Daggers 2-3 Port Vale, Feed The Pope

Dagenham & Redbridge succumbed to a disappointing 3-2 defeat at home to Port Vale on Saturday afternoon to end 2012 on a two game losing streak. Despite efforts from Sam Williams in the first half and Scott Doe late on, Daggers never really managed to get going. Micky Adams’ men were simply clinical, with a fantastic volley from Louis Dodds following up strikes from Tom Pope and Jennison Myrie-Williams. 

Before the match I wasn't particularly optimistic. We've never beaten Vale at home; moreover they were 2nd in the league which obviously brings its own problems. After the way we were dismantled by Southend on Boxing Day I feared for us against the even more clinical Tom Pope and co. Saying that however, we always tend to end the year well and were unbeaten against the Burslem outfit in our last two matches.

An overcast sky greeted us at Victoria Road where a significantly fewer number of people had turned out for the second of the two Christmas home games. The teams were swiftly announced with a couple of changes in store...

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

John Still wielded the metaphorical axe following a lacklustre display against Southend on Boxing Day. The most significant change was that of Josh Scott replacing Jake Reed alongside Sam Williams. Kevin Maher was also recalled for the first time since his appearance against Oxford, he came in for Matt Saunders who had picked up a knock in the warm up. Dominic Green continues to be deployed as Paul Daniels' new assistant and as a result, is still missing, presumed vanished.

Port Vale: Neal, Yates, McCombe, Duffy, Chilvers, Myrie-Williams, Morsy, Burge, Dodds, Pope, Andrew. Subs: Johnson, McDonald, Taylor, Shuker, James, Lloyd, Williamson. 

With the chance to go top with a win due to Gillingham not playing, Micky Adams would have been looking to keep the same team that defeated Rotherham United on Boxing Day. Unfortunately though the Valiants were forced into a single change, captain and former Dagger Doug Loft was missing through a suspected stomach bug which allowed Calvin Andrew to replace him. Ashley Vincent was also missing once again.

As the 256 Vale fans took their place in the Traditional Builders Stand, the referee blew his whistle to signal kick off. It was the home side who were quickest out of the blocks with Kevin Maher forcing Chris Neal into a low save following a partially cleared corner. It was déjà-vu soon after though as Daggers conceded an early goal. Chris Lewington once again made a rash judgement to collect the ball when he wasn't entitled to which allowed Adam Yates to cross for Tom Pope to nod home with 4 minutes played. Terrible defensive mistakes were punished once again.

Just as John Still's men had regrouped, they were hit with a sucker punch in the 9th minute. Myrie-Williams bypassed the Daggers defence before latching onto a beautifully weighted through ball and finished coolly past the onrushing Lewington to make it 2-0. With less than 10 minutes played it was looking like an impossible task for the Daggers, who were staring down the barrel of a second successive home defeat,

The game then took a more relaxed tone for the ensuing five minutes with Vale looking more than content with their lead. With 17 minutes played - controversy. Sam Williams burst into the box on the right hand side before being upended by Liam Chilvers. To everyone inside the ground it looked like a perfectly time challenged, the direction of the ball had clearly changed and barely anyone claimed for a penalty. The referee though had others ideas, after consultation with his official, he pointed to the spot.

Everyone looked in disbelief; even the Daggers players looked a bit embarrassed. As Ryan Burge limped off for treatment up one end, Sam Williams sent Chris Neal the wrong way at the other to reduce the deficit to 2-1. Whilst it was completely undeserved, some credit should go to Medy Elito for two crunching tackles to set up Williams' run down the right hand side. They were superb and really got the crowd going.

Both sides became more frantic in their approach. Liam Chilvers and Myrie-Williams both had shots blocked; meanwhile Tom Pope somehow squandered a marvellous headed chance by hitting it into the ground. Calvin Andrew also headed over from a corner before a period of Daggers pressure where Luke Howell saw his shot from outside the box deflected wide for a corner. Also, have you ever wondered what life would be like if Josh Scott had a right foot? Me too.

Then came Port Vale's third that was the knife in the Daggers coffin. Micky Spillane gave the ball away after being crowded out on the edge of the Vale box allowing the Valiants to spring a breakaway. Calvin Andrew played in Louis Dodds who rather than having a foot race against Femi, fired home an unstoppable volley from outside the box that flew past Lewington and into the back of the net. The strike drew applause from the Sieve as it was of genuine quality. The real question though, was why there were only two defenders in our own half - not good enough.

