In a vibrant clubhouse hall defying the widespread disappointment towards Dagenham once again falling short on their ambitions, albeit by a fractional margin of just a solitary point this time after their belated yet nonetheless still satisfying final day victory over Wrexham, owner Peter Freund seized the microphone to deliver an impassioned speech that nonetheless portrayed the season as an encouraging platform on which the club could further build after the summer. Epitomising the commendable optimism he has instilled ever since the consortium's arrival alleviated our financial crisis beforehand, there was just one problem: it was essentially the same message stated after each of the previous two campaigns. Therein lies the issue around a club where lesser extents of failure are consistently misconstrued as success. Improvement is undeniably there, but it's rate remains disproportionate to the healthy budget underpinning a project that has an end goal yet no urgent timescale to get there. Things don't develop anywhere near quick enough. Tough though it may be to digest the annual excuses for underachievement, there is still undeniable credibility to the narrative that Dagenham are edging closer, as substantiated by the significantly enhanced goal and points tallies accumulated during a campaign whereby the lowest league position occupied at any point still exceeded their highest in the preceding two; the armoury was well equipped enough to lock horns with the very best around the summit of the division, however it was actually during these crucial head-to-head battles that the characteristic ingrained fragility resurfaced to undermine their quality in abundance. The bigger the stage, the more Dagenham buckled under it's weight. Coupled with the clumsy points dropped in more routine games elsewhere, this catalysed the recurring fate of familiar disappointment - just delayed by some false dawns along the way. Though it was a sustained underachievement, three distinct weeks throughout the season carry more retrospective regret than others. Early October is the first, when the late collapse at home to Altrincham proceeded further reverses against Woking and Boreham Wood within quick succession. Fast forward to the end of the subsequent month and there was another three-defeat week, as Yeovil and Eastleigh both left Victoria Road with maximum points before a further loss infront of the BT Sport cameras at Notts County. More recently, the latter phase in February, came a disastrous few days during which we somehow conspired to gift ten-man Woking a point then produced our worst performance of the season at Altrincham, yielding the comfortable outcome in their favour that it deserved. Those results contextualise our disappointment, however just a couple of goals across those instances might have altered our fate unrecognisably. Upholding the earlier cyclical theme, there was a distinct symmetry about their latest promotion pursuit both beginning and ending with a convincing victory against a big-spending Northern powerhouse however, as has already been alluded to, the prolonged inconsistency inbetween has ultimately culminated in Daryl McMahon's side not fulfilling the potential underlined on both occasions. That they are highly capable, with exceptionally talented players littered throughout a strong squad, only amplifies the frustration to levels which vastly exceed if they were merely not good enough in the first place. After all, it's the hope that truly kills...and rarely has it been more palpable than the briefly aforementioned afternoon of Saturday 21st August 2021, where this analytical deconstruction commences. At the home of eventual champions Stockport County, unanimously regarded as the most daunting opening day assignment conceivable, the stars simply aligned to manifest an unforgettable day that catalysed into euphoric joy Daggers supporters' pent-up frustration around not being able to watch their side away on the road for an entire seventeen months beforehand, as the team produced a phenomenal display characterised by high-octane intensity. Despite falling to an early deficit through the division's 'Player of the Year' twice running John Rooney, they roared back with goals from Will Wright, Josh Walker (whose introduction for the injured Ángelo Balanta was massive) and Matt Robinson to seal a magnificent victory that actually merited a more comfortable margin of victory, such was the staggering level of domination exerted. Even more seismic than the statement this signified, though, was the precedent it consequently set towards Dagenham almost exclusively occupying top spot until October after a goal-laden few weeks put them on nineteen points from eight games, the only dropped ones being against Wealdstone (2-2 draw) and Wrexham (narrow 1-0 defeat). Bromley, Barnet, King's Lynn, Weymouth and Solihull Moors were all beaten along the way - mostly under the rapidly recurring scenario of them going behind, usually very quickly, before fighting back. Yet these undeniable cracks soon descended into full-blown structural damage when they could no longer be concealed by sheer attacking firepower alone, and thus came seven losses from the next ten games including three in a row. The first in that barren rut was a stoppage time collapse against Altrincham which proved something of a negative turning point, immediately followed by scoreless reverses at Woking and Boreham Wood. This left the Essex outfit sixth at the quarter-way mark having scored more than anybody else yet simultaneously only kept a solitary clean sheet, therein underlining the double-edged sword of Daggers' naïve methodology. Nonetheless, they soon found solace in the FA Cup as Balanta single-handedly staged a semi-miraculous late turnaround at Wealdstone despite his side having being reduced to ten men inside the very first minute; while undoubtedly one of, if not the, campaign's best moment it however carried long-term consequences because their two primary goalscorers, strike partners Josh Walker and Paul McCallum, would then spend costly time away from action for various cumulative reasons. There was still enough in the armoury to enact the first of three batterings upon rivals Southend the following weekend, however the squad depletion soon proved prohibitive, a midweek loss at notorious unhappy hunting ground Halifax proceeding two dropped points against Chesterfield in which they threw away a comfortable advantage by catastrophically conceding twice in as many second-half minutes. November would disastrously see them plummet into mid-table while also suffering a televised FA Cup exit to Salford City of the division higher. The deterioration in weather was almost becoming a microcosm for their season, the gloomy skies and biting wind an aptly sombre backdrop around consecutive dreadful home defeats to Yeovil Town and Eastleigh in particular, both justifiably generating boos from the home contingent. Performances were much better on their travels, though, with Maidenhead dismantled and Notts County being pushed all the way a fortnight later, however ultimately still claiming the spoils. After the turgid tripe that had came before it, this was actually somewhat encouraging, especially going into a gentler streak of fixtures where they would face a double-header against rock-bottom Dover Athletic interspersed within games against Truro City (FA Trophy) and Aldershot Town - all were triumphs, albeit not convincing, and everything felt fine again.
