Rotherham United 1-2 Daggers, Wayne's World.

For any Dagenham & Redbridge supporters at the New York Stadium on Saturday afternoon, it's an afternoon they're unlikely to forget in a hurry. Goals from Medy Elito and Luke Wilkinson secured an important victory over the 10 man Millers who may feel slightly hard done by with the result. The real reason this victory means so much though comes in the form of Steve Evans. The Victoria Road outfit have now exacted double revenge over the pie eater extraordinaire having defeated the Millers by a 7-1 aggregate scoreline over the two meetings in this campaign.

Should you have asked Daggers fans before the game, the likelihood is that they'd have been expecting defeat. Rotherham were unbeaten in six and came into this off the back of a 4-0 away victory at Oxford in midweek. Dagenham meanwhile had won twice in their last ten outings with Wayne Burnett still looking for his first success as Interim manager following a draw and a defeat so far. The reverse fixture saw the Daggers win 5-0, but there wasn’t much hope of that this time around.

The journey to the deepest, darkest corner of Yorkshire began at 8:30am at Chadwell Heath Station. From there we travelled to Liverpool Street before jumping on the Metropolitan Line to Kings Cross. After a brief wait we boarded our train to Doncaster, where we arrived just shy of midday. The Northern Rail service from Doncaster to Rotherham was surprisingly well kept and bar a three minute delay all went according to plan, meaning we arrived in Rotherham just before 12:30.

After an unsurprising wait, we headed to the Bridge Inn. A good hour or so was spent in there, mainly in disbelief that Wigan had gone 3-0 up at Everton. An omen perhaps? I'm not too sure how it would be, but you have to grasp at anything when you support Daggers. After that we headed towards New York, where dreams are made of, by following the crumbling, narrow Yorkshire streets.

Upon arrival you see that Rotherham's new home is a gleaming, state of the art modern complex. It's probably one of the most impressive structures from the outside and it's instantly evident as to why it has been nominated for the prize of, "Best New Stadium", in the world. The fans gathered and entered through the turnstiles as we walked 3/4 of the way around the ground to find our entrance. Unsurprisingly there wasn't many Daggers fans queuing. Still, at least we know in the future we can get the cheapest possible tickets as they have barcode ticket scanners. 

We headed through to be greeted by a concrete structure that felt considerably warmer than the outside. With impressive facilities such as Sky TV and a well equipped tea-bar there was to be no complaints from any of our travelling faithful. As you walk up the steps you're met with one of the best interiors in the league. You wonder if the inside can meet the superb external of the stadium. But it can. If anything the four stands looked even better from the inside and you can really see why it's been nominated for such a prestigious award.

All four of the stands are different sizes and get gradually larger in stature if you go in a clockwise direction from the East Stand. The East & North Stands were the smallest two, but looked as though they would create the most noise as they were filling up fast. The West Stand is the main stand and it contains the dugouts, tunnel and the press boxes. They are all completed with metal and glass roofs that give a unique and modern feel to the stadium whilst allowing whatever light there was available, onto the pitch.

We however, we housed in the Morrison Stand which holds 2000 and unsurprisingly was all seated. We were given a section half the size of the stand which was more than enough. It offered an excellent unrestricted view of the proceedings despite being bloody cold thanks to a strong gusting wind throughout the afternoon. 

Just as we absorbed the features of the stadium, the teams were read out by the announcer as follows...

Rotherham United: Warrington, Davis, Mullins, Ridehalgh, Arnason, O'Connor, Pringle, Noble, Frecklington, Revell, Nardiello. Subs: Shearer, Tonge, Morgan, Rowe, Bradley, Odejayi, Agard.

Steve Evans remained with the starting XI that defeated Oxford United convincingly in midweek for the visit of Daggers. That meant the potent strike partnership of Alex Revell and Daniel Nardiello remained intact whilst midfield playmaker Ben Pringle continued to have a dominant role. Century old goalkeeper Andy Warrington continued to defy the retirement demands by coming out for the day once more.

Dagenham & Redbridge: Lewington, Hoyte, Doe, Wilkinson, Femi, Saunders, Ogogo, Howell, Maher, Elito, Scott. Subs: Seabright, Green, Bingham, Strevens, Reed, Dennis, Gracco. 

Wayne Burnett sprung a surprise by making three changes from last Saturday's defeat to Chesterfield. Sam Williams, Dominic Green and Ben Strevens were all taken out of the side and replaced by Medy Elito, Kevin Maher and Josh Scott who had recently returned from a loan spell at Ebbsfleet. It also meant Daggers would be lining up in a more resilient 4-5-1 formation as we continued to build upon Burnett's unbeaten away record of one game.

With that the teams were paraded onto the pitch by the Millerettes, which sounds more like a musical instrument than football cheerleaders. After avoiding the money spider above our heads, we applauded the side and the very dapper looking Wayne Burnett as we hoped to witness a first win under the new manager. Annoyingly the sides then switched ends which meant Daggers would be attacking the Morrison End in the first half and Millers the North End.

The referee blew his whistle and we were off. Almost immediately Daggers were put under pressure. Luke Wilkinson fouled Alex Revell which allowed Michael O'Connor to get a shot away from the free kick. He stepped over the ball but luckily for Daggers he could only manage to direct it wide of the goal. 

After that early attempt, the game took a more subdued tempo for the next 10 minutes. Both sides looked to find their feet in the contest which saw a lot of misplaced passes in the midfield area. The visitors nearly created a chance when Josh Scott linked up well with Luke Howell, but the former just played his pass too short which allowed the tight Millers defence to clear the danger.

With little under 15 minutes played, Burnett's side squandered their first real chance of the afternoon. Matt Saunders delivered a corner deep into the back post where Medy Elito knocked it down for an unmarked Abu Ogogo who could only stab the ball over the bar from close range. A good chance that Abu probably should have done better with given the circumstances. 