The Daggers ended the half in the ascendancy but were unable to make it 3-2. Luke Howell saw another shot blocked; meanwhile Chris Neal was on hand to prevent Micky Spillane finding the net from a tight angle. Despite a rather dodgy defensive display, Daggers weren't playing that bad like some of our supporters made out. If we could nick an early goal in the second half, I was confident we could make a game of it and maybe even push on for the draw.

As a reduced number of Daggerettes performed at half time, the Vale players wearing their Fulham replica kits returned to the pitch. To dampen spirits further, the rain also began to lash down causing tricky conditions as we started the second half. The hosts nearly pulled one back instantaneously. John McCombe's challenge brought down Sam Williams which allowed Medy Elito to swing in a wonderful free kick that went through everyone before clipping the outside of the post.

Chances were now coming thick and fast with Luke Wilkinson narrowly missing the target from outside the box. Then it was Vale's turn to attack once more and they would have gone 4-1 ahead had it not been for a last gasp goal-line clearance from Scott Doe. Nevertheless Vale continued to push forward with Louis Dodds' thunderous volley flashing just wide of the target. Tom Pope who saw a header blocked a few minutes earlier then tried his luck again, this time however he failed to hit the target.

Daggers though weren't giving up and had it not been for a back peddling Chris Neal tipping Micky Spillane's wondrous chip over the bar, they may have had their equaliser. Josh Scott who was lagging with his fitness was then replaced by Brian Woodall which received a large roar of approval from the Sieve. We then had a mini break in play for treatment to Chris Lewington after he dived at Myrie-Williams' feet to collect a loose ball, only to get a face full of leather in the process.

Kevin Maher hadn't really lived up to his pre match billing upon his return and was duly replaced by tricky winger Jake Caprice on 73 minutes. Maher has the ability to control the midfield and influence a game with his vast experience, unfortunately on Saturday afternoon too many mistakes cost the former Southend captain. Vale were continuing to soak up Daggers pressure as Caprice was involved straight away, firing in a well weighted cross into the box that was cleared.

Caprice was continuing to cause problems on the right hand side as his pin point cross was met by Woodall whose header was pushed wide thanks to a superb stop from Neal. Port Vale were still looking dangerous on the breakaway and may have extended the lead if not for superb tracking back from Luke Wilkinson. 

With 83 minutes played, it was looking like a lost cause for Daggers unless they got a goal back sharpish. As luck would have it, they did. Luke Howell's free kick was knocked on by Brian Woodall into the path of centre half Scott Doe who controlled the ball and executed the finish in superb fashion. Chris Neal was left with no chance as the score was reduced to 3-2. The Sieve was now rocking in hope of a possible 3-3 draw.

Try as they might, the hosts couldn't find that elusive equalising goal. Brian Woodall nearly dragged the ball around Chris Neal, but the 'keeper acted superbly to deny the substitute. The visitors rode both the literal and metaphorical storm to see out what you would probably credit to them as a deserved victory. Despite dominating possession in the second half, Daggers couldn't make it count and as a result the sheer clinical finishing of Vale shone through.

John Still will be disappointed by the fashion in which the first was conceded, but unfortunately it was down to individual error. Chris Lewington's judgement was poor and hopefully it's something that he's learning from and addressing. The third goal wasn't good enough defensively, the ease at which Dodds was allowed into the Daggers half was poor. Usually we’re pretty sound in those sort of situations, but today for whatever reason it wasn’t there. Then again, that's what we get for pushing men forward at that stage in the game.

One massive plus point this afternoon was the performance of Medy Elito. He showed real grit and determination, the like of which we've very rarely seen from him in a Daggers shirt. One passage of play where he won the ball, gave it away, then won it again and ultimately gave it away again seemed to sum up his season up to this point. Luke Howell was also impressive as ever, whilst Scott Doe didn't have a bad game either. 

As for Port Vale, the main point I'm getting across here is that they were extremely clinical. Any error that we made, they punished. Their defence was sturdy for the large part and if they manage to keeps their attack together I can definitely see them getting promoted. You can see how much they missed Doug Loft however, as they were left extremely exposed at left back when Jake Caprice was introduced.

We now move on to Northampton Town on New Year’s Day, a team against which the Daggers have never won - so hopefully we'll change that stat. I'd also love to see Jake Caprice given a starting berth on NYD as he really seems to trouble the full backs. On the other hand, Akinfenwa will more than likely score a hat trick against us and we'll trudge home despondent and wondering what went wrong. 

