Two wins and a draw from a challenging opening three games has left the Daggers unbeaten in the league. It may only be very early days, but it's a very positive start for Still and his team.
Corey Whitely has, as always, been in typically-unstoppable form and he leads the National League goalscoring charts with four strikes already. He has forged brilliant chemistry with fellow attackers Fejiri Okenabirhie and Morgan Ferrier. With the pace of Fejiri, the strength of Morgan Ferrier and the all-round brilliance of Corey Whitely, it will be hard to find a better attack at the moment than the one we boast, which has found the net six times so far this campaign, at an average of 2 per game. Add to this the clinical poaching of Michael Cheek and, when called upon, the talismanic prowess of Oliver Hawkins, and you can see why we were second favourites to go up as Champions. Such is our attacking ability that Oliver Hawkins, who attracted plenty of attention in the Summer, has been limited to few appearances. I think that sometimes people forget the contribution that Hawks' made last season; his goals throughout the season were vital and alone earned a total of nine points - the difference between finishing 4th and 7th. Without him, we wouldn't have made the playoffs. I have no doubt that, once he regains his form, he will score many goals this season, especially as we are likely to create more chances. What you need to remember with Hawkins is that he is still only twenty-five and in his second year at this level. Higher clubs were not sniffing around for no reason. Yet I've read comments on Views from the Sieve (the online forum) even going as far as saying Hawkins is rubbish. Assuming these are serious, which I simply can't comprehend if they are, then I advise these people take up another sport. I admit that the hype-train did gather excessive steam, but he is a very clever footballer. He used his height brilliantly to hold up the ball and provided a huge outlet with his aerial presence. The fact that he only made the bench for two games shows how strong our squad depth is. One player who can't be praised highly enough, especially by me, is Corey Whitely. In my opinion, Corey is going a long way to becoming a club legend and he was a joy to watch last campaign. The fans adore him and he was the only Dagger named in the Team of the Season for 2016/17 (though I believe more should've been included). Considering that he's not even a striker, his 0.4 goals per game output is tremendous. He will be our main man, and I hope no bigger club realises his talents come January. So far, Morgan Ferrier has also been fantastic, though hasn't has a goal to justify his efforts. Much like Hawkins, he is brilliant at holding the ball up and he has already caused havoc with his strength and runs into the box. As mentioned, him and Okenabirhie have linked up well together and he is also one who impressed in 16/17, though unfortunately injuries hampered his progress. We have no problems in the attack department, but the defence is a different story. Scott Doe is still injured and frustratingly suffered a recurrence recently which will keep him out for longer. Lokko is showing promise but needs to find his feet, and once he finds them, try and control them from tripping attackers up in the box to concede costly penalties. He was highly rated at Maidstone, so could establish himself as a key defender for us. Losing Widdowson and Staunton, plus Robson pushing up to midfield, means that defence is a problematic area which is really suffering from a lack of pace. Hopefully this is rectified soon, as it will lead to some nervous matches in the future. But, considering the teams we've played, it couldn't have gone much better. With seven points, we have technically made a better start than last campaign. Our opening three games then only saw us take six points - not too shabby still - but when you consider that we faced Southport, Chester and Guiseley, who would all finish in the bottom six, all of a sudden our start to the current season looks even better. But, ultimately, it is only three games, and only time will tell whether we can maintain our positive start. But the early signs show promise, I must say
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Rewind to 7th May. The Daggers had just been consigned to another year of National League football after a devastating 2-0 (3-1 on aggregate) defeat to Forest Green Rovers.
It had been a fantastic season concluded, unfortunately, in heartbreak. But as I watched the team almost driven to tears after the final whistle, I wasn't angry. I was just proud to have my Dagenham back. And so, during that almost silent journey home from Nailsworth, I remember thinking, ''We go again.'' As the coach edged out of the narrow villages surrounding the ground, we passed numerous home fans. Some clapped, others goaded. After the final whistle, fans had invaded the pitch with the only intention of theirs being to taunt us. It really didn't matter. Dagenham's 2016/17 had been a tremendous one, and the journey would continue come August. Now, following three months of wait, including a pre-season which offered a sly teaser of football, we really do go again. As a new campaign dawns, we are ready to sustain another challenge for promotion. John Still has made it very clear what the target is: to be a Football League club again come this time next year. It is going to be a thrilling season once again. Last year, Dagenham - having just been relegated from the Football League - were a side of relatively unknown capabilities and, as such, pressure was very much off. Nobody knew what to expect quite frankly and the fact that York City went down horrendously is a huge testament to John Still's rebuild. Speaking of rebuild, there have been another large turnaround of players in the summer. It would always have been hard to replace our on-loan winger Maguire-Drew, who was one of the most talented footballers I've ever seen during my time supporting the club. Also departing was Curtley Williams, who was important, yet didn't play the contribution anybody at the club would've liked through no fault of his own. Injuries hampered his spell here and limited him to under twenty appearances . He, aswell as the departure and subsequent retirement of seasoned