Despite having the larger share of possession, Rotherham were unable to create any clear cut opportunities. Poor communication from Scott Doe & Chris Lewington nearly let them in on the 20 minute mark, but luckily Luke Wilkinson was on hand to clear behind for a corner. The corner came to nothing and Daggers were able to break. The visitors went straight up the other end and after a good passage of play on the left hand side Luke Howell saw his fierce effort plucked out of the air well by Andy Warrington between the posts.

With 27 minutes played the hosts nearly opened the scoring. Following sustained pressure, Michael O'Connor had the chance to try his luck from a free kick once more. Again he curled the ball around the wall but once again it bent just wide of Chris Lewington's near post with the majority of Millers fans believing it had crept it. Not long after, Frecklington had the home fans at it again, but his deflected strike was gathered well by Chris Lewington.

Alex Revell has been the thorn in Daggers side before, and he nearly returned to haunt the Essex club again. The former Orient striker made a fantastic run down the left hand side before having his shot blocked superbly by a recovering Scott Doe. Even though the Millers looked the more likely to break the deadlock, the Daggers defence were coping admirably so far.

The half time whistle edged ever closer but the Millers were relentless in their pursuit of the lead. In particular they were looking menacing down the wings, however full backs Femi and Gavin Hoyte remained sturdy in their positions. That was of course, until the 46th minute. Hoyte lost possession just outside his own area which allowed Rotherham a chance to break the deadlock. With Lee Frecklington bearing down on goal Chris Lewington spread himself and made a superb save to deny the Millers the lead.

That piece of action just about concluded the first half with the sides going in level at 0-0. Rotherham may have felt as though they deserved to go in with the lead, but ultimately they failed to take their chance’s which is what matters most. Daggers were holding their own, even if they weren’t creating many chances going forward.

An inspired changed by Wayne Burnett?
(Picture thanks to @dcdagger)

As the biting wind continued to bellow through the stadium, the teams soon re-emerged for the second half. Wayne Burnett also made first change of the afternoon. The lacklustre Kevin Maher was replaced by the far younger Billy Bingham as Daggers looked to inject some urgency into their play. The referee blew his whistle and we began once more.

After a brief stoppage for Luke Wilkinson's accidental on purpose kick towards the head of Alex Revell, the match came alive. First Luke Howell & Josh Scott both fluffed their lines inside the penalty area as Rotherham managed to clear the danger. And then, O'Connor who had been a persistent thorn going forward all afternoon, saw his long range volley fly way over the bar.

But after that, came the real drama. Medy Elito raced onto a speculative punt forward from Luke Wilkinson before being brought down just inside the box by defender Kari Arnason. The referee had no hesitation in sending Arnason off and pointing to the spot to give the Daggers a penalty. After the dramatics at Bradford City around 10 days ago, the question was, who would be taking the penalty?

Medy Elito scores it.
Thanks to @dcdagger once again for the picture.

It was Medy Elito. The man who had caused the drama at Bradford late last month would be taking the spot pick. The man who had bore the brunt of criticism from Daggers fans this season. The man who had scored against Rotherham in the 5-0 drubbing earlier in this season. He stepped up, and he directed his penalty straight down the middle, leaving Warrington with no chance. GOAL!  Cue delirious celebrations from the travelling supporters who were left in disbelief that their side had taken the lead. Up the other end though there were some unsavoury scenes as the Daggers players were pelted with bottles whilst enjoying their goal celebrations.

So with 30 minutes to go we were leading 1-0 at the home of Evans and we had the extra man! Surely nothing could go wrong from here? Well of course it could, we're Dagenham & Redbridge - we don't make things easy. And in a near repeat of Wembley, Rotherham went straight up the other end and levelled the scores. A corner from the left hand side found the unmarked Claude Davis who got to the ball first and headed home past a helpless Chris Lewington. Cue goal music and a look of resignation and despair upon the faces of Daggers fans in an expectant fashion.

The hosts now had the bit between their teeth and roared on by 7800 home supporters they began searching for the winner. Daniel Nardiello broke down the right hand side after getting past a persistent Femi before seeing his drilled cross go straight across the face of goal for a throw in. Then Alex Revell cut inside on the right and fired a fierce effort across goal that forced Chris Lewington into a full stretch save to divert the ball away from goal.

Medy Elito who was bearing the brunt of the home fans booing then came close to giving the Daggers a 2-1 lead. Good interchange between Elito and Josh Scott allowed Medy to break inside the box before blazing his close range effort over the bar. With little over 10 minutes left now in the contest you began to wonder if anyone would be able to find a winner.

The 124 Dagenham & Redbridge Fans.

But someone did. And once again Medy Elito was the architect. Elito who enjoyed his space down the wings all afternoon got down the right before being bundled over by Millers defender Claude Davis. The free kick was in a dangerous position, inches from the penalty area and inches from the by-line. Matt Saunders whose deliveries had been delivered with pin point accuracy all afternoon stepped up to take it.

After some scuffling in the box, Saunders fooled everyone by pulling the ball back to the onrushing Luke Wilkinson who calmly slotted the ball into the top corner of the net with an accurate finish. The goal may have been calmly scored, but the celebrations were most certainly not. More delirium in the away end and another sense of disbelief as now held a fantastic 2-1 lead over Steve Evans men with little over 5 minutes remaining in the match.

The New York Stadium was silenced as the songs rang out from the Morrison Stand once more. Medy Elito received a standing ovation upon his exit from the playing proceedings, making way for the loftier and stronger Ben Strevens to come on.

Rotherham continued to come forward in search of another equaliser. With 87 minutes played, they came within inches of finding it. Lee Frecklington was fouled on the edge of the box which gave Ben Pringle the chance to secure a draw for the Millers. It looked for the world that his crisp strike was heading into the top corner, but at the last second it thundered off of the bar and out for a goal kick. Relief, massive relief for Daggers fans.

