the currently under fire Frenchman.

That was the end of the first half and it was the Daggers who went in ahead following a very even first 45. Abu Ogogo & Billy Bingham were the star performers, getting around the pitch and doing the running amidst difficult conditions for both sets of players. I was quite obviously very pleased with the slender lead; however we knew Gillingham had a threat which meant we needed a second goal to kill off the game early in the second half.

The majority of my half time was spent standing and talking as I was too cold and too lazy to move to get something to eat or drink. The hot dogs were extremely tempting, but I resisted the temptation as I was keeping myself in shape for the very trim Gillingham cheerleaders who were bravely back out to perform in the slowly dwindling rain.

The teams came back out for the second half to a warm ripple of applause from all sides of the ground as both sets of fans looked to make an impact with their endearing support. We kicked off and within minutes it was nearly 2-0 to the away side. A neat passing move in the middle had set Elito through on the left where he beat his man and cut a ball back to Parker who was waiting just inside the box. The Oldham loanee took on a first time strike that drew a good save from Gazzaniga to keep the scores the same. Some very encouraging play by the away side.

Rowan Vine
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Andy Hessenthaler's men then came extremely close to finding the equaliser when Chris Whelpdale lifted the ball over Lewington, only for Baudry to head away on the line for a corner. Minutes later though and the Gills did have their equaliser, courtesy of former Luton man Rowan Vine. A ball forward was inadvertently knocked on by Scott Doe into the path of Vine who took two touches before opening his body and curling a sublime strike just inside the post leaving Lewington with no chance. Some may see that as a communication failure between Baudry & Doe, but it was a magnificent strike nonetheless.

That didn't dampen the away sides spirits though as Dagenham went on the attack straight after the restart, only a quick thinking Gazzaniga denying Josh Parker by heading the ball away outside of the box. John Still then made the games first change, bringing on Dominic Green who was ineffective on Friday for Josh Parker in a move that would see fresh impetus on the wing.

Then came a frustrating moment when the idiots who were behind me on Friday piped up once more with a ludicrous comment. This time it was, "why didn't you pick that up Lewington," as the 'keeper booted one clear outside of the box and over the stand. These people were a cause of annoyance throughout the game, the level of abuse they directed at Arber once more was nearing intolerable.

Dagenham & Redbridge then sprung a neat counter attack following a Gills set play with Elito spearheading the move forward. The winger bamboozled an opposing midfielder who eventually tripped over a blade of grass as he continued his assault along the left hand side. Elito then played a neat ball across the park towards Green who slowed down the move by cutting inside where he eventually curled a deflected left foot strike straight at opposing 'keeper Gazzaniga who was thankful it wasn't a yard either side.

Gillingham then looked to make an influential change of their own as ex Dagger Danny Spiller was introduced for Manchester born midfielder Lewis Montrose. Former Redbridge Forest player Hessenthaler wasn't finished ringing the changes and a couple of minutes later dangerous attacker Jo Kuffour was brought into the equation  for Joe Martin as Gillingham reverted to a 4-3-3 formation in an attempt to salvage their playoff bid.

(Yes I recorded this off of SkySports this morning)

On 73 minutes, a superb solo effort from Dominic Green sent the Daggers back in front and on their way to the win that would effectively assure safety. He picked the ball up on the half way line, sliding the ball through the legs of Danny Jackman before beating Jack Payne and cutting inside. With this he unleashed a low left footed drive that was enough to beat Gazzaniga and make the net at The Rainham End ripple, much to the 313 Daggers' delight as they began to Poznan and jump up and down with joy.

Along with Green's sensational goal of the season contender, news filtered through that both Macclesfield & Barnet were losing whilst Hereford were being held at Acccrington, creating a fantastic atmosphere in the uncovered stand. Gillingham were looking to get back into the game as you may expect and they came close as Danny Jackman flashed a free kick wide of the post that had Lewington scrambling across the slippery surface.

