House of Flying Daggers

[CFuller]

APRIL 2023 (continued)

With one week remaining, only Crawley Town and Newport County were already assured of finishing in the top five of the Conference Premier. Chelmsford City were almost certain to qualify for the play-offs, but the other two places were up for grabs - and we were in danger of missing out:

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
3.          Chelmsford             44    21    11    12    79    49    +30   74
4.          Dag & Red              44    20    10    14    75    53    +22   70
5.          Salisbury              44    19    11    14    57    37    +20   68
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.          Stevenage              44    18    14    12    63    47    +16   68
7.          Eastleigh              44    17    13    14    66    61    +5    64

 

We may have been in 4th place, but Salisbury City and Stevenage were both two points behind and hot on our heels. Although those two faced away trips to Bury and Cambridge United respectively on Easter Monday, they would be primed to strike if we slipped up in our last home game of the regular season.

 

The bookmakers thought that we were getting the jitters, with most rating us as slight underdogs for the visit of Milton Keynes Dons. The Dons were in 17th place, having won only three matches since Christmas. If they won a fourth at our expense, it could be a fatal blow for our play-off ambitions.

 

But you see, I'm a Monty Python fan, and I'd like to think I always look on the bright side of life. If we beat Franchise FC, and either Salisbury or Stevenage failed to win, then we'd have nothing to worry about after all!

 

10 April 2023: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Milton Keynes Dons

Jamie Bell was guilty of missing a massive opportunity to draw first blood after just six minutes. Jamie's close-range header from Jonathan Ward's cross was headed against the bar, and Daryl Rowley cleared the rebound for MK Dons. Ten minutes later, it was the Dons' turn to spurn a chance. Alan Atherton's cross into our box was diverted by Daggers defender Josh Meekings into the path of Conor Newton, who blazed a half-volley over.

 

Our first shot on target came in the 29th minute, when Bell's effort was blocked by Cameron Belford. That was followed a minute later by another shot that Newton put into orbit.

 

Some lacklustre passing by MK Dons ensured that they wouldn't get any more chances before half-time. One particularly stray pass from Steven Urmston on 37 minutes almost went punished, but Bell couldn't complete a Dagenham counter-attack with a strong finish.

 

Jonathan Roche also lacked a killer instinct a minute later, when he followed up his sublime run with a poor strike. Bell did find the net at last from Roche's cross in the 45th minute, but Jamie was well offside and the scoreline remained goalless.

 

The second half was an incredibly one-sided affair. The Dons could not muster a single shot at goal after the break, as they repeatedly made mistakes while in possession. In truth, we weren't a great deal better.

 

An off-colour Bell was replaced by youngster Jamie Kerins after two more wasted chances in the 51st and 61st minutes. Kerins never got close to beating Belford, although Lee Finnie and Mitchell Clark both had shots saved by MK's veteran keeper just after the hour. By full-time, we'd created 14 shots at goal - six were on target, but none of them went in. Considering how dominant we were in the attacking third, a 0-0 draw was a major disappointment to me.

 

Elsewhere, Stevenage breezed to a 3-0 win at Cambridge United, meaning that they were now only behind us on goal difference. Salisbury City remained two adrift after a dour goalless stalemate at Bury.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 0

Milton Keynes Dons - 0

Conference Premier, Attendance 2,638 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 4th, MK Dons 17th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryder, Beech, Hammar, Meekings, J Ward, Roche, Dack, M Clark, Ibrahim (P Clark), Finnie, J Bell (Kerins).

 

Our play-off status remained up in the air, then, as we headed to our final round-robin match at Farnborough. This was how the battle for the last two play-off spots looked going into the deciding weekend:

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
4.          Dag & Red              45    20    11    14    75    53    +22   71
5.          Stevenage              45    19    14    12    66    47    +19   71
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.          Salisbury              45    19    12    14    57    37    +20   69

 

While we faced a tricky away game, Stevenage and Salisbury would both finish with home fixtures against Lincoln City and Chelmsford City respectively.

 

These were the play-off permutations as far as we were concerned:

• If we won at Farnborough, we'd be in the play-offs - no more questions asked. We would be set to finish 4th, earning a Play-Off Semi Final against 3rd-placed Chelmsford, unless Stevenage beat Lincoln by a winning margin at least four more than ours. In that case, we'd come 5th and play the runners-up - almost certain to be Newport County - in the semis.
• If we drew at Farnborough, we'd finish 4th unless Salisbury defeated Chelmsford by at least three goals or Stevenage won their game by any margin. If only one of those scenarios became reality, we'd finish 5th. If both those results occurred, we would be bumped out of the play-off spots.
• If we lost at Farnborough, we'd be relying on other results. We'd either need Lincoln to beat Stevenage, or Chelmsford to avoid defeat against Salisbury, to claim a play-off place. If neither Lincoln nor Chelmsford came to our rescue, it'd be game over - no play-offs for Dagenham & Redbridge.

 

That was the situation we found ourselves in on 15 April 2023. I'm not a religious man, but as we travelled down the M3 on the way to Hampshire, I prayed for a win (or, at the very least, some good fortune in either Hertfordshire or Wiltshire).

[mark wilson27]

Its squeaky bum time mate...good luck

[EvilDave]

Not one for doing things the easy way are you Chris?! Fingers crossed you get the job done.

[tenthreeleader]

It appears as though I'm the kiss of death. Sorry about that

[CFuller]

Its squeaky bum time mate...good luck

Thanks. We might well need it...

Not one for doing things the easy way are you Chris?! Fingers crossed you get the job done.

As you know well from the Romford story, nothing ever comes easily for me. We could be three points clear instead of two, and I still wouldn't be confident about our chances!

It appears as though I'm the kiss of death. Sorry about that

No, no, I don't think you are the kiss of death. We did beat Southend at the start of the month, after all...

[CFuller]

APRIL 2023 (continued)

15 April 2023: Farnborough vs Dagenham & Redbridge

I riskily adopted a 4-5-1 formation for the first time as Dagenham manager, in the hope that having a defensive midfielder in the side could give us more stability at the back. Farnborough's Warren Cooke could've made a mockery of that in the 5th minute, when his goalward header was caught by Robbie Ryder. Two minutes later, our holding midfielder Mitchell Clark played a superb long ball to Lee Finnie, who went forward and fired a drive into Lewin Smith's hands.

 

On 11 minutes, a 30-yard strike from the hosts' American winger Guillermo Preciado fizzed just past our post. Having come within inches of scoring, Preciado denied us a near-certain goal three minutes later with a perfectly-timed tackle on Finnie in Farnborough's area. Although both sides were faring quite well in the misty and rainy conditions, the next scoring opportunity didn't come until Lee half-volleyed Bradley Dack's pass just wide in the 29th minute. Dack was hurt in a tackle from Cooke moments later.

 

Bradley suffered another setback in the 33rd minute. Preciado caught him off guard with a sharp turn inside, and a great left-footed cross to Ryan Brunt, who met it with a diving header. A missed interception from Jonathan Ward then gave Brunt his 20th goal of the season, and Boro the advantage. Had Ryder not caught a couple of headers from Preciado and Cameron Lancaster later in the first half, Farnborough may well have had a lead greater than 1-0 at the break.

 

As my underperforming players were not doing their bit, I desperately hoped that other results were going our way. I checked the latest scores on my mobile, and learnt that while Stevenage were leading 2-1 against Lincoln, Salisbury were not beating Chelmsford. As things stood, we were hanging onto a play-off place by our fingernails.

 

I was getting incredibly anxious, and my nerves weren't settled by the poor start we made to the second half. Preciado failed to test Ryder with a woeful shot on 48 minutes, but Lancaster's header three minutes later posed such a threat that Robbie had to tip it over. At the other end, a 56th-minute through-ball from Dack presented a chance for Jamie Bell to pull us level. Alas, Finnie was thwarted by a point-blank save from Boro's on-loan Brentford keeper Smith.

 

Bell had another go from quite far out after 63 minutes, and he didn't get close to finding the target. The same could be said of Clark's edge-of-the-area strike a minute later. Farnborough's next attack soon afterwards saw winger Courtney Harris beat Ward before hitting the bar with a dangerous cross-shot.

 

In the 70th minute, Lancaster carved us up with a perfect ball to Brunt, who was denied his second goal by an outstretched Ryder. Boro did not score directly from the corner that followed, but they went 2-0 up very soon after that, as right-back Tom Lancey's cross was finished by Lancaster. With no indications of a collapse from Stevenage at Broadhall Way, our play-off fate was pretty much in Chelmsford's hands. Could our Essex rivals save us?

 

I'd heard nothing else from the Raymond McEnhill Stadium by the 81st minute. At that point, we were given fresh hope of taking something against Farnborough after Lancey was accused of pushing Jonathan Roche in the Boro area. That led to a penalty, which Yasser Ibrahim emphatically converted for 2-1.

 

To try and complete the fightback, I switched formation from 4-5-1 to 4-2-3-1, with Adam Barton - an early second-half replacement for Dack - in the attacking midfield slot. Barton's Irish compatriot Roche almost became our lucky charm in the 83rd minute, when his shot from an acute angle was turned behind by Smith.

 

Four minutes later, Scott Roddie curled a Dagenham free-kick inches over the crossbar. Almost as soon as the ball landed in the stands, my phone sent me two goal alerts. Both of them brought bad news. Stevenage had stretched their lead to 3-1... and Salisbury had finally taken the lead against Chelmsford. With three minutes and injury time to go, we were set to drop to 6th place and miss the play-offs.

 

In these desperate times, I barked all of my outfield players to go forward and look for a leveller. In the 90th and final minute of normal time, Farnborough showed signs that they were cracking under the strain. Veteran defender Dale Bennett made a laboured clearance from Ibrahim's cross, and Les Sawyer headed the ball back to Yasser.

 

The Egyptian's next cross found Roddie, who jumped clear of Lancey and knocked it on to Barton. From six yards out, Adam swung as much of his right boot at the ball as he could. When his shot passed Smith and rustled into the net, pandemonium ensued in the away end! Barton's goal, after exactly 90 minutes, had saved not just a point, but our play-off status!

 

We couldn't be certain of qualification, though, until three additional minutes passed without incident and Salisbury's match finished. When I received confirmation that Salisbury had only won 1-0 against Chelmsford, I breathed a massive sigh of relief. We had finished in 5th place, edging out the Whites by the wafer-thin margin of two goals!

 

Farnborough - 2 (Brunt 33, Lancaster 70)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Ibrahim pen81, Barton 90)

Conference Premier, Attendance 1,581 - POSITIONS: Farnborough 10th, Dag & Red 5th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryder, Beech, Meekings, Hammar, J Ward (Sawyer), M Clark, Dack (Barton), Roddie, Roche, Ibrahim, Finnie (J Bell).

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
4.    Pl    Stevenage              46    20    14    12    69    48    +21   74
5.    Pl    Dag & Red              46    20    12    14    77    55    +22   72
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.          Salisbury              46    20    12    14    58    37    +21   72

 

My goodness, we left it late, didn't we? When all was said and done, though, we had qualified for the play-offs. Our reward - if you could call it that - was a two-legged Semi Final against 2nd-placed Newport County, who missed out on the title despite winning their last five matches in a row.

 

After coming through our biggest battle of the season, we had to steel ourselves for a possible three more.

[tenthreeleader]

Gripping stuff! Congratulations on the playoffs, perhaps the Daggers can surprise Newport!

[edtheguy]

Phew, that was tense. Hopefully the Daggers are saving the best for the playoff!

[neilhoskins77]

Wow, what a final day of the League season that was. Best of luck in the Playoffs, it's about time you got a shot at the Football League.

[EvilDave]

What a day that was! Here's hoping you break your play-off jinx and make it up this year, good luck against Newport.

[CFuller]

Ooh... four comments! I'm being spoiled today!

Gripping stuff! Congratulations on the playoffs, perhaps the Daggers can surprise Newport!

Phew, that was tense. Hopefully the Daggers are saving the best for the playoff!

Wow, what a final day of the League season that was. Best of luck in the Playoffs, it's about time you got a shot at the Football League.

What a day that was! Here's hoping you break your play-off jinx and make it up this year, good luck against Newport.

Thanks to all of you. It goes without saying that it was the most dramatic finish I've ever had to a league season on CM/FM. We were just three minutes away from elimination, and now we could be three games away from the Football League!

[CFuller]

APRIL 2023 (continued)

My goodness, we left it late, didn't we? When all was said and done, though, we had qualified for the play-offs. Our reward - if you could call it that - was a two-legged Semi Final against 2nd-placed Newport County, who missed out on the title despite winning their last five matches in a row.

 

After coming through our biggest battle of the season, we had to steel ourselves for a possible three more.

 

Following a dramatic end to the Conference Premier season, we were still in with a shot of promotion straight back to League Two. Having finished 5th, we took on runners-up Newport County in our Play-Off Semi Final. The winner over two legs would advance to the Final against either Chelmsford City or Stevenage at Wembley, where a place in the Football League would be at stake.

 

As the lower-ranked team, we had home advantage in the first leg of our Semi Final. Newport's last visit to Victoria Road saw us thrash them 7-1, but they seemed to have got that heavy loss out of their system. In the 14 matches that Mark Aizlewood's side had played since then, they only tasted defeat three times.

 

We went into the play-offs without midfielders Peter Clark and Scott Roddie, as their respective loan spells from Southampton and Stoke City had expired. I didn't see us missing those two, though, and I was confident that those who remained could get us a good result.

 

19 April 2023: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Newport County

Newport County must have relieved that they didn't concede any goals in the first 11 minutes - unlike in January, when they let in three! Lee Finnie hoped to make an early breakthrough for Dagenham after almost exactly 11 minutes, but his header was too tame to beat Ross Laidlaw. Lee made a better connection with Yasser Ibrahim's cross four minutes later, and Laidlaw just about got his fingers to the ball. Newport's goalkeeper had a mini-scare in the 29th minute, when he dropped Mitchell Clark's free-kick at his feet before picking it up at the second attempt.

 

In the other goal, Robbie Ryder had little to worry about. The visitors had one chance in the 6th minute, when Shane Williams skied the ball over, and they didn't get another until the 43rd. Williams beat Jonathan Ward to a header, but Robbie plucked it out of the air. By the interval, neither team had got close to a breakthrough goal.

 

Both sides showed more intent after the break. On 47 minutes, Finnie's header from another Clark free-kick was easily caught by Laidlaw. That was followed in the 49th minute by a hopeful effort from Newport striker Stevie Maxwell that hardly troubled Ryder. Three minutes later, a big error from Exiles defender Fraser Jackson gifted us the deadlock-breaking goal! Jackson's poor headed back-pass from Finnie's long-ball sent Jamie Bell clean through, and Jamie punished him with an emphatic finish!

 

Over the next few minutes, Bell sought another goal to try and increase our 1-0 lead to 2-0. His 56th-minute effort was blocked by Williams, and his next attempt a minute later was skimmed wide. Laidlaw then saved two more shots from Finnie and Bradley Dack before the hour mark, at which point Newport began to threaten our goal. After 64 minutes, Jackson atoned for his earlier error with a shot from the edge of the area that was too powerful for Ryder.

 

The Exiles were level, and eight minutes later, they had an opportunity to go ahead. Dagenham defender Josh Meekings brought down Maxwell inside our 'D', earning himself a yellow card. I immediately replaced Meekings with the experienced Kyle McFadzean, and then watched Jaye Hillman strike an excellent free-kick that was well parried by Ryder.

 

I made another change nine minutes from time, bringing on another midfielder to stop Newport from dominating that area of the pitch. It almost backfired a minute later, when Ian Marsh nodded Jordan Chapell's corner against the crossbar! That was the closest Newport County would come to taking a narrow lead into their home leg at Rodney Parade.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (J Bell 52)

Newport County - 1 (Jackson 64)

Conference Premier Play-Off Semi Final Leg 1, Attendance 5,613

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryder, Beech, Meekings (McFadzean), Sawyer, J Ward, Barton, Dack (Dawson), Clark, Ibrahim, Finnie (Roche), J Bell. BOOKED: Meekings.

 

It wasn't ideal that we only got a draw in our home leg, as that left us with plenty to do when we travelled to South Wales four days later.

 

The Daggers last visited Rodney Parade in mid-September, when I was still coaching in Spain. Newport won that match 2-1, and they went on to finish with the Conference Premier's best home record. Only four teams had inflicted home defeats on the Exiles this term.

 

It was worth remembering that I had a bad record when it came to Semi Finals. I lost at that phase of a competition in each of my final five seasons at Romford. Would my last-four heartbreak continue here?

 

23 April 2023: Newport County vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Although we were away from home, we made it clear early on that we weren't afraid to attack the hosts. After five minutes, Yasser Ibrahim's shot drew an easy save from Ross Laidlaw. Yasser had another go a minute later, skimming the crossbar. Another minute after that, Ibrahim turned past Newport defender Ellis Pritchard and played a short pass to Bradley Dack, who also went close to getting the opener.

 

On 15 minutes, Dagenham full-back Jonathan Ward almost bent a wicked cross into the net from a tight angle. Laidlaw had to react quickly to push it away for a throw-in at the other end. Newport's first serious attack came three minutes later, but Dane Futcher's header from a Jordan Chapell free-kick didn't worry us at all.

 

Another Chapell set-piece in the 23rd minute found the head of Pritchard, and Robbie Ryder needed to make a big save on that occasion. Robbie's save led to a County corner, which Shane Williams swung in and Robert Devaney flicked wide. On 27 minutes, a wonderful pass from Jamie Bell created an opportunity for Ibrahim, which Yasser could only volley straight at Laidlaw.

 

The opening goal was finally scored after 41 minutes... and we scored it in a similar manner to which we took the lead in the first leg! Mitchell Clark's attempted lob to Bell was poorly cut out by Martyn Brown, and Jamie rushed onto the loose ball before cracking a low drive into the net! Bell's 20th goal of the season looked like being his most important yet!

 

Newport struggled to get back level early in the second period. Robert O'Malley, who replaced Darren Knowles up front for the Exiles at half-time, couldn't get a free-kick on target in the 60th minute. That would be a very rare opportunity for County, as O'Malley and Stevie Maxwell were being utterly dominated in the air by Daggers centre-back Les Sawyer.

 

While Les was having a stormer at the back, Yasser was giving Newport's defenders hell. Although he put a shot into the stands after 64 minutes, the Egyptian inside-forward was more clinical with his next attempt seven minutes later. Ibrahim half-volleyed Tim Beech's cross into the Exiles net after defender Ian Marsh missed an interception, and we were leading 2-0!

 

Three minutes later, Finnie saw his corner squirmed into the net for an incredible 3-0 Daggers lead! I thought at first that Ibrahim had scored for a second time, but the finish actually came from Sawyer, whose first career goal put us on course for the Final!

 

Newport gave up the ghost at that point, and they were fortunate not to concede a fourth goal in the 85th minute. Dack's long ball bounced off the back of Brown's head and fell perfectly for Bell, who raced clear and fired well wide.

 

After that miss, I rested Jamie for the final five minutes and gave a first senior run-out to 15-year-old schoolboy Joel Honeyball. When the final whistle blew about seven minutes later, the away fans started to celebrate! Promotion was in our sights!

 

Newport County - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (J Bell 41, Ibrahim 71, Sawyer 74)

[Dagenham & Redbridge win 4-1 on aggregate]

Conference Premier Play-Off Semi Final Leg 2, Attendance 5,511

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryder, Beech, Meekings, Sawyer, J Ward, Clark, Dack, Barton (Dawson), Finnie (Roche), Ibrahim, J Bell (Honeyball).

 

WE'RE GOING TO WEMBLEY!!!

 

It felt so great to get to the Play-Off Final in such convincing style, especially after the last-minute drama that resulted in us reaching the Semis. I felt a little bit for Newport County, as their 35-year wait for a Football League comeback continued, but I wasn't going to let them take this opportunity from us.

 

That Semi Final nicely summed up our entire league campaign in a nutshell. Our record at Victoria Road was mediocre, and we only finished 13th in the Conference Premier's home form table. In comparison, we won two more points on the road than at home, with only Chelmsford City claiming a better away record.

 

Actually, Chelmsford's excellent form on their travels didn't help them much in the other Play-Off Semi Final. Stevenage demolished them 4-0 in the first leg at Broadhall Way, and although City won the second leg 1-0, the damage had already been done.

 

Therefore, on 6 May 2023, we will be playing Stevenage - the team we exited the Football League with last season - for a place back in the 92. It's going to be by far the biggest match of my career.

[mark wilson27]

When I saw the first leg result I thought here we go again, heartbreak for CFuller. However wow a cracking away win and off to Wembley you go...

[CFuller]

When I saw the first leg result I thought here we go again, heartbreak for CFuller. However wow a cracking away win and off to Wembley you go...

It was great to finally banish my Semi Final demons. One more win, and we'll be in the Football League...

[CFuller]

MAY 2023

My most hectic season as a football manager started way back in August, when I led a little-known Basque team - Elgoibar - to a narrow 2-1 friendly win over another little-known Basque team. That was the beginning of a short, and very unhappy, time in Spanish lower-league football.

 

I won't make any bones about it - Elgoibar were, and still are, a complete and utter lost cause. Had I not quit when the Dagenham & Redbridge job became available, I would have spent much of May drowning in self-pity over Elgoibar's inevitable relegation from Segunda División B Group 2. I almost certainly would have been sacked before then anyway, but what I'm trying to say is that I'm glad I got out when I did.

 

By 6 May 2023, I was as optimistic as I had ever been in my career. For the first time since November, Dagenham & Redbridge's bank balance was in positive numbers. £90,000 worth of gate receipts from our home play-off against Newport County, plus some extra investment from Antonello Scolaro, had put us back in the black.

 

Where the team was concerned, the outlook was looking pretty rosy. We were embarking on our most important game in years - the Conference Premier Play-Off Final against Stevenage. If we won, we would be back in the Football League, just 12 months after our relegation from League Two.

 

4th-placed Stevenage were sure to provide stiff opposition, as Simon Wormull's team were also eyeing up an immediate return to League football. They did the double over us in the league phase this season, and our last win over the Boro had come five years earlier, but past records mean little when it all comes down to one 90-minute match at a neutral venue.

 

That neutral venue was, of course, Wembley Stadium. It was my first ever trip to Wembley (either the original stadium or the current one), but the Daggers had been there before. They won this fixture in 2014 and the League Two Play-Off Final in 2010 under John Still, while the late, great Ted Hardy led them to an FA Trophy Final defeat to Woking in 1997.