At this point I had a crick in my neck thanks to persistent turning to the scoreboard to check if it was 90 minutes yet. It was, and the fourth official stuck a warranted 5 minutes of injury time onto his board. Rotherham continued to pour forward in search of a leveller, but it just wouldn't come. In scenes reminiscent of the Play Off final, Andy Warrington came forward for a corner in the dying embers of the game - but no one connected and it went out for a throw.

With the overload of Rotherham attackers it left lots of space at the back for Daggers to exploit should they get the ball. With 90 seconds left they did just that and Luke Howell will feel as though he should have scored. A neat flick on from Billy Bingham allowed Howell through on goal and the Daggers top scorer chipped the ball wide of the mark when it would have been easier to score. Soon after the goal kick, the referee blew the final whistle to signal the end of the match and allow Daggers fans to let out a triumphant cheer. We had beaten Steve Evans - not once; but twice.

Savour It. 

The real hero of the day however, despite the performances on the pitch - was the lucky money spider that continued to hover overhead from 2:30pm until the end of the match. If he wasn't there, you have to cast serious doubt over whether we'd have won that match. Sadly now though he's probably in the belly of big fat Steve - but he gave a vital service when it was needed. We salute you!

In all seriousness though, all Dagenham & Redbridge players played a part on Saturday afternoon. I was happy for Josh Scott in particular. He may have only had once chance from a Bingham cross, but he made his presence felt and done a lot more than our other strikers have done recently. At the moment I think he'd definitely be in my side that starts against Torquay.

What should also be applauded is the decision making of Wayne Burnett. At half time he made the superb decision to replace the ineffective Kevin Maher with the energetic Billy Bingham - a decision that proved to be something of a game changer. He had a superb second half and along with Matt Saunders & Luke Howell looked even better as the game progressed.

Medy Elito didn't have his best game despite my lauding him, but his work for the two goals is what we need to see more of. He caused problems, serious problems that led to the two goals. If he can do that every week, he'll gain the support of the whole of Victoria Road. The defence was exemplary throughout, Femi in particular let nobody past him whilst I'd say the centre half pairing of Luke Wilkinson & Scott Doe is one of the strongest in the league.

As for the result as a whole, we probably didn't deserve the three points. But that doesn't matter at the end of the day because we took our chances. And that's something that we haven't done enough in the past 3 years or so let alone the past 7 months. It makes a pleasant change for us to be the victors in that sort of situation and let's be honest; it couldn't have come on a better day could it?

With those 3 points we should have near enough secured our survival in League Two for another year. We're not there yet, but we should be able to garner another 5 points before the end of the season. Hopefully we can get back to back wins when we take on Torquay United on Tuesday night who are currently enduring a torrid run of form. Let's cheer on the boys and make it certain!

Remember you can follow me on Twitter, @NickMurphyDRFC.

Daggers 5-0 Rotherham United, A Not So Taxing Affair

2002 Runners Up
www.fansfocus.net/dagenhamandredbridge.com

It has taken 10 years, but the Dagenham & Redbridge class of 2012 have avenged the Daggers class of 2002, with a fine 5-0 win over Steve Evans' Rotherham United. The game was not just about the result, but the context behind it with Evans having effectively cheated the 2002 Daggers out of promotion to the Football League. This result was not just for the current, but for the past and the likes of Janners & Vickers et al.

Before the game, my gut feeling was actually that we'd come away with the win. We were also joint top in the form table along with a host of other clubs including Rotherham, so it looked as though a tight affair was in order (how wrong was I?) Our record against the Millers has also been improving season by season, with a 3-2 victory at Victoria Road last year being the solitary Daggers victory, bar the Play Off final. 

There were also reports of some supporters "ambushing" the Rotherham team coach as it arrived, but thankfully there was no violence. With Rotherham unbeaten in five games, four of which have been victories it was certainly going to be a tough afternoon. And with that, the teams were announced...

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

The Daggers were forced into two changes from the impressive midweek victory over Oxford United. Kevin Maher served his one game ban which meant Mickey Spillane was reintroduced following injury at Bournemouth a week previous. Sam Williams was also ruled out of contention late on with a mystery injury and rather surprisingly John Still's choice to replace him was Jake Reed. Reed has impressed before for Daggers, but the majority would have expected the more experienced Brian Woodall to start.

Rotherham United: Warrington, Sharps, Morgan, O'Connor, Bradley, Pringle, Morris, Frecklington, Rooney, Revell, Odejayi. Subs: Thompson, Wilson, Hunt, Denton, Taylor, Evans, Nardiello.

Steve Evans was forced into two taxing changes, with Kari Arnason & Jamie Devitt both being ruled out through injury. That meant loan signing Luke Rooney & Michael O'Connor were brought in as replacements. The Millers side was packed full of higher league experience which would pose a threat to the Daggers, whilst only Sharps & Warrington remained from the 3-2 Play Off final defeat. Perennial thorn in the Daggers backside Alex Revell also started up front.

Just as the atmosphere was getting going the two teams came out to good applause. Then as you may expect the pantomime villain Steve Evans graced the holy turf where a chorus of boos greeted him. What was even more laughable was the fact a selection of stewards were placed in the sponsors seats - where's Bob Crow when you need him? A minutes silence was respectfully observed before Premier League referee Roger East made the signal to start the game.

Almost immediately the Daggers were on the front foot with Matt Saunders & Dwight Gayle both directing shots just wide of the target. With five minutes gone it was the home side that took a deserved early lead. Jake Reed got down the right hand side and beat his man to the ball before getting to the byline and pulling it back to a delighted Gayle who was more than happy to slot past Warrington. The Sieve was in full voice and the Evans abuse was flowing.

Spillane

Rotherham then began to feel themselves back into the game, although Mickey Spillane went close for the home side soon after as he curled a shot round the post. With 12 minutes played Ian Sharps spurned a gilt edge chance as his header went sailing over the crossbar. Matt Saunders nearly made it two directly after, but Warrington pushed his central free kick onto the roof of the net. 