Until then, have a good New Year! Remember to follow me on Twitter, @NickdrfcMurphy

Port Vale 0-1 Daggers, A Valiant Performance



Make sure you enjoy this!

Dagenham & Redbridge concluded March by taking all three points from Staffordshire as John Still's men edged away from the relegation zone following a 1-0 win at Vale Park. This result also saw a fantastic return of 10 points from the previous 12 available, a severe upturn in fortunes following the depression after the Northampton Town defeat over a month ago.

As this was an away game, my report will entail interesting and perhaps boring details and anecdotes from my day, starting with the over ground and tube to Euston where we eventually had an overpriced breakfast at 10:15. Joining me, Bill, Lee & Chaz for the trip up to Staffordshire would be James, completing a hat trick of Coves. My one pre match thought was having seen us win away just the once, I can't say I was particularly overjoyed with watching us play a team we've only managed to beat once in our five previous attempts.

At 10:46 our train departed and we were on our way up towards the North of the country. Whilst on the train we encountered some rather ignorant Northampton fans and a nice chap on his laptop who participated in conversation until he had to get off at the paradise that was Tamworth. Our journey continued and after passing the most boring name ever in, "Stone", we arrived at Stoke-On-Trent Station just after 13:00. We then got into a cab and headed towards the ground.

On our short sightseeing tour of Stoke, I can't say I was particularly impressed, I'm sorry to say that it looked like we were transported back to the 1970's. It was actually a scene from Coronation Street, you half expected to turn a corner and see a Roy's Rolls sign above a shop. After a £12.00 taxi bill split between five of us (you do the math), we arrived at Vale Park for around 13:30.

After getting out of the taxi we encountered BBC London's very own Stuart Smith who asked me and Bill to do an interview for the radio station. After next to no persuasion we gladly participated and our wise opinions were hopefully heard back down South. After this, we decided to celebrate our new found fame by going into the very welcoming Vale clubhouse that contained several bucket collections to raise money to save their club. I would have given some change, but I didn't have any coppers on me.

After a few more drinks, Lee and I proceeded to get our tickets and head on through the turnstiles and into the ground itself. As we were hungry we then decided to try out the Vale cuisine, with no burgers or chips on offer it was sure to be a poor affair. After sampling the cold hot dog in a small bun I was correct, absolutely dire. Once again they had sachets of sauce rather than bottle's. Absolutely shocking so far, so I was hoping the ground would boost my estimations of the place.

Our Away End.

You walked out of the concourse and were greeted with a somewhat enclosed away end thanks to the massive scoreboard blocking your view of the sky. We were situated in the rather large "SNEYD Stand" as it was advertised on the ticket. The 4500 capacity was just enough to contain the multitude of Daggers supporters, our numbers also meant we were only given the centre of the stand which was fair enough. I have to say as well that we had a very good view of the pitch with nothing blocking our way.

To the left of us was the Railway Stand where the more vocal of the home support would be situated. Once again this was all seated, but unsurprisingly it was nowhere near full despite the game being designated as a "fans day." Next to this was the Sentinel Family Stand located in the corner of the pitch, you could argue this was a somewhat pointless addition to the stadium itself.

Opposite us was the Bycars end which is almost a carbon copy of the away stand with its low downward pointing roof and the pointless multicoloured seats. This was a feature which annoyed me about the whole of the stadium, the pointless multicoloured seats. It made the stadium look chequered and in some cases a bit of a blur, this marked the whole experience down in my book.

The Lorne Stand is the very smart looking main stand which also contains a somewhat over the top 48 executive boxes. Although it is officially called, "The Lorne Stand", someone had comically taken off the "Lorne", so it just read as The Stand, how droll. Whilst the far side looked very impressive, the near side was a shambles as it wasn't completed. There were about eight seats bolted down into the grey concrete which looked ready to be finished off. Lack of funds obviously meant that concluding the building work is currently impossible.

As Bill, James & Charlie arrived to join us, the teams were read out over the loudest tannoy in The Football League.

Port Vale: Tomlinson, Yates, McCombe, McDonald, Griffith, Loft, Rigg, Morsy, Dodds, Richards, Williamson. Subs: Martin, Roe, Marshall, James, Pope.

Micky Adams made three changes from the side that started at Shrewsbury on Tuesday night but failed to finish due to safety concerns. Sean Rigg and former Dagger Doug Loft were restored to the starting line up after recovering from an illness that has besieged the camp. Striker Ben Williamson was also recalled by the financially stricken outfit, meaning that former Crewe man Tom Pope would have to be content with watching from the bench.