With just over ten minutes left to play, Hessenthaler made his final throw of the dice, bringing on Dennis Oli for goalscorer Rowan Vine in an attempt to get the equaliser. With three minutes left, it looked as though the Gills has equalised, a fantastic ball in from Oli reached Whelpdale whose shot went a yard wide of the post as the 5773 spectators inside Priestfield held their breath.

Brian Woodall received a rapturous round of applause and a chorus of singing as he was replaced by Josh Scott with just minutes left. The away side were now defending frantically, Doe hooked a ball clear, whereas Arber produced a fantastic last ditch tackle and Baudry managed to get in a goal saving block. The ball was hooked clear once more as Elito was replaced by Akinde, another lump by Spillane saw the referee call time on the enthralling match, it also called time on the relegation battle as the Daggers were now surely safe from the drop.

As the joyous 313 applauded and sang the names of their heroes, news filtered through that Barnet, Hereford & Macclesfield had all lost meaning we were nine points clear of the drop zone with twelve left to play for. We all know that it's not officially over, but it'll take something extraordinary for us to be caught now which only brightened the mood in the damp surroundings.

Some players deserve to be singled out for a fantastic display. The first pair of these is Billy Bingham & Abu Ogogo who were simply scintillating in the middle of the park, winning every 50/50 and creating opportunities. The beauty of Bingham is that not only does he tackle, he has the eye for a magnificent pass and that was shown as he set Elito free a number of times during the course of the afternoon. Ogogo was also fantastic, once again making the challenges and getting around the park.

To be perfectly honest, the whole team performed as a unit which is something we've lacked at stages this season, Mark Arber proved some of the doubters once more by putting in a resolute defensive performance, whilst Dominic Green silenced me with a wonder goal. In short, it was a good performance and a warranted Daggers victory.

As for Gillingham, I’m afraid to say they were one of the poorest playoff contenders that I’ve seen us play. Danny Kedwell didn’t really offer a threat when going forward, furthermore full backs Matt Fish & Joe Martin (somewhat ironically from Dagenham), had torrid afternoons against Elito, Parker & Green when introduced. I wasn’t particularly impressed and I can see why you Gills fans may be unhappy about the performance and ultimately the result.

We left the ground in high spirits about ten minutes after the final whistle which meant we got back to the station which was experiencing delays at around 17:20. A twenty minute wait ensued before we jumped on the fast train home, arriving back at Stratford for around 18:30 where we got an 86 back home, a fantastic day bar the earlier travel disruption!

This victory also extends our various runs in different guises. We've now won two away games on the bounce, the first time that's happened in the league since the start of the season. It extends our away form to three without defeat in the league as well, something which last happened in March 2011. We're also now six games unbeaten, picking up 14 points from the last 18 available, you can look at that in another way; we've picked up just under a third of our points this season in the past month, just imagine where we'd be if we played like this earlier in the season.

This also backs up my argument that John Still was the right man for the job all along; furthermore I'm glad that the club shared this view and stuck with him. It would have been wrong for Stilly to get the boot after his years of loyal service, especially when you consider he's one of the only man that could have steered this club out of trouble and he's done so successfully. We shouldn’t forget the backroom staff that are part of the team as well in Terry Harris & Wayne Burnett who sometimes go unrewarded. Hopefully we can enjoy the four games left and play with some freedom and relaxation, knowing that we're basically safe.

Thanks to Gills fan on Twitter Alan Collins for this picture.

At this point I’d also like to congratulate my fellow 312 Daggers at the Priestfield who created a decent enough noise considering the horrid conditions. You’d imagine that we have a core 1500 home support excluding away fans, if you equate that into a percentage for yesterday, we had around 22% of our home support travel to Kent which I feel is a superb effort.

I'll leave you on a tweet by someone that formerly worked at the club in Billy Taylor that sums it all up perfectly, "On March 13th, Dagenham were bottom, four points from safety. Six games later, they are nine points clear of the drop zone. Turnaround."

Next up is a trip to The Recreation Ground on Saturday against Aldershot where we'll inevitably go 2-0 down only to come back and win 3-2.