Lee Frecklington was looking like a threat for the visitors as his superb volley was well saved by Lewington as Rotherham notched their first shot on target. Some frantic blocking from the Daggers defence prevented the Millers from netting an equaliser much to everyone's relief. Gayle was looking like a threat for the Daggers and on 20 minutes his lob over Warrington was cleared off the line by the recovering Sharps.

The away side were then forced into an early change through injury, with former Bolton defender Nicky Hunt replacing Craig Morgan. The rock in the Daggers defence Luke Wilkinson then had to undergo some treatment for a head injury which saw him retreat down the tunnel for 5 minutes. With his head bandaged up, the original ironman returned to the field of play to rapturous applause as the home side returned to have 11 men.

Femi

Despite the best efforts of Michael O'Connor who tested Lewington with a free kick, it was John Still's men who doubled their lead just after the half hour mark. Femi skipped past a Millers defender and burst down the left wing before squaring the ball to Luke Howell who fired coolly underneath Warrington who may feel he could have done better. Whilst Howell scored the goal, the build up play was amongst some of the best I've ever seen - Femi you are God. It was now 2-0 and the Evans abuse was getting louder!

Minutes later and it was almost even better as Matt Saunders flashed a superb shot wide of the post that had everyone celebrating as we thought it was in. The only slight blip was a yellow card for Luke Howell for persistent moaning which means he'll miss the trip to Burton Albion next week. The half time whistle went to a crescendo of applause, meanwhile Steve Evans, aka The Penguin, aka Fat Bastard was left to mope into his half time bovril.

Evans in his Crawley days
Courtesy of FMD

The half time break was spent in reflection of how good our first half performance was - and Femi's immense run down the left. It then emerged through @Post_Daggers on Twitter, that Evans was considering not bringing out his players for the second half after complains of referee Roger East swearing at them. Meanwhile in a nearby kitchen, there were reports of the pot calling the kettle black. 

Unsurprisingly the two teams did emerge for the second half as darkness set in over Victoria Road. Evans opted to make a single change, bringing on Gareth Evans for Gillingham loanee Luke Rooney. The second half started how the first had ended, with the Daggers dominating. The ball fell to Elito in a good position, but the former Colchester winger could only contrive to curl his shot over the bar from a good position.

Michael O'Connor found himself in the referee's book as the Daggers continued to push forward for a third goal. Before the home side could get on the attack, Abu Ogogo made a superb block to deny Lee Frecklington a near certain goal for the Millers. Matt Saunders was now making much more of an impact and his superb run should have ended with a goal, however Luke Howell could only fire the cutback over the bar.

Warrington
www.PFA.com

There was only one team in the game, and Gayle nearly made it three just minutes later. Some superb persistence from the pint size forward saw him come face to face with Warrington where the aging stopper denied Gayle his second of the afternoon. Soon after some good play down the left hand side saw Saunders cut the ball back for Spillane, unfortunately for the Daggers his leisurely shot was saved well by Warrington.

Chris Lewington was then forced into action for the first time in the second half as Gareth Evans threatened to pull one back for Rotherham. Steve Evans who was clearly agitated judging by his hand movements then provided some entertainment for us all. As he continued to wave his hands in a passionate fashion, the guests and sponsors behind mimicked him in Stoke/Wenger style - much to my amusement.

It wasn't long before Dagenham & Redbridge made it 3-0 to wrap up the match and the three points. Femi went on another fantastic run before squaring the ball back for Luke Howell who finished in emphatic style for his sixth of the season. We were in dreamland by now and could barely believe the scoreline.

Despite the best efforts of Daniel Nardiello and Michael O'Connor, who forced Lewington to race out of his goal to beat away the danger - the Daggers were still in a comfortable position. Dwight Gayle's header from a pin point corner was saved well by Warrington, but Medy Elito made amends by finishing in Jon Nurse slow motion fashion to make it 4-0. The Rotherham fans had now had enough and a small minority began to head for the exits.

The final 10 minutes went by in a flash. The Millers sought a consolation goal, but Abu Ogogo was on hand to block Mark Bradley's header on the line and deny the 297 travelling supporters something to cheer about. The result was compounded with three minutes remaining as Brian Woodall sprinted down the right and laid a wonderful ball across the six yard box where Gayle couldn't miss. The whole game was rounded off perfectly by a well timed firework behind the Carling Stand - the term poetic justice has never been so apt.

Final score, Dagenham & Redbridge 5-0 Rotherham United/Steve Evans. Doesn't that sound wonderful?

Courtesy of @AmyVincentSays on Twitter

As we exited the ground, it felt like a party or a promotion atmosphere amongst the supporters. Even Abu Ogogo done a little kick and a fist pump in celebration as the singing continued towards the exits. The atmosphere really was superb from start to finish and all credit for that goes to the supporters. Yesterday was a special occasion of sorts, and we certainly got our revenge on Evans, but let’s try and get the atmosphere like that on a weekly basis!

As for Rotherham, Evans is correct when he says he deserves all of the blame. Both full backs were completely torn apart, the midfield went missing and whilst the forwards were feeding on scraps, and they didn't really put a lot of effort in to boot. Ben Pringle attempted to cover some ground, but the real star for Millers fans was Andy Warrington. Even at the ripe old age of 103, he still turned in an exquisite performance and prevented the scoreline from being double figures.

Dagenham & Redbridge - that was marvellous. From start to finish we bossed that game and it was like watching the Daggers of old. It was completely attack, attack, attack from start to finish - so much so that we're now the 3rd highest scorers in League Two. Jake Reed deserves a lot of credit for coming into the side which was a bit of a shock, he made the first goal and for that he should be applauded.

Femi was sensational, there's no other way to describe it. His run down the left to set up the second goal was just immense; probably one of the best assists I've ever seen (granted I don't remember many assists.) He fully deserved man of the match and seems to improve on a weekly basis, both defensively and offensively. Femi, never leave.