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

John Still decided to make two changes from the side that started in last weekend’s late smash and grab victory over Accrington Stanley. Brian Woodall was given his first start since the defeat against Northampton, whilst Billy Bingham made his 26th appearance of the campaign. This meant that John Akinde dropped to the bench whilst Josh Parker was out of the squad altogether due to an assumed injury. This also saw the Daggers line up in a more rigid 4-5-1 formation, something we became accustomed to last season when playing away from home.

(Yes I'm well aware my camera is rubbish)

The teams came out just after 15:00 with the music over the tannoy so loud that you could barely hear yourself think. After the pre match rituals and so forth, we were off at Vale Park and within 60 seconds of the match there was a talking point. Anthony Griffin made a rash sliding challenge on Abu Ogogo which resulted in a few minutes of treatment for the former Arsenal youngster whilst Griffin received one of the fastest yellow cards of the season.

After this incident, Vale decided to try and get an early goal, forcing Lewington to head clear outside of his box, whilst Richards tested Lewy with another tame shot. Minutes later and the home side had a good opportunity to open the scoring once again following a misplaced Damien McCrory pass, luckily Louis Dodds couldn't capitalise and hit his shot straight at the body of Lewington.

The Daggers then broke away down the left hand side with Medy Elito, after some neat footwork the winger laid the ball to Bingham on the outside of the box, his low strike was saved well on the floor by the diving Tomlinson. The game then became increasingly scrappy as Spillane & Woodall were crowded out just outside of the Vale box; both were unable to get the shot away.

The game became rather flat as neither side could successfully exploit the widest pitch dimensions in the league. Vale were getting the best of their play down the right hand side, upsetting the bumbling McCrory, whilst the Daggers couldn't get the ball enough to playmaker Elito meaning it was becoming a bit of a stalemate between Ogogo & Griffith in the middle of the park who continued to clash.

The Railway End Stand.

The home fans located in the Railway End were becoming increasingly agitated by the referee's superb decision making. One incident that I remember in particular being when Marc Richards cut inside and was "taken down" just outside the box. The referee waved play on which in my opinion was the correct call as Richards had clearly been shot by the imaginary sniper in the crowd. Poor play from the clubs most senior player.

The game once again began to have more impetus and it was the Daggers who nearly took the lead as Spillane headed just wide from a McCrory corner, the former Brentford man really should have managed to get his attempt on target. From the resulting goal kick, Morsy & Baudry clashed which caused the Frenchman to have to undergo some treatment on his head from John Gowens. This incident also saw Morsy get a yellow card for his troubles.

Both sides made one final hurrah before the half time whistle, the Valiant’s' two strikers Marc Richards & Ben Williamson could only poke two half chances at Lewington before Mark Arber made a smart clearance. At the other end Medy Elito bent a curling shot towards the far corner from 20 yards out which hit the inside of the post and trickled agonisingly across the goalmouth before being cleared to safety as the scores remained level.

The half time whistle blew and the sides went in at the interval deservedly level, even though the Daggers had come by far the closer to breaking the deadlock. After getting another headache from the booming tannoy, I decided to try the tea at Vale as I was becoming cold thanks to the decreasing temperatures. It was the sorriest excuse for a cuppa I have ever seen and tasted. It could be described at best as murky water and to be perfectly frank, that's what it tasted like as well. Absolutely horrific.

As I continued to drink what was loosely described as tea, the sides emerged from the tunnel to another booming serenade from the speakers. Neither side had made a change during the break meaning it was as you were for kick off. The Essex side began the second half the better, seeing a Bingham shot deflected wide for a corner, whereas Woodall's overhead kick was only endangering a low flying bird as it cleared the stand. From Bingham's shot came a McCrory corner which was aimed towards the front post. Scott Doe made the infamous run and got his nut on the ball, unfortunately though Tomlinson was equal to the attempt and saved with ease.

Port Vale then mustered their first attack of the second period much to the delight of their supporters; however Williamson could only manage to flick his shot wide of the mark. Williamson was then withdrawn to my surprise as I thought he looked threatening, however Tom Pope who is always a threat was brought on in his place. Sam Morsy was also withdrawn on 60 minutes, meaning former Man City youngster Ben Marshall would get a chance to shine for the remainder of the match.

