The monumental 630-mile round trip to Barrow on Saturday delivered an afternoon in which, despite the result, the strengths far outweighed the negatives. That a narrow defeat to the league leaders in torrential, football-suppressing conditions is the only one we've suffered in the National League under McMahon is a testament to the vast improvements he has overseen. Though there have been changes in personnel, with Alex Reid, Ben House and Myles Weston all adding extra firepower to our attacking ranks, the biggest alteration to the club is in mentality. We've approached every game with refreshing fearlessness and performed with a will to express ourselves. We'll lose a few games along the way, just as we did on Saturday, but that's part and parcel of a risky, yet potentially very rewarding, philosophy. I felt Peter Taylor thought our supporters were quite demanding, but in reality we don't expect too much at all. As long as the team plays with effort, determination and an overriding desire to win the game, supporters are largely satisfied. On Saturday, we pushed the league leaders all the way by deploying a very attacking formation in which Balanta, Deering, House and Reid were all on the pitch. We fell short, but it was a truly outstanding effort from the team - nobody will ever complain about that. The handful of Daggers supporters in attendance both respected and appreciated the performance, especially taking into account the conditions both teams were up against. It didn't feel like a defeat, with pride the overwhelming emotion as the players conducted themselves in a manner rarely seen under Taylor. However, the fact that Barrow's fans, as well as our own, gave the team credit for their display really emphasises how well we played. I contrast that to another long trip, back in December, where Hartlepool's supporters condemned us for our painfully negative mindset and lack of ambition to do anything other than settle for a point. Two months on, and we're getting praise for our adventurous style away at the league leaders no less, which pinpoints just how far we've progressed as a team under a manager who promotes the art of attacking. A few pictures from last Saturday's trip to Barrow. The endeavour and positivity of the Daggers contributed to it being an unforgettable, entertainment-filled afternoon in Cumbria, even despite the result, and with McMahon at the helm I'm adamant there will be more of those days in the future. It hasn't been resoundingly enjoyable following the club away from home throughout the past eighteen months and there simply hasn't been enough in return. Success and entertainment is long, long overdue.
Hopefully that will materialise next season, after a very necessary summer overhaul in which we clear out a lot of the dead wood accumulated by Taylor. For now, though, focus shifts towards the rest of this season, and after seven months of relentless drama it would be nice to watch the next few weeks go by without too much incident as we look to steer ourselves away from the dreaded relegation zone. A lower mid-table finish is realistic for us now, though such is the manner of this division that everything can change in a matter of days. Fylde at home next Tuesday night is a vital clash that has the potential to either suck us back into the bottom four or push us away from it, but prior to that is a trip to Aldershot Town which is our sole priority at the moment as we aim to finally win away for the first time since late-September. That's another Taylor statistic McMahon needs to break.
1 Comment
15/3/2023 09:12:53 am
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