Luke Wilkinson & Scott Doe were both rock solid. You can see why Premiership scouts were watching Luke at Oxford on Tuesday night. He has such a commanding presence at the back which compliments Doey superbly. Scott himself has had a pretty rock solid season and goes into the Ogogo group of doing his job competently and rarely putting himself in trouble. I reckon we have one of the soundest back fours in the league.

In the middle of the park, Luke Howell was the engine room. Previously I've compared him to Romain Vincelot, but I think that's doing him something of a disservice. He's his own man and he has his own style, and yesterday he was superb. He's the engine room, he breaks up play and he has an unparalleled amount of energy. To top all of that off he knows where the net is as well, his two yesterday take him to six for the season.

Matt Saunders is coming back to form as well, he looked very creative yesterday afternoon and is great value for a couple of assists. I cannot fault him or Mickey Spillane who both played their part admirably along with Medy Elito who also grabbed a goal. It was also a good performance from Dwight Gayle who nabbed a couple of goals to extend his tally to six for the season and add a couple more £££'s onto his price tag.

Overall, it was a superb team performance which is key. They were playing as a team, not individuals like they have done in recent weeks. What's also important is that you get the feeling they want to wear the shirt, they're not just there for the sake of being there and a week’s pay. I'd rank it as one of my top three Daggers matches for both performance and atmosphere - if we can play as good as that for the rest of the season, we'll do very alright for ourselves.

So in conclusion, Janners, Heffers et al that result was for you. Finally that ghost has been laid to rest somewhat.

Next up for us is a trip to Burton Albion next week, a team against whom the Daggers haven't lost since 2003. Here's hoping we can extend the unbeaten run in the league and our winning streak. I'll be there as well, so hopefully I'll be able to report on another Daggers win!

My final word however, goes to the Daggers Supporters Club. The Programme shop was burned down during the night which means a large part of club history has been lost. I’m sure you’re all with me when I say if there were a collection to try and raise funds or something of that ilk, you’ll donate. Hopefully the culprits will be found and prosecuted.

Remember to follow me on Twitter, @NickDRFCMurphy.

Daggers 3-2 Rotherham, Just Like At Wembley

Dagenham & Redbridge recorded a first ever win over Rotherham United in a regular league game by defeating the Millers 3-2, a scoreline that brings contrasting emotions for both sets of fans.

Pre match I was as pessimistic as I'd ever been. We've only ever beaten Rotherham once and we generally have an absolutely dreadful record against them. My couple of plusses for the afternoon were that Scott Griffiths would be making a return to Victoria Road, allbeit for the opposition; and that Andy Scott’s last visit to our ground as a manager ended in a 4-1 defeat. Encouraging signs or clutching at straws, it was one of the two.

I arrived into a sparsely populated Sieve at around 2:40, it was unusually empty with only 20 minutes until kick off. At one point I even questioned whether we would break four figures! Well done to the Rotherham fans that had made the trip, it's a long one and not very nice in pretty cold conditions, something I know from experience from doing the away leg of this fixture in September.

Over the tannoy the teams were then announced,

Dagenham & Redbridge: Lewington, Ogogo, Doe, Arber, Femi, Abdulla, Bingham, Spillane, Montano, Woodall, Nurse. Subs: Hogan, Cunnington, DJ Green, Rose, Scott.

The Daggers showed just a single change from the side that lost undeservedly lost at Torquay in midweek, Cunnington dropping to the bench in place of the fit again Brian Woodall. A positive sign on the bench was the inclusion of Josh Scott, who had come back from injury once more, his impact will be detailed a lot more later on.

Rotherham United: Taylor, Bradley, Raynes, Griffiths, Naylor, Harrison, Taylor, Wood, Cadogan, Revell, Grabban. Subs: Warrington, Tonge, Cresswell, Schofield, Williams.

Andy Scott made four changes from the side that lost at home to Port Vale a week previous. Richard Naylor & loan signing from Crystal Palace Kieron Cadogan came in to make their Millers debuts, whilst Welsh International Mark Bradley & former Tranmere midfielder Danny Harrison also returned to the side. Johnny Mullins was missing through injury, whilst Marcus Marshall has gone on loan to fellow League Two side Macclesfield Town. Two players that frightened me were Revell, a prolific striker & Danny Harrison who seems to have developed a habit of scoring against us. 

It was approaching 15:00 and the ground finally started to "fill up" to it's usual standards. The teams then came out to a slightly subdued atmosphere, not much noise available to us before we kick off near enough on the dot. The Daggers were in their now customary 4-3-3 formation which doesn't really work with Dominic Green in my opinion. The teams swapped ends, something that appears to work for us, the last two times we've attacked the Marcus James Stand in the second half at home, I believe we've gone on to win.



Daggers Corner.

The first five minutes of this encounter were very scrappy, with several corners being split between both sides. The first real effort of the day was from former Brentford man Lewis Grabban, however his strike from Sam Woods knock down went high and wide. Shortly afterwards and Rotherham began to dominate, with Harrison & Grabban both having shots blocked by the so far resolute Daggers defence.

Rotherham really should have taken the lead just after the ten minute mark. Chris Lewington's goal kick was headed back towards the stopper which meant a "chase" between Daggers captain Mark Arber and the 24 year old Grabban. There was only going to be one winner, as they raced towards the penalty area Arber went down and seemingly pulled Grabban with him. However the striker kept on his feet much to my delight, if he would have gone down, Arber was certainly off. He trotted towards goal, one on one with Lewington, as he hit the ball there was surely only going to be one outcome. Lewington got a touch and diverted it out for a corner. Superb play from the shot stopper who had kept us in the game once more. Rotherham should have been ahead.