At this point I would also like to express how cringey it was that Port Vale has sponsored substitutions. Whilst this may be a way of getting extra income, it just doesn't work for me; it almost felt as though every possible channel was being exploited for extra money. It may be to some peoples' tastes, but not to mine; cringe.

Mickey Spillane warming up earlier in the season.
(Once again I am aware my camera is rubbish)

With 65 minutes played, the away side took a bit of a shock lead in the fixture. Jon Nurse put his head in bravely on the right hand side to win a free kick for a high boot by a Vale player. The free kick was located in a very dangerous position, meaning that an enticing ball was surely imminent. After several minutes of hold up, Damien McCrory eventually hit a pinpoint ball onto the head of Mickey Spillane who rose highest to head home between the hands of Tomlinson. He ran off in celebration as we could scarcely believe we had the lead, Dagenham & Redbridge taking the lead twice away from home in as many games? Who'd have thought it! With 25 minutes to play, the question was could we hold on or possibly even extend the scoreline.

As news filtered through that we were sitting in 19th position as it all stood, Mark Arber continued his fantastic afternoon by clearing the ball up field from a menacing Richards free kick. Port Vale were urging their team forward to get that equaliser, but the Daggers back line was resilient, in particular Baudry who took another knock to the head for his troubles. Somewhat unusually for a Frenchman, he wasn't shying away from battle.

After some persistent attacking from the home side, Dagenham managed to force a breakaway down the right hand side. Elito & McCrory exchanged passes before the ball was given to Bingham in the middle. The midfield maestro picked out a sublime cross field ball which found McCrory running into the box. The pass was taken into his stride in a somewhat lackadaisical fashion by McCrory who managed to prod the ball into the centre of the box where no Daggers man was able to latch onto the end of it. The danger was eventually cleared by Vale.

Crawley loan player Charlie Wassmer
http://www.images.teamtalk.com/

There was then a substitution apiece for both sides. Firstly Baudry was forced off for the Daggers with an apparent cramp, meaning Charlie Wassmer was thrust into his Daggers debut at the back. Micky Adams also made his final throw of the dice, taking off the underperforming Louis Dodds for Chelmsford born defender Phil Roe. This change also enabled Doug Loft to push forward into his more natural midfield position.

Then came a frantic five minutes of action. Firstly Sean Rigg hit a shot that flashed wide of the post which worried me slightly. However, in the next move I really thought it was all level. A free kick from inside the Vale half found its way into the box where it was headed into the path of bulky defender Clayton McDonald. A single touch set the unmarked man up, and with his second he rifled a shot towards the roof of the net which was tipped over superbly by the acrobatic Lewington.

From the resulting corner, Scott Doe headed the ball clear to Adam Yates who crossed the ball back in towards Pope. Charlie Wassmer went over the top to head the ball clear which he done successfully, but climbed over Pope in the process causing the midfielder to fall to the floor and the referee to point to the spot. Wassmer was not booked, but it certainly wasn't the way he would have liked to have marked his debut. I personally thought it was rather harsh, but I can see why it's been given.

It was now a straight shootout, Marc Richards vs. Chris Lewington. I made a silent prayer to myself, the whistle blew, the ball went to our right and Lewington’s left. Lewington went to the left and saved the penalty! I jumped up in the air prematurely as I realised that the danger was not clear. Lewington followed his save up with two more fantastic blocks before Mark Arber smashed the ball up in the air as a sort of half hearted clearance. It was danger over for now, a fantastic save from Lewington who has come in for all kinds of stick in the past few weeks.



Woodall was withdrawn. (Thanks to Arnu from the
forum for the picture which was taken away at
Southend earlier in the season.

John Still then decided to make his second change of the game following the penalty; Brian Woodall who worked tirelessly all afternoon was taken off for Josh Scott who would hopefully run himself into the ground for the final ten minutes. The final ten were all about Medy, Nursey & Josh making sure the ball didn't find its way out of the corner of the pitch and they done that superbly, a professional show of time wasting. Vale threatened with several throw in’s in dangerous positions, but never really looked like scoring.

With 94 minutes played, the referee finally blew his whistle to signal the end of the game and a first Daggers Saturday away league win since August. An absolutely tremendous result for all involved, everyone headed down the front of the stand as Fireflies by Owl City blared over the tannoy once more. We applauded the players and the players applauded us, everyone was beaming at such an important and unexpected win.

I can give you the names of four of five players that I feel deserve extra credit following the win.