 

I had butterflies in my stomach when I followed in Ted's and John’s footsteps by leading Dagenham & Redbridge out onto the hallowed turf. That turf was in pristine condition, though it was very unlikely to stay that way after the weekend. This Play-Off Final served as an appetiser before the FA Cup Final between Arsenal and Fulham, which was being played on a Sunday this year - a decision that boiled the blood of traditionalists when it was first announced!

 

The next two to three hours would be the longest of our lives. Would they also be our finest?

 

6 May 2023: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Stevenage

I made just one change to my starting line-up for Dagenham & Redbridge. It was at right-wing, where Jonathan Roche took over from Lee Finnie, who dropped to the bench. Also on my list of substitutes was 18-year-old left-back Warren Barrett, who'd come back from a loan spell at Eastbourne Borough.

 

Like us, Stevenage had a fully fit squad of players to choose from. Their form man was Paddy Nolan, who scored twice in the first leg of Boro's play-off victory over Chelmsford City. He was up front alongside Dave Rowley, and James Wilson was also likely to provide a goalscoring threat on the left wing.

 

The match began very positively from a Dagenham point of view. Within the opening 20 seconds, inside-forward Yasser Ibrahim cut into Stevenage's penalty area, but the Boro defenders blocked his view of goal and forced him to shoot wide.

 

Two minutes later, Stevenage went on the attack through Daniel Kearns, whose cross was headed out of our area by Les Sawyer. Patrick Naylor nodded it back into the danger zone and found Wilson, who slipped past Tim Beech and whacked in a fierce shot! The Hertfordshire side were off the mark after only three minutes!

 

We weren't too demoralised by that poor start, and Yasser could've drawn us level in the fifth minute had he not pulled a low effort off target. Four minutes later, Ibrahim set up Daggers vice-captain Bradley Dack, who hit a terrible shot with the outside of his foot. Our struggles up front continued over the next quarter-hour, as we won several corners and failed to convert any of them into scoring opportunities.

 

Stevenage might actually have gone 2-0 up after 16 minutes, but Nolan's header bounced safely into Robbie Ryder's grasp. After a couple more piledrivers from Dack went awry, our next effort at goal came in the 36th minute. Roche picked up Irish countryman Adam Barton's long pass and dribbled towards goal before missing it from 30 yards out.

 

Jonny wasn't having a great day out at Wembley, and neither was his namesake Jonathan Ward. The left-back was booked just before half-time for bringing down Stevenage winger Aaron Bragg. By the interval, Boro's 1-0 advantage looked more secure than it actually was, mainly due to us having too many wasteful punts from long distances.

 

I gave my players some stern words during the break. As I saw it, they needed to push higher, press Stevenage's players a bit more... and stop shooting from long range, for crying out loud! I also made one personnel change, as centre-back Josh Meekings was replaced by the taller Johan Hammar in an attempt to stop the Boro from dominating the aerial battles.

 

Johan justified his introduction just over a minute after play resumed. The big Swede's interception from a James Davies long ball denied Rowley a header at goal. Rowley did get an opportunity after 52 minutes, when he played a clever one-two with Jon Routledge. Thankfully, Ryder came to our rescue with a brave save from point-blank.

 

Five minutes later, Dack was unlucky not to equalise with a left-footed half-volley that drifted just beyond the far post. That was followed soon afterwards by an attempt from Stevenage's form horse Nolan, which Ryder tipped away just in the nick of time. While Robbie was having a decent game, Roche was still not coping well with the big occasion. Eventually, I took Jonny out and brought on the more experienced Finnie.

 

Lee made a positive impact right off the bat. In the 69th minute, he was involved in an encouraging attacking move that resulted in our first shot on target. Barton's low drive, which was turned behind by Mark Birighitti, was sadly not a sign of things to come. Bradley reverted to type on 72 minutes, when he struck a long-distance volley wide after Boro captain Callum Howe had nodded Jamie Bell's cross out of the six-yard box.

 

Stevenage's hopes of strengthening their lead were dented when Nolan was hurt in a firm tackle from our excellent centre-half Les Sawyer in the 77th minute. Nolan came off three minutes later, and Stevenage wouldn't create a single shot at goal in the closing moments.

 

We weren't a great deal better, as we only created two shots. One of them was in the 88th minute, when another fierce drive from Dack struck Bell in an offside position. Our last throw of the dice came in the first minute of injury time. Yasser cut inside from the left wing and towards the Stevenage 'D', where his last shot at glory was blasted into the crowd.

 

I gave up all hope at that point, and for the next two minutes, I waited for the final whistle to end our suffering. As soon as it did, I congratulated Simon Wormull on a job well done. Stevenage definitely deserved to be promoted to League Two, but I knew that we had wasted a golden opportunity.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 0

Stevenage - 1 (Wilson 3)

Conference Premier Play-Off Final, Attendance 38,813

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryder, Beech, Sawyer, Meekings (Hammar), J Ward, Clark, Dack, Barton (Dawson), Roche (Finnie), Ibrahim, J Bell. BOOKED: J Bell.

 

(Sigh) How very disappointing.

 

The shot statistics from that match said it all. Stevenage had four attempts inside the penalty area - all of them were on target, and one from James Wilson found the net. We also had four attempts from within 18 yards, but we missed with all of them. In fact, out of 13 Dagenham shots in total, just one forced the goalkeeper into a save. You don't win promotion by hitting and hoping.

 

Despite my immense frustrations at what had just happened, I wasn't too hard on the lads after they trudged heartbroken into the west dressing room. True, they had buckled under the pressure, but even getting to Wembley was an achievement, considering how close we'd come to throwing away a play-off place.

 

I returned home later that night feeling shattered. The owners wanted promotion, and I hadn't delivered that - yet. I still had another year on my contract with Dagenham & Redbridge, though, and I was determined to give it another shot. Whether Mr Scolaro would let me have one was not yet clear.

[tenthreeleader]

That's a tough setback. Getting that far and falling at the last hurdle is no fun. But well written, if that's much consolation.

[edtheguy]

Nooooo! That is frustrating - but they'd be fools not to keep you on.

Of course foolishness is one of the things Boards do well. Good stuff as always!

[mark wilson27]

Unlucky mate, these bloody Wilsons are a nightmare.

[neilhoskins77]

Between the Romford years, and now this setback with the Daggers, your Playoff history has been one of utter heartache. I hope it's automatic promotion next season if you remain with the club.

[CFuller]

That's a tough setback. Getting that far and falling at the last hurdle is no fun. But well written, if that's much consolation.

Between the Romford years, and now this setback with the Daggers, your Playoff history has been one of utter heartache. I hope it's automatic promotion next season if you remain with the club.

I hate the play-offs - that's four times I've failed in the play-offs with Romford and now Dagenham. I'll definitely be aiming for the title next season, as it's probably the only way I'll get promoted!

Nooooo! That is frustrating - but they'd be fools not to keep you on.

Of course foolishness is one of the things Boards do well. Good stuff as always!

I think my next post will be a bit more reassuring. I won't be heading back to the job centre just yet!

Unlucky mate, these bloody Wilsons are a nightmare.

I dislike a lot of Wilsons, particularly Manchester United-supporting Wilsons from the North Midlands. You're alright, though.

[CFuller]

MAY 2023 (continued)

If I had any doubts about whether I'd be allowed to remain at Dagenham & Redbridge for a second season, they were quickly allayed when I met the chairman for a post-season debrief. Antonello Scolaro was satisfied that we had finished in the top five, and he felt that we were in a strong position to challenge for promotion again next term.

 

There was more good news as far as our finances were concerned. A trip to Wembley is a money-spinner for any team, and we made over £300,000 in gate receipts from our Play-Off Final. That, along with the £114,000 we got for our 5th-place finish in the Conference Premier, gave our bank balance a massive shot in the arm.

 

As a result, Mr Scolaro was in a position to increase my weekly wage budget from £15,000 to just over £19,000. We could now afford to tie some of our leading players to longer contracts, and bolster our ranks with some fresh blood.

 

Although most of the players were now free to begin their summer holidays, I held a few back to discuss new deals. The first to agree terms was striker Lee Finnie, who signed a one-year contract extension and would now be at Victoria Road until 2025.

 

Tim Beech also signed a long-term deal, but only after weeks of intense negotiations. The right-back's representative drove a hard bargain - in fact, there were a few occasions when I feared talks would break down. I eventually gave in and offered Tim a new four-year contract that would increase his weekly wages almost three-fold from £450 to £1,200. He didn't need any more persuading.

 

By the time Beech finally signed a new contract, I had already secured two early signings for the new campaign. The first of them was particularly exciting.

 

One of my scouts, Mick Loughton, had alerted me to a 15-year-old attacking midfielder who he said had the ability to be a very good player indeed. The boy's name was Paul Hart, and he was already playing senior football for Cammell Laird in the Northern Premier League Division 1 North.

 

I had my doubts, so I went up to Merseyside to take a look at him for myself. After being impressed by what I saw, I asked to meet Paul and his mum at their home in Birkenhead. It was there that I told him that he had the makings of a top professional player, and that his future would be bright if he went to Dagenham.

 

Mum was somewhat sceptical, not to mention a little worried that her only son would be moving so far away from home at such a young age. Ultimately, though, it was Paul’s choice. When I offered him a three-year pro contract that would begin on his 17th birthday in July 2024, he was sold.

 

Hart would join us in the summer after finishing school, and Cammell Laird would receive £5,000 in compensation. It would be the first time I had ever paid a transfer fee for a player.

 

Compared to Hart, our other new arrival was relatively ancient at 22 years old. Tall centre-half Billy Kenyon agreed to sign a three-year deal from Crewe Alexandra. Billy was born in Ipswich, and he spent some time on loan at Farnborough earlier this year. In fact, he played against us in that dramatic last match of the regular season!

 

Meanwhile, the on-loan defensive trio of Johan Hammar, Les Sawyer and Jonathan Ward went back to their parent clubs. Sawyer's contract with Everton runs out soon, and I would love to get him back on a permanent basis - provided we can afford him, of course.

 

I will definitely be making more signings once we get into June. Compared to the last off-season, it'll be a case of evolution rather than revolution here at Victoria Road. I certainly don't plan to repeat what the club did in the season just gone, and sign 34 different players!

[CFuller]

Conference Premier Table (End of 2022/2023)

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    C     Crawley                46    23    16    7     83    54    +29   85
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.          Newport County         46    25    9     12    67    51    +16   84
3.          Chelmsford             46    22    11    13    80    50    +30   77
4.    P     Stevenage              46    20    14    12    69    48    +21   74
5.          Dag & Red              46    20    12    14    77    55    +22   72
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.          Salisbury              46    20    12    14    58    37    +21   72
7.          York                   46    19    12    15    68    56    +12   69
8.          Eastleigh              46    17    15    14    68    63    +5    66
9.          Ebbsfleet              46    18    12    16    67    67    0     66
10.         Farnborough            46    18    11    17    72    69    +3    65
11.         Kingstonian            46    17    13    16    67    62    +5    64
12.         Boreham Wood           46    15    17    14    70    61    +9    62
13.         Bury                   46    16    14    16    59    56    +3    62
14.         AFC Wimbledon          46    17    11    18    68    67    +1    62
15.         Cambridge              46    18    8     20    62    69    -7    62
16.         Darlington             46    16    13    17    65    70    -5    61
17.         MK Dons                46    15    14    17    45    51    -6    59
18.         Cheltenham             46    16    9     21    55    62    -7    57
19.         Lincoln                46    15    12    19    52    66    -14   57
20.         Accrington             46    12    20    14    57    60    -3    56
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21.   R     Southend               46    13    9     24    48    68    -20   48
22.   R     Harrogate              46    13    9     24    40    71    -31   48
23.   R     Alfreton               46    10    12    24    60    115   -55   42
24.   R     Macclesfield           46    11    7     28    56    85    -29   40

[CFuller]

Dagenham & Redbridge Player Statistics (2022/2023)

(Includes stats from all first-team matches & 3 Essex Senior Cup matches)

 

GOALKEEPERS               APPS    CON  CLN  MOM  P%   TR   ST%  Y    R    AV RAT
Gordy McGinlay            3       4    1    0    91%  -    -    0    0    6.90
Liam Roberts              9       12   1    0    80%  -    -    0    0    6.90
Robbie Ryder              40      41   15   0    76%  -    -    1    0    6.92
OUTFIELD PLAYERS          APPS    GLS  AST  MOM  P%   TR   ST%  Y    R    AV RAT
Billy Almond              0 (3)   0    0    0    76%  1.22 100% 0    0    6.63
Ronnie Banton             5 (6)   1    1    0    67%  1.18 27%  0    0    6.74
Warren Barrett            0 (1)   0    0    0    71%  -    -    0    0    7.00
Adam Barton               20 (9)  5    5    2    76%  2.59 50%  1    0    6.94
Tim Beech                 33 (8)  1    3    1    78%  3.10 25%  2    0    6.92
Jamie Bell                32 (9)  20   7    4    75%  2.18 47%  1    0    7.17
Shane Byrne               9 (4)   0    2    1    82%  3.57 50%  0    0    6.85
Mitchell Clark            34 (4)  1    5    0    78%  4.33 32%  1    0    6.78
Peter Clark               0 (6)   0    0    0    73%  -    -    0    0    6.60
James Craigen             7 (9)   1    1    1    68%  0.69 39%  0    0    6.75
Bradley Dack              43 (5)  3    8    1    79%  4.08 31%  8    0    6.88
Lucas Dawson              18 (13) 0    4    1    81%  2.70 8%   2    0    6.78
Hamsa Day                 15 (2)  0    3    1    72%  4.10 25%  0    0    6.88
Cheyenne Dunkley          23 (5)  1    0    2    63%  3.30 29%  2    0    6.56
Glen Dunwell              24 (3)  8    5    2    74%  2.69 47%  0    0    7.09
Eddie Emberson            1 (4)   0    1    0    68%  4.79 100% 0    0    6.50
Lee Finnie                32 (10) 12   6    4    69%  1.52 62%  2    0    7.00
Johan Hammar              4 (1)   0    0    0    65%  0.89 50%  0    0    7.02
Craig Hardwick            24 (6)  11   4    2    61%  1.48 39%  1    0    7.07
Andy Haworth              7 (5)   1    1    0    65%  0.81 42%  1    0    6.61
Joel Honeyball            0 (1)   0    0    0    50%  -    -    0    0    -  
Yasser Ibrahim            35      6    8    0    71%  1.85 43%  2    0    6.94
Paul Jeffrey              16 (2)  0    3    0    75%  2.95 33%  1    0    6.94
Roy Jones                 1 (4)   1    0    0    62%  4.97 50%  0    0    7.02
Fraser Keast              4 (4)   1    0    0    73%  2.12 50%  0    0    6.70
Jamie Kerins              1 (3)   0    1    0    80%  0.00 50%  0    0    6.75
Jason McCarthy            12 (2)  0    0    1    68%  2.39 60%  2    0    7.04
Kyle McFadzean            22 (5)  3    0    2    71%  4.84 35%  6    0    7.04
Josh Meekings             37 (3)  2    2    3    75%  3.37 46%  3    1    7.06
Ryan Noble                2 (1)   1    1    0    74%  1.26 100% 0    0    6.80
Jonathan Roche            9 (2)   0    3    0    80%  2.88 40%  1    0    6.94
Scott Roddie              6       1    2    2    78%  4.18 33%  0    0    7.28
Ryan Roberts              10 (1)  1    2    0    76%  2.33 25%  0    0    7.00
Les Sawyer                5 (1)   1    0    1    66%  2.51 50%  0    0    7.45
Jake Simpson              13 (5)  0    0    2    60%  2.70 33%  0    0    6.94
Shaun Simpson             1       0    0    0    76%  0.00 0%   0    0    6.90
Cameron Smith             1 (5)   1    0    0    64%  1.47 33%  0    0    6.48
Tony Stonebridge          1       0    0    0    62%  2.00 0%   0    0    7.00
Matthew Taylor            0 (1)   0    0    0    73%  3.60 -    0    0    6.10
Freddie Timms             2       1    0    0    69%  2.14 50%  0    0    7.20
Ken Turner                1       0    0    0    100% 0.00 0%   0    0    6.90
Charlie Wallace           7       4    0    1    79%  2.24 52%  1    0    7.17
Jonathan Ward             16      1    0    0    71%  4.18 60%  4    1    6.84
Charlie Wassmer           15 (5)  1    0    0    63%  1.63 100% 1    0    6.97
Séamus Watts              0 (1)   0    0    0    63%  -    -    0    0    6.00
Jeff Whincup              4 (1)   0    1    0    71%  1.47 50%  1    0    6.97
Darragh Wilson            0 (1)   1    0    0    86%  0.00 100% 0    0    7.20
Andy Yiadom               7 (1)   0    1    0    55%  0.43 33%  0    0    6.53
 
APPS - Appearances (Substitute apps), GLS - Goals, AST - Assists,
CON - Goals conceded, CLN - Clean sheets, MOM - Man of the Match awards,
P% - Pass completion %, TR - Tackles per 90 mins, ST - Shots on target %,
Y - Yellow cards, R - Red cards, AV RAT - Average match rating

[mark wilson27]

I dislike a lot of Wilsons, particularly Manchester United-supporting Wilsons from the North Midlands. You're alright, though.

I appreciate that mate...ps sorry for messing your post up told you us Wilsons are a nightmare

[CFuller]

JUNE 2023

There would be no summer holiday for me this year. Instead, I continued to recruit new players for Dagenham & Redbridge, opting for a blend of youth and experience.

 

Firstly, I brought in 33-year-old midfield battle-axe James Dunne from Bristol City. The aggressive ball-winner had scored against us earlier this year during a four-month loan at eventual Conference Premier champion Crawley Town. James has played over 450 Football League games during his career, so there's no doubting his pedigree.

 

My next signing, Ben Purrington, was also no stranger to League football. The left-back played in 248 FL matches for Plymouth Argyle, where he'd spent his entire career before being cast off this summer. At 27 years of age, Ben still has the physical fitness to last him at least a couple of seasons with us.

 

I then added some youth to our ranks in the form of 18-year-old centre-back Wayne Coton. Wayne had been released from Middlesbrough's academy after making just a handful of competitive appearances.

 

Meanwhile, our first-choice goalkeeper and captain Robbie Ryder committed himself to two more seasons with us. Robbie's consistent form in goal earned him an extension to his original 12-month deal. Second-choice custodian Nguyen Van Phung signed a new contract as well, despite not playing a single first-team match last term.

 

I also wanted to give a new deal to versatile defender Josh Meekings, but he was demanding wages that I felt were excessive for a Conference Premier player. Instead, I reluctantly allowed Meekings to move on and sign for Raith Rovers. The Scottish First Division club also agreed to sign another Daggers centre-back - Charlie Wassmer.

 

Midfield duo Adam Barton and Lucas Dawson will also start next season in new surroundings. Adam's heroics in securing our play-off place earned him a Football League return with Charlton Athletic, and Lucas is staying in the Conference Premier as a Kingstonian player.

 

Cameron Smith had two separate loan spells at Bromley, and he liked Hayes Lane so much that he decided to join the Conference South champions permanently. Eddie Emberson completed his pre-arranged move to Clyde, and Niall Bonnar officially signed for Hastings United, who'd just been promoted back to the Isthmian League Premier Division.

 

Veteran defenders Cheyenne Dunkley and Kyle McFadzean completed our list of first-team departees. They were left without contracts, as were the youth quintet of Billy Almond, Freddie Timms, Jamie Kerins, Tony Stonebridge and Darragh Wilson.

 

I didn't just restrict my summer changes to the playing staff. I added two new coaches - ex-Enfield Town player Danny Keohane and former Dunfermline Athletic defender John Potter - after releasing Darren Currie from his contract. In our scouting set-up, 67-year-old Alan Carrington left by mutual agreement, and 34-year-old Callum Donnelly was appointed as our new chief scout.

 

Two of our now former players, plus a couple of old friends, were in the Dagenham & Redbridge fans' best XI for 2022/2023. Those who made the cut were: Robbie Ryder, Tim Beech, Josh Meekings, Kyle McFadzean, Paul Jeffrey, Ryan Roberts, Bradley Dack, Mitchell Clark, Yasser Ibrahim, Jamie Bell, Lee Finnie. Top scorer Jamie Bell was the runaway winner of the fans' Player of the Year award.

 

Just before the Daggers returned for pre-season training, we received the new fixture list. We were scheduled to kick off the 2023/2024 Conference South campaign at home to Milton Keynes Dons on 12 August. Three days later, we would travel to AFC Wimbledon for our first away fixture.

 

Following Southend United's relegation, Chelmsford City are now the only other Essex team in our division. We will face City at the Chelmsford Sports & Athletics Centre on 2 September, and they will come to Victoria Road on 19 December.

 

A lot of people have already tipped us to make amends for last month's play-off disappointment by winning automatic promotion this season. I'm under no illusions that I will be expected to deliver that.

[CFuller]

Romford watch: 2022/2023

This was Romford's first full season without me since 2011/2012, and they seemed to have done alright without me. As you'll soon discover, they have made significant strides under my wily, experienced replacement Tony Burman.

 

Conference South: 2nd (Lost in Play-Off Final)

Romford didn't have the best of starts, losing 1-0 away to a newly-promoted Bath City team managed by Wayne Bridge. They then went on a six-match unbeaten run, which was soon followed by an incredible sequence of results. After picking up 25 points in the space of nine games, the Boro moved above Barnet to lead the Conference South! Bromley knocked them off top spot as the second half of the season got underway, thus beginning an epic title fight between Romford and the Lilywhites.

 

Burman's Boro boys had a few short spells back at the summit, but three successive defeats in March briefly knocked them down to 3rd. They recovered with another run of six matches without losing, which kept them in title contention going into the final weekend. Romford needed to beat Barnet, and hope that Bromley lost to relegation-threatened Enfield Town, to have any chance taking the automatic promotion spot. Sadly, Romford couldn't keep their end of the bargain, as a 3-1 defeat meant they finished 2nd and had to negotiate the play-offs.

 

The Boro's Play-Off Semi Final was against one of their greatest rivals - 5th-placed Grays Athletic. Romford won the first leg at the Rush Green Stadium 1-0 after a goal late in the first half from captain Duncan Greenwood. Grays also recorded a 1-0 away win in the second leg at Ship Lane, so that meant extra-time was required. The Gravelmen had been playing with ten men since the 24th minute, and they eventually crumbled, as Kevin Holt struck in the 107th minute. That gave Romford a 2-1 aggregate win and a place in the Final - at home to Dorchester Town.