Remember to follow me on Twitter; @NickDRFCMurphy is what you'll need.


Here are some other pictures from the day.

The KM Medway Stand

Gillingham Turnstiles

Daggers 2-1 Gillingham, B & B.

Dagenham & Redbridge ended a somewhat indifferent year with an impressive 2-1 victory over promotion chasing Gillingham at Victoria Road. The Gills opened the scoring before Billy Bingham equalised and then Brian Woodall netted in the second half to seal victory for the Daggers.

Pre match I can't say I was confident, Gillingham were on an impressive unbeaten run and would be coming into this clash off of a fantastic win over Crawley; cheers for that chaps! The Daggers were showing signs of vast improvement, none more so than in the 3-0 victory over Barnet on Boxing Day where only slack marking soured the victory slightly.However I predicted a 2-2 goalfest for this one which would mean a good point for us!

I got into the ground at around 7:20 and went straight through to meet the Horans & Dawson. A brief chat ensued before I went into the Sieve with my cohorts as usual to read the programme. One of the highlights of the programme was undoubtedly Simmo's write up of one of our favourite Bloggers Anthony Hodgson, where he was taking part in the quiz against Exodus Geohaghan. Simmo says, " Anthony started coming over here in 2008 as a birthday present from his wife. He'd wanted to take my boys to football, but the premier league was too expensive." I must admit, it did make me chuckle! Just after the teams were read out; they are as follows:

Dagenham & Redbridge: Lewington, Rose, Doe, Spillane, Femi, Bingham, Maher, Green, Montano, Nurse, Woodall. Subs: Hogan, Geohaghan, Cunnington, DJ Green, Elito.

Billy Bingham came in as expected for the Daggers replacing the injured Peter Gain. The other change was Josh Scott not in the squad after seemingly picking up a knock against Barnet, meaning Jon Nurse was recalled from the bench to start. This also meant there were places on the bench for Medy Elito & Danny J Green.

Gillingham: Flitney, Frampton, Richards, Martin, Lawrence, Whelpdale, Payne, Weston, Jackman, Kedwell, Kuffour. Subs: Gazzaniga, Montrose, Rance, Oli, Payne.

Gillingham are going through an injury crisis like we were only recently meaning they had a far from full strength line up. Andy Frampton returned to the side after missing out against Crawley, he came in for Matt Fish; nothing to trout about really. Luke Rooney was also banned after being sent off at The Broadfield on Boxing Day.

The teams came out of the Traditional Builders Stand where the Gillingham fans were housed and it began to lash down with rain. Fantastic support by the Gills, 1300 of them making the trip (in their caravans) from Kent to create a good atmosphere and boost the attendance up to over 3000. What would this Blog be without sarcasm and stereotypes eh!? We were ready to kick off slightly earlier than planned; with a massive three points at stake who would come out on top?

It was the Daggers who started the match attacking the Bury Road end after the Gills had won the toss and chose to swap ends. Immediately songs about Whelpdale scarred scrotum rang out from the Sieve to set the tone for the evening. The Daggers started the bright, with Femi forced a corner in the opening minutes of the match which came to nothing. Dominic Green also sent in a cross from the left hand side which was well dealt with by a Gills defence that had conceded 27 times so far this season.

It was however Andy Hessenthalers men that opened the scoring in slightly fortuitous circumstances. A cross came in which Lewington looked to have gathered safely in his arms as you'd expect. We blinked and then it was out of his hands again. And then back in them. And then back out of them. The ball was then headed goalwards and blocked by Scott Doe before the ball rebounded to Danny Kedwell who took a single touch before slamming it into the back of an empty net. An absolute clanger by Lewington, but I'll forgive him when I consider the amount of points he's saved this season. A rawkus noise went up from the Gillingham fans who had seen their team score at Victoria Road for the very first time.