professional Luke Guttridge, meant there was a gaping hole of experience in the side. The other departures were fairly standard and wouldn't affect the team too much. Widdowson left to link up with Leyton Orient, legend Paul Benson joined Boreham Wood, Josh Staunton signed for league rivals Woking and misfit Shomari Barnwell headed to Solihull after failing to find his way after the step-up. Frankie Raymond will also be playing on an artificial surface this campaign after wapping Dagenham for Bromley. But John Still, to his credit, embraced the challenge and has seemingly assembled a fantastic squad. The first arrival was right-back Ben Nunn from Boreham Wood. A fast defender who was very highly regarded at Wood, he impressed in pre-season but is doubtful for today's game after breaking his wrist. Next to join Daggers was Torquay United midfielder Dan Sparkes. Sparkes is a left-winger who chipped in with multiple goals across the previous two season with both the Gulls and Braintree, with both sets of those supporters speaking very highly of him. However, Sparkes is definitely unavailable for today after missing pre-season through injury. Another Boreham Wood player swapped white for red and blue in the Summer and that was forward Morgan Ferrier. The young striker is very talented having established himself as an England C regular and bagged eleven goals last campaign. Morgan has had a very impressive pre-season but will face competition for the striker spots from Hawkins and............... Michael Cheek. Probably our best Summer acquisition, Cheek managed to score nineteen goals for Braintree last campaign, even though they were relegated, which is simply incredible. He has given a glimpse of his talent with two poachers goals in pre-season but the only concern with him is fitness as he has struggled with full-time football so far, admits Still. Defence was a troublesome area last season and that was the next area to be addressed as we say hello to Bondz N'Gala, who is a central defender with a vast array of experience. Also arriving at the club were Charlee Adams, a well-regarded central midfielder from Birmingham, and finally Kevin Lokko, on loan from Stevenage having made 46 appearances at centre-back for Maidstone in 2016/17. So that completes our squad for the season; the journey begins. Will it be another second season syndrome or another brilliant success? Let's find out- we go again! A new season and even perhaps a new era dawns this weekend as Dagenham & Redbridge kick-off their second season back in the National League with Barrow the visitors to Victoria Road. Weeks of boredom and pre-season preparations have all been building up to this day; a day which can often set the tone for the next nine months ahead. Football is finally back; the rollercoaster embarks on a journey which will feature excitement, nervousness and fear, with rapid twists and turns, all in good measure. Here we go! Pressure Last season, following relegation, Daggers' credentials were relatively unknown. An entirely new squad was a risk even for seasoned manager John Still but, thankfully, the rebuild couldn't have gone better. The fact that fellow relegated outfit York City suffered a second consecutive relegation illustrates how an entirely new squad can completely fail and, while the Football League is now a distant memory for the sorry Minstermen, it remains the prime goal for the Daggers. Nobody could have anticipated the success which Daggers would enjoy last season. A resounding 3-0 success over Southport laid the foundations for a campaign which saw them top the table for short spells, but ultimately be plagued by a combination of inconsistency (the Southport game was followed by a heavy loss to Chester) and huge spells of injuries. But, whereas the pressure was completely off, now it will be on as Dagenham are firm title candidates. Similarly, Barrow captured the attention of the entire division. Although they were tipped for a difficult season, the Bluebirds surprised everybody with a remarkable record unbeaten run which propelled them towards the play-off places, where they would remain until the very end of the season. They also claimed notable scalps, doing the double over Dagenham and Lincoln. Positive campaigns would've raised the expectations of both sets of supporters, so an underwhelming opening display will certainly not be expected from either... Revenge? As mentioned, Barrow managed to overcome John Still's side twice, and were one of only three teams to do so. They won at Victoria Road in November, before gaining a victory in the return clash at Holker Street five months later. On the 26th November, the first meeting took place with Dagenham having won their last two games without conceding, although they had been battered in their last home outing, 5-0 by Gateshead a fortnight prior. This, unfortunately, would be another heavy defeat. Barrow won by a flattering 4-1 scoreline, despite a rapid start by the home side. It was very harsh on them, with the only consolation being an acrobatic Whitely strike from close-range. Dagenham then pitched up in Barrow on March 19th but went crashing to another defeat despite going ahead, again through Whitely. So, with both managers knowing eachother's style, John Still will be searching for revenge, and Barrow will be aware of this. Possible Lineup
Both goalkeepers have had mixed pre-seasons but I expect Still to opt with Cousins. With Doe out injured, N'Gala and Robson should almost certainly form a centre-back partnership. Having signed on loan on Friday, Kevin Lokko might make his debut at left-back. Sam Ling has had an impressive pre-season and could well start on the right side, but I think we will go for the more experienced Nunn, who featured at Folkestone despite suffering a broken arm, while the wingers will probably be Okenabirhie and Whitely. Boucaud and Robinson should start in the centre of midfield, but the biggest headache will be the forward positions. Ferrier, Cheek and Hawkins are all top players but, with Cheek going from part-time to full-time this Summer, Still might want to ease him into the campaign at a later stage. Adams, Sparkes and Wheeler may be on the bench. |
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May 2024
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