John Still's men then began to establish a foothold in the match. First a neat Brian Woodall venture forward was snuffed out, before Billy Bingham had a shot from some way out that went just wide of the post. Some good invention from Woodall and at least Bingham was showing that he was willing to have a pot shot, something we miss dearly at times. Minutes later and Rotherham had another good opportunity. Cadogan made some good space down the right hand side before putting in a delightful ball which no Miller could get their head too, all getting in eachothers way to get rid of the danger.

Just before the half hour mark and Andy Scott's side took a deserved lead. A Grabban cross on the right hand side was cleared to Harrison who was on the edge of the box. With one touch he flicked it up and hammered home a beauty into the far corner of the net. Lewington had no chance as Harrison celebrated his first league goal of the season. My only criticism was that our marking was shabby, the closing down was simply not quick enough.

 Minutes after the goal and Rotherham could smell blood. Alex Revell picked up the ball 20 yards out and hit a powerful shot towards the top right hand corner of the net. Lewington scrambled over frantically and palmed the shot out for a corner which came to nothing. Ahmed Abdulla then broke up the play with some neat passing in the middle of the field, probably the first thing I've noticed him do in his time here on loan from West Ham.

The Daggers then made a pivotal change. Abu Ogogo & Mickey Spillane then swapped positions. This saw Mickey revert to right back and Abu push on into midfield, where his drive and ferociousness was needed alongside Billy Bingham. On the 35 minute mark and the home side earned themselves a free kick. Spillane stepped over the ball and fired it way over the bar and into Bury Road. A free souvenir for the person whom the ball hit on the back of the head in Bury Road.

Just before the half time whistle and we had a flurry of action. Some good play down the left hand side for the Daggers saw Billy Bingham put in a lacklustre cross that failed to beat the first man. From this cross the Millers broke upfield in a move that resulted in Cadogan squaring a superb ball to Grabban who seemingly just had to tap it home. However, no one told Mickey Spillane what the script was, as he somehow managed to get back and put a superb block in to deny Grabban once more. Supreme last gasp defending from the Daggers.

The final attempt was from the boot of Billy Bingham. Much like his previous speculative effort, this one drifted wide of the far post as the referee blew up for half time. Some boo's rang around the Sieve, but only a few. I couldn't really complain at half time, a very poor performance and I sincerely hoped that Stilly would give them a boot up the backside in the interval. Rotherham's forward line had far too much time on the ball, how Lewis Grabban hadn't scored his 13th league goal of the season was beyond me. Plus points were Spillane & Bingham who were both having gutsy games, I was optimistic of a revival in the second half, but I don't think anyone could have predicted what we was in store for.

The Daggers made a change as the sides returned for the second half. Ahmed Abdulla was taken off to a rapturous cheer, his replacement was Josh Scott, returning from injury once more to another cheer. The first chance of the second half happened straight from the off, Billy Bingham who was seemingly our main threat, flashed another speculative effort wide of the post to get us all on edge.

Just before the fifty minute mark however and the Daggers found that all important equaliser. Mickey Spillane took a free kick adjacent to the Sieve wall, he hit the ball towards the back post where it was open for anyone to stick a head on it. Someone did get their nut on it, Jon Nurse. The Barbados man scoring a tremendous diving head from about 12 yards out to put us on level terms. I'm not quite sure anyone could believe it, the ball trickled into the far corner past Taylor to make it 1-1. It was now anybody’s game. I've had many doubts over Nurse, but that's exactly what I want from him. There was passion and drive in that header, we have our Nursey back!

The game became increasingly more open which allowed either side to attack in an end to end free flowing contest. Josh Scott was the first to try his luck, breaking down the right hand side into the box before hesitating upon whether to shoot with his left or right foot. The former Hayes man did try and flick it onto his left boot and his shot was blocked so the attack came to nothing. I suppose it's a measure of his current confidence that he didn't want to take the shot on with his right foot, it will come back to him though; in time.

Rotherham's chief striker Lewis Grabban then broke through once more, but was denied well by Lewington who was having another superb game. The Millers then came close yet again, but Grabbans low ball into the area was just behind all of the players which meant it went out for a throw in on the far side. The game was now frantic and even, whoever was to score next would have a major foothold in the contest.

Just after the 60 minute mark as the dark began to descend, and it was the side from Essex that took the lead for the first time in the match, courtesy of a Mark Bradley own goal. Abu Ogogo picked up the ball from 20 yards out and hit a shot that was going to be saved with ease by Taylor between the sticks. However a huge deflection from Bradley saw it creep into the centre of the net to send the Sieve wild in a surprised manner. We didn't deserve it, but hey, who cares! The first bit of luck we've had all season!


This game then began to have an essence of the Play Off Final about it. Rotherham equalised less than a minute later, that chap Scott Griffiths picking up the ball after a Millers play laid it off to him with his hand (from what I can see.) Former Dagger Griffiths then put a ball into the centre of the box where the previously anonymous Revell was on hand to head home past a helpless Lewington, into the top corner of the net. Absolutely terrible marking, although I'm sure there was a handball in the build up. No excuses for the slack marking once more though. Game on at 2-2!

You really couldn't take your eyes off this game, it was superb in terms of action and excitement. Jon Nurse narrowly headed wide of the goal before Mark Arber produced a superb headed clearance from underneath his own crossbar to keep the scores level. Rotherham then began to dominate the proceedings once more, with Grabban having his shot cleared from all of two yards to deny the Millers yet again. Andy Scott's men continually attacked, but to no avail. The Daggers were blocking shots from the South Yorkshire side left, right & centre.

However, I then thought the side in black had taken the lead. Sam Wood unleashed a shot from outside of the area which was surely flying into the top corner of the net. Chris Lewington was nowhere near it, but Mickey Spillane produced a gravity defying block to keep the scores balanced. This game was more open than Katie Price's legs. Rotherham than had a very valid appeal for a penalty turned down. Josh Scott seemingly blocking the ball with his hands just inside the box. I was genuinely surprised the referee didn't give it, I thought we'd seriously got away with one there.

