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.

John Still - Once A Dagger, Always A Dagger.

Today is a sad day in the history of Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club. Today, marks the end of an era. Today marks the day when John Still finally stood down as Dagenham & Redbridge manager after almost 9 years in charge at Victoria Road. And that day, is a sad day. He moves on to pastures new at Luton Town where I hope he'll be successful, but it's almost hard to comprehend the unbelievable work he did in this part of Essex for the past eight and a half years.

There have been times in his tenure, when some supporters thought it best he leave. But he never did. He remained loyal until the end and we remained loyal to him. As a supporter of the club, it was a bond that he felt he couldn't break again. At one of the lowest ebbs last season, we remained faithful to eachother and as John always seems to do, he performed a miracle. Him and his backroom staff masterminded a run that saw us retain Football League status and avoid a second successive relegation. Could any other manager have done that? I doubt it.

His commitment to the club should never be questioned by anyone. He has notably turned down job offers from Bradford and Colchester to name but two clubs. He loves this club and that should never be questioned. 

But his reign over the Daggers was defined by much more than that, namely by his ability to churn out non league players into hard working professionals. The names to have walked out of the Victoria Road tunnel in recent years owe a lot to John and I'm sure they've thanked him many times. The likes of Danny Green, Romain Vincelot, Scott Griffiths, Sam Saunders, Danny Foster and Dwight Gayle - all of whom were signed under John Still and developed as players before being sold on at a large profit to keep the club afloat.

The one player who really defines Stilly's ability to nurture gems though, is one, Paul Benson. The forward who is now on loan at Cheltenham Town, was plucked from non league obscurity, the Essex Olympian League to be precise where he was playing for White Ensign. Still and his team of scouts found him, signed him, developed him and in that time both Still and Benson have become club legends.

Dave Andrews and Steve Thompson have said it themselves, John Still has effectively kept the club afloat with the development and selling on of diamonds in the rough. And that's surely one of the biggest compliments that the man can have. He has revolutionised the way we, as a club, operate and has taken us forward from a mid table Conference outfit to a near established Football League club - something few would have thought possible 15 years ago.

The two promotions he masterminded were both unexpected and magnificent. To get the club from the Conference into the Football League was an achievement in itself, but to take it a step further and take a place in League One was extraordinary. Would any other manager have been able to do that? I doubt it. And that's what he offers. Something no one else does. He has that magic ability to almost transform a club given the time.

John Still builds character, he is a man motivator. He has the ability to inspire faith in players and the supporters. Opposition managers don't have a bad word to say of him, in fact a large number look to him for advice. That's surely one of the biggest accolades, being respected by your peers - and he has that in abundance. 

Not only that, he was a man of the club, a man of the people if you like. Very few managers would come into the away end and shake the hands of the travelling supporters - but he did. 

To be quite honest, I don't blame him for taking the Luton hotseat if the monetary benefits that are reported, are true. He'd be mad not too. I'm not sure it's the right job for him, but that's my own personal opinion. The resources available there blow us out of the water so you can see why he'd take it. Nothing however, will ever eclipse what he achieved at Victoria Road and I'm sure he'll agree with that himself.

We have always said that this club will be in a worse state the day that John Still leaves, and it looks like that day is today. Do I blame him for taking the Luton job? No. Do I wish he hadn't have taken it? Of course and any Daggers fan who says otherwise is mad. John Still is my memory of Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club. Ever since I supported my local team, he has been the man in charge. And today, with him no longer being the fourth longest serving manager in English football, it is a desperately disappointing and gut-wrenching end to what has been a fairy-tale story under his guidance. 

Perhaps the most important thing is that he defined what it was to, "Be A Dagger." He always said that to play for this club, you have to be a Dagger. You have to show those desirable qualities that make you unique as a player. You have to want to play for the club and above all, you have to put your heart in 100% of the time. They don't just describe his players, they describe him. Both as a character and a manager. And he'll forever be endowed as a Dagenham & Redbridge legend.

But now, we have to look to the future as well as remember the past. And in true John Still fashion, we have to remember above all, "Never too high with the highs, never too low with the lows." You'll be missed John, but you'll never, ever be forgotten. 

For any comments, you can tweet me at @NickMurphyDRFC.

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

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

The Sieve (NorthTerrace) before kick off.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Strevs!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sammy Moore

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

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

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

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

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

Wimbledon supporters pre-match

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

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

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

Daggers Supporters vacate the ground at Full Time.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Daggers Fans
(@AwayDays23)

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

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

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

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

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

Chris Lewington

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Remember to follow me on Twitter, @NickMurphyDRFC.

Daggers 1-0 Cheltenham Town, Howell Hedges Benson.

Cheltenham Town welcomed to Victoria Road.