 

What followed was a performance that I became very familiar with at Romford, who had several shots at goal but couldn't make the most of them. Things got worse in the 52nd minute, when Greenwood gave away a penalty after pushing Gavin Watson, who would go on to convert the spot-kick. Dorchester led 1-0, and despite the Boro's best efforts, one goal was enough. Duncan could've turned from zero to hero in injury time, but his dramatic late goal was disallowed for offside, and Boro hearts were broken once again.

 

FA Cup: Round 1

Romford breezed through their first two qualifying games against Leamington and Bashley without conceding a goal, and then faced a sterner test against Kingstonian in Qualifying Round 4. The Boro had to fight back from 1-0 down to win 2-1 and reach the proper stages of the FA Cup once again. They faced a daunting trip to Carlisle United in Round 1, and the long journey seemed to have an effect, as Carlisle won 1-0 and ended Romford's cup dream.

 

FA Trophy: Qualifying Round 3

This was a major source of disappointment for Romford, who fell at the first hurdle after a 2-1 defeat at Bromley.

 

Essex Senior Cup: Quarter Final

After beating Witham Town 3-0, and Dagenham & Redbridge Reserves 2-1 after extra-time, Romford travelled to Southend United Reserves in the Quarter Finals. Southend won by a single goal, and the Boro's long, long wait to win the Essex Senior Cup will continue for at least another year.

 

Best Players

Romford's defensive record was much-improved, thanks in no small part to centre-back Kieron Gray. Gray's consistent performances earned him the club's Player of the Year award for the second season in a row. Veteran goalkeeper Ben Alnwick was also impressive, while striker Wes Fletcher justified his summer signing with 16 goals in 44 matches. The Boro's new rising star, 18-year-old Seidu Asante, was mainly used as a left-winger by Burman, but he still scored nine times.

 

The Future

After three years of steady decline, Romford are back on track and edging closer towards the Conference Premier. Now aged 65 and in the twilight of his managerial career, Burman is still relishing the challenge of taking the Boro up into non-league football's top tier. However, he'll have to try and win promotion next season without a number of Romford stalwarts. Aaron Connolly, Efe Festus, Moses Millen, Garry Morath-Gibbs, and even Big Dunc are all leaving. Can a new-look team build on last season's promise?

[CFuller]

2022/2023 season round-up: Part 1

Premier League

This season's Premier League title race was contested by the two Manchester clubs and Arsenal, who really were streets ahead of the other 17 teams. It was Manchester United who prevailed again, as Damien King scored 23 goals and full-back David Alaba excelled in a defence that only shipped 25. After winning back-to-back titles, United boss Slaven Bilic announced that he was leaving Old Trafford to succeed the retiring Rafa Benítez at Real Madrid. Arsenal finished 2nd, despite Florian Ivancic and Burak Acikgoz finishing joint-top of the PL's goal chart with 24 apiece, and League Cup winners Manchester City had to settle for 3rd.

 

There was a shock victor in the battle for the last remaining UEFA Champions League place. Incredibly, it was Mick McCarthy's Wolverhampton Wanderers who pinched 4th spot from Chelsea on the final day, after the Blues conceded a late equaliser to Sunderland! Chelsea's failure to regain their place in Europe's elite resulted in manager Marco van Basten being ousted and replaced by Miodrag Bozovic of CSKA Moscow.

 

Fulham finished a respectable 7th, just behind Norwich City, and they finally won their first piece of silverware under Dmitrijs Morozs' ownership. A hat-trick from Luka Djordjevic against Arsenal secured the first FA Cup win in the Cottagers' 144-year history. Two of last season's top four, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool, started their league campaigns badly before coming 9th and 10th respectively.

 

For the first time in exactly a quarter of a century, all three of the Premier League's newly-promoted teams went straight back down. Everton's yo-yoing continued after they conceded a shocking 86 goals on the way to finishing dead last. Leicester City were also out of their depth, while a shocking sequence of one win in their last 23 league matches saw Stoke City plummet from 4th to 18th.

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    C/CL  Man Utd                38    28    7     3     83    25    +58   91
2.    CL    Arsenal                38    26    8     4     93    37    +56   86
3.    CL    Man City               38    25    8     5     89    45    +44   83
4.    CL    Wolves                 38    19    6     13    59    53    +6    63
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.    EL    Chelsea                38    17    10    11    65    45    +20   61
6.    EL    Norwich                38    16    9     13    50    52    -2    57
7.    EL    Fulham                 38    15    10    13    50    48    +2    55
8.          Southampton            38    16    7     15    54    54    0     55
9.          Tottenham              38    15    9     14    66    52    +14   54
10.         Liverpool              38    13    12    13    53    58    -5    51
11.         Watford                38    12    14    12    48    45    +3    50
12.         Newcastle              38    15    4     19    59    66    -7    49
13.         Wigan                  38    14    6     18    41    55    -14   48
14.         West Brom              38    12    9     17    48    61    -13   45
15.         Sunderland             38    13    5     20    53    66    -13   44
16.         West Ham               38    11    8     19    45    65    -20   41
17.         Burnley                38    9     12    17    41    53    -12   39
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18.   R     Stoke                  38    9     7     22    44    76    -32   34
19.   R     Leicester              38    9     3     26    36    68    -32   30
20.   R     Everton                38    6     6     26    33    86    -53   24

 

Championship

A four-way fight at the Championship summit ended with Nottingham Forest winning the title, and Huddersfield Town getting promoted directly to the Premier League for the first time. Blackburn Rovers and Reading both had to make do with places in the Play-Offs, where they had contrasting fortunes.

 

Blackburn were knocked out on penalties by Swansea City in their Semi Final, but Reading saw off Aston Villa 5-2 in theirs. The Final was goalless until extra-time, when a double from Matty Tanner gave ten-man Swansea a 2-0 advantage. Reading battled back resiliently as the division's top scorer Miguel Rodríguez levelled with two goals of his own. Following a 2-2 draw, the Royals took the shoot-out 4-3 and bounced back into the top flight.

 

Middlesbrough finished 11th in a campaign that saw England Under-21s right-back Gordon Hubbuck named as the Championship Player of the Year - at the tender age of 18! Just three places below the Boro were Rochdale, who continued to defy expectations and consolidate their second-tier status.

 

Manager Danny Wilson left Rochdale for Derby County in January, and that was perhaps a big mistake, as Derby finished rock-bottom with only nine wins. There was also relegation heartache for Peterborough United, who ended twelve straight seasons in the Championship, and Sheffield United.

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    C     Nottm Forest           46    29    9     8     87    42    +45   96
2.    P     Huddersfield           46    30    5     11    87    43    +44   95
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          Blackburn              46    28    10    8     78    49    +29   94
4.    P     Reading                46    27    9     10    90    48    +42   90
5.          Aston Villa            46    23    10    13    82    54    +28   79
6.          Swansea                46    23    10    13    77    58    +19   79
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.          Brighton               46    21    13    12    63    49    +14   76
8.          Ipswich                46    19    13    14    64    56    +8    70
9.          Hull                   46    21    7     18    61    57    +4    70
10.         Coventry               46    21    6     19    58    53    +5    69
11.         Middlesbrough          46    19    9     18    74    64    +10   66
12.         QPR                    46    18    12    16    65    62    +3    66
13.         Leeds                  46    19    7     20    63    59    +4    64
14.         Rochdale               46    18    9     19    58    69    -11   63
15.         Sheff Wed              46    17    8     21    57    62    -5    59
16.         Bradford               46    15    6     25    52    69    -17   51
17.         Crystal Palace         46    12    13    21    52    77    -25   49
18.         Colchester             46    13    10    23    48    74    -26   49
19.         Doncaster              46    12    12    22    44    64    -20   48
20.         Portsmouth             46    12    12    22    46    70    -24   48
21.         Barnsley               46    11    12    23    42    77    -35   45
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22.   R     Sheff Utd              46    10    11    25    39    71    -32   41
23.   R     Peterborough           46    10    10    26    41    66    -25   40
24.   R     Derby                  46    9     7     30    39    74    -35   34

 

League One

Both of Nottingham's league clubs were celebrating this season, as Notts County won League One after scoring an impressive 92 goals. Crewe Alexandra took the other automatic promotion place ahead of Millwall, who suffered heavy defeats in their last two regular-season games.

 

Millwall's untimely slump continued in the Play-Off Semi Final, where they were beaten by Walsall. AFC Telford United brushed Gillingham aside to move to within one game of back-to-back promotions. It wasn't to be for Gerry Taggart's men, as Walsall scored three second-half goals without reply at Wembley to reach the Championship.

 

Morecambe, Birmingham City, Yeovil Town and Bristol City were all consigned to League Two after poor seasons. Birmingham have fallen on particularly hard times recently, and one must now wonder if worse is still to come.

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    C     Notts County           46    25    11    10    92    47    +45   86
2.    P     Crewe                  46    22    15    9     75    55    +20   81
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.          Millwall               46    22    12    12    57    45    +12   78
4.          Gillingham             46    23    8     15    71    62    +9    77
5.          AFC Telford            46    22    8     16    65    59    +6    74
6.    P     Walsall                46    19    16    11    59    54    +5    73
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.          Brentford              46    19    14    13    65    60    +5    71
8.          Shrewsbury             46    20    9     17    71    59    +12   69
9.          Oldham                 46    19    11    16    64    49    +15   68
10.         Cardiff                46    18    11    17    67    56    +11   65
11.         Northampton            46    17    13    16    58    62    -4    64
12.         Hartlepool             46    15    16    15    55    51    +4    61
13.         Fleetwood              46    16    13    17    55    61    -6    61
14.         Plymouth               46    14    18    14    55    56    -1    60
15.         Oxford                 46    16    12    18    54    59    -5    60
16.         Wrexham                46    15    14    17    57    56    +1    59
17.         Bristol Rovers         46    14    17    15    48    58    -10   59
18.         Bolton                 46    13    13    20    45    58    -13   52
19.         Stockport              46    13    13    20    46    63    -17   52
20.         Scunthorpe             46    11    16    19    53    66    -13   49
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21.   R     Bristol City           46    13    8     25    39    64    -25   47
22.   R     Yeovil                 46    11    13    22    40    54    -14   46
23.   R     Birmingham             46    12    10    24    40    56    -16   46
24.   R     Morecambe              46    10    15    21    51    72    -21   45

 

League Two

Exeter City's transformation under Leighton Baines continued, with the League Two title winging its way to St James Park. Rotherham United also went up in 2nd place, and Barrow - now Cumbria's only League team - will be back in the third tier next season after a 53-year absence.

 

Burton Albion were on fire in the Play-Offs, as they blitzed Tranmere Rovers to set up a Final showdown with AFC Bournemouth, who'd knocked out Charlton Athletic. Burton had leading scorer John Marquis sent off after just four minutes at Wembley, where they went behind twice, but the Brewers fought back to win 3-2 and get promoted!

 

The Football League lost one of its longest-serving members, with inaugural champions Preston North End dropping into the Conference Premier. They were joined by Carlisle United, whose miserable tally of 37 league goals was still five more than Preston's.

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    C     Exeter                 46    25    8     13    76    56    +20   83
2.    P     Rotherham              46    23    13    10    62    39    +23   82
3.    P     Barrow                 46    20    17    9     55    40    +15   77
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.          Bournemouth            46    22    9     15    52    45    +7    75
5.          Tranmere               46    20    13    13    59    45    +14   73
6.    P     Burton                 46    21    8     17    60    52    +8    71
7.          Charlton               46    18    15    13    68    46    +22   69
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8.          Chester                46    19    11    16    58    53    +5    68
9.          Blackpool              46    17    16    13    58    53    +5    67
10.         Dartford               46    18    12    16    67    62    +5    66
11.         Port Vale              46    19    8     19    59    65    -6    65
12.         Luton                  46    18    9     19    54    58    -4    63
13.         Mansfield              46    16    14    16    62    60    +2    62
14.         Chesterfield           46    14    18    14    48    48    0     60
15.         Hereford               46    15    15    16    55    56    -1    60
16.         Kidderminster          46    15    14    17    54    62    -8    59
17.         Forest Green           46    14    16    16    44    53    -9    58
18.         Swindon                46    15    12    19    57    55    +2    57
19.         Torquay                46    13    16    17    49    59    -10   55
20.         Wycombe                46    13    15    18    47    52    -5    54
21.         Leyton Orient          46    17    3     26    45    67    -22   54
22.         Aldershot              46    12    16    18    43    50    -7    52
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
23.   R     Carlisle               46    10    11    25    37    59    -22   41
24.   R     Preston                46    6     15    25    32    66    -34   33

 

Conference Premier

Crawley Town led the Conference Premier for much of the campaign, and they held onto top spot at the end, despite a late challenge from Newport County.

 

Newport were beaten in the Play-Offs by Dagenham & Redbridge, who took on Chelmsford City's conquerors Stevenage in the Final. One goal from James Wilson after only three minutes was all Stevenage needed to take the game - and with it, a ticket back to League Two.

 

Macclesfield Town, Alfreton Town, Harrogate Town and Southend United were the four teams relegated out of the Conference Premier. Despite shipping 115 league goals, Alfreton were relieved that they didn't finish bottom.

 

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.    C     Crawley                46    23    16    7     83    54    +29   85
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.          Newport County         46    25    9     12    67    51    +16   84
3.          Chelmsford             46    22    11    13    80    50    +30   77
4.    P     Stevenage              46    20    14    12    69    48    +21   74
5.          Dag & Red              46    20    12    14    77    55    +22   72
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.          Salisbury              46    20    12    14    58    37    +21   72
7.          York                   46    19    12    15    68    56    +12   69
8.          Eastleigh              46    17    15    14    68    63    +5    66
9.          Ebbsfleet              46    18    12    16    67    67    0     66
10.         Farnborough            46    18    11    17    72    69    +3    65
11.         Kingstonian            46    17    13    16    67    62    +5    64
12.         Boreham Wood           46    15    17    14    70    61    +9    62
13.         Bury                   46    16    14    16    59    56    +3    62
14.         AFC Wimbledon          46    17    11    18    68    67    +1    62
15.         Cambridge              46    18    8     20    62    69    -7    62
16.         Darlington             46    16    13    17    65    70    -5    61
17.         MK Dons                46    15    14    17    45    51    -6    59
18.         Cheltenham             46    16    9     21    55    62    -7    57
19.         Lincoln                46    15    12    19    52    66    -14   57
20.         Accrington             46    12    20    14    57    60    -3    56
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21.   R     Southend               46    13    9     24    48    68    -20   48
22.   R     Harrogate              46    13    9     24    40    71    -31   48
23.   R     Alfreton               46    10    12    24    60    115   -55   42
24.   R     Macclesfield           46    11    7     28    56    85    -29   40

 

Conference North

Promoted: Stalybridge Celtic (1st, 86 pts), Grimsby Town (3rd, 74 pts).

Also in Play-Offs: Gainsborough Trinity (2nd, 82 pts), Tamworth (4th, 73 pts), Gateshead (5th, 70 pts).

Relegated: Romulus (20th, 34 pts), North Ferriby United (21st, 33 pts), Matlock Town (22nd, 29 pts).

 

Conference South

Promoted: Bromley (1st, 80 pts), Dorchester Town (4th, 69 pts).

Also in Play-Offs: Romford (2nd, 76 pts), Barnet (3rd 73 pts), Grays Athletic (5th, 64 pts).

Relegated: Enfield Town (20th, 45 pts), Basingstoke Town (21st, 44 pts), Tiverton Town (22nd, 44 pts).

 

Regional Premier Divisions

Promoted from Northern Premier League Premier: Buxton (1st), Lancaster City (5th).

Promoted from Isthmian League Premier: Dover Athletic (1st), Aveley (4th).

Promoted from Southern League Premier: Oxford City Nomads (1st), Havant & Waterlooville (5th).

[CFuller]

2022/2023 season round-up: Part 2

Major Transfers

• Sergio Aguero returned home to Argentina, so Manchester City spent £24million on a replacement for the legendary striker. Andreas Rainer did not disappoint, as the Austrian scored 29 goals in all competitions following his move from Liverpool. City also spent £37.5million on Borussia Dortmund right-winger Iván Guillermo and £14million on Barcelona defender Kurt Zouma, but they went on to win just the League Cup.
• Not many players say no to Manchester United. That's what Holland left-back Marvin Havenaar did this summer, when he snubbed United and completed a £21.5million switch from PSV to Tottenham Hotspur. Havenaar was one of the few players to impress in what was arguably Spurs' worst season league-wise for 15 years. Another big-money arrival at the AIA Stadium - soon-to-be England striker Kyle Wigley - struggled to live up to the £14.25million fee Spurs had paid Hibernian, scoring only nine goals.
• Scotland striker Derek Halliday was struggling to hold down a regular starting place at Manchester United, so when Chelsea paid £19.75million for him in June, he wanted to prove a point. The young left-footer did just that with 14 goals in 31 Premier League appearances for the Blues.
• A couple of world-renowned players came to the Premier League late in their careers, but neither made an impact. Former Barcelona left-back Jordi Alba only featured six times for Liverpool, while ex-Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuaín didn't even play once for Newcastle United before retiring at the age of 35.
• Barcelona spent £93million over the summer, including £39.5million on Chelsea's Angolan full-back Joao Alves and £43million on Fluminense's Brazil midfielder Edson Pedro. Real Madrid retaliated by throwing £22million at another Brazilian international - 6ft 9in Flamengo striker Ulisses, who scored 15 goals in his first Spanish league campaign. Real brought out the chequebook again in January for a much smaller player, with 5ft 5in left-back Estanislao Flor arriving from Valencia for £30.5million.
• Paris Saint-Germain bought a couple of English-based players in January. Burnley striker Michalis Toumasis cost them £19.5million and went on to score 11 goals in his first 12 league games for PSG, who also bought Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Zhang Hongyu for £16.75million. Wolves spent £12million of that transfer fee on Liverpool captain Rob Cooper, showing just how far the Reds' stock has fallen recently.

 

Managerial Movements

• After the departure of Brendan Rodgers, the FA appointed long-serving Burnley boss Sean Dyche as the next England manager. The 'ginger Mourinho' took a while to settle into the high-pressure job, as England lost two of their first three European Championship qualifiers before getting back on track. Without Dyche, Burnley went into freefall. The Clarets came 17th in the Premier League under his successor Derek McInnes, who was replaced at the end of the campaign by Huddersfield Town's Malky Mackay.
• In the latest episode of 'Coach Swap', Steve Round was kicked out by Tottenham Hotspur. Managerial mercenary Michael Appleton moved in from West Bromwich Albion, and Round took over his old office at The Hawthorns. There was also a change of coach at Carrow Road, where Norwich City gave Nigel Clough his marching orders and drafted in Paul Groves from Brighton & Hove Albion.
• Liverpool underperformed for the first three months of the season, so Owen Coyle's tenure at Anfield was cut short. In came former England manager Alan Pardew, whose old job at Wigan Athletic went to former Hibernian boss Mark Robins. Despite losing yet another coach, Hibs still retained the Scottish Premier League title under their next gaffer - everyone's favourite club-hopping Glaswegian, Billy Davies.
• Josep Guardiola became the new head coach of world and European champions Spain this summer following Tito Vilanova's triumphant exit. That left Bayern Munich needing a new boss. They chose Schalke 04's Zvonimir Soldo, but he proved to be a terrible appointment, as Bayern were 7th in the Bundesliga by mid-January! Soldo was sacked, and Ciriaco Sforza was sent in from Lyon to rebuild the fallen giants.
• At around the same time, Atlético Madrid's flirtation with Neil Lennon ended after only 14 months. 'Los Colchoneros' named his successor as Remi Gardé, who abandoned Paris Saint-Germain midway through his sixth season in charge. PSG weren't worried, because former midfielder Jérome Rothen returned from a short spell in charge of Troyes to continue Gardé's good work. The Parisians surged towards their ELEVENTH straight Ligue 1 championship, and they also won an even more glittering prize in May.
• Attilio Tesser may have retired from Juventus, but their string of Serie A scudetto wins continued under new 'allenatore' Ciro Ferrara. Roma also changed their gaffer, with Gianfranco Zola being replaced by Cremonese's Giuseppe Scienza. As for the two English coaches trying to succeed in their Italian jobs, Inter Milan's Stuart Pearce and Empoli's Frank Lampard both failed to last a full year. Pearce's job went to Stefano Colantuono, while Lampard's replacement Marco Parolo guided Empoli to a 2nd-place finish.

 

Other Major Stories

• Manchester United reached the UEFA Champions League Final in emphatic fashion, thrashing Juventus 7-0 at Old Trafford after losing 1-0 in the first leg of their Semi Final. That set up a Moscow meeting with first-time finalists Paris Saint-Germain, who'd seen off Atlético Madrid. After an ill-tempered and goalless affair, which saw United's David Alaba and PSG defender William Kalala sent off, the title was decided in a penalty shoot-out. The French side won it 3-2 after Marc-André ter Stegen stopped the decisive kick from Moreira!
• Having spent four seasons inside the top four, Real Betis finally took that next big step - and won La Liga! Despite midfield superstar Isco missing the second half of the season with a knee injury, and increasing pressure from Barcelona and Real Madrid, Betis held on for just their second ever league title.
• When Lionel Messi tore his hamstring in Barca's 3-0 win at Malaga, it marked the teary end of an era. That was the 567th and final league game of Messi's career, which saw him score a record 318 La Liga goals and win countless trophies. The Argentine wizard's Nou Camp team-mates Gareth Bale and Sergio Busquets also followed him into retirement. Other stars who bowed out this season included Fulham's former England captain Ryan Shawcross, and Schalke 04's injury-plagued Montenegrin striker Stevan Jovetic.
• Barca's current superstar Nando Ribas is in lethal scoring form at the moment! Ribas struck 27 times in La Liga to win the Pichichi award for a third year in a row, but that's not all! The 26-year-old has already scored three hat-tricks for Spain in the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers - including two in the space of five days against Albania and Armenia! Those goals took his international tally to 66 in only 69 caps.
• Borussia Dortmund won their tenth Bundesliga crown - and their first for nine years - after finishing an incredible 19 points clear of deposed champions Bayer Leverkusen! Ronald Koeman's Dortmund were inspired by 20-year-old wunderkind Dominic Feldkamp, who scored 21 league goals. Bayern Munich could only finish 4th, so they missed out on Champions League qualification for the first time since 2007.
• Napoli had been in steady decline since they were Serie A runners-up in 2017, but very few seriously thought they would be relegated six years later! That's what happened on the final day of the season, when the Partenopei's failure to beat champions Juventus plunged them into Serie B.