Mark Arber & Mathieu Baudry, a simply superb and resolute performance by the pair at the back. They've really steadied the defence and were once again superb yesterday; it's no mean feat stopping a team that has Marc Richards in.

Chris Lewington, he's come in for a lot of flak recently and he silenced his doubters yesterday afternoon. He made a string of superb saves to deny Vale from scoring, the first time that's happened in 14 games, a run stemming back to early January. Even more impressive is the fact that it's the first time since November that Vale have failed to score at home.

Mickey Spillane, I advise you now to lump money on him being our top scorer next season at this rate! Not only was his goal well taken, he created opportunities and his fancy footwork caused all kinds of trouble for the Valiants.

Billy Bingham, a fantastic performance from the youngster in the middle of the park. He got around well and his cross field ball to McCrory in the second half displayed immaculate vision, I really hope he gets a run now until the end of the season.

Medy Elito & Brian Woodall, they both ran themselves into the ground once again and provided a real nuisance factor in their own right. I was very sceptical about both early in the season, but I'm extremely happy to say that they're proving me wrong. Take nothing away from the team though, because they performed together and everyone played well as individuals.

The Daggers players clap us supporters

As for Port Vale though, they just need to create more opportunities and put away their chances. They played some excellent balls to change the emphasis of the play, furthermore their defence was relatively resolute, especially the man mountain himself Clayton McDonald. Another win or a draw in fact should see them safe; I wish them the best of luck for the rest of the season.

I also need to congratulate our supporters as we made a fantastic noise (or so it seemed), when we went a goal up. It spurred the team on and we need to replicate that for the final three away games of the season as well as the three home matches. All of the 114 that made the trip should be proud.

We eventually headed out of the ground where we were approached by a weird individual who gave us a kind of salute and a handshake as well as wishing us the best for the rest of the season. It was kind of him, but the manner in which he did it was rather disturbing. We were then subject to chants of "you're going down" by some Wolves fans who clearly hadn’t looked at The Premier League Table.

Our taxi eventually arrived and we were back at the station just before 17:45, James even managed to barter the cabbie down to a fare of £2 each. What a nice chap! The buoyant Daggers contingent got on the train and took up a whole carriage, as well as our group we also had Joe, Matt & Chris, I was also informed that The Upminster Daggers were somewhere on the train.

Arrival back at Euston at 19:30 where after several tube trains and an over ground from Liverpool Street to Chadwell Heath, we found ourselves at home in good time after a nice long day of travelling and picking up three points. It was only the second time in twenty-six attempts that I've seen us win away from home which made it all the more sweeter. We're also now four games unbeaten, two of which came away from home.

Next up is Burton Albion at home on Good Friday, whilst on Easter Monday we face the trip to Gillingham's scaffolding. If we can get six points from now until the end of the season, I think we'll be capable of staying up. We're currently 19th, the highest we've been since September...I hope you don't suffer from vertigo!

Thanks for reading and remember to follow me on Twitter, @NickDRFCMurphy. I would also be extremely thankful if you could either, "uptweet" this Blog or share it on Twitter or Facebook.

Daggers 1-2 Port Vale, Sinking Ship.

Nine straight league defeats and now bottom of the entire football league; it can't really get much worse can it? Guess what, it can; next week we face Burton Albion who have the leagues second top scorer in Billy Kee and then a massive clash at home to rivals Barnet on Boxing Day.

Going into the game I was strangely confident considering our most recent performance against Walsall the week previous and Port Vales recent form which has been woeful; much like our own. I predicted a 1-1 as that had been the score the two times Vale had visited this part of London/ Essex before and I'd have taken that result today to be honest. I got into the ground at around 2:30 and went straight to book the coach for Burton Albion next week; another ground to be ticked off! About five minutes later I got myself a burger and a tea and settled in the Sieve to watch the extravaganza of football that would shortly be on offer.

Dagenham & Redbridge Team: Lewington, Femi, Doe, Geohaghan, Spillane, Tomlin, Gain, Ogogo, Nurse, Scott, Woodall. Subs: Hogan, Rose, Elito, Bingham, Cunnington.

One of the biggest shocks for us all was that Stilly had chosen to change the back line. Exodus came in to partner Doe; even though Doey & Spillane looked a very assured partnership last weekend. This meant that Richard Rose dropped to the bench as Spillane took up the right back position. Damien Scannell & James Shea had left the club in midweek, this move saw Gavin Tomlin get a start and "reserve" goalkeeper Dave Hogan get a place on the bench. Adam Cunnington was also back after being cup tied last weekend, he managed to nab a place on the bench, whilst Montano was out with a groin strain.