Following a four week hiatus, The Daggers Scale is back! And what's more, we bring good tidings with news of an impressive Dagenham & Redbridge victory over Cheltenham Town on Saturday afternoon. Despite Sam Williams' penalty miss, Luke Howell had wrapped up the points and a 1-0 win with an emphatic strike top corner strike just ten minutes previous. The result leaves Daggers in a comfortable 13 place, whilst the Robins slip to 5th after a first defeat in six.

With our record against Cheltenham being decidedly awful, especially in the Football League - this wasn't a game where optimism was at its highest. In our 7 previous meetings with the Robins, we'd lost 6. That record also includes having lost both home games with a combined aggregate score of 0-7, as well as that 50 minute interlude of Dave Hogan. With big Dave nowhere near the teamsheet this afternoon, at least there was a slight glimmer of positivity.

Before the game though, we met up with Cheltenham fans Maxi & Alun to discuss the finer points of football. Namely, why can't Medy Elito perform consistently and how awful we seem to be away from home. Nevertheless it was a good laugh and set the tone for the afternoon; well, sort of. Whilst there we also gathered the team news which was as follows...

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

John Still opted to make a single change from the side that drew 0-0 so valiantly at Plymouth Argyle a week ago with Billy Bingham making way for Gavin Hoyte. This allowed Abu Ogogo to push back up into midfield whilst Hoyte reverted to his natural right back position. Ben Strevens also started his second game upon his return in what was to be his second home debut. His first home debut was a 1-0 over Halifax Town in December 2006. A sign perhaps?

Cheltenham Town: Brown, Lowe, Jones, Elliott, Hector, McGlashan, Penn, Taylor, Harrad, Benson, Mohamed. Subs: Roberts, Jombati, Carter, Pack, Deering, Duffy, Harrison.

Mark Yates named a drastically altered squad from the one that faced us on the opening day, whilst he made just a single change from the 1-1 draw with Bristol Rovers in midweek. Billy Jones replaced the Robins very own version of Femi, Sido Jombati. The real test though would be on the wing where Femi himself would be coming up against the tricky McGlashan. The main story of the day however, was the return of Daggers legend Paul Benson who would be coming back and starting at Victoria Road for an opposition team for the first time.

The teams promptly came out and Benson received a rousing reception when his name was read out over the tannoy. He's a true Daggers legend and one day I hope he'll return to the club that he loves so dearly. For 90 minutes though, he would be the enemy and Ben Strevens would be the other returning hero. Following a quick coin toss where the sides changed ends, Mr Drysdale blew his whistle to signal the beginning of the match.

With minutes of kick off there was a goal. Unfortunately though it was Daggers forward Josh Scott who’s on loan at Ebbsfleet that scored it. Shaun Harrad who scored in the reverse fixture back in August was the first player to try his luck at our game; however Chris Lewington was equal to his drive and palmed it wide of the post. 

After a dour opening 15 where neither side threatened, it was Paul Benson who was next to have a pop in front of goal. Benson latched onto Jason Taylor's perfectly weighted through ball on the right hand side before firing high into the Traditional Builders Stand after coming under good pressure from Luke Wilkinson. It almost went as high as that penalty he took at home to Bradford a few seasons ago!

Despite Cheltenham having the better of the play, it was now the turn of the hosts to have a period of dominance going forward. Matt Saunders saw his effort deflected wide for a corner whilst Billy Jones was justifying his selection by doing his utmost to deny Daggers with two fantastic blocks. Up the other end the battle continued to be Wilkinson vs Benson, with the current Daggers once again frustrating his predecessor with a decisive sliding tackle.

With half an hour gone came the first real chance of the afternoon. Luke Howell's lofted cross was met by Ben Strevens whose well placed header was saved confidently by Robins 'keeper Scott Brown. The Daggers were now making the home advantage count and came close once more just minutes later as Sam Williams curled a shot wide after good combination play from Matt Saunders & Ben Strevens. 

Lewy wasn't busy.

The visitors never really looked like forcing a save out of Chris Lewington as the half wore on, with the ball being punted up towards Benson for the back for the majority of the time. Daggers were still looking the more likely to score as the half entered its closing stages. First Luke Wilkinson directed a header wide of the post before Matt Saunders forced another impressive stop from Brown who was by far the busier of the two goalkeepers.

With little to talk about during the half time interval, we head straight into the second half. After a lacklustre opening once again, Mark Yates rang the changes. The uninspiring and ineffectual Shaun Harrad & Jermaine McGlashan were withdrawn; in their place came Byron Harrison & Darren Carter. Within seconds of the changes, Daggers fashioned an opening. A well weighted ball over the top found Sam Williams who failed to control as it ran through into the clutches of Scott Brown.