 

Cup Winners

FA Cup: Fulham 3-0 Arsenal.

League Cup: Manchester City 6-2 Tottenham Hotspur.

Community Shield: Arsenal 1-0 Manchester United.

Football League Trophy: Cardiff City 1-0 Chester.

 

UEFA Champions League: Paris Saint-Germain 0-0 Manchester United (3-2 penalties) - at Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow.

UEFA Europa League: Arsenal 3-1 PSV (aet) - at Hampden Park, Glasgow.

UEFA Super Cup: Porto 3-2 Atlético Madrid - at Estádio D. Afonso Henriques, Guimaraes.

FIFA Club World Championship: Porto 3-2 Sao Paulo (aet) - at Stade du Prince Moulay Abdallah, Rabat.

 

Major European Leagues

Dutch Eredivisie: PSV (1st), Ajax (2nd), AZ Alkmaar (3rd).

French Ligue 1: Paris Saint-Germain (1st), Monaco (2nd), Lyon (3rd).

German Bundesliga: Borussia Dortmund (1st), Bayer Leverkusen (2nd), Schalke 04 (3rd).

Italian Serie A: Juventus (1st), Empoli (2nd), Roma (3rd).

Portuguese Primeira Liga: Porto (1st), Braga (2nd), Benfica (3rd).

Russian Premier League: FC Krasnodar (1st), CSKA Moscow (2nd), Kuban Krasnodar (3rd).

Scottish Premier League: Hibernian (1st), Celtic (2nd), Heart of Midlothian (3rd).

Spanish La Liga: Real Betis (1st), Barcelona (2nd), Real Madrid (3rd).

 

Award Winners

PFA Player of the Year: Marko Skopljanac (Arsenal).

PFA Young Player of the Year: Clive Johnson (Sunderland).

FWA Footballer of the Year: Jack Wilshere (Arsenal).

Premier League Manager of the Season: Mick McCarthy (Wolverhampton Wanderers).

PFA Premier League Team of the Year:

• David De Gea (Manchester United and Spain)
• Kristijan Loncar (Tottenham Hotspur and Croatia)
• Petar Skenderski (Tottenham Hotspur and Bulgaria)
• Alejandro Alzáte (Manchester United and Colombia)
• David Alaba (Manchester United and Austria)
• Jack Wilshere (Arsenal and England)
• Marco Verratti (Arsenal and Italy)
• Alison Brito Neves (Chelsea and Portugal)
• Marko Skopljanac (Arsenal and Croatia)
• Neymar (Manchester United and Brazil)
• Florian Ivancic (Arsenal and Croatia)

 

FIFA Ballon d'Or: Guido Dri (Porto).

World Soccer World Player of the Year: Guido Dri (Porto).

European Golden Shoe: Moussa Kari (Monaco).

UEFA Best Player in Europe: Marko Skopljanac (Arsenal).

FIFA/FIFPro World XI:

• David De Gea (Manchester United and Spain)
• Nelson Parra (Paris Saint-Germain and Colombia)
• Yasar Eroglu (Real Madrid and France)
• Phil Jones (Manchester City and England)
• Samuel Umtiti (Real Madrid and France)
• Thiago (Barcelona and Spain)
• Lorenzo Crisetig (Paris Saint-Germain and Italy)
• Guido Dri (Porto and Italy)
• Jack Wilshere (Arsenal and England)
• Isco (Real Betis and Spain)
• Glauco Dotto (Manchester City and Italy)

[CFuller]

JULY 2023

I know what it feels like to be disappointed on a regular basis. Last season was my third play-off campaign in five years, and my first with Dagenham & Redbridge in the Conference Premier had the same outcome as my previous two with Romford in the Conference South. We missed out on promotion and had to go again.

 

Daggers fans are a demanding lot, and I knew that they'd be baying for my blood if we remained outside the Football League for much longer. Although I'd extended my contract as manager until 2025, that new two-year deal only gave me a little more security. Should we fail to go up this season, I probably won't be given that extra year.

 

I'm not fazed. We showed great promise by getting to the Play-Off Final in May, and I feel confident that my team can win their League place back without having to travel to Wembley again. That's right - I have my sights firmly set on lifting the Conference Premier trophy.

 

We'd already signed five players before pre-season training started, and the next few weeks saw five more join our ranks. Among them were a couple of 19-year-old defenders. Scottish right-back Louis Jack had just been let go by Hibernian, and Irish-American centre-half Thomas Tierney briefly played for Raith Rovers earlier this year.

 

I then welcomed in a quartet of long-term loanees. Wingers Michael King and Rikki Scarlett each started season-long loans from Bristol Rovers and Walsall respectively, while fast striker Stuart Gould came in from Aston Villa for the next seven months.

 

Our fourth temporary signing, also for the whole season, was Northampton Town's attacking midfielder George Green. The skilful 27-year-old was once a highly-rated youth player at Everton who could've gone on to play for England had he not been plagued by injuries. Like Scarlett, Green spent part of last season at eventual Conference Premier winners Crawley Town.

 

I also chose to test out another player on a trial basis. You might recognise him, because he's a big target man called Duncan Greenwood. Big Dunc had recently left Romford after eight years at Ship Lane, and although my coaches seriously doubted whether he could cut it with us, I felt he at least deserved a chance.

 

Another new face at Victoria Road was my final addition to the backroom staff for now. Nathan Kilcourse - a 32-year-old former long-distance runner and semi-pro footballer who was on Oldham Athletic's books as a teenager - became our first Head of Youth Development.

 

While the players were working hard on their fitness in the build-up to our first friendly, vice-captain Bradley Dack strained his thigh after striking a ball awkwardly. Bradley would miss most of our warm-up matches as a result.

 

That opening friendly game was at home to Charlton Athletic, who lost in the League Two play-offs last season. Paul Dickov's Addicks had just signed former Dagenham midfielder Adam Barton, as well as another of my old players - Romford alumnus Efe Festus.

 

15 July 2023: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Charlton Athletic

Dagenham & Redbridge striker Jamie Bell clipped the crossbar from a tight angle in the fourth minute. That was the best chance of an opening quarter-hour that saw Charlton miss a host of shots from distance.

 

Dean Rittenberg was particularly wasteful for the Addicks, whose sluggish start was punished after 26 minutes. New Daggers midfielder James Dunne chested the ball to inside-forward Yasser Ibrahim, who turned past a desperate challenge from Efe Festus and found the net.

 

That goal gave us an early lead, which Charlton wouldn't come close to scrubbing out until the 39th minute. Rittenberg's strike was turned over the bar by Robbie Ryder, and Daggers defender Billy Kenyon headed away Ryan Dow's resulting corner. Ibrahim then launched a one-man counter-attack, dribbling from our half to the Athletic box before playing in Dunne. James hit the post with his first shot, but he tucked in the rebound and gave us a cool two-goal advantage!

 

Charlton produced more of a threat after the break. In the 54th minute, teenage substitute Jim McNeill's shot hit the bar, and then Ryder's back, before bouncing towards our goal line. Jonathan Soar looked odds-on to bury it... until Robbie picked it up in the nick of time!

 

Four minutes later, our American centre-back Thomas Tierney conceded a foul on the edge of our area. There was a minute's delay before Mike Barnard curled it perfectly into the net, halving the Addicks' deficit. From that point, Charlton looked the better team.

 

Our young full-backs Warren Barrett and Louis Jack struggled to keep up with the visitors' quick wingers, while Ryder made a difficult save from Mats Daehli in the 72nd minute. Two minutes later, a terrible goal kick from Charlton's Jonathan Oakes was hoovered up by Duncan Greenwood, who ran towards the goal... and ballooned his shot over it!

 

Our defence came under more pressure on 84 minutes, when Ryder had to catch McNeill's header. Robbie would face McNeill again in the second minute of injury time. The Charlton striker received a through-ball from his team-mate Stephen Hall and struck a powerful finish from close range. The Addicks had come back from 2-0 down to save a draw. Ouch.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Ibrahim 26, Dunne 40)

Charlton Athletic - 2 (Barnard 59, McNeill 90)

Friendly, Attendance 1,664

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryder (Nguyen), Beech (Jack), Kenyon (Whincup), Tierney (Coton), Purrington (Barrett), Scarlett (Roche), Clark (Jones), Dunne (Green), Ibrahim (King), Finnie (Greenwood), J Bell (Gould). BOOKED: Clark.

 

For an opening friendly, that wasn't too bad a result. True, we did choke on another two-goal lead, but to even be in that position against a side like Charlton was encouraging. We were perhaps lacking an experienced head in defence, though, and that was something I would consider addressing later on.

 

The Daggers' first away trip of pre-season was what had in recent times become an annual visit to Dunstable Town. The Bedfordshire side were playing three tiers below us in the Southern League Division 1 Central.

 

18 July 2023: Dunstable Town vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Dunstable had the first chance through Jason Watts in the sixth minute, but his tame effort was easily blocked by Nguyen Van Phung. Two minutes later, Lee Finnie's shot at the other end was turned behind by home keeper Dave James, who would soon live up to his famous namesake's 'Calamity' sobriquet. Finnie floated in a corner that our new defender Wayne Coton slotted into the net for 1-0.

 

That would not be the only time Finnie and Coton linked up perfectly in that type of situation. Another corner from Lee in the 17th minute was powerfully nodded home by Wayne. The teenage centre-half was already two-thirds of the way towards an improbable hat-trick!

 

Dunstable were sinking without trace, and Watts hit a desperate shot in the 20th minute that was comfortably caught by Nguyen. Six minutes later, Dunstable's utter ineptitude at defending set plays was exposed again. Lee completed his hat-trick of corner assists, but this time, the finish came from James Dunne's head rather than Wayne's!

 

Three minutes later, the Blues were feeling even bluer. As their defence widened even more, Daggers midfielder George Green threaded the ball through to his fellow loanee Stuart Gould in the box. Stuart drove it hard and low into the net, and we were 4-0 up before the first half-hour had even expired!

 

We did show poor Dunstable a bit more mercy before half-time, but Town couldn't score a consolation goal even if we wanted to let them have one! A couple of speculative strikes from captain Brian McHale drifted well clear of goal and summed up the hosts' first-half.

 

Dunstable were so unstable that, by the 56th minute, manager Matt Oakley had changed his entire team and adopted a narrow 4-5-1 formation! Unsurprisingly, we weren't able to dominate the midfield as much as we did, though our wide players now had free rein on the wings.

 

After 62 minutes, right-back Tim Beech's cross was nodded just wide by Duncan Greenwood. A minute later, right-winger Jonathan Roche fired a weak shot that didn't get quite so close. We later started to deliver more dangerous balls from the left flank. One low cross from Warren Barrett in the 79th minute found Greenwood, who drilled in his first Dagenham goal! Our lead was now five goals... and counting.

 

With five minutes remaining, Rikki Scarlett curled in a free-kick that caught the Blues' back-up keeper Steffan Johnson completely unawares, and 5-0 became 6-0! Dunstable's destruction was complete.

 

Dunstable Town - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 6 (Coton 9,17, Dunne 26, Gould 29, Greenwood 79, Scarlett 85)

Friendly, Attendance 203

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Nguyen (Ryder), Jack (Beech), Kenyon (Whincup), Coton (Tierney), Purrington (Barrett), Jones (Scarlett), Dunne (Clark), Green (Honeyball), King (Roche), Finnie (Ibrahim), Gould (Greenwood).

 

The following day saw one of our new defenders - Thomas Tierney - strain his wrist in training. Tommy would be out for around a fortnight, but his injury coincided with the arrival of another centre-back. 18-year-old former Milton Keynes Dons defender Warren Munson came in on trial with a view to a permanent transfer.

 

I looked up the promotion odds online later that evening. Unsurprisingly, we were rated as 6-1 third-favourites behind the recently-relegated duo of Carlisle United and Preston North End, who were both at 5-2. From what I'd seen of us so far this pre-season, I was tempted to put a few quid on us. I couldn't actually do that, for obvious reasons, but this horse looked very backable.

[CFuller]

JULY 2023 (continued)

Our next game was a prestige friendly at home to FA Cup winners Fulham, who also happened to be our 'parent club'. The Cottagers brought along a strong squad that included full England internationals Will Hughes, John Stones, and Steve Guy, whom they'd just signed for £12million from Arsenal. I was almost starstruck!

 

22 July 2023: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Fulham

My first ever match against a Premier League club started well enough, as our defence held firm against Fulham's stars. In the second minute, the Cottagers' new right-back Steve Guy swung in a corner that Slovakian midfielder Miroslav Rusnak headed high and wide. Four minutes later, Rikki Scarlett went close to grabbing a shock opener for Dagenham & Redbridge.

 

Fulham attacked again in the 12th minute, when winger Kerim Frei, who'd just returned to Craven Cottage for a second spell, struck a low shot that Robbie Ryder turned behind. Frei opened our defence with a delicate lob to Jack Smith in the 20th minute, but the Scotland striker's finish was scrubbed out for offside.

 

We breathed a sigh of relief, and the visitors did likewise two minutes after that. Jamie Bell's close-range strike from Scarlett's cross was blocked by young Cottagers goalie Joe Allen before Rusnak removed the danger.

 

After George Green put another Daggers chance over in the 26th minute, Fulham seriously upped the pressure. Rusnak skimmed the bar on 31 minutes, and Ryder fisted away a fierce shot from Frei eight minutes later. Robbie was looking solid in goal, but a lapse of concentration in the 43rd minute allowed Brazilian winger Guerreiro to head Guy's corner into the net. Our resistance had finally been broken...

 

...and when Fulham scored a second goal after 52 minutes, it looked like the floodgates would open. A woeful clearance from the otherwise impressive Tim Beech allowed Frei to volley past our substitute keeper Nguyen Van Phung.

 

Fulham found the net again in the 62nd minute through Will Hughes, but the midfield superstar was offside when he scored from Luka Djordjevic's cushioned pass. That was a real let-off for young Dagenham left-back Warren Barrett, whose poor throw-in had given the Cottagers a chance to counter-attack. Djordjevic and defender Tommie Hoban each missed further opportunities for the top-flight side before the closing stages.

 

With the game already beyond us, I gave a run-out to debutant midfielder Paul Hart, who had turned 16 just a few days earlier. Fulham's superiority was clear - they registered 16 shots compared to just three for us, and they claimed another goal after 87 minutes. Neil Briers' cross was nodded home by the Cottagers' FA Cup hat-trick hero Djordjevic, who put the seal on a convincing 3-0 win.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 0

Fulham - 3 (Guerreiro 43, Frei 52, Djordjevic 87)

Friendly, Attendance 5,306

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryder (Nguyen), Beech (Jack), Munson (Kenyon), Coton (Whincup), Barrett (Purrington), Clark (Jones), Scarlett (Dunne), Green (Hart), Roche (King), Finnie (Ibrahim), J Bell (Greenwood).

 

Duncan Greenwood informed me later in the weekend that he'd received a contract offer from Grays Athletic. Even though the Gravelmen were arguably Romford's biggest rivals, I advised the big man to take their offer up. Duncan did indeed sign for Grays, but not before thanking me for giving him an opportunity at Dagenham & Redbridge.

 

While we were under no pressure against Fulham, that wasn't the case when we travelled to Dulwich Hamlet. The Conference South side were our feeder club, and failure to beat them would be somewhat embarrassing.

 

26 July 2023: Dulwich Hamlet vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Some shocking passing on our part allowed Dulwich Hamlet to dictate much of the opening half-hour. In that time, though, they only had one real opportunity to score. After seven minutes, Dulwich winger Peter Searle cut inside, hit a fierce shot that was blocked by Billy Kenyon, and then scuffed the rebound.

 

We were unable to get into the game until the 26th minute, when Jonathan Roche dribbled into the Hamlet area before miscuing his shot. Jonny had earlier been hampered by a knock inflicted on him by Gary Cumiskey, who gave us more pain in the 31st minute. As four Daggers players crowded around Jay Rowe in our penalty area, Rowe passed to the criminally-unmarked Cumiskey, who tucked in a simple finish.

 

Three minutes after that, 1-0 should have become 2-0. Garry Marney dinked the ball through our defence and found Dulwich captain Will Bor, who somehow missed a gaping goal. I was disgusted at our defending, and I made that perfectly clear at half-time.

 

After instructing my players to do a better job of keeping possession in the second half, we started to create more chances. Converting them was still a problem, as James Dunne blasted over the bar in the 59th minute, and Rikki Scarlett headed off target just after the hour mark. Dulwich were being put under much greater pressure, and after 74 minutes, they cracked.

 

Marney, who'd hit the side netting less than two minutes earlier, pushed Kenyon over just as he was about to carry Lee Finnie's corner towards goal. The referee gave us a penalty, which Finnie took... and Tom Lovelock saved! Ben Purrington got to the parry before it crossed the byline and played the ball back to Finnie, who quickly forgot about his poor spot-kick. Lee withstood the pressure of Hamlet defender Warren Rowe and centred the ball for Joel Honeyball to slide it home!

 

Joel had equalised in scrappy fashion, and the 15-year-old could've given us the lead in a more convincing manner four minutes later. Unfortunately, he couldn't quite direct Mitchell Clark's free-kick into the goal. After Yasser Ibrahim went closer to scoring a late winner in the 88th minute, the spoils were shared. We were miles from our best and lucky to avoid defeat.

 

Dulwich Hamlet - 1 (Cumiskey 31)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Honeyball 74)

Friendly, Attendance 263

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryan (Ryder), Jack (Ward), Munson (Coton), Kenyon (Canham), Barrett (Purrington), Roche (Scarlett), Jones (Clark), Dunne (Honeyball), King (Hart), Finnie (Ibrahim), Gould (J Bell). BOOKED: Dunne.

 

I hoped that we would show a bit more desire when Victoria Road received a visit from former FA Cup finalists Peterborough United. The Posh were relegated to League One last season, and former Scotland midfielder James McArthur is the ninth manager they've had since Darren Ferguson left after leading them to Wembley in 2014.

 

29 July 2023: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Peterborough United

Peterborough started the game by winning three corners in quick succession before the seventh minute. The last of those was headed away by Ben Purrington, who kicked off a Dagenham counter-attack. Within moments, Jamie Bell had threaded the ball through Peterborough's defence to find Tim Beech, who pulled his shot agonisingly wide.

 

The next half-hour or so was fairly mundane, with neither team hitting top form. Posh striker Callum Durrant cracked a low drive past the upright after 33 minutes, while Bell hit a post at the other end two minutes later. The resulting clearance from Sheridan Turner led to a Daggers corner, and Warren Munson headed wide from Beech's delivery.

 

Munson's fellow Dagenham centre-back Billy Kenyon picked up a knock while tackling Peterborough forward Russell Hendry just before the end of a goalless first half. Billy wouldn't return after the interval.

 

Both teams bucked up their ideas for the second half. An excellent shot from Bell in the 49th minute was deflected out for a corner, and Purrington half-volleyed wide shortly afterwards. We were looking good, but after 58 minutes, Beech fatefully lost possession. Tim's flick-on was intercepted by Posh defender Deen Zanou, and less than 15 seconds later, 18-year-old Jed Prout fired Peterborough into the lead.

 

That advantage was almost increased four minutes later, when Benin international Zanou's free-kick bounced off the post. Dagenham full-back Louis Jack took the loose ball and made a lung-busting run towards the opposite penalty area, where his cross was knocked behind by Turner just before it could reach Bell.

 

Another quick Daggers attack on 69 minutes had more success. Robbie Ryder's goal kick was nodded by Rikki Scarlett into the path of pacey striker Stuart Gould, who slotted it beyond Posh goalie George Long!

 

Immediately after our equaliser, I replaced Ryder with Daryl Ryan, but the Irish youngster's poor decision-making gave Peterborough a 2-1 lead in the 77th minute. Daryl was too slow to react when Prout finished a cross from Dean Sohier, who was on loan at Dagenham six seasons ago.

 

Ryan had another moment to forget on 81 minutes. After a header from Garry Ennis struck his crossbar, Daryl was unable to push the rebound away from Prout, who volleyed it in for his hat-trick.

 

That effectively won the game for Peterborough. Mind you, Lee Finnie did give us another goal in the 86th minute with a shot that went in off the woodwork.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Gould 69, Finnie 86)

Peterborough United - 3 (Prout 59,77,81)

Friendly, Attendance 930

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryder (Ryan), Coton (Ward), Kenyon (Canham), Munson (Jack), Beech (Whincup), Purrington (Barrett), Clark (Ibrahim), Jones (Dunne), Green (Scarlett), J Bell (Finnie), Honeyball (Gould).

 

Warren Barrett was among the players who struggled to contain Peterborough during the second half. In fact, the young left-back hadn't played well all pre-season. Warren clearly wasn't ready to challenge for a first-team place, so I sent him on loan to Dulwich Hamlet for the next six months.

 

We only won one of our first five friendlies, although we had played some very tricky opponents, to be fair. I won't give a firm assessment of where we stand until after our next two matches.

[CFuller]

AUGUST 2023

In the build-up to our last two friendlies, I had a big decision to make. Who would be my captain for the coming season?

 

I mulled over that for quite some time before deciding that goalkeeper Robbie Ryder should keep the armband for another campaign. I did, however, change my vice-captain, with right-back Tim Beech replacing Bradley Dack as our second-choice skipper.

 

Bradley took his demotion in good grace, and after three weeks out with a thigh strain, he was ready to make his comeback in our home friendly against Colchester United. Colchester are unquestionably the biggest club in Essex right now, having finished 18th in the Championship last season.

 

1 August 2023: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Colchester United

The first half was surprisingly one-sided - and even more surprisingly, we were the dominant force! In contrast to our previous home friendlies, we kept the ball superbly and put our illustrious visitors under pressure right from the word go. Yasser Ibrahim was unlucky not to get closer to goal with a 25-yarder in the fourth minute.

 

Ten minutes later, Yasser's header set up a great opportunity for Stuart Gould, but Stuart could only nod it into Andy Coughlin's hands. A promising first half from Ibrahim ended after 26 minutes, when he ran into Colchester right-back Callum Fordham and hurt himself quite badly.