Back into the play-offs and only five points beneath top spot altogether, was it a true new year renaissance or simply down to the generous opposition? The next five Saturdays would surely answer that, as the fixture difficulty fluctuated to the other extreme, with the Daggers pitted against two resurgent outfits - Torquay and Southend (FA Trophy) - then all of the top three as it stood. It began in the worst manner imaginable as McMahon's side sleepwalked into a 2-0 deficit within a quarter-hour in the English Riviera, the opener inexplicably after just twelve seconds, yet in true Dagenham style they deservedly salvaged a point through sheer brilliance after customarily getting that absurdity out of their system. Picking up where they left off, they then secured another memorable victory over Southend to step closer towards Wembley, although a reality check was soon in store courtesy of that sequence against title-chasing trio Stockport, Halifax and Chesterfield, plus a midweek trip to Weymouth embedded within, which would prove the only positive result despite still posing more difficulty than it should have. The three defeats unfolded differently but alluded to the same mentality deficiency - Stockport was over almost as soon as it began with them two up inside four minutes, Chesterfield was a highly competitive game swung in their favour by two ineptly-gifted penalties and Halifax were far more streetwise in every area. Despite solace once again being provided by the Trophy, Spennymoor Town gradually worn down in RM10, the triumph would be soured by a devastating season-ending injury to George Saunders and that unsavoury feeling would stay with the club throughout their final two games that month, in which supporter aggression crescendo'd to extreme levels. Justifiably so, too, because the team inexcusably surrendered all three points against ten-man Woking before, even worse, being destroyed by an Altrincham outfit who were without a home win for five months beforehand. The lack of reaction between those two games only fuelled a growing belief that the players were no longer behind McMahon. However, often teams need to teeter on the edge of the precipice to re-emerge stronger (even superficially), and on that note came the chaotic, multi-stranded month of March in which the Daggers would win four straight midweek clashes while doubling their entire campaign's clean sheet tally in the process, however simultaneously suffered some hugely damaging losses too. Indeed, Dagenham under natural and flood lighting would, likely through coincidence than anything else, be two entirely different beasts. Maidenhead United, Yeovil Town, Southend United (all 3-0) and Eastleigh (1-0) would all be beaten in consecutive midweeks, with McCallum and Junior Morias integral by registering the vast majority of those goals between them. The most enjoyable of those by far was that unforgettable night at Roots Hall, not only further bragging rights but also signifying an ideal pick-me-up after the harrowing Trophy exit to York City days before; Yoan Zouma clumsily conceded a last-kick penalty that Clayton Donaldson panenka'd home to add insult to injury, then we lost the ensuing shootout at sudden death stage. The subsequent two Saturdays were equally glum as the recurring trend of falling short against sides around them proved very costly once again, with valuable ground lost on very catchable sides in Grimsby Town and Notts County, each of whom defeated the Daggers 2-1. One step forward, two back left them a lot to do but a seven game unbeaten run through to early May was an exceptional way to start, albeit there were too many draws involved - namely Boreham Wood, who were there for the taking, alongside King's Lynn Town and Torquay United a few weeks later where sustained late onslaughts failed to yield the desperately-required outcome. Ironically, the goals flowed in other games, no more so than a bizarre 7-3 thriller at home to Barnet when Morias stole the show with a hat-trick. He was also on target in wins over Bromley, Aldershot (both 2-0) and Wealdstone (2-1) to deservedly win the league's 'Player of the Month' award, though McCallum bagged his fair share too as his side somehow took the top-seven battle to the final fortnight. It seemed over several times beforehand but palatable results elsewhere, mostly involving free-falling Chesterfield in seventh place, kept them alive against the odds. Even after being outclassed 3-1 on the penultimate day by a Solihull outfit reduced to ten men from the 23rd minute, there was still a very outside chance when the curtain came down against Wrexham at a scintillating Victoria Road the following weekend. The Dragons still harboured title hopes themselves, so both sides shared the mutual permutation of needing to win and hope for a favour to occur up north. Despite seeming like passive antagonists in the visitors' story rather than vice-versa, especially given their dreadful record versus promotion contenders, the Daggers delivered an absolutely magnificent performance from nowhere to emerge 3-0 victors, though it unfortunately wasn't enough because Chesterfield scraped the point they needed to make it at our expense An apt way to end, because nothing epitomised this Dagenham side and their inconsistent campaign more.