Minutes later there was nothing Brown could do as Daggers took the lead in emphatic fashion. Abu Ogogo won the ball on the left before playing it into Sam Williams, who despite some hesitation, laid it back into the path of Luke Howell who rifled home his effort into the top corner. Scott Brown left with no chance as a well crafted Daggers move sliced the Robins defence wide open. A lot of the credit has to go to Williams, who despite being urged to shoot, remained calm and used his excellent vision once more to pick out a teammate to take the honours.

The goal seemed to inject some life into the game as both sides continued to push forward for a goal. Darren Carter dragged a shot wide of the mark before Harrison had a contentious penalty appeal waved away. Up the other end Williams who was having a terrific game curled a shot narrowly wide of the mark following yet more excellent play from Matt Saunders. 

Then with 20 minutes left on the clock, came a potential game changer. Matt Saunders weaved his way into the box before being brought down by Steve Elliot. The referee had no hesitation and appeased Daggers fans by pointing to the spot. Sam Williams who has a 100% record from the spot duly stepped up, and saw his penalty well saved by Scott Brown. The worry now was, would this outstanding piece of goalkeeping spur Cheltenham on to get an equaliser?

Marlon Pack introduced.

The short term answer, was no. Daggers continued to press for a second goal and but for another piece of superb goalkeeping from Scott Brown to deny Medy Elito, they would have found it. It was clear to all that Medy's new Bas Savage like haircut was forcing the oppositions defence into submission. A second former Dagger then joined the action as Marlon Pack replaced Russell Penn for the final 10 minutes.

The remaining 10 minutes were a frantic affair, with Sam Williams unable to extend himself enough to reach Medy Elito's well flighted ball into the box. Then the prophecy nearly came true. Paul Benson was laid in on the left hand side before seeing his looping lob drop onto the roof of the net to the relief of a worried Chris Lewington. Directly from the goal kick, the hosts came close once more. Femi's skillful run down the left hand side was halted just before the mesmeric full back could advance into the box and score what would have been the goal of the season.

As the fourth official announced there would be four minutes of added on time, Cheltenham finally managed a period of sustained pressure for the first time in the afternoon. The newly introduced Marlon Pack fired his effort over the bar, whilst Byron Harrison's low ball across the box evaded everyone before being partially cleared.

With time nearly up, the Robins launched their last attack. They won a corner and of course, that meant Scott Brown made his way up from the back. After some pinball in the box, the ball fell to Brown who nodded it on only for Michael Hector to somehow put the ball wide of the post from just yards out. Despite that almighty chance for the visitors, Daggers hung on to record their first ever victory over Cheltenham Town - and a deserved one at that.

Paul Benson, who never really received any decent service all afternoon, was then given a standing ovation by the fans who adored him for so many years. Seeing him in the kit of an opposition team still doesn't seem right, you wonder if one day we'll see him back at Victoria Road. Call it a hunch, but I think we will.

As for the performance, not the best you'll ever see but it was enough - which is what matters. Matt Saunders in particular had a superb game along with Abu Ogogo, the pair controlled the midfield alongside the ever present Luke Howell. Despite his dodgy haircut, even Medy Elito surpassed the ever increasingly low expectations we have of him to perform to a decent standard. 

The thing I'm most excited about however is the potential partnership of Sam Williams & Ben Strevens. They already look as though they have a degree of camaraderie and had it not been for Scott Brown, Strevs would have had his second, first Daggers goal. Williams' hold up play was also exemplary once more, whilst at the back Luke Wilkinson's dominated Paul Benson all afternoon. To be quite honest, I really cannot fault anyone yesterday – apart from the people who sort out the advertisements around the ground, who still haven't corrected an upside down sign.

As for Cheltenham, I was quite disappointed with their display - although not with the result of course. They're a team I very much like due to their fans and just the club itself, as I've said before they're one of the few clubs I could imagine myself supporting other than Daggers in this league.

Their display was quite poor, especially going forward, so much so in fact that I don't remember Chris Lewington having to do anything of note all afternoon. Michael Hector didn't have a particularly good a game, whilst you'd be forgiven for forgetting that McGlashan was even playing. For me their best player was Byron Harrison, that despite him only playing 40 minutes of the game. He gave slightly more creativity, although I felt that Sam Deering could have been introduced at some point as he's a very tricky winger. On that performance you'd imagine we'll face them again next season, but we also have to remember they have a relatively new squad which may affect how they played.

Regardless of all of that, I wish them luck for the remainder of the campaign. Next up for us is a very tricky trip to second placed side Gillingham on Saturday, where we'll be trying to do Cheltenham a favour. Ben Strevens will also be returning to his previous club, so here's hoping we manage to do the dirty and come away with another 2-1 win like last season.

Until then, have a good week and I hope you've enjoyed reading! Remember, you can also follow me on Twitter, @NickMurphyDRFC.