 

Despite Yasser's early exit, we remained on course to take the initiative. Mitchell Clark nearly did that with a 30th-minute free-kick that cannoned off the crossbar. Three minutes after that, 16-year-old Paul Hart - making his first start in a Dagenham shirt - lobbed a superb pass to Gould, who blazed over a fine opportunity.

 

Although we couldn't break the deadlock before half-time, our defenders did a fine job of shutting the U's out. Colchester's only first-half shot, if you could call it that, was a wild one from George Lawrie in the 41st minute. If you didn't know any better, you would think we were the best team in Essex on this evidence!

 

The battle for county pride intensified two minutes into the second half. Hart hit a fierce long-range shot that was well held by Coughlin. Paul was involved in another Dagenham attack after 55 minutes, when he passed short to James Dunne just inside Colchester territory. James played the ball long to Jonathan Roche on the edge of the area, and Jonny laid it off for Jamie Bell to whack it into the net! 1-0 to Dagenham & Redbridge!

 

Just as the 60-minute mark was about to be reached, U's defender Alan Robertson gift-wrapped us a fantastic opportunity for 2-0. Robertson's weak pass in his own area was intercepted by Bell, who went for glory... and put the ball past the post! That was not the last great chance we had to double our money - far from it, in fact.

 

In the 69th minute, Michael King swerved a left-wing cross against the Colchester goal frame, which took a couple more beatings four minutes later. Firstly, another Clark free-kick came back off the bar, and then Thomas Tierney - making his comeback from a wrist injury - headed King's corner against the woodwork. All in all, the frame had denied us on FOUR occasions, but those near-misses would not be decisive.

 

Colchester had just five shots at goal all game, and the closest they came to levelling was Andrew Halliday's volley, which went high and just wide after 85 minutes. The final five minutes plus injury time went by without any further goals, so the Daggers fans could celebrate a famous victory! We had bridged a three-tier gap and played a Championship team completely off the park! Heaven knows how we only won 1-0!

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (J Bell 55)

Colchester United - 0

Friendly, Attendance 949

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryder, Jack (Ward), Beech (Kenyon), Coton (Tierney), Purrington (Munson), Clark (Jones), Dunne (Dack), Hart (Green), Roche (Parmenter), Ibrahim (King), Gould (J Bell).

 

There was more good news when I consulted our physio John Gowens about Yasser Ibrahim. Other than some pretty nasty bruising, Yasser had emerged largely unscathed from his collision with Callum Fordham.

 

That win against Colchester was the last game of Warren Munson's trial period. I didn't give the youngster a contract, as I'd found a more experienced alternative at centre-half.

 

My newest signing was a 26-year-old Scottish free agent called Aaron McEwan. If that name sounds familiar, that's because McEwan was the vice-captain of the Crawley Town team who won last season's Conference Premier title. Aaron was the third of Crawley's champions to join us this summer.

 

For our last pre-season friendly, I returned to Ship Lane - but not for a meeting with my former employers Romford. We were entertaining their landlords Thurrock, who have struggled at the wrong end of the Isthmian League Division 1 North for the last few years.

 

5 August 2023: Thurrock vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Thurrock did not have the most promising of starts. After just nine minutes, they lost midfielder Akin East to a broken cheekbone following a clash with Bradley Dack. Bradley gave the Fleet something else to worry about five minutes later, when his shot had to be turned away by goalkeeper Brian Winsper.

 

Dack came close to scoring again in the 19th minute, and it wouldn't be long before we broke the deadlock. Winger Rikki Scarlett set up a chance for Jamie Bell on 28 minutes, and although Jamie didn't strike it clearly, it still beat Winsper.

 

Lee Finnie blasted over an opportunity to put us further in front two minutes later. Our next real opening came in the 43rd minute, when Dack smashed a low drive against the post. We were monopolising possession and keeping Thurrock from having any real chances at our end, so I was wondering how on Earth we were only leading 1-0 at half-time!

 

My bemusement only grew in a second half that was about as closely-fought as a boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Rockin' Robin Deakin. Like poor old Robin, Winsper took a real pounding... but he did his level best to keep the score down. Thurrock's 17-year-old goalie got his fingers to an effort from Finnie in the 49th minute, and then caught a header from Jonathan Roche in the 62nd.

 

As our shot count went up and up, we edged closer and closer to goal number two. James Dunne thumped the crossbar with a free-kick after 71 minutes. Monty Nightingale then took over from Winsper in the Fleet goal. He continued where Winsper left off, keeping out efforts from Michael King and Joel Honeyball in the 76th and 81st minutes respectively. By full-time, Thurrock had still somehow conceded just a single goal, despite our utter dominance!

 

Thurrock - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (J Bell 28)

Friendly, Attendance 300

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryan (S Bell), Ward (Beech), McEwan (Coton), Tierney (Kenyon (Gould)), Whincup (Purrington), Jones (Clark), Dack (Dunne), Green (Honeyball), Scarlett (Roche), Finnie (King), J Bell (Molyneux). BOOKED: Ward, Whincup.

 

The statistics from that match were cringeworthy. We had 64% of possession, a 79% pass success rate, and 18 shots on goal, eight of which were on target. Thurrock had a 61% pass success rate and ONE shot, which was blocked. It was almost funny... but I wasn't laughing, because I had a much more serious matter to deal with.

 

With eight minutes to go in the game, Dagenham defender Billy Kenyon suffered a foot injury in a tackle from Fleet midfielder Jake Dine. Billy underwent a scan at the local hospital the following morning, and it turned out that he had broken a bone in his left foot.

 

Kenyon would be out for, at the very best, five months - that's more than half of his season wiped out already.

 

Billy's injury had put a dampener on what had otherwise been an encouraging pre-season. We won three matches and only lost two, putting us in good spirits for our first league match of the season.

 

The campaign began with Milton Keynes Dons coming to Victoria Road. The Dons achieved a club-record low finish of 17th place in the Conference Premier last season.

[CFuller]

Dagenham & Redbridge squad - Start of 2023/2024 season

(All ages correct as of 1 August 2023)

GOALKEEPERS

1. Robbie Ryder (age 25, English)

Skipper Robbie is a commanding presence in goal, although he occasionally struggles with a lack of composure.

18. Nguyen Van Phung (age 22, Vietnamese)

After missing much of last season through injury, Phung is determined to challenge for a regular first-team start.

DEFENDERS

2. Tim Beech (age 21, English)

Vice-captain Tim is an extremely athletic right-back who rarely gets tired and could easily play at a higher level.

3. Ben Purrington (age 27, English)

Ben is an accomplished and intelligent left-back with a decade of Football League experience under his belt.

5. Billy Kenyon (age 22, English)

Unfortunately, big centre-half Billy will be out until January at the earliest after suffering a broken foot.

6. Thomas Tierney (age 19, American)

Resolute centre-back Thomas rarely mistimes a tackle, but he perhaps needs to become a bit stronger.

14. Aaron McEwan (age 26, Scottish)

We were in need of an experienced stopper, and spirited Scotsman Aaron fits the bill perfectly.

17. Warren Barrett (age 19, English)

Warren will start this season on loan at Dulwich Hamlet, as the left-back is not first-team quality just yet.

20. Wayne Coton (age 18, English)

Wayne excelled in pre-season and has a very bright future ahead of him once he fully matures.

22. Louis Jack (age 19, Scottish)

Louis has incredible stamina and a good work ethic, which is what I want from a promising right-back.

MIDFIELDERS

4. James Dunne (age 33, English)

Ball-winning midfielder James is our most seasoned campaigner, and his long throws could be very useful.

7. Jonathan Roche (age 20, Irish)

Although Jonathan is a fine right-winger with good technical ability, he's also worryingly fragile.

8. George Green (age 27, English)

On-loan Northampton Town man George is a great flair player who can play either in midfield or up top.

11. Yasser Ibrahim (age 25, Egyptian)

Lightning-quick Yasser has really started to blossom since I started using him as an inside forward.

15. Bradley Dack (age 28, English)

Bradley is a brave ball-winner, but he can also lose it by shooting wastefully from distance.

16. Mitchell Clark (age 21, English)

Although Mitchell can be inconsistent, the defensive midfielder always works his socks off for the team.

19. Michael King (age 31, English)

On loan from Bristol Rovers, speedy Michael will mainly be used whenever we need a natural left-winger.

21. Rikki Scarlett (age 19, English)

In Rikki, Walsall have lent us a versatile midfield player who has great off-the-ball intelligence.

30. Paul Hart (age 16, English)

Creative midfielder Paul is an exciting talent, but he'll be out for a few weeks with a shoulder injury.

FORWARDS

9. Lee Finnie (age 25, Scottish)

Lee is one of our most important players, as he can score and create goals from the centre or out wide.

10. Jamie Bell (age 22, English)

Last season's top scorer Jamie has a dream combination of physical strength and sheer pace.

12. Stuart Gould (age 22, English)

Aston Villa loanee Stuart is a quick and mentally strong poacher who could be devastating at this level.

 

RESERVE & YOUTH PLAYERS

Goalkeepers: Sam Bell, Daryl Ryan

Defenders: Glenn Canham, Daniel Ward, Séamus Watts, Jay Weaver, Jeff Whincup

Midfielders: Roy Jones, Wayne Parmenter, Matthew Taylor

Forwards: Joel Honeyball, Pat Molyneux, Shaun Simpson, Ken Turner

 

BACKROOM STAFF

Manager: Christopher Fuller

Assistant Manager: Wayne Burnett

Coaches: Mike Jones, Danny Keohane, John Potter

Fitness Coach: Dave Richardson

Goalkeeping Coach: Scott Tynan

Head of Youth Development: Nathan Kilcourse

Physio: John Gowens

Scouts: Callum Donnelly (chief), Mick Loughton, Tony Simpson

[CFuller]

AUGUST 2023 (continued)

12 August 2023: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Milton Keynes Dons

We were off the mark after just four minutes, as a quick counter-attacking move led to the very first goal of the Conference Premier season! Jonathan Roche's cross was deflected into the path of James Dunne, who played the ball back for Bradley Dack to half-volley into the net!

 

Bradley's confidence shot right up, and two minutes later, he drilled another attempt just off target. Roche was also feeling self-assured for once. In the 10th minute, Jonny struck a 40-yarder from near the touchline. To the amazement of everybody, the shot swerved over MK Dons goalkeeper Paddy Day - a former Daggers youth player - and found the net! Roche couldn't have scored a better goal to break his Dagenham duck! We led 2-0 and went on to completely boss the first period.

 

The Dons didn't have an answer to our possession-hogging game, and they were relieved to see Dunne narrowly miss the target in the 35th minute. Five minutes later, a terrible throw from MK right-back Josh Harrop was hoovered up by Dack, who whacked it inches wide. Day caught another attempt from Dack two minutes after that, and we went into the break leading 2-0.

 

My first reason for concern came in the first minute of the second half. Centre-back Aaron McEwan landed on his knee after intercepting Donny Lampard's cross with a diving header, and he came off in some pain.

 

MK Dons had not yet mustered a single shot at goal, though that changed after exactly 50 minutes. Dons striker Sunday Mohammed's header from a Christian Gough was nodded off the line brilliantly by Tim Beech. Ryan Allcock got to the rebound for the visitors, but his shot ricocheted off Thomas Tierney before Lee Finnie hoofed it out of danger. That was the first time MK Dons came close to getting back in the match... and it would be the last.

 

The rest of the match was an exhibition in attacking football from my Daggers. Finnie should've given the home fans a third goal in the 62nd minute, but he missed the target from George Green's through-ball. Jamie Bell showed Lee how it should be done about a minute later. A mistake from MK's struggling centre-half Joe Wilkinson allowed Jamie to rush through and slot in our third goal from a tight angle!

 

Dunne had provided the assist, and the veteran was unlucky not to follow that with a goal for himself after 66 minutes, when he headed just wide. Finnie spurned another golden chance in the 76th minute, but our other forward was in no mood to show the Dons mercy. With seven minutes to play, Bell's second goal of the match - and our fourth - put the outcome beyond all reasonable doubt.

 

Substitute Stuart Gould almost put the icing on the cake with an 87th-minute solo effort that was kept out by Day. That said, I was more than satisfied with our opening-day performance!

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 4 (Dack 4, Roche 10, J Bell 63,83)

Milton Keynes Dons - 0

Conference Premier, Attendance 2,956 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 1st, MK Dons 24th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryder, Beech, McEwan (Coton), Tierney, Purrington, Clark, Dunne, Dack (Green), Roche, Finnie (Gould), J Bell.

 

For the second league season in a row, Dagenham & Redbridge had kicked off the season with a 4-0 home win! Ebbsfleet United matched that result against Bury, but after the first round of matches, we sat proudly atop the Conference Premier! Let's hope we're still there in 45 games' time!

 

The one disappointment to come out of our win over MK was a twisted knee for Aaron McEwan, who would have to miss the next three weeks. With two centre-backs now out injured, Mitchell Clark had to drop back from midfield to cover that position in our away match against the league's real Dons - AFC Wimbledon.

 

15 August 2023: AFC Wimbledon vs Dagenham & Redbridge

AFC Wimbledon won their first match of the season, and they were on course for another victory after just three minutes. Bradley Dack softly gave the ball away to Bevis Mugabi, allowing Wimbledon to counter-attack. Moments later, Jason Dyke's low cross was tucked into the net by on-loan Colchester United striker Graeme Malone.

 

The Dons led 1-0... for about four minutes. Yasser Ibrahim hit a powerful shot that deflected off Wimbledon defender Frank Newby and fell to George Green, who levelled with his first Dagenham goal!

 

Dyke then fired wide for the hosts in the 11th minute before Green headed over his next attempt two minutes later. On 16 minutes, Daggers striker Stuart Gould rode past Newby's challenge and then cut a shot into goalkeeper Ian McLoughlin's hands. Gould came closer to scoring after 24 minutes, when his strike from just outside the area went narrowly over.

 

Two minutes later, a drive from Dons midfielder Diego Poyet - son of Gus - deflected towards our goal until Bradley hacked it away. Dack tried to become our hero at the other end in the 35th minute, but he couldn't keep his half-volley on target. Another effort from Malone only just cleared our crossbar three minutes later as the first half finished level at 1-1.

 

The first 15 minutes after the restart saw us rack up plenty of corners. Wimbledon's players put their bodies on the line to clear those corners, and in the 56th minute, Dyke suffered pretty heavily. The forward hurt his elbow while clearing Dack's delivery behind for another corner. Although Dyke was able to finish the game, his injury would put him out of Wimbledon's next few encounters.

 

Dons centre-half Christopher Bowden also demonstrated great bravery on 61 minutes, when he made a perfectly-timed tackle on Gould just inside the box. Stuart had two more chances in the next seven minutes, but one was saved by McLoughlin and the other passed the target.

 

Wimbledon were unable to threaten our goal in the second half, and manager Simon Weaver looked quite happy to take a draw. Then, in the second minute of injury time, we launched a final attempt to turn one point into three. James Dunne lifted the ball forward to Gould, who ran through the defence and went in for the kill. Sadly, Stuart was pressured into pulling his shot off target, and we missed out on what would've been another win.

 

AFC Wimbledon - 1 (Malone 3)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Green 7)

Conference Premier, Attendance 2,899 - POSITIONS: AFC Wimbledon 7th, Dag & Red 5th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryder, Beech, Clark, Tierney, Purrington, Scarlett (King), Dack, Green (Dunne), Ibrahim, Gould, J Bell (Finnie).

 

Jonathan Roche and Daryl Ryan both missed that game because, while we were playing at Kingsmeadow, they were on international duty with the Republic of Ireland. Jonathan won his third Under-21s cap in a home loss to South Korea, and Daryl also suffered defeat with the Under-19s in Belarus.

 

It was a big week for two other young Daggers, who received their first professional contracts. Midfielder Roy Jones signed a two-year deal, and striker Joel Honeyball was given a full-time contract on his 16th birthday, although it won't take effect until he turns 17.

 

We hoped to continue our unbeaten start at home to Carlisle United, who'd lost their first two Conference Premier games following last season's relegation out of League Two. In fact, the Cumbrians were in so much disarray that they didn't even have a full-time goalkeeper!

 

19 August 2023: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Carlisle United

Carlisle's disastrous start took a turn for the worse barely a minute into this game. One of their best players - winger Tommy Thompson - picked up a thigh injury very early and struggled for the remainder of the match.

 

We first threatened the Cumbrians' goal in the ninth minute. James Dunne's long throw found defender Wayne Coton, who thumped the post. We had another opportunity just moments later, but Stuart Gould saw his header caught by United's amateur keeper Kingsley Hamilton.

 

On 17 minutes, Coton's interception from a Thompson cross only went as far as Shaun Brennan - one of five Scottish loanees in the Carlisle line-up. The midfielder went forward, evaded Lee Finnie's tackle, and fired inches wide. Finnie almost got lucky at the other end six minutes later. Lee swung in a free-kick from out wide, and Hamilton had to tip it behind before it could reach Mitchell Clark's head.

 

There then followed a couple of misses from Carlisle striker Gregor Stewart before Gould had our best opportunity yet in the 34th minute. Stuart ran onto Michael King's floating cross and sent a header in off the crossbar, but the whistle had already blown for a foul.

 

Dagenham keeper Robbie Ryder caught an effort from Marc Allison in the 36th minute, and it looked like the deadlock was going to remain intact at half-time. Gould had something to say about that, though, as his low and powerful injury-time shot beat Hamilton and gave us the edge!

 

Gould was buoyed by his maiden goal for the Daggers, and he followed it up ten minutes into the second half with another. Stuart's close-range finish from Ben Purrington's drilled cross put us two goals in front. We could now see out the match and claim the points, provided we didn't do anything silly.

 

After 64 minutes, Dunne farcically lost the ball when his header back to the defence was gobbled up by Gary Foster! The Carlisle substitute was clear to race through and have a pop at goal. Luckily, from James' point of view, Foster missed his golden chance!

 

The Cumbrians' fortune did not get any better midway through the half, as another substitute - Russel Wingate - picked up a knock barely two minutes after coming on! By the 72nd minute, however, luck was back on their side. Clark flighted in a Daggers free-kick that bounced off the bar and towards Thomas Tierney, whose half-volleyed follow-up found the side netting!

 

Although we'd spurned a great opportunity to go three goals in front, we got away with it... until the 89th minute. Carlisle midfielder Brad Potts, who'd just started his second spell at Brunton Park, brought the visitors back to within one goal by heading Foster's corner home.

 

The Cumbrians then made a last-ditch bid to snatch their first point of the season in added-on time. Wingate played a sublime ball forward to Foster, who got behind Coton... and headed miles wide. Carlisle's late resurgence proved to be in vain as we eked out a 2-1 win.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Gould 45,55)

Carlisle United - 1 (Potts 89)

Conference Premier, Attendance 2,883 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 4th, Carlisle 24th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryder, Beech (Jack), Coton, Tierney, Purrington, Roche, Clark, Dunne (Dack), King, Finnie (J Bell), Gould. BOOKED: Gould.

 

Three days after that win, we went back to the Rushmoor Stadium - the scene of that dramatic conclusion to last season. Farnborough were in 8th place after the first three matches of this campaign.

[CFuller]

AUGUST 2023 (continued)

22 August 2023: Farnborough vs Dagenham & Redbridge

The first 15 minutes were truly dire, and things didn't even look like livening up until the 16th minute. Dagenham midfielder George Green blasted over the first real scoring opportunity either team had. As it started to rain in Hampshire, more attacks rained down on the hosts.

 

Farnborough's veteran defender Dale Bennett headed behind a dangerous cross from Rikki Scarlett in the 20th minute. A minute later, Bennett blocked a shot from Green, which deflected towards Scarlett, who was himself denied by a crucial intervention from Tom Lancey. A frustrating period of play for Rikki continued after 24 minutes, when his header from Ben Purrington's cross was met by an acrobatic save from Boro keeper Peter Stewart.

 

Farnborough were defending superbly, ourselves less so. Five minutes after Stewart's superb stoppage, our goalie Robbie Ryder had a moment to forget. Boro midfielder Carl Mimms hit a long ball from the halfway line to Cameron Lancaster just outside our area. Lancaster's flick-on found Ryan Brunt, whose diving header passed a rushing Ryder and put the home team 1-0 ahead!

 

I shook my head in disgust, and again in the 32nd minute, when Stuart Gould missed a close-range shot for the Daggers. After a very poor first half, we faced losing our unbeaten start - and our place in the top five.

 

I got the lads' adrenaline rushing with a stern half-time team-talk. Five minutes after the resumption, Scarlett's fierce volley was parried by Stewart, and Lancey knocked it behind for a corner. Thomas Tierney got a great header to Rikki's corner... but the American was denied an equaliser by the crossbar.

 

We couldn't build on that strong start, and in the 64th minute, Mimms broke through our defence with another long delivery to Lancaster. Ryder charged out of his six-yard box to block Lancaster's shot, but the parry bounced to Brunt, who aimed a diving header at a gaping goal! When the ball bounced inches past the post, I let out a huge sigh of relief. I knew that was potentially a crucial moment.

 

In the 71st minute, one of my substitutes - Bradley Dack - went close to drawing us level. Six minutes later, another sub got his chance to save our skins. George found an opening for striker Jamie Bell, who ran through a gap in Farnborough's backline and hammered home for 1-1!

 

Bell had scored twice in our opener against Milton Keynes Dons, and after 78 minutes, he was chasing another double. It wasn't to be Jamie's night, though, as Stewart stopped what would be his only chance to win the game. Farnborough winger Mel Youngjohns missed an opportunity to break our hearts in the 85th minute, and so we drew another away game.

 

Farnborough - 1 (Brunt 29)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (J Bell 77)

Conference Premier, Attendance 1,226 - POSITIONS: Farnborough 7th, Dag & Red 5th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryder, Beech, Coton, Tierney, Purrington, Clark, Dunne (Dack), Green, Scarlett (Roche), Ibrahim, Gould (J Bell).

 

Later that week, I received a call from Mike Ford - the long-time manager of Oxford City. He wanted to take one of my younger players on loan for five months. When I heard that the player he wanted was Joel Honeyball, I almost dropped the handset.

 

I had to consider for a few hours whether a boy of scarcely 16 years could cope with the pressures of Conference South football, and ask myself if it would help or hinder his development. After talking to Joel about it, I felt that he would benefit from the experience, so I let him go to Court Place Farm until late January.