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The excessively long wait before the club's eagerly-awaited Retained List was finally published on Wednesday morning, especially in relation to other sides whose campaigns also didn't extend into the play-off phase, at least gave supporters ample time to deliberate upon which players would remain at Victoria Road beyond the summer. Yet, even given the club's notorious lack of ruthlessness in such situations, surely nobody would have anticipated the extent to which lenience has been shown to those deemed surplus to requirements as we ultimately failed in our ambitions last term, many of whom have either been awarded new contracts or are currently involved in conversations towards that conclusion. Primarily Yoan Zouma and Harry Phipps, both having struggled here albeit for very different reasons. The latter has been an unmitigated disaster on and off the pitch, bringing the club's moral image into temporary disrepute with his complicity in the animal abuse scandal, before then denying us a realistic chance of getting to Wembley on his return by clumsily giving a last-second penalty away in the FA Trophy Quarter Final against York, who then triumphed via a penalty shootout at our expense. The enhanced spotlight now projected onto us as a result of this decision is simply not worth it for a player not good enough to make our best centre half combination last season, let alone when we look to improve this time around. It doesn't exactly equip the fanbase with significant belief, either, that we'll learn from the mistakes made in the last few months, especially with other prominent defenders rumoured to be departing. Moving onto Phipps now, a hugely talented player we really root for because of his age-defying maturity showcased during the financial crisis of 2018 and the devastating misfortune he has suffered through a series of severe injuries thereafter. However, there reaches a period where common sense has to supersede sentiment and we've long surpassed that point to be honest. It felt like the end when he ruptured an ACL during pre-season two years ago, yet he's somehow still here having only made four appearances for us since. There's not many players I'm more desperate to succeed here, but it feels like another Zavon Hines. Conversely, the other two players whose options have been triggered are Mo Sagaf and Myles Weston, which are comparitively far more sensible decisions as they have have been absolutely integral to us. They are crucial to our fast-paced attacking style, shouldering a huge creative burden too having registered a combined seventeen assists last season, and are very rarely injured. We simply don't look the same team whenever one, let alone both, so it is really brilliant news. The above-mentioned quartet join the following players - already under contract - as our initial 2022/23 squad pending inevitable signings: Ángelo Balanta, Josh Hare, Ansu Janneh, Elliott Johnson, Elliot Justham, Sam Ling, Paul McCallum, Junior Morias, Manny Onariase, Matt Robinson, Ryley Scott, Mauro Vilhete and Josh Walker. It's a strong core but lacks in defensive solidity, which simply has to be our primarily area of targeted improvement.
Trimmed from that squad are five departing players, none being a particular surprise. Mr Intensity himself, Joey Jones, is the only one who will leave without any real well wishes from anybody after burning bridges here, which undermined the fact he was occasionally a quality midfielder capable of completely running the show. Grimsby Town, for whom he spent the last few weeks of the season, also seemingly worked out very quickly that he was an inconsistent maverick not worth the hassle. Another whose loan foreshadowed the end of the road was Kenny Clark, a previous mainstay gradually phased out in his final year but he still filled in commendably on the rare occasion he was utilised. Probably never quite good enough for where we wanted to be, however still a very good servant and absolute gent too. Whether he retires or joins someone else, it will be with the genuine regard of us all. Then there's three strikers moving on, namely Darren McQueen, Scott Wilson and Ibby Akanbi. Unlike the other two whose goal records were nowhere near satisfactory, Akanbi's case is slightly different because he was an impressive stopgap player simply disadvantaged by the quality and depth he was competing with. Despite registering two goals and four assists from just three starts around late November/early December, he didn't make another but could now prove a real asset elsewhere in this division. Finally, it has since been announced that Will Wright has joined Gillingham upon the expiry of his contract here. You cannot begrudge any player seizing an opportunity higher up the pyramid, let alone one who has been at the club for four years, during which we've watched him evolve into a ball-playing defender that regularly contributes at the other end too, particularly through set-pieces. Over ten assists two seasons running underlines his ability, but in truth the whole backline needed restructuring regardless and he was complicit in it's leakiness. There could be further outgoings yet amongst the others still involved in current negotiations, so our predicament remains somewhat unclear as the amount of those who eventually leave will consequently shape how extensive our summer recruitment needs to be. |
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May 2024
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