Port Vale Team: Tomlinson, Yates, McCombe, Collins, Chilvers, Taylor, Griffith, Loft, Myrie-Williams, Pope, Madjo. Subs: McDonald, Roberts, Rigg, Richards, Williamson.

Doug Loft returned to Dagenham for the first time, Lofty had a loan spell here from Brighton a couple of seasons ago. Vale were unchanged from their 0-0 draw against Torquay two weeks previous, however a couple of players were replaced on the bench. Rob Kozluk & Louis Dodds (no relation to Ken) made way for Marc Richards who had been missing for some time through injury. Ben Williamson was also back from injury and replaced Dodds on Micky Adams' substitutes bench.

The teams came out at roughly 3:00 with the sun shining down on Victoria Road. Someone told me there was meant to be protests by the Vale fans regarding their board. If they were intended to be done during the game, I can only assume they were giving out the silent treatment. After the teams swapped, meaning the Daggers would be attacking the Bury Road end and Vale their own fans; we kicked off.

Micky Adams' side had the first chance of the encounter, Guy Madjo firing over from inside Chris Lewingtons six yard box. Dagenham & Redbridge's first shot came just before ten minutes, the ball was crossed in from the left hand side before falling to Tomlin at the back post. He took a touch and had time, before blazing it over the bar much to everyones frustration. Anyone in favour of a new rule for Tomlin? Whenever he shoots John Still should dock £100 from his wages.

The Daggers then began to establish something of a foothold in the encounter just after the ten minute mark. The second chance was for Josh Scott, but a wild swing saw the ball go tamely off for a goal kick. Swiftly afterwards a cross came into the box which found the head of Brian Woodall. Brian got a good connection, but the header went just wide of the mark and out for a goal kick once more. Very positive stuff though. Just minutes later and 'keeper Stuart Tomlinson was called into action for the first time. Josh Scott unleashed a fierce shot from outside the box which he palmed away, but only to Jon Nurse. The Barbados International fired a shot low and hard on the volley at the man between the sticks, but he saved it again before Nurse was given a third go. This time it was pushed out for a corner to the Daggers.



Following Port Vale's quick equaliser.

 A minute or so later however and the Daggers did gain the lead of the game. A throw in down the right was knocked forward into the box and it found Brian Woodall.  He controlled it well before getting the shot away; a deflection saw the ball go past Tomlinson to hit the back of the net. The Sieve became very jubilant as did Woodall who netted his third goal of the season. Just as we were settling back down from the celebrations; straight from kick off the ball was given to Jennison Myrie-Williams, he took a couple of touches before unleashing a purler of a shot. From when it left his boot you could tell where it was going; sure enough it flew between Lewington & the post to make it 1-1 about 20 seconds after we took the lead. It was nice while it lasted! A superb goal from Vale nonetheless and one that Lewy could do nothing about.

Port Vale then asserted a degree of pressure on the home side; forcing several corners all of which were cleared away for corner after corner. On about 35 minutes, Lewington produced a truly world class save. Tom Pope got the ball and dribbled forward a few yards before unleashing a belter of a strike on the Daggers goal. Lewington looked as though he didn't have a hope or a prayer, but he got his fingertips on it to send the ball onto the bar and out for a corner. Brilliant play from both the striker and the goalkeeper.

The Valiants then had another flurry of corners before the Daggers went on a mini break upfield; it resulted in Peter Gain been brought over for the umpteenth time by Myrie Williams, this time we got a free kick for it. The free kick was taken be everyones favourite player Gavin Tomlin. He took it and it hit the scoreboard to everyone's dismay as everyone expected. That was effectively the last thing of note in the first half. There were more Vale corners and several more fouls to end the first forty five. A very even game so far and probably a deserved 1-1.

We go in for half time.

My assessment of the first half? Woodall looked like our best player once again although Gainy & Abu were giving him a run for his money in the middle of the park. No matter what anyone says about Gainy being finished, I assure you he is not. Not only is he the engine room of the midfield, he can also string a good pass along to create a move. Tomlin & Exodus were very poor in my opinion, Gav we all know and I'm disappointed for him because if he could actually shoot then he'd probably be a good player to have. Exodus looked sluggish and this would inevitably cause problems at the back if Vale managed to get a break.