 

Our final match of the month was at home to 10th-placed Salisbury City. We failed to beat Salisbury in three meetings last season.

 

26 August 2023: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Salisbury City

Yasser Ibrahim was a real threat to Salisbury's defence early on. After seven minutes, the Egyptian cut inside and fired a promising shot wide of the target. The hosts' own left-wing dangerman - former Dagenham forward James Craigen - hurt his groin in a 12th-minute challenge from Tim Beech. As Craigen and co toiled, we ramped up the pressure.

 

Ibrahim's 15th-minute cross was almost volleyed in by Jamie Bell, but Salisbury keeper Kevin Burns made a stunning save. Jamie had another attempt on 20 minutes, and he savagely fired it over the crossbar. In the 27th minute, Daggers defender Thomas Tierney had a header cleared away from the post by Andy Hughes, while Tierney's centre-back partner Wayne Coton nodded wide in the 35th.

 

Our breakthrough goal finally came after 39 minutes. Tim's centre was perfect for Yasser to volley in the opening goal and end City's resistance!

 

A minute later, Hughes dragged wide the visitors' only chance in the first period. Salisbury had been starved of possession, and when they did have the ball, their pass completion rate was barely above 50%. This was turning into a Whites-wash.

 

The second half saw more of the same, as we continued to take the game to Salisbury. Several opportunities for us to pull further clear came and went. James Dunne's header on 52 minutes bobbled well wide, but a better effort from Ibrahim was turned behind by Burns seven minutes later. The resultant corner led to a scramble in the City area before Tierney fired narrowly wide.

 

Our finishing got progressively worse, as Ibrahim, Coton and Tierney all missed again between the 65th and 72nd minutes. Despite failing to increase our lead, we maintained an iron grip on possession throughout the final half-hour.

 

All Salisbury could do was withstand our attacks. They weren't able to create any of their own during the second half, and when full-time came, they were perhaps relieved to have only lost 1-0. On another day, we could have made mincemeat of them.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Ibrahim 39)

Salisbury City - 0

Conference Premier, Attendance 2,757 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 4th, Salisbury 14th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryder, Beech, Coton, Tierney, Purrington, Clark, Dunne, Green (Scarlett), Roche (King), Ibrahim, J Bell (Finnie).

 

Despite the win, I was still quite angry with my players. We had 17 shots on goal, but, not for the first time in August, we failed to turn our dominance into anything greater than a 1-0 win. It wasn't as if we were snatching at long-range shots like we often did last season - the majority of our chances came inside the penalty area. We had to be much more clinical, otherwise we would surely come up short against better teams.

 

On the bright side, we are still unbeaten in the Conference Premier after five games, with a 100% home record. That's not exactly a terrible start, is it?

[edtheguy]

the majority of our chances came inside the penalty area.

In one of my saves this year during a run of poor form we had a game with 2 shots on target out of 17. I figured that was a sign of something tactically flawed and went to the game stats only to find that of those 15 misses 14 were from inside the penalty area - and mostly from our best two players. I didn't think there was a whole lot I could do tactically about that so I left it alone (and fortunately the next game was a lot better).

That's not exactly a terrible start, is it?

Not at all - that's a very promising start.

Still loving the writing here and looking forward to what will hopefully be a great year for the daggers!

[CFuller]

In one of my saves this year during a run of poor form we had a game with 2 shots on target out of 17. I figured that was a sign of something tactically flawed and went to the game stats only to find that of those 15 misses 14 were from inside the penalty area - and mostly from our best two players. I didn't think there was a whole lot I could do tactically about that so I left it alone (and fortunately the next game was a lot better).

I'm sure there isn't anything seriously wrong with our tactics. We are at least getting into better positions compared to last season and not blindly shooting from range. We're bound to hit our stride before too long.

Not at all - that's a very promising start.

Still loving the writing here and looking forward to what will hopefully be a great year for the daggers!

It is very promising. If we can keep it up, we'll certainly be in the mix for automatic promotion.

[CFuller]

SEPTEMBER 2023

At the end of August, a couple of strikers signed contracts at Dagenham & Redbridge. One of them was a new signing - former Bradford City poacher Neil Munn. Derby-born Munn turned 19 at the start of September, and he wouldn't go straight into the first-team, as I intended to loan him out until the New Year.

 

We also completed negotiations with Jamie Bell over a new contract. Our leading frontman would now be staying at Victoria Road until at least 2025.

 

Jamie led the line again when we travelled across Essex to play Chelmsford City. Gary Meakin's charges finished a very impressive 3rd last season before losing in the play-offs, and they'd started this campaign reasonably well.

 

2 September 2023: Chelmsford City vs Dagenham & Redbridge

After eight minutes, Chelmsford's long-serving keeper Rob Peet flung himself in front of a header from Daggers defender Thomas Tierney. City's first chance to score came two minutes later, but James Vincent couldn't direct his free-kick towards goal. Daggers winger Rikki Scarlett fired a free-kick at the other goal on 13 minutes, and Peet held onto it well.

 

The end-to-end action continued midway through the first half, with both goalkeepers coming to the fore. Dagenham's Robbie Ryder caught a header from Aristote Nsiala after 28 minutes, while Peet parried a long-ranger from George Green two minutes later.

 

James Dunne also had a pop from distance in the 40th minute, and Peet was more than equal to that. Chelmsford suffered some horrendous misfortune just moments later, when Justin Middleton tore his hamstring. The former Birmingham City forward was forced off, and substitute Fraser Knowles had to take his place as Darty Fieldwick's strike partner.

 

I noticed during the interval that left-back Ben Purrington was not looking focused, so I replaced him with young Louis Jack. That simple change seemed to compromise our defence in the second half. Fieldwick had been largely quiet in the first period, but in the 58th minute, he broke through our backline to receive a long ball from Clive Smith. He then nodded it on to Knowles, who was tackled by Tierney just before he could strike. Fieldwick reacted quickly, drilling the loose ball in off the post. Chelmsford were 1-0 up, and a second goal soon looked likely.

 

Vincent was unable to double their lead with a couple of ambitious strikes in the 62nd and 69th minutes, but captain Joe Doyle went close in the 77th. The full-back's swinging free-kick was superbly caught by Ryder. Three minutes later, Green picked up another minor knock, having been hurt previously in the second half. George was getting tired, and we were running out of time, so I brought on an extra striker - Stuart Gould - in the midfield playmaker's place.

 

Stuart would make a significant impact five minutes from the end. Gould beat City midfielder Max Silk to a header, setting the wheels in motion for a swift counter-attack. Dunne gathered the header and played the ball to Mitchell Clark, who sliced a first-time pass through Chelmsford's defence. Mitchell found Jonathan Roche, and the Irish winger beat Peet for the equalising goal!

 

We looked to have pinched a point, but in the 88th minute, Chelmsford gave us a taste of our own medicine... and countered to great effect. Vincent drilled a devastating cross into the six-yard box, where Fieldwick slid it over the goal line!

 

Although we tried our best to get another leveller before full-time, we couldn't keep hold of our unbeaten record. That being said, Chelmsford fully deserved the win.

 

Chelmsford City - 2 (Fieldwick 58,88)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Roche 85)

Conference Premier, Attendance 2,270 - POSITIONS: Chelmsford 4th, Dag & Red 5th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryder, Beech, Coton, Tierney, Purrington (Jack), Clark, Dunne, Green (Gould), Scarlett (Roche), Ibrahim, J Bell. BOOKED: Scarlett.

 

After only four days at Dagenham & Redbridge, new signing Neil Munn left Victoria Road - for a four-month stint at Barnet. I'm confident that Neil will benefit from playing regular Conference South football and training at the Bees' facilities, which are among the best in the non-league game.

 

Next on the agenda for us was another away match - and one that we had a decent chance of winning. York City had mustered just one victory thus far this season and were down in 18th place.

 

5 September 2023: York City vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Neither team hit their stride during an opening half-hour in which they seemed more intent on simply not conceding rather than scoring. The only shot of those first 30 minutes came in the 25th, when on-loan Hartlepool United winger Sam Bywater fired just wide for York.

 

After 34 minutes, we started to show what we could do. Winger Michael King nicked the ball off Minstermen skipper Ryan Schofield and floated it to Stuart Gould, who in turn laid it off to James Dunne. James' shot was tipped behind by Darren Conneely, but another midfielder got the better of York's goalie a minute later.

 

After Gould's attempted flick-on to Dunne was knocked away by Alex Smith, the enigmatic Bradley Dack reacted quickly to hammer the clearance past Conneely. Brad's bullet was enough to give us a slender half-time lead of 1-0.

 

York lost a key attacking player just two minutes into the second half, as Walter Figueira was unable to continue following a collision with Ben Purrington. Ben was playing brilliantly for us at full-back, and his contributions going forward also left the Daggers fans purring. In the 56th minute, he played his part in setting up a shot that Dack drove just wide. Gould continued to pose a threat to Conneely, forcing the Irishman into a couple of saves just before the hour mark.

 

Though we didn't build on our lead, we were quite happy to preserve it during the closing stages. The hosts very rarely gave us anything to worry out. Midfielder Gareth Bradshaw had a pop from distance after 87 minutes, but the ball was already drifting wide when Purrington hoofed it clear. The game came to an anti-climax, and we recorded our first away win of the campaign without having to break much sweat.

 

York City - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Dack 36)

Conference Premier, Attendance 2,424 - POSITIONS: York 21st, Dag & Red 3rd

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Nguyen, Beech, Coton, Tierney, Purrington, Clark, Dunne, Dack (Hart), Roche, King, Gould (Finnie).

 

Rio Ferdinand and his Cambridge United team were expected to pose a much greater threat than York City in our next match. Cambridge came to Victoria Road on the back of three consecutive wins.

 

9 September 2023: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Cambridge United

Cambridge defender Lubomir Satka made a horrible error after just two minutes, heading Daggers right-back Tim Beech's long ball into the path of Stuart Gould! Stuart just had to chip the ball over goalkeeper Milton Bannister, and he did... but he clipped the outside of the post! When Jamie Bell missed another fine opportunity in the 6th minute, I sensed that this might not be our day.

 

On 11 minutes, Beech conceded possession from another ambitious punt forward, and Cambridge went on the counter. Luke Hornsey played a superb pass to Joseph Sodiq, who drilled his shot past Nguyen Van Phung and drew first blood for the U's.

 

Tim tried to make amends for his mistake after 16 minutes with a sublime cross to Gould, who nodded it over the bar. Three minutes later, a poor start became even more disastrous. Left-back Ben Purrington hurt his knee whilst trying to block Cambridge winger Joe McNeil's path and had to come off. Inexplicably, I had forgotten to pick another left-footed player in my squad, so I had to reshuffle my defence - and move the very right-footed Beech to the left flank.

 

Needless to say, our nightmare worsened shortly afterwards. U's captain Elvis Issah went down under an innocuous challenge from Bradley Dack in the penalty area, and much to our disgust, the referee pointed to the spot! Issah ignored our protests, and the boos from the home fans, to tuck the penalty away and leave us trailing 2-0.

 

Nguyen prevented a third Cambridge goal in the 25th minute by catching a tame effort from Hornsey. With the game already slipping away from us, we finally clicked back into gear after 33 minutes. Rikki Scarlett delivered a left-footed cross from the right wing to Yasser Ibrahim, whose flick-on was thrashed into the net by Gould!

 

Six minutes later, Jamie Bell had a cross intercepted by U's centre-half Steven Black. Yasser was very quick to the loose ball, and his rapid finish delighted the Dagenham supporters! From out of nothing, we had clawed back a 2-0 deficit to level the match at 2-2!

 

Our spirited fightback would've met little had Cambridge scored again early in the second half. McNeil was unable to punish an errant pass from Mitchell Clark with a woeful shot in the 47th minute, but when Rikki lost possession in the 54th, he did not get away with it. In the resulting counter-attack, ex-Slovakia youth international Satka lobbed a lovely pass to Hornsey, whose powerful strike beat Nguyen at his near post. 3-2 to United.

 

Our response to going behind again was encouraging, as Wayne Coton floated in a lovely cross to Gould just moments after the restart. Alas, Stuart could only strike the crossbar with his header. We'd already hit the bar more times than a stark raving alcoholic this season, and our luck in front of goal didn't get much better later on.

 

Indeed, we were actually quite fortunate not to find ourselves two goals in arrears again. Former Scunthorpe United striker Hornsey bent a shot just past the post in the 68th minute, and then skimmed the bar three minutes later.

 

Very soon after Hornsey's latter effort, Coton tried to beat Bannister with a swerving effort from long range. Bannister wasn't going to be fooled, and he turned the ball behind with his fingertips. Our last great chance to equalise came in the 81st minute, when James Dunne had a go from the edge of the area and pulled the ball straight at Bannister.

 

The last few minutes were end-to-end, with both teams having half-chances, but the scoreline remained 3-2 at the end of a thrilling contest. We had lost our perfect home record and slumped from 3rd place to 8th.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Gould 33, Ibrahim 39)

Cambridge United - 3 (Sodiq 11, Issah pen23, Hornsey 54)

Conference Premier, Attendance 2,448 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 8th, Cambridge 4th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Nguyen, Beech, Coton, Tierney, Purrington (McEwan), Scarlett, Clark, Dack (Dunne), Ibrahim, J Bell (Finnie), Gould. BOOKED: Gould.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge chairman Antonello Scolaro called me to a meeting the following morning to discuss how our season had started. Mr Scolaro felt that we weren't performing as well as we perhaps should have been, and he had a point. We were already ten points behind league leaders Ebbsfleet United, although to be fair, Ebbsfleet had blitzed their way to eight victories in succession.

 

Mr Scolaro was keen to stress that he wasn't considering my future as manager just yet. Indeed, he asked me for some suggestions as to how we could continue to 'grow the club'. I suggested that we could increase our junior coaching budget, and the chairman agreed to do so. If all goes well, that investment should pay off in the coming years.

[CFuller]

SEPTEMBER 2023 (continued)

The injury Ben Purrington suffered against Cambridge United was quite a bad one. Purrington had twisted his knee, meaning that we would have to get by for the next three weeks without our regular left-back.

 

Ben's injury highlighted a worrying oversight on my part - I didn't have another left-back in my senior team. I soon put matters to rights with the loan signing of Joe Thomson from Wycombe Wanderers. The 25-year-old Scotsman would make his Dagenham & Redbridge debut in our next home match against 16th-placed Darlington.

 

12 September 2023: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Darlington

Dagenham midfielder Bradley Dack was unlucky not to score after nine minutes with a 30-yard strike that dipped just too late. Strikers Lee Finnie and Stuart Gould then missed a couple of chances each within the next five minutes. Lee did trouble Darlington goalkeeper Tim Sainsbury into a save with an ambitious header in the 20th minute, but our shooting was generally disappointing.

 

Gould pounced on a poor header from Darlo defender Eddie Devine on 23 minutes, only to fire it past a gaping target. Dack half-volleyed another long effort off course in the 35th minute of what was turning into another one-sided match. We frequently put the Quakers under the cosh, and our defence denied them any opportunities of their own.

 

We also forced Darlington's players to concede a lot of fouls. Left-back Aaron Cunningham pulled on Michael King's shirt in the 42nd minute, and he then failed to clear Finnie's free-kick before Wayne Coton headed it into the net. Wayne's first competitive goal had given us the edge at half-time!

 

Darlington finally registered a shot at goal after 52 minutes, but Danny Whitehall's vicious attempt flew into the stands rather than into the net. Darlo captain Brian O'Boyle didn't fare much better with a half-volley in the 68th minute.

 

By that stage, I'd brought on Jamie Bell to replace Gould, who had a header saved by Sainsbury four minutes before then. Jamie's first shot at goal came on 71 minutes, when he took Yasser Ibrahim's long ball towards goal and struck the crossbar! There was a brief display of head tennis in the Quakers' penalty area seven minutes later, before Sainsbury saved from Coton.

 

In the closing stages, I went from 4-4-2 to 4-5-1, with James Dunne coming on as an extra midfielder in Lee's place. Within minutes of his introduction, Dunne had set up a chance for Bell, which Sainsbury saved, and hit the side netting with an effort of his own.

 

We'd had so many attempts at the Darlo goal without scoring for a second time, so can you guess what happened in the 87th minute? That's right. Darlington sub Leon Lyth scored from an assist by his strike partner Colin Ritchie, giving the Quakers a barely-deserved point. More late pain came our way in the last minute of normal time, when midfielder George Green was forced off due to injury.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Coton 42)

Darlington - 1 (Lyth 87)

Conference Premier, Attendance 2,097 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 7th, Darlington 16th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryder, Jack, Coton, Tierney, Thomson, Roche, Dack, Green, King (Ibrahim), Finnie (Dunne), Gould (J Bell).

 

It was surely only a matter of time before something like that happened. We had yet again dictated a match for so long without finishing the job, and this time, we hadn't managed to get away with all three points.

 

My disappointment grew when it emerged that playmaker George Green would miss the next three weeks with a groin strain. I planned to replace him with teenager Paul Hart... but the very next evening, Paul twisted his knee in a reserve match.

 

Luck was not on our side, it seemed, but I hoped that our fortunes would change when we travelled to Blundell Park in the small North Lincolnshire town of Cleethorpes. Grimsby Town were 2nd and still undefeated at home in this, their first season since returning to the Conference Premier.

 

16 September 2023: Grimsby Town vs Dagenham & Redbridge

When a sloppy pass from Dagenham defender Thomas Tierney was intercepted by Grimsby's Shayne Clarke in the second minute, I feared that we'd concede a very early goal. Thankfully, Robbie Ryder saved Tommy's skin by saving Jonathan Arnold's strike. The resulting Daggers counter-attack saw us take the lead, as Mariners defender Kieran Earl headed Lee Finnie's cross into his own net!

 

Grimsby had got off to a terrible start, and Clarke's wayward volley in the fourth minute hinted that they were already on edge. They couldn't muster any more meaningful chances in the first half, leaving captain Robbie Ryder with very little work to do in the Daggers goal.

 

James Dunne missed a couple of efforts for Dagenham midway through the period, but fellow midfielder Mitchell Clark's strike in the 28th minute drew a save out of home goalie Darragh Doyne. The Irishman also tipped over a cross-shot from Jamie Bell after 31 minutes.

 

The first half was grim viewing for Grimsby fans... and the second half was even grimmer! Finnie was thriving on the right wing for us, and when he cut the ball to Rikki Scarlett just outside the six-yard box, Rikki hammered it into the net! 2-0 to the Daggers after 49 minutes!

 

Our counter-attacking strategy was working wonders at Blundell Lane. Grimsby may have had more possession than us, but whenever they went on the attack, they would often blunder at a decisive moment. Sitting back and hitting the Mariners on the break led to us creating chances and winning corners on a fairly regular basis.

 

Most of our corner deliveries weren't fantastic, but one from Finnie in the 71st minute was a real doozy. Lee's swinger found Aaron McEwan, whose shot at the near post went in off Grimsby midfielder Lorcan Shannon! That was Grimsby's second own goal of the afternoon!

 

The Mariners would only have one chance to score at the right end during the second half. Tom Laskowski pulled a 79th-minute well beyond the far post. The hosts' evening from hell was completed after 88 minutes, when McEwan jumped clear of Shannon to nod Michael King's left-footed corner into the net! That rounded off an incredible 4-0 win, which restored our belief... and also our place in the top five!

 

Grimsby Town - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 4 (Earl og2, Scarlett 49, Shannon og71, McEwan 88)

Conference Premier, Attendance 3,391 - POSITIONS: Grimsby 4th, Dag & Red 5th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryder, Beech, Tierney (Coton), McEwan, Thomson, Clark, Dunne, Scarlett, Finnie (King), Ibrahim, J Bell (Gould).

 

We had destroyed one of the season's early frontrunners, and our next match would see us take on another.

 

Ebbsfleet United had started the campaign like a house on fire, winning eight matches on the spin and scoring 26 goals in the process! They seemed to have burnt themselves out, though, as they lost their next two games without finding the net. Could Garry Flitcroft's side bounce back when we visited Stonebridge Road, or would we inflict more suffering on them?

[CFuller]

SEPTEMBER 2023 (continued)

23 September 2023: Ebbsfleet United vs Dagenham & Redbridge

A counter-attacking strategy had done us no harm in our previous two away games, so I didn't see any reason to change it for the trip to Ebbsfleet. The hosts had their first chance to score after only four minutes, but Sean Lowe's header flew straight at Dagenham goalie Robbie Ryder. Two minutes later, inside-forward Yasser Ibrahim sent our first shot begging.

 

Ebbsfleet had another headed effort in the 14th minute, and just like against Lowe earlier on, Ryder was equal to Gavin Lee-Bulmer's attempt. Lowe and Lee-Bulmer had each scored five goals already this season. After 19 minutes, Daggers forward Stuart Gould was just one behind them, as his fierce strike went past Fleet keeper Lewin Smith and opened the scoring!

 

Ebbsfleet's hearts sank, and it took them until the 37th minute to get going again. John O'Brien played a short cross for Joseph Maloney, and Ryder did well to parry the midfielder's shot at his near post. While our captain was shining, the home team's skipper was spluttering. A frustrated Lowe was booked after 42 minutes for tripping our left-back Joe Thomson.

 

Our first attack after the restart summed up Ebbsfleet's rapid change of fortunes over the previous fortnight. On 56 minutes, James Dunne lobbed the ball wide to Ibrahim, who nodded it into Fleet's penalty area. Smith came out of his six-yard box and got his fingers to the ball, but Gould leapt high enough to head it into the net!

 

We were now 2-0 up, but Ebbsfleet made a more spirited response to our second goal than they did to the first. After 68 minutes, Euan Sharp drifted in a corner that Fleet defender Arron Nelson headed towards the far post. Nelson's effort hit the upright and bounced towards Stefan Tomasevic, who surely would've scored but for a last-ditch block from Robbie. Tim Beech then slide-tackled the loose ball away from Lee-Bulmer, removing the danger... at least until the very next minute.

 

Ebbsfleet's counter to our failed counter-attack ended with Lee-Bulmer narrowly missing the target. A better finish would have put United back in contention, but by the 74th minute, they were most certainly out of the running. Rikki Scarlett delivered a stunning coup de grace, as he outpaced Maloney and whacked a 20-yard drive bang into the bottom corner! 3-0 Dagenham!

 

Ebbsfleet's frustrations continued with Ryder making a quick double save from Lee-Bulmer shortly after the restart. They had one last go in the 81st minute, when a Sharp cross found Tony Preston in bags of space in the penalty area. Preston's finishing was definitely not sharp, though, because Ryder held onto his header - and another clean sheet.