Gillingham now had the momentum and just minutes after the restart looked to double the lead. Danny Kedwell took on another two shots, both of which were thwarted by Lewington and palmed away for corners. The second of the corners fell to Kuffour who had troubled the Crawley defence days ago, but he could only succeed in skying his shot high into Traditional Builders Stand. Curtis Weston then got a shot away which cleared the crossbar, leaving the deficit at just the one for the time being. Gillingham then came close to adding another once more; when a corner bounced directly off of the post to leave the defence scrambling before lumping the ball clear.

Lewington Restarts Play.

Just after the 15 minute mark, a rather bizarre incident. Brian Woodall & Ross Flitney were in a foot race against eachother for the ball. Woodall got their before the opposing Flitney and attempted to dribble the ball around the keeper before seemingly being taken out by the former Barnet stopper. Myself and many others in the Sieve were expecting a penalty or a free kick at the least, however the referee stunned us all by giving a free kick to Gillingham much to Woodall's amazement. Not only did it shock Brian, but he got a yellow card for his troubles as the ref thought he'd dived. The ref was a hated man from their on in.

Just after that incident the scores were levelled. Cristian Montano got down the left hand side before whipping in a poor cross that was booted away by the Gills defender, however it only found Billy Bingham. The ball rebounded off of the midfielders chest before sitting nicely for him to hit it, and hit it he did. A powerful deflected shot found its way into the far corner of Ross Flitneys net to make it 1-1. That was Billy's first goal for the club on his first league start this season. 

Shortly afterwards the ball as put into the box and cleared, before falling to former Gillingham player Kevin Maher. In the few times I've seen the man shoot, they've been horrid shots and this was more of the same, slicing his effort just wide of the mark when passing the ball may have been the better option. It was then straight back up the other end as Danny Jackman crossed a good ball in which Garry Richards could only head over the top. The game was becoming increasingly open which enabled Jo Kuffour to get another shot away, but it was pushed behind by Lewington once more.

With just over 35 minutes played and Gillingham came close to restoring their advantage. A corner on the left from Jackman found the head of Kedwell who nodded it towards goal and it looked for the life of me that it was going in. However, Dom Green was on the post to head it away and clear the danger, something that was lacking vs Burton two weeks previous. The Daggers then began to pressure Gillinghams back line; with Femi & Montano both putting tricky crossed into the box which tested their resilience.

With just over 40 minutes played, Cristan Montano was ruled offside when he was going through on goal, but it was the challenge that ensued afterwards that caused uproar amongst Daggers fans. Garry Richards scythed through the on loan Hammers attacker after the whistle had gone to enrage the Sieve and leave Montano crumpled on the ground. Unbelievably the referee just gave Richards a talking to when surely a yellow card would have been the correct option.



Half Time.

 That was the end of the first half action and what a first half it was. Plenty of action at both ends of the pitch and the referee in the centre of controversy, we were certainly getting our moneys worth. One thing I forgot to mention is a well done to the club, who played part of John Still's tremendous Daggers Player interview pre match and I personally believe it really stirred the crowd. A fantastic touch by letting all of the fans inside the ground hear that as it really was a fantastic speech.

The Daggers started the second half the brighter, Jon Nurse & Greeny swinging a couple of balls in which were gathered well by Flitney. Sortly afterwards Michael Spillane registered his first shot of the evening which stung the gloves of the 'keeper at best. John Stills men then won another corner after some good work down the right by Jon Nurse. Dominic Green took it once more and it found the head of Montano who's header was cleared off the line, Richard Rose's follow up was then tipped over by Flitney for another corner. This time the ball was cleared, but only to Kevin Maher who lined up another one of his speculative efforts that went high into the Traditional Builders Stand.

The rain began to lash down even more now at Victoria Road to create a mist in the air as Montano hit a tame shot towards the stomach of Flitney who gathered easily once more. Danny Kedwell was then given a free header from a cross in, but could only contrive to head wide of the mark; yet more slack marking. Then came a heart in mouth moment for all Daggers fans. The ball was running back towards Lewington's goal and Scott Doe assumed that Lewy would come out and gather it up. A mix up in communication saw Curtis Weston nip in round former Weymouth man Doe and draw a good stop from Lewington. The corner came to nothing.