The teams came back out for the second half as the sun was descending and the floodlights were being switched on, giving Victoria Road a feeling of dusk. The first opportunity of the second half came from Brian Woodall, just seconds after the restart. I didn't see the build up, but he unleashed one from about 25 yards which was just turned over from Tomlinson between the sticks to give Dagenham a corner. The recent goals have really given Woodall a welcome boost of confidence and he now looks like one of our best players.

Peter Gain was next to get a shot off on goal, but his strike was sliced and ended up going into the far corner of the Traditional Builders Stand. Only causing harm to the Youth Teamers who were sitting there. Up the other end Gavin Tomlin received the first booking of the game for a poor challenge on Myrie-Williams which was quite ironic really. Williams had made several failed attempts to gain control of the ball from a Daggers player in the first half and wasn't cautioned for any of them. I hate referee's. The free kick though was pushed clear of the far post by a Daggers defender to set up another barrage of corners which were all defended aqequately.

Then came a flurry of action at both ends of the pitch. From one of the Vale corners Brian Woodall who suddenly had a spring in his step broke away. He carried the ball the whole length of the pitch in a gutbusting run, but his final ball was intercepted and forced out for a corner kick. From the resulting corner, Vale managed to break away and their best player, Madjo fired over from just inside the 18 yard box to snuff out the danger. The game was now beginning to come alive all of a sudden, however Vale still looked like the side in the ascendency.



Vale celebrate their second.

 Sure enough, on 64 minutes Vale took the lead for the first time in the afternoon. Madjo played the ball back to Robert Taylor who was in his own half. Taylor, formerly of Nuneaton went on a superb run down the left, skipping past a helpless Spillane and donkey like Geohaghan before clipping in a low ball into the box which bypassed the first defender and attacker. However in the middle of the goal, Cameroonian Madjo got to the ball before Scott Doe and proceeded to hit the ball on the half volley into the centre of the goal and past Lewington who couldn't scramble across fast enough. Same old story for Dagenham as Vale who hadn't scored in their previous 500 minutes of football, had netted two in forty-one minutes.

This was the cue for a substitution, Medy Elito coming on for Gavin Tomlin and the general census from the fans is that if any player will be leaving in January, it will be Gav. Just five minutes later and Micky Adams made his first change of the game, swapping Guy Madjo who had been causing the Daggers defence problems all afternoon for Marc Richards which delighted Vale fans. A long awaited return for the striker. Just after this substitution, Tom Pope hit another shot at Lewington, but the stopper saved it well to keep the deficit at 2-1.

Then came perhaps the most bewildering substitution of the game. Brian Woodall (right)was replaced by Adam Cunnington to make his home debut. I have no problems with Cunnington coming on, but the fact Stilly chose to take off Woodall is something that I don't find particularly encouraging. Woodall was probably our biggest threat in the game, our best player and he's been taken off, what kind of message must that send to the lad who's worked his bollocks off all of the game?

The Daggers didn't look threatening at all for the final ten minutes, infact Marc Richards got a shot away on 85 minutes to try and further increase the away side's lead. Vale made tow more substitutions before full time, Sean Rigg replacing another thorn in Myrie-Williams whilst towards the end Clayton McDonald came on for Rob Taylor who had set up their second goal.

For the final ten minutes or so we could only really force corner after corner and these came to nothing as usual. The first ball was headed away, only for the second ball to fall to a Vale player as their was no Dagenham challenge whatsoever. This is how a lot of clubs score goals, through second balls, yet we seem scared to go in for them; another thing that needs working on. The final play of the game was on 93 minutes, the Daggers earned a corner, we were all urging Lewington to go up; after all, what did we have to lose? Yet John Still said no. I'm sorry, but our goal difference is so bad what will it matter if we concede another through trying to equalise. The wrong decision that angered the supporters and Lewington alike.

Full time, 2-1 to Port Vale. The only league club that's name isn't actually a place ended their league losing run to stretch the Daggers to a very unhealthy 9 straight league defeats. I have nothing to say, I mean what is there to say?



Vale Fans.

 Next up is Walsall on Tuesday night for the chance to get to the FA Cup 3rd Round and a lucrative tie against Millwall. In the league, we have our final away game of 2011 next weekend, away at Burton Albion, before we return to Victoria Road for a vital London derby against Barnet on Boxing Day.

I'll speak to you again next Sunday as I won't be able to attend the game in Poland in midweek.

Oh and the general consensus amongst the majority of fans when asked if Stilly should stay or go. Is stay. Here Here!