Michael Raynes then got himself into the book as the first yellow card of the contest was brandished. From the resulting free kick the ball was headed out for a corner. From the resulting corner came a goal. Scott Doe had only scored once before for Dagenham & Redbridge. I had the privilege of seeing that at The Don Valley in September and he repeated the feat against the same opposition on 77 minutes. A superb run and glancing header at the near post beating all of the Rotherham defenders and the 'keeper to make it 3-2. A carbon copy of the one he scored in the game in September. Cue manic celebrations and cries of "Just Like Wembley."

Rotherham were intent on equalising as you would imagine and straight from the restart former Orient striker Alex Revell had a shot saved easily by Lewington. The Daggers then broke up the play with a substitution, Brian Woodall being replaced by Adam Cunnington with ten minutes remaining. A good decision by Still who realised the game was becoming in danger of being too end to end, a situation that could potentially lead to a Rotherham goal on the break away.

Raynes Receives His Marching Orders.

Then came an interesting point towards the end of the match. Mickey Spillane & Michael Raynes squared up in the penalty area before being dragged to one side by the referee. Former Scunthorpe man Raynes received his second yellow and his marching orders, Spillane was also shown a yellow. At this point I noticed the paramedics in the Executive area of our ground. I couldn't help but feel that Dave Andrews may be having a heart attack after seeing us lead a game! On a serious note, I hope whoever that was it ok now.

The game dragged painfully on and the fourth official flashed a four up on his board. Probably the right amount of time added on I have to say. Half way into the allocated additional time and I was certain that the Millers had equalised. A ball from the far side was floated in along the floor and took a deflection which saw it creep towards the back post. I was certain it was going in, but the net didn't ripple and it went inches wide of the post to preserve the lead. That was it. Full time. Game over.

Were the three points deserved in my opinion? No. Do I care? No. Someone summed it up beautifully on our forum. First half performance wasn't even Conference standard. Second half performance will keep us in the league.

I thought that Abu going into midfield along with the introduction of Josh changed the game today, you can see the impact they both made in there respective positions. Towards the end I remember a crunching Ogogo tackle where he got the ball, that's the kind of grit and determination we've been missing with Abu at right back in the last few matches. I also thought that Mickey Spillane was sensational once more. He made a number of superb blocks as well as some fantastic challenges to win the ball, he is easily our best signing this season for me.

Femi has a bit of a poor game today, but other than that I really can't fault anyone in terms of individual performance, we even played the ball on the deck quite a bit! Arber may not have pace, but his experience at the back is needed badly, a supreme return at home for him. Montano improved greatly following the introduction of Josh Scott, those two could have a very good rapport with eachother in the coming games. A partnership that is destined to bring us some goals I hope, along with Woodall who was seemingly not fully fit this afternoon.

All I can say to the 250 Rotherham fans that made the journey down to this corner of Essex, is, unlucky. You didn't deserve to lose, but at the end of the day that's football. A fantastic win for us and one that moves out of the relegation zone, 2 points above Northampton Town whom we play at home in two weeks time.

My final nod goes to Gavin Tomlin who scored twice more for Gillingham yesterday, yet they still lost 4-3. Life's a bitch.

Next up for us is the longest away trip of the season, Morecambe away at their new Globe Arena. I'll be there with around 52 other Daggers to see how we get on. Until then, have a good week!

Follow me on Twitter, @NickDRFCMurphy.

Rotherham 3-1 Daggers, Smash & Grabban

Dagenham & Redbridge suffered a second successive league defeat of the season at the Don Valley Stadium after losing 3-1 to promotion favourites Rotherham United. I hope you enjoy this bumper edition with travelling, walking, some more walking, singing and service stops!

Getting to Victoria Road for 9am, I had just enough time for a sausage roll to warm me up as we walked down to the car park. After a little wait to sort out seating, the singular coach departed from the car park onto it's journey up North into Sheffield. After a slightly dreary start, the time flew by and at about 11am we arrived at Peterborough services for the obligatory stop on the way to the game, some Mcdonalds was consumed as I played the "what other fans can you spot game." If you're sad like me and interesting, we got Leeds, Crystal Palace & Sheffield Wednesday, not a bad return for that time in the morning. We got back onto the coach to the news that England had beaten the Argies in the Rugby World Cup, another positive for the morning!



Isn't the North wonderful.

 Another two hours or so on the coach went by fast as I was falling asleep, but we arrived in Sheffield at about 1:30 which gave us some time to mooch around. I have to say my first impressions as we drove in was "shithole" and later on you'll see why I was right. The coach stopped outside the far side of the stadium and we all got off, some heading straight for the pub, others going in, whilst we decided to have a look up the high road, what a mistake. After a 10 minute walk or so we'd seen all of the sights. Several boarded up shops, two sex shops, Razak's furniture store and Abdul's mini mart, it's always nice to feel the culture of somewhere else other than home eh.

After another brisk walk "int" the Northern air we headed for the pub where we caught some of the F1 and a tonne of people crowding round a games machine, could only be our fans! At about 2:30 we headed out of the pub and into the ground, the genius who thought of the Nurse song should be given a knighthood, unfortunately I can't remember it, so you'll have to wait for the return leg in January, unless we're involved in the FA Cup 4th Round.

We went after a half a mile walk round to our turnstiles, encountering some Rotherham fans, and of course the Yorkshire impressions were out in force by everyone, very believable as well! After going through the turnstiles we went straight round and it wasn't as bad as everyone says. The pitch was in very good condition, unfortunately it was set quite far back from the pitch, but the view was still excellent, it doesn't come close to the Sieve though! Then it was inside to get a jumbo hot dog and a coke, good quality food and at last a Northern Ground that serves more than just a pie, credit to the Millers for that! We went back outside to the news that Dave Hogan found himself on the bench and that Gain & Bingham were starting in the middle, this will perhaps be partnership alongside Lee for the next month or so.