 

Ebbsfleet United - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (Gould 19,57, Scarlett 74)

Conference Premier, Attendance 2,892 - POSITIONS: Ebbsfleet 1st, Dag & Red 4th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryder, Beech, Tierney (Coton), McEwan, Thomson (King), Clark, Dunne, Scarlett, Roche (Finnie), Ibrahim, Gould. BOOKED: Beech.

 

That was my tenth career match against Ebbsfleet United - and it was the first time I'd ever managed to beat them! More significantly, this was our third away win in a row, and we'd cut what was once a 10-point deficit on Ebbsfleet down to just three points!

 

With top spot firmly in our sights, we finished September with a couple of home games that looked very winnable. The first was against newly-promoted Dorchester Town, who'd won only one of their first 11 matches in the Conference Premier.

 

26 September 2023: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Dorchester Town

Our plan for this game was to sit deeper than usual, and not allow Dorchester's quick lone striker Darragh Kehoe to race through our defence. Dorchester did not like that one bit. Throughout the first half, we controlled possession quite comfortably, slowly working our way towards the Magpies' goal.

 

We were initially restricted to a couple of long-range efforts, including a 17th-minute strike from Rikki Scarlett that was easily caught by Simon Locke. By the 20th minute, Scarlett had helped us to unlock the visitors' defence. His pass found Joe Thomson unmarked on the left flank, and the full-back had enough space to drill in a cross that Stuart Gould blasted home!

 

We had opened the scoring, but we had an injury scare just moments after the restart. Right-back Tim Beech hurt himself in a sliding challenge on Dorchester winger Kamaron Martin, and he required some treatment before coming back onto the pitch. Bradley Dack was unfortunate not to score a second Dagenham goal in the 24th minute, when his 20-yarder bounced off the crossbar. Magpies defender Calum Butcher was under pressure to concede a corner, from which Aaron McEwan headed wide.

 

Dorchester had a brief glimpse at our goal on 34 minutes, but Beech put his body on the line to block a free-kick from 17-year-old midfielder Roy Carey. When the first half entered added-on time, a free-kick at the other end resulted in us doubling our advantage to 2-0. Mitchell Clark curled a stunner perfectly into the top corner, racking up just his fourth goal in three-and-a-bit seasons at Dagenham & Redbridge!

 

The second half continued where the first had left off, with the Daggers dominating again. Locke got his fingertips to a close-range header from Wayne Coton in the 52nd minute, shortly after defender Gavin Watson had headed Lee Finnie's corner out of the six-yard box. Dack pulled a long-range strike hopelessly wide seven minutes later, and we didn't return to our best for a fair while after that.

 

The Magpies couldn't make the most of our lean patch, and when we did find top gear again, their day went from bad to worse. Yasser Ibrahim had torn Kyle Haynes to shreds in this match, and our Egyptian forward bested Dorchester's right-back again after 78 minutes by beating him to a crucial header. The recipient of it was Gould, who struck for the second time and made it 3-0!

 

The away team then had a couple of speculative - and wayward - shots from substitute Bradley Champion before Ibrahim destroyed them again. Yasser skipped past a helpless Haynes to reach Mitchell's long pass and take it into the penalty area, where he rounded off another 4-0 win! We had won three matches in a row by an aggregate score of 11-0!

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 4 (Gould 20,78, Clark 45, Ibrahim 89)

Dorchester Town - 0

Conference Premier, Attendance 2,089 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 3rd, Dorchester 20th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryder, Beech (Tierney), Coton, McEwan, Thomson, Clark, Dack, Scarlett (Dunne), Finnie, Ibrahim, Gould (J Bell).

 

Our latest victory took us to within two points of top spot, which was now occupied by Cambridge United. A fourth straight victory at home to 10th-placed Kingstonian would give us a possible opportunity to move into the lead.

 

Tim Beech was feeling tired after his energetic display against Dorchester, so I gave my vice-captain a much-needed rest and handed Louis Jack just his second senior start at right-back.

 

30 September 2023: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Kingstonian

James Dunne threatened Kingstonian with one of his long throws in the third minute, finding Aaron McEwan, who headed it over the crossbar. McEwan then made a crucial interception in our penalty area from Adrian Lodge's cross a minute later. Shortly after that, Darragh McCormack powered a piledriver high and wide for Kingstonian.

 

The match may have started evenly, but it became much more one-sided later on. We took the game to the K's with some intricate and controlled passing... although we seriously lacked an end product. Rikki Scarlett was particularly disappointing, as the midfielder missed with a couple of long-rangers in the 13th and 42nd minutes. By half-time, Kingstonian had mostly restricted us to ambitious shots from distance and kept the scoreline goalless.

 

We continued to hammer shots at Kingstonian in the second half, with no success. Bradley Dack's worrying habit of shooting from ludicrously far out resurfaced with a couple of poor attempts in the 52nd and 54th minutes. Bradley got closer to finding the net after 65 minutes, as his 20-yarder fizzed just beyond the post. Eight minutes later, Mitchell Clark had an opportunity to follow up his free-kick goal against Dorchester Town with another. He curled it well off target.

 

By the 86th minute, we had created 12 attempts at goal, none of which were on target. We had a bit more luck with the 13th, as another drive from Dack forced K's keeper Mark Scott into his only save of the entire match. Two more terrible misses from Lee Finnie followed as Kingstonian - and right-back Phil Shepherd in particular - defended resiliently. They took home a point after becoming the first side to shut us out in the league this season.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 0

Kingstonian - 0

Conference Premier, Attendance 2,459 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 4th, Kingstonian 11th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryder, Jack, Tierney, McEwan, Thomson, Clark, Dunne, Scarlett (Dack), Roche (King), Ibrahim, Gould (Finnie). BOOKED: McEwan.

 

That goalless draw ended our September on a mixed note. Our defence looked very sturdy, having not conceded a goal in four consecutive games, and we were often outclassing other teams - either by launching swift counter-attacks, or simply by passing them to death.

 

However, there were a couple of games - against Darlington and Kingstonian - where we could not break into the penalty area often enough to turn one point into three. Perhaps I need to be a bit more aggressive with my tactics when we face such dogged opposition in the coming months.

[CFuller]

Conference Premier Table (End of September 2023)

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.          Cambridge              13    9     2     2     29    15    +14   29
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.          Ebbsfleet              13    9     0     4     30    11    +19   27
3.          Eastleigh              13    8     2     3     27    20    +7    26
4.          Dag & Red              13    7     4     2     25    9     +16   25
5.          Chelmsford             13    8     1     4     17    11    +6    25
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.          Stalybridge            13    8     1     4     21    17    +4    25
7.          Cheltenham             13    7     2     4     27    15    +12   23
8.          Salisbury              13    6     4     3     11    6     +5    22
9.          Grimsby                13    7     1     5     20    17    +3    22
10.         Farnborough            13    6     3     4     17    10    +7    21
11.         Kingstonian            12    6     2     4     19    20    -1    20
12.         Boreham Wood           13    6     0     7     18    17    +1    18
13.         Newport County         13    5     3     5     18    17    +1    18
14.         Accrington             13    5     3     5     17    17    0     18
15.         AFC Wimbledon          13    5     3     5     15    18    -3    18
16.         Lincoln                13    3     5     5     9     12    -3    14
17.         Bury                   12    4     1     7     14    27    -13   13
18.         Bromley                11    2     5     4     15    19    -4    11
19.         Preston                13    3     2     8     16    26    -10   11
20.         Darlington             13    2     4     7     10    19    -9    10
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21.         Carlisle               13    2     4     7     12    22    -10   10
22.         Dorchester             13    1     6     6     9     18    -9    9
23.         York                   13    1     5     7     7     22    -15   8
24.         MK Dons                13    1     3     9     6     24    -18   6

 

[CFuller]

OCTOBER 2023

The first day of October marked the first anniversary of my appointment as Dagenham & Redbridge manager. The general mood at Victoria Road had changed dramatically since my arrival. Back then, the Daggers were in debt with a motley crew consisting largely of loanees, has-beens and never-will-bes.

 

12 months on, our finances were better, our squad was younger and fitter, and the fans now truly believed that we could make a serious claim for automatic promotion. A good result at Lincoln City, who were in the lower part of mid-table, would surely heighten their optimism.

 

3 October 2023: Lincoln City vs Dagenham & Redbridge

The first half began with Dagenham defender Tim Beech conceding a corner after four minutes. Jamie Allen's delivery for Lincoln found the head of Ian Robertson, and Daggers captain Robbie Ryder had to tip the ball behind for another corner. Aaron McEwan cleared the danger for us on that occasion.

 

Neither team threatened again until the 24th minute. Bradley Dack hit a left-footed volley from just inside the Imps' area, but he couldn't direct it towards the goal. Dack shot from much further out a minute later, forcing Lincoln goalie Ben Hutchinson into a low save. Over the next ten minutes, Kane Richards and Paul Donaldson each fired wide for the Imps.

 

Hutchinson then picked up an injury whilst kicking the ball out of his area after 36 minutes. Although Lincoln's number 1 was clearly hampered, we couldn't get close to beating him before half-time. Rikki Scarlett's high and wide effort in the 42nd minute was indicative of how poorly we were playing.

 

We wasted a couple of corners early in the second half, with Wayne Coton heading dismally wide from one of them in the 50th minute. A better opportunity could have gone our way after 59 minutes, when Lincoln's substitute defender Wayne Day brought down Dack just as Bradley was entering the penalty area. However, the referee saw no need to award us a penalty.

 

My annoyance grew four minutes later, as Lincoln won a free-kick just outside our area. Allen lofted the ball into our area, and McEwan almost headed it into his own net, but Ryder reacted quickly to parry the centre-half's interception! It could have been a costly error for Aaron, who was otherwise in brilliant form. The same word could be applied to Hutchinson after he caught James Dunne's edge-of-the-box strike on 69 minutes. The impressive shotstopper kept out another from Dack in the 78th minute, two minutes after Richards had gone close for City.

 

The Imps had one last chance to break the deadlock - and our unbeaten run - in the dying seconds of injury time. Defensive midfielder Leigh Lambley met Allen's corner with a left-footed volley, which was deflected inches wide! The ref then blew the whistle on a match that lacked goals, but not drama!

 

Lincoln City - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 0

Conference Premier, Attendance 2,006 - POSITIONS: Lincoln 16th, Dag & Red 4th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryder, Beech, Coton, McEwan, Thomson (Purrington), Clark, Dack, Scarlett (Dunne), Roche, Ibrahim (Finnie), J Bell.

 

I wasn't exactly delighted that we'd been held to another goalless draw, but it did at least give goalkeeper Robbie Ryder his fifth consecutive clean sheet - a fantastic achievement.

 

Robbie's heroics were keeping his understudy Nguyen Van Phung out of the team. Nguyen could not have picked a worse time, then, to politely ask me for more first-team football. “What a cheeky sod,” I thought! He quickly shut up when I reminded him that Ryder was on a roll and wouldn't be dropped.

 

Our next away game at Cheltenham Town came on a Sunday afternoon - exactly one year after my first match in charge of the Daggers. Saturday's results knocked us down to 7th, and we knew that only a victory at Whaddon Road would put us back in the play-off spots.

 

8 October 2023: Cheltenham Town vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Cheltenham midfielder Iwan Llewelyn hit a low drive from the edge of the area after two minutes, and Robbie Ryder easily picked it up for Dagenham. Robbie's opposite number in the Cheltenham goal, Willie Forsyth, made an excellent fingertip save to deny Yasser Ibrahim eight minutes later.

 

Both teams struggled to keep possession during the opening 20 minutes, but in the 21st, we were at last able string a good number of passes together. A poor throw from Robins right-back Andy McLeod led to a fine display of Daggers passing, which ended with Stuart Gould creating the opening goal for Ibrahim!

 

Cheltenham made some feeble attempts to quickly restore parity before our Egyptian forward caused their defence more problems on the half-hour mark. Shortly after Wayne Coton headed clear a weak corner from Robins skipper Guy Lennon, Gould slid the ball towards Ibrahim in Cheltenham's penalty area. Before Yasser could reach it, McLeod stuck out a leg and brought him crashing down! The referee awarded us a penalty, and George Green duly made it 2-0 to Dagenham & Redbridge.

 

The hosts weren't going to give up easily, though - not when they had, in Jim Carberry, a striker who'd scored 16 goals in 13 league appearances this season. After 38 minutes, the Irish rocket had lift off again. Carberry latched onto Liam Galloway's long ball, turned past Coton, and thrashed in his 17th goal of an incredible campaign! Cheltenham were suddenly back in contention!

 

Carberry's goal was the first we'd conceded in around 500 minutes, and it highlighted for me the need to tighten up in the second half. I urged my defenders to stand off Carberry and Ashley Barnard, as both of Cheltenham's quick strikers could race through our backline if we pushed up too far. After 52 minutes, Barnard demonstrated that defending too deep could leave us vulnerable as well. He outjumped Ben Purrington to reach Llewelyn's cross, which he headed against the bar.

 

Llewelyn then volleyed wide in the 56th minute before firing a free-kick into our wall two minutes later. Just before the 60-minute mark, Lee Finnie had a chance to restore our two-goal cushion, but his meek header from Ibrahim's lob went straight into Forsyth's lap.

 

Further opportunities to strengthen our fragile lead would be few and far between. Centre-back Aaron McEwan was winning all the aerial battles in our half, but he couldn't beat Forsyth with a header in Cheltenham's box after 77 minutes. Eight minutes later, Forsyth came off his line to turn away a shot from Daggers substitute Michael King. We were soon having to batten down the hatches and defend our 2-1 advantage for our lives.

 

In the first minute of normal time, Lennon beat McEwan to a knock-on from Joshua Brodie and struck the near post! A minute later, Carberry got his head to Tony Martin's cross, and Ryder was on hand to keep it out. Barnard had one last attempt for the Robins in the last few seconds... but his half-volley went wide, and we just about took all three points!

 

Cheltenham Town - 1 (Carberry 38)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Ibrahim 21, Green pen31)

Conference Premier, Attendance 2,061 - POSITIONS: Cheltenham 8th, Dag & Red 3rd

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryder, Beech, Coton, McEwan, Purrington, Clark, Dunne, Green (Dack), Finnie (King), Ibrahim, Gould (J Bell).

 

We welcomed mid-table Accrington Stanley to Victoria Road in our next home match. Accrington were looking to set the record straight after losing three times against us last season.

 

14 October 2023: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Accrington Stanley

We made a very edgy start, conceding two fouls inside the first 40 seconds. Accrington's second free-kick was headed away by Thomas Tierney, and Yasser Ibrahim launched a counter-attack that ended with Stuart Gould being denied an opening goal by Stanley keeper Ross Laidlaw. Moments later, Aaron McEwan fired our next chance wide from close range.

 

After such a frantic start to proceedings, the action died down greatly until the half-hour mark. George Green didn't test Laidlaw with a long-distance strike after 30 minutes, but the Scottish custodian was troubled five minutes later, when he parried a left-footed strike from Yasser Ibrahim. On 41 minutes, our other wide attacker Jonathan Roche cut inside before ballooning a left-footer of his own over the bar.

 

Accrington hardly posed any sort of threat to us until Tim Beech conceded a free-kick in injury time. Jordan Morton - the player Tim upended for a yellow card - drilled it low into the box, and Kurtis March struck a half-volley that Robbie Ryder spectacularly tipped behind. Our captain's save kept the score goalless at the end of a poor first period.

 

I wanted my players to be more ambitious and attacking in the second half, and they responded in kind. After 48 minutes, Green hit a powerful shot from a tight angle, forcing Laidlaw into an awkward save. Accrington were defending very strongly, but when their star centre-back Gordon Keohane hurt his groin in the 53rd minute, we sensed blood.

 

After 58 minutes, Beech got a cross past Keohane and hit the woodwork. Tim made another dangerous cross soon afterwards from the byline, and Yasser got ahead of Stanley left-back Steve Bearder to apply the finish!

 

Bearder made a positive response for Accrington, as his 62nd-minute cross was headed behind by Tierney for an away corner. That didn't go to plan for Stanley, and by the 76th minute, we had taken an even firmer grip on the match. James Dunne lifted the ball over Keohane's head to find Ibrahim, who chested it and fired past a rushing Laidlaw. Yasser's initial effort ricocheted off the bar, but he met the rebound with a firm diving header that crossed the line!

 

Our Egyptian magician had weaved his magic again, and though Ibrahim missed out on a hat-trick goal in the 86th minute, his double was still enough to move us up to 2nd spot behind Ebbsfleet United.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Ibrahim 59,76)

Accrington Stanley - 0

Conference Premier, Attendance 2,461 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 2nd, Accrington 11th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryder, Beech (Coton), Tierney, McEwan, Thomson, Clark, Dunne, Green (Dack), Roche (Scarlett), Ibrahim, Gould. BOOKED: Beech.

 

We weren't in 2nd place for more than a few days. Most of our Conference Premier rivals were in midweek action, and Stalybridge Celtic's 2-1 victory over Milton Keynes Dons meant that they leapfrogged us - for the time being.

 

There was a chance that we could get back into the top two if we won at home to last season's runners-up Newport County. The Welsh side had not replicated their form from the previous campaign, and they'd recently replaced their veteran manager Mark Aizlewood with former striker and one-time Northern Ireland international Jordan Owens.

 

Thanks to our goalkeeping captain Robbie Ryder's excellent form, Nguyen Van Phung had been reduced to a benchwarmer in recent weeks. Nguyen's hopes of ousting Ryder took another blow before the Newport game, as the Vietnam international broke a finger in training and was subsequently ruled out until December.

[CFuller]

OCTOBER 2023 (continued)

21 October 2023: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Newport County

The first half was a very miserable affair. Dagenham midfielder James Dunne could have produced a moment of magic in the 8th minute, as he dribbled from our half towards Newport's goal. Alas, the move ended with James scooping a 30-yarder high and wide.

 

We then had to wait until the 41st minute for our next chance, which Aaron McEwan headed off target. Newport's left-back Fraser Jackson suffered a leg injury early in the first half, and his team-mates hardly had anything to say before half-time. Surely the second half couldn't be just as drab?

 

The first 15 minutes after the restart didn't reassure many spectators that this wouldn't be a 0-0 draw. County were still struggling to keep possession, and they didn't register their first shot until the 58th minute, when Jason Bridle missed from distance.

 

With the Exiles looking about as threatening as an Andrex puppy, I wasn't afraid to tell my players to attack Newport hard in the final half-hour. After 65 minutes, a header from Dunne forced County's goalkeeping captain Owain Pugh into his first save of the match.

 

Stuart Gould then nodded a free-kick from George Green well off course in the 72nd minute, though he would finally get a shot on target three minute later. Stuart latched onto Jonathan Roche's cross, only to see his shot kept out by on-loan Swansea City keeper Pugh.

 

Robert Devaney missed another audacious attempt for Newport in the 78th minute before Yasser Ibrahim had two attempts to continue his fine scoring form for Dagenham. His first slipped past the post on 79 minutes, and his second was parried by Pugh a couple of minutes later.

 

Pugh would make a couple more crucial saves, from Gould in the 85th minute and Bradley Dack in added-on time, as the Exiles' resolve held out. Some stoic defending from the likes of Pugh and centre-half Martyn Brown had contributed to us being shut out once again.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 0

Newport County - 0

Conference Premier, Attendance 2,591 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 3rd, Newport County 14th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryder, Beech, Tierney (Coton), McEwan, Purrington, Clark, Dunne, Green (Dack), Roche, Ibrahim, J Bell (Gould).

 

We'd now gone nine matches without defeat, keeping clean sheets in seven of them! But while our defence had become as impenetrable as Fort Knox, our strikers were firing blanks.

 

Our last five matches had seen just four Dagenham goals. Three of them were scored by inside-forward Yasser Ibrahim, and the other was a penalty from midfielder George Green. That was a major problem I would surely have to fix sooner rather than later.

 

I hoped to find the answer to our goalscoring blues at Deepdale, where the general mood at Preston North End was more black than lilywhite. After dropping out of the Football League this spring, Preston were already embroiled in a battle just to stay in the Conference Premier.

 

24 October 2023: Preston North End vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Deepdale used to be home to one of English football's true gentlemen, but Sir Tom Finney would've been turning in his grave over a first half that showcased the beautiful game's ugly side. Things got physical as early as the first minute, when Aaron McEwan's rough challenge on Allan Simpson left the Preston striker with a damaged elbow. Like a good old-fashioned player from the 1950s, Simpson played on through the pain.

 

In the 3rd minute, home midfielder Steven McGann was booked for tripping Daggers counterpart George Green, who was himself booked after 11 minutes for upending Graham Webster. Just seconds later, Lilywhites winger Gavin Massey broke some ribs in an aerial challenge from Dagenham left-back Joe Thomson, who sportingly put the ball into touch so that Massey could come off.

 

Preston had another player enter the book in the 24th minute, as winger Dane Futcher was booked for diving in a bid to win a penalty. North End defender Samuel Okoye tried to win the ball off our striker Stuart Gould two minutes later, but he pulled his groin whilst knocking the ball out for a throw-in. Like Massey before him, Okoye had to come off.

 

After a lengthy delay, Lee Finnie floated the Dagenham corner to Aaron, whose header was easily caught by Stephen Murphy. That was the best scoring chance either team had in a period that became even more bitter towards the end.

 

A fourth yellow card was issued in the 34th minute to Daggers forward Yasser Ibrahim, who'd tripped Preston defender Harrison Sinott. Meanwhile, Simpson continued to struggle up front for the hosts. He had to come off briefly for treatment on his injury three times before the half-time whistle blew. Unsurprisingly, he would not return after the break.

 

You'll be pleased to know that both sets of players focused more on attacking the goals than each other in the second period. Preston midfielder Youssouf M'Changama went very close to scoring direct from a free-kick in the 55th minute, but Robbie Ryder brilliantly parried it behind.

 

Preston later curled in a couple of ineffective corners as their attacks lost momentum. The Lilywhites again went close to scoring through Webster in the 69th minute, two minutes after right-back Steve Ogilvie had become their latest player to be booked.

 

In the final ten minutes, Dagenham's Rikki Scarlett hit a couple of hopeless long-distance strikes that summed up why this game would finish 0-0. It was a match that had seen 20 fouls, five yellow cards... and just two shots on target. It also happened to be my 600th competitive match as a manager, although I won't want to remember much of it.