The Daggers Celebrate

Just after the 60 minute mark in the encounter, the Daggers finally took a somewhat deserved lead. The ball fell to Dominic Green on the edge of the box who was urged to shoot by everyone, myself included. However, he used his vision to spot Brian Woodall just to the left of him and inside the box unmarked. With a neat prod of the foot, Green played in Woodall who stroked the ball home into the far corner at the first time of asking to make it 2-1 and send the Daggers delirious. Another fantastic finish by Woodall to further increase his ever growing fan club. However, Dominic Green has been a fantastic addition in recent weeks and we can see just what a difference he's making with that superb assist.

Gillingham were clearly rattled and Matt Lawrence was quickly booked after bringing down Jon Nurse. The Gills got a corner which was taken by Joe Martin, however the just booked Lawrence could only head the ball over the bar and out of play for a goal kick. By this time the Sieve was bouncing up and down with songs and not even a yellow card to Montano after a show of petulance could sour it. We hadn't had a card for over 60 minutes and then came a spate of them, not only the two I've just mentioned, but Andy Frampton also got his name in Mr Millers book.

Gillingham then made their first change of the evening with Lewis Montrose coming on for the somewhat anonymous Joe Martin as Andy Hessenthaler went three at the back to try and conjure up an equaliser. Just after that the Daggers tried to add a third to seal the game, but Femi's effort was saved with ease, much to my disappointment. The lad is coming closer and closer to scoring by the week, I feel it's only a matter of time before he etches his name on the scoresheet. It's worth noting that his last few games have infact kept McCrory out of the team without a sniff which is no mean feat. I can firmly say that Femi is our first choice left back now I feel.

Andy Hessenthaler then made his final two subs in an attempt to salvage something from the Gills' lacklustre second half performance. Stefan Payne came on for Curtis Weston, whilst Dennis Oli replaced Danny Kedwell, much to mine and several others delight. The final action of the game was in injury time, when Femi tracked back and made a really "arbeit" to deny Oli a chance on goal. A superb tackle from the defender to keep the 2-1 lead.

The Final Whistle

Minutes later and the referee blew up, a superb three points against tough opposition. John Still shook hands with Andy Hessenthaler, a player he signed in 1991 for Redbridge Forest as they won the Ismithian League title. The cheers rang out from Victoria Road as the Daggers celebrated a much deserved win against a poor Gills side. My man of the match would probably be Brian Woodall. As I've said he's come on leaps and bounds in the past month or so and he is a real asset to this club.



The all round ream performance and work ethic was brilliant, I was especially impressed with Billy Bingham. He never stopped working and trying to win the ball and got a goal to his name as well. Femi also had a blinding game at left back, whilst Richard Rose got on with his job quietly on the right side, no major problems there. Into midfield and I thought Dom Green had a good game and is turning into a really good player, hustling defenders with his pace and trickery before getting a very neat assist for the second goal. Kevin Maher brings a degree of calm and experience to the side as well as playing some good passes to set up chances. Cristian Montano didn't have the best of games, but it was good enough!



The Gills fans + some blokes head.

 As for Gillingham, not particularly impressed with the second half performance, although the first half was somewhat mediocre. Jo Kuffour caused some problems, whilst the right winger who may have been Curtis Weston or Danny Jackman were a decent threat when given time with the ball. Hard to tell where Gillingham will finish, for now I'll say in the play off mix.

It's also worth noting that we ended Gillingham's run of 9 games unbeaten, furthermore we're the first time to come from behind and defeat them this season.

That just about rounds off another Blog, luckily BT sorted out the Broadband so I was able to do this one! I'll leave you with highlights of the game, which were recorded on Sky Sports News this morning. They own the rights to the footage and all that.

Next up is Southend United at Roots Hall on 2nd January, good luck to everyone getting there including myself! Before we entertain Millwall at Victoria Road in the 3rd round of the FA Cup. Happy new year to all Daggers and every other fan that reads this!