The Daggers Team: Lewington, McCrory, Doe, Walsh, Ogogo, Lee, Bingham, Gain, Tomlin, Scannell, Williams. Subs: Hogan, Arber, Nurse, Rose, Woodall.

We were all set and with the music coming on the teams came out and lined up in front of the fairly full main stand whilst the rest of the ground remained as empty as Arsenal's trophy cabinet. With the scoreboard not working it was up to us to work out how long was left and at roughly 15:00 we were off at the Don Valley!

It's fair to say Rotherham enjoyed a much better start after changing ends, they were first on the attack, Lewis Grabban hitting a shot that was off target. Then just 7 minutes in they had taken the lead, Gareth Evans was given far too much time in the Daggers box and his half volley crept underneath Lewington who probably could have done better to send the Millers a goal up. Cue shitty goal music to which the Daggers fans joined in.

The Daggers then began to take a bit more of a foothold in the game, Ogogo & Tomlin doing well down the right hand side before whipping in some good balls, unfortunately the Rotherham defenders were equal to everything thrown at them. Just after the 15 minute mark the Daggers got a corner on the right hand side in front of us. Gavin Tomlin whipped in a purler that found the head of an unmarked Scott Doe. His header found itself past the goal line before the Rotherham defender could head it away, he just ended up heading it into the roof of the net. To everyones shock, including my own, we had equalised! This meant the return of our new celebration, the Poznan came out in full force! Jubilation that we'd managed to reply and I was especially pleased for Scott Doe, that was his first goal for the club and it's been coming for quite a while!

Rotherham and Andy Scott were unhappy at the somewhat unexpected equaliser and set about rectifying the problem, although the next five were a midfield battle. Evans, their goalscorer then dragged a shot just past Lewingtons post at agonisingly slow speed, so slow you didn't know if it was creeping in, thankfully it didn't. However they then restored their lead. Suicidal defending lead to Grabban getting the ball and firing home past a helpless Lewington, two goals now that could have been easily avoided from my point of view.

The Daggers tried to go forward with Tomlin being the main spark, but it wasn't to be as he was dispossessed in the corner several times. Then Rotherham got their third of the game, the Daggers shocking defending setting Grabban on his way to doubling his tally. Gavin Tomlins loose pass back to Ogogo in the 18 yard box was intercepted by Evans who then played a smart ball to Grabban, he turned and swivelled before unleashing a shot that Lewington had no chance with in the Daggers goal. The only other action of the first half was a Sam Williams shot that was easily saved by Logan in the Millers goal.

We went into the break 3-1 down to the in form Millers with only patches of good play and a fantastic Doe headed goal to show. A 15 minute period of talking about what was wrong and how dreadful our defending had been, we simply cannot score just one away from home and hope we keep a clean sheet. John Still rang the changes, taking Phil Walsh off for Mark Arber who couldn't have been fully fit or he'd have started. He also changed the middle with Billy Bingham who was excellent for me in the first half replaced by Jon Nurse, back from International duty with Barbados, he likes playing against Rotherham!

The second half kicked off and as per usual, it was mostly in the midfield the game was played, some good challenges being made to prevent anyone going forward. The first Daggers chance came courtesy of Jon Nurse who got into the Rotherham box and fired just over, some promising signs at last. The Daggers began to take command of the game, but couldn't quite find a way to score with Ogogo putting in some good crosses, but the Millers defensive line was sturdy and dealt with everything that was thrown at them.

It was then Rotherhams turn to attack, all Daggers players held off Marcus Marshall I think it was who trotted inside our half and hit a fantastic shot that clipped the top of the bar and went over to our relief. Abu Ogogo then got a free kick which he took and blasted straight out of play for a goal kick which summed up our afternoon really.

With about 20 minutes left, Oliver Lee done a carbon copy of a Rotherham player. He picked up the ball on the half way line, ran inside a bit and was then urged to shoot, Ollie has had the most shots for us this season which tells a story and he pulled the trigger. It flew through the air and cannoned off of the top of the bar and out of play, Conrad Logan just looked at it, if it has gone in who knows, but it didn't so we were still two goals behind with no hope of a comeback. Gavin Tomlin continued to make most of the play for the Daggers, swinging in some good crossed which no one got onto or our players were beaten to the ball, no goal looked as though it was coming.

That was effectively the last piece of action, Tomlin forced Logan into a late save from a good shot I think and then Chris Holroyd came on for Lewis Grabban in injury time, Grabban was incidentally their man of the match so received the plaudits from the fans after coming off. The referee blew his whistle and the game was over, a somewhat expected defeat had come to fruition with a below par performance. The second half was miles better than the first, but it was still poor, you could tell Rotherham took their foot off of the gas in the second 45.

As we walked back around the stadium to the coach we could just about here John Still giving the players a talking too out on the pitch, all I'll say is you wouldn't have wanted to have been a Dagenham & Redbridge player during that speech, as it sounded like they were getting a right bollocking. The main problem once more was sticking the ball in the net, all of our goals this season have been tap ins effectively or a header. We haven't had a goal come from a good strike at the ball, Nurses & Arbers don't count as even Bendtner could have finished them. The Rotherham goals were of our own making and really the game could have been a lot closer than what it was.

The journey back wasn't helped after I suffered a banging headache, but luckily after some grub at Cambridge and a meeting with the Darlington fans it went for the final stretch. The final drive home was at least made enjoyable by the singers at the back of the coach. We enjoyed "Don't Stop Me Now", the National Anthem and my personal favourite "Bohemian Rhapsody" amongst others by the choir, they know how to enjoy themselves and others! We arrived back at Victoria Road at just after 9pm and so another away day and the last ever to the Don Valley was done.

Next up is Oxford United at home on Tuesday night which promises to be a terrific or horrific night of football, maybe if someone shoots it may be the former!

Thank you for reading or glancing if it was too painful to read and I'll address you next either on Tuesday night or Wednesday evening depending on how depressing our performance is!