 

Preston North End - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 0

Conference Premier, Attendance 5,277 - POSITIONS: Preston 19th, Dag & Red 5th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryder, Jack (Beech), Coton, McEwan, Thomson, Clark, Dack, Green (Scarlett), Finnie, Ibrahim (King), Gould. BOOKED: Green, Ibrahim.

 

Our fourth goalless draw in the space of six matches didn't do much good to our title challenge. We were now trailing 1st-placed Stalybridge Celtic by five points... but we had a game in hand, and they were the next team to visit Victoria Road.

 

Stalybridge were in top form going into this meeting. The Conference North champions had won nine, drawn two and lost just one of their previous 12 matches, giving them a real shot at back-to-back promotions. Could the Greater Manchester side strengthen their cause further by snapping our undefeated streak?

 

28 October 2023: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Stalybridge Celtic

Jamie Bell hadn't scored for us since August, and his two-month goal drought didn't look like ending in the third minute, when he pulled a shot off target. Jamie had another go on seven minutes, and he at least forced Stalybridge keeper Eoin Maher into a difficult save.

 

We piled on more pressure in the 9th minute, as Yasser Ibrahim got us off the mark with a superb solo goal! Yasser closed down an attempted long ball from Stalybridge defender Andrew Leigh and dribbled towards goal before beating Maher at his near post!

 

I expected a strong response from the visitors after our opener, but their first real attempt to equalise was volleyed well wide by Jacques O'Connell on 14 minutes. O'Connell's next volley in the 21st minute was brilliantly parried by Dagenham keeper Robbie Ryder, just moments after Maher had denied Ibrahim a second goal at the other end.

 

Stalybridge's Irish custodian went on to make a number of excellent catches later in the first half. Maher caught a promising strike from Ibrahim on 29 minutes, and five minutes later, he secured a volleyed effort from James Dunne, who was struggling with a rib injury. James would be substituted at half-time, by which point the impressive Maher had caught yet another Daggers shot - a George Green free-kick in the 42nd minute.

 

We continued to push on towards a second goal once play had restarted. On 48 minutes, Jonathan Roche set up a chance for Ben Purrington, who hit a typical left-back's finish. Seven minutes later, Roche nearly produced another magical moment with a swerving effort from the touchline. Maher superbly tipped the ball over his bar before it could fly into the net.

 

Bell and Green then had a couple of missed opportunities before the 66th minute, when the crossbar denied us a 2-0 lead through centre-back Aaron McEwan. Big Mac had done a wonderful job of shutting Stalybridge out thus far, but he and our other defenders wouldn't have to work much harder in the closing 15 minutes.

 

Celtic midfielder Ross Callachan gave Ryder a real test with a low strike from 30 yards after 77 minutes, and Robbie made an assured catch. Other than that, Stalybridge were unable to trouble a Daggers defence that was standing off superbly and not leaving many openings.

 

A poor day for the leaders could have ended on a worse note with seven minutes left to play. Rikki Scarlett's excellent free-kick for Dagenham hit the bar, and Bell let Celtic off the hook when he scuffed the rebound wide from a diving header. Although Jamie was continuing to misfire, that earlier goal from our new scoring sensation Yasser was enough to give us an invaluable 1-0 win.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Ibrahim 9)

Stalybridge Celtic - 0

Conference Premier, Attendance 2,450 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 2nd, Stalybridge 1st

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryder, Beech, Tierney (Coton), McEwan, Purrington, Clark, Dunne (Scarlett), Green (Hart), Roche, Ibrahim, J Bell.

 

It may not have been pretty, but I was delighted with a narrow victory. Stalybridge came into that match with one of the division's best attacking records, and not even they could find a way through our defence.

 

All of our defensive players played admirably during our unbeaten October, and one has - quite simply - been outstanding. Time after time, and game after game, centre-half Aaron McEwan has continued to produce spirited performances in our rearguard. Thanks to Big Mac, we have let in just one goal in ten matches!

 

This may be a simplistic saying, but it's true - if you don't concede goals, you don't lose games!

[CFuller]

NOVEMBER 2023

November started pretty well for me, as I was named the Conference Premier's Manager of the Month for October. Just hours after receiving my award, though, I was hoping that the mythical curse associated with that accolade would not strike me.

 

Our unbeaten sequence of results, which now stood at an unbelievable ELEVEN games, was on the line again when Boreham Wood came to Victoria Road. Victory against 14th-placed Wood would move us up to top spot, provided that Stalybridge Celtic did not win at Salisbury City.

 

1 November 2023: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Boreham Wood

I gave 16-year-old Paul Hart his first competitive start for Dagenham, but it was a more experienced midfielder who helped us to take the lead after just five minutes. Bradley Dack hit a fierce low strike towards goal, and Boreham Wood keeper Ryan Boot could only parry it to Stuart Gould, who tapped in a poacher's finish. 1-0 to the Daggers!

 

Two minutes later, Hart made a great interception from Joel Logan's header and started a counter-attack that could've resulted in our second goal. It didn't quite turn out that way, as Yasser Ibrahim blasted the ball into orbit from the edge of Wood's area.

 

The visitors tested Robbie Ryder for the first time after 10 minutes, when Robbie had to hold onto Doyle Molyneux's header. Boot also showed safe hands in catching another shot from Dack on 18 minutes. Bradley's next couple of attempts were a bit more wayward, and by the 31st minute, our defence had started to crack.

 

Wood midfielder Kenny Barrett skipped effortlessly past Thomas Tierney on his way to the byline, where he drilled in a cross that Molyneux fired home after Tim Beech missed his interception. That equaliser denied Ryder the chance to keep five consecutive clean sheets for what would've been the second time this season.

 

Molyneux and Ryder came face-to-face again after 41 minutes, but Robbie prevailed on that occasion, holding the on-loan Huddersfield Town forward's header. That save came in between two more from Boot, who stopped both Dack and Ibrahim from restoring our advantage before the break.

 

The action frequently switched from end to end early in the second period. After 55 minutes, Boot got his gloves to a low shot from Ibrahim, and Boreham Wood left-back Shay Mullan could only slide it behind for a corner. Our star defender Aaron McEwan, who was booked in the first half, got his head to substitute Rikki Scarlett's delivery... and put it over.

 

Moments later, it was Wood winger George Lindsay's turn to send a header wide. When McEwan made a superb interception from Tony Randall's right-wing cross after almost exactly 58 minutes, we launched a devastating breakaway. Within about 15 seconds, Yasser had bent the ball past Boot, giving us a 2-1 lead!

 

It was not a lead that we could hold onto. Ryder may have kept out a 64th-minute strike from Lindsay, but he was powerless to stop the Bristol City loanee from heading Mullan's centre into the net four minutes later. With the scores level again at 2-2, I brought off the struggling Tierney and Jonathan Roche, replacing the latter with Lee Finnie.

 

Lee couldn't hit the target with a half-volley from a tight angle after 73 minutes, but he did set up another fine opportunity three minutes later. Finnie's corner found fellow Scot McEwan, and Aaron's header was kept out by a sublime fingertip save from Boot.

 

Later on, Wood sent on their secret weapon - former Daggers striker Craig Hardwick. With five minutes to go, Randall floated a corner into our six-yard box, and Hardwick outjumped Mitchell Clark to make a connection. It looked like our old friend had come back to haunt us, but Hardwick's header clipped the post... and Ryder picked it up just before it could deflect over the goal line!

 

Robbie bailed us out again with another fantastic save in the 88th minute after Molyneux had dribbled behind his back four. Our unflappable captain ensured that we would avoid defeat for the 12th game in a row, but boy did Boreham Wood push us close!

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Gould 5, Ibrahim 59)

Boreham Wood - 2 (Molyneux 31, Lindsay 68)

Conference Premier, Attendance 2,094 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 2nd, Boreham Wood 13th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryder, Beech, Tierney (Coton), McEwan, Purrington, Clark, Dack, Hart (Scarlett), Roche (Finnie), Ibrahim, Gould. BOOKED: McEwan.

 

We enjoyed 61% of possession and 17 shots at goal in that game, but yet again, we came away with just one point instead of three. That was the fifth time we had drawn in eight matches, and those draws add up. We now trailed league leaders Stalybridge Celtic by four points, although we still had a game in hand.

 

While I was growing concerned about our performances on the pitch, the chairman was getting stressed over the state of our finances. With our players' wages and bonuses outstripping our match-day income by some margin, we were squandering money faster than a young woman in a shoe shop. In October alone, we made a financial loss of close to £100,000, leaving us with not much more than that in our balance.

 

The FA Cup was a fantastic opportunity to make some extra cash, and our latest cup journey began in Qualifying Round 4 at Waltham Abbey. For the first time since we stopped losing, I switched from my solid 4-5-1 formation to a more aggressive 4-4-2. I also rested a number of key players against Abbey, who were playing in the Isthmian North for a 14th season on the trot.

 

4 November 2023: Waltham Abbey vs Dagenham & Redbridge

We were surprisingly slow to get going in this match. After 12 minutes, Paul Hart found Michael King with an excellent pass, but the winger scooped his shot over the crossbar. That turned out to be our only chance of the opening half-hour.

 

Indeed, Waltham Abbey were soon looking like favourites to take a shock lead! Abbotts midfielder Shane Burrows hit the post with a stunning volley in the 25th minute. Four minutes later, Burrows played in Liam Rivers, and our debutant keeper Daryl Ryan had to pull off a great save to keep the forward's long-range strike out.

 

Abbey were certainly getting closer to our goal than we were to theirs. Hart registered a shot on target after 35 minutes, but the young midfielder was never going to beat Mark Adamu. Waltham Abbey's goalkeeper later caught a 41st-minute attempt from Bradley Dack, shortly after veteran defender Sam Hatton had hit the Daggers woodwork with a free-kick. It was still 0-0 at the break, although an FA Cup upset was looking more and more likely.

 

The woodwork took another thumping barely a minute into the second half, this time from a Dagenham & Redbridge player! Jamie Bell looked set to finally end his drought after racing past Abbotts centre-back Wade Obersteller, but his low shot clipped the post. Hart forced Adamu into another catch from a banana shot moments later.

 

That was followed by another lean spell for the Daggers, and not even the introductions of Yasser Ibrahim and George Green as substitutes could rouse us from our slumber. Waltham Abbey showed much more determination than us, and they weren't afraid to dive into tackles or press forward. Midfielder Mason Reynolds went for glory from 30 yards in the 72nd minute, but Daryl pulled off a comfortable catch.

 

Three minutes later, the gritty minnows finally gave way to a moment of Dagenham magic. Burrows' tackle on Lee Finnie knocked an Ibrahim pass towards Bell, who turned past Anthony Briley and surged towards goal! After cutting past Obersteller again, Jamie floored the Abbotts with a sucker punch.

 

Bell had put us 1-0 ahead, and only a perfectly-timed tackle from Briley stopped him from doubling that lead almost as soon as play had restarted! Another chance came Jamie's way in the 78th minute, with Adamu's save denying him on that occasion. Finnie headed a Dack free-kick into the Abbey net three minutes later, but Lee was well offside, so the lead remained a slender one.

 

The hosts withstood some more late pressure from the likes of Ibrahim and 16-year-old Daggers debutant Pat Molyneux to keep it that way. In the end, Bell's solitary goal - the 1,000th of my managerial career - had scraped us through to Round 1.

 

Waltham Abbey - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (J Bell 75)

FA Cup Qualifying Round 4, Attendance 818

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryan, Jack, Coton, Tierney, Thomson, Roche, Dack, Hart (Green), King (Ibrahim), Finnie (Molyneux), J Bell. BOOKED: Dack, Hart.

 

"That was a real let-off, lads," I told the players at full-time. I was not too happy that we had barely won against a team ranked three tiers below us. A vast improvement was needed quickly, because our Round 1 match would take place just seven days later.

[CFuller]

NOVEMBER 2023 (continued)

The FA Cup Round 1 draw could have been a lot better from our point of view. An away draw against Swindon Town was not ideal, especially as Swindon had won five of their last six matches in League Two.

 

It would take a great effort to knock the Robins out at the County Ground, so those star players who sat out our qualifying win over Waltham Abbey were brought back into the fold. Among the returnees was holding midfielder Mitchell Clark, who had just signed a new contract that would keep him with us until 2026. His fellow midfielder James Dunne also came back after recovering from a rib injury.

 

11 November 2023: Swindon Town vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Our passing in the opening 15 minutes was worryingly wayward. A particularly poor long ball from Dagenham defender Wayne Coton after 11 minutes led to a great opportunity for Swindon to take the lead. Winger Connor Glover squared the ball to striker Jake Herring just outside our penalty, but the Robins captain volleyed it well wide. Nathan Cameron almost headed the League Two side in front seven minutes later, only for a Robbie Ryder save and a Joe Thomson clearance to thwart him.

 

Our first attempt on goal came in the 20th minute, when Stuart Gould shot past Swindon centre-back Cameron and blazed over. That was followed five minutes later by a tame effort from George Green.

 

The dying moments of the half saw Swindon midfielders Ross Gurney and Mike Donovan each threaten to break the deadlock. Gurney's 43rd-minute strike swerved wide, while Donovan's long-range shot a minute later deflected off Thomson and into Ryder's grasp. The first half ended with Daggers centre-half Aaron McEwan flicking an excellent Green free-kick just over. Would that be a big miss from Big Mac?

 

Both teams failed to take the initiative with their first attacks of the second period. Former Manchester United trainee Donovan missed the target with another long-ranger for Swindon after 47 minutes, while we couldn't create anything from a couple of early corners. In the 59th minute, Ryder parried a shot from Gurney, and Tim Beech frantically cleared the loose ball behind. Gurney then went down with an injury that ended his game prematurely.

 

Swindon recovered quickly from that loss, and by the 65th minute, they'd edged in front. It was a very clever attack that unlocked our defence, as left-back Tristan Clark snuck behind Rikki Scarlett to reach midfielder Johnson Bassey's through-ball and place it calmly into the net.

 

Although we were 1-0 down, I was still feeling hopeful. My hopes were raised in the 68th minute with an excellent corner from Lee Finnie... and lowered by a header from Wayne Coton that cleared the bar. Glover then went close to doubling Swindon's lead with a free-kick on 75 minutes.

 

Our first shot on target finally came after 82 minutes, when Finnie's drive was caught by the Robins' teenage keeper Elliot Bond. With two minutes to go, Mitchell Clark had a couple of chances to join his team-mate on the scoresheet by drawing us level. Sadly, he lobbed a free-kick into the wall, and his next attempt moments later flew straight at Bond. That was it for us, as Swindon ended our unbeaten run of 13 games - and our involvement in the FA Cup.

 

Swindon Town - 1 (Clark 65)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 0

FA Cup Round 1, Attendance 3,639

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryder, Beech, McEwan, Coton, Thomson, Clark, Dunne (Dack), Green (J Bell), Scarlett (Finnie), Ibrahim, Gould.

 

Following our FA Cup disappointment, we turned our attention back to the league. We were expected to return to form at Hayes Lane against Conference South champions Bromley. The Lilywhites were playing in the Conference Premier for just the second time in their history, and they were sitting just above the drop zone.

 

15 November 2023: Bromley vs Dagenham & Redbridge

I was very encouraged by the start we made to this match. In the fifth minute, Jamie Bell played a superb flick-on to midfielder George Green, who volleyed just past the post. Two minutes later, Yasser Ibrahim delighted the Daggers fans with a crossfield ball to Lee Finnie inside Bromley's penalty area. Lee couldn't follow it up with a strong finish, as home midfielder Malcolm Melvin made a crucial tackle before he could strike. Yasser went narrowly wide with a shot of his own a minute after that.

 

The Lilywhites were lucky not to be behind, and when a couple of our defenders lost concentration in the 13th minute, they took full advantage to move ahead. Alex Gilliead knocked the ball off a surprisingly hesitant Aaron McEwan's feet and crossed it towards his fellow Bromley striker Sean Shields. Ben Purrington blocked the pass, but his interception went straight to Aaron Hughes, who drilled the ball into the far corner of our net!

 

The hosts were 1-0 up, although Green tried - and failed - to restore parity almost straight away. We later won three corners in the space of a few minutes, but the next time we tested Bromley keeper Aljaz Cotman was in the 21st minute, when Ibrahim's strike was punched clear by the Slovenian. A minute later, Gilliead missed a good chance to score a second goal for the Lilywhites, who edged closer and closer to a 2-0 advantage.

 

Purrington's miserable evening got worse after 31 minutes, when he headed a routine pass from goalkeeper Robbie Ryder straight towards Gilliead! The former Birmingham City man only had to beat Ryder, but he blasted a sitter high and wide!

 

More chances came and went for the Lilywhites, as Melvin's free-kick hit the bar in the 34th minute and Shields nodded over in the 36th. By the 42nd minute, the tide had turned, and we were hitting Bromley on the break. Bradley Dack floated an Ibrahim pass into the net, and we were level at the end of an enthralling half!

 

Although Ben was having a shocker, I didn't take him off at half-time. Instead, I tried to calm him and some other players down with some reassuring words. They seemed to do the trick, as Dack almost scored from another counter-attack in the 47th minute. Cotman's parried save denied Bradley on that occasion, but our next attack had a different outcome. Lee Finnie curled in an exquisite corner that Wayne Coton flicked past the keeper, giving us a 2-1 lead after 54 minutes!

 

Every Dagenham & Redbridge player was galvanised - even the out-of-form Jamie Bell. Jamie twice threatened to consolidate our advantage in the 64th and 66th minutes, striking the post in the latter. Shortly after those misses, Gilliead was writhing in agony, having been hurt in a firm challenge from Mitchell Clark. The Bromley striker was stretchered off and replaced by midfielder Savvas Tzivelekis, who drilled a shot well off target two minutes into his cameo.

 

With Gilliead out and Shields not at his best, the home fans looked to Hughes for some late inspiration. On 80 minutes, Hughes exchanged passes with Melvin, whose swerver hit the bar and went behind. Melvin and Hughes combined again in the 87th minute, with the latter being thwarted by a top-drawer save from Ryder.

 

When an injury-time free-kick from Melvin was headed clear by Bell, we had an opportunity to finish Bromley off. Stuart Gould ran onto the loose ball, dribbled into the Lilywhites' half, and found himself one-on-one with Cotman. Stuart entered the penalty area, turned past Cotman, picked his spot... and blasted the ball into the stands. That epic miss was thankfully not a turning point, as Bromley failed to create an equaliser in what little time remained.

 

Bromley - 1 (Hughes 13)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Dack 42, Coton 54)

Conference Premier, Attendance 1,745 - POSITIONS: Bromley 20th, Dag & Red 2nd

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryder, Beech, McEwan, Coton, Purrington, Clark, Dack, Green (Dunne), Finnie (King), Ibrahim (Gould), J Bell.

 

We were back to winning ways, and top spot was within our reach again, as we now trailed Stalybridge Celtic by only a single point!

 

Could we book a return to the summit by beating Eastleigh in what was our fourth away match in a row? We would have to play very well against the Spitfires, who were only outside the top five on goal difference.

[CFuller]

NOVEMBER 2023 (continued)

18 November 2023: Eastleigh vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Tim Beech and Yasser Ibrahim were both feeling rather jaded, so I left them behind when we travelled south to Hampshire. At first, it looked like we would be just fine without those two star players. After 11 minutes, Stuart Gould slipped the ball to Jamie Bell as he entered the Spitfires' area, and Jamie fired us into an early lead!

 

Bell could've doubled our advantage in the 14th minute, but his shot was just too powerful on that occasion. A couple of minutes later, we weren't leading any longer. Eastleigh captain Corby Moore chipped in an excellent corner that centre-half Stuart Warren flicked into the net. Daggers left-back Joe Thomson shouldered some of the blame for us conceding that goal, as he and Mitchell Clark both failed to intercept the delivery.

 

Joe tried to repair the damage with a 23rd-minute shot that took a deflection off Eastleigh defender Matt Bevans before goalkeeper Timmy Maher picked it up. After 29 minutes, Spitfires right-back Steve Digby - an 18-year-old on loan from AFC Bournemouth - floated in a dangerous cross that Anouar Yildirim nodded past the post.

 

Eastleigh posed a threat in the air again on 37 minutes, as striker Brent McGrath got his head to Yildirim's cross before Robbie Ryder caught it. The first half ended with Clark and his fellow Dagenham midfielder Paul Hart both miscuing shots from outside the penalty area. Although the scoreline was still 1-1, Eastleigh looked the better team.

 

Two of our teenage talents continued to struggle early in the second half. Paul was playing very nervously, while Rikki Scarlett was bruised in a 47th-minute collision with Spitfires left-back Calvin Knott. Wayne Coton fared much better than his fellow teens - indeed, the defender almost restored our lead after 56 minutes. James Dunne launched a long throw towards Eastleigh's near post, where Wayne beat Knott to the header, only to nod it wide.

 

Seven minutes after that, a powerful long-range strike from James was well held by Maher. The action then went back and forth for a good while, with neither team getting close to moving 2-1 up until Bell's 76th-minute driver narrowly missed the post.

 

In the last few minutes, though, we faced a prolonged assault from the Spitfires. Former Southampton striker Louis Barkus won a corner off Thomson in the 85th minute, and then headed Moore's delivery into the hands of Ryder. A minute later, Knott cracked a shot wide from the edge of our area

 

 Then, in the last minute of normal time, Robbie put our unbeaten league run in serious jeopardy. Ryder strayed from his six-yard box to receive a long back-pass from substitute defender Thomas Tierney, but his subsequent clearance only went as far as McGrath. The former Australia international volleyed at an open goal from 40 yards out... and narrowly missed the target. We had survived another major scare, and remained unbeaten for a 14th straight league game!

 

Eastleigh - 1 (Warren 16)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (J Bell 11)

Conference Premier, Attendance 1,694 - POSITIONS: Eastleigh 6th, Dag & Red 3rd

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryder, Jack, McEwan (Tierney), Coton, Thomson, Clark, Dunne (Jones), Hart, Scarlett (Finnie), Gould, J Bell. BOOKED: Jack, Finnie.

 

To be honest, that match was not Joe Thomson's finest in a Dagenham & Redbridge shirt. Four days after that, Joe suffered a bruised shin in a reserve match. He would miss at least our next two matches, and with his loan spell from Wycombe Wanderers due to expire in just three weeks, it looked like he'd played his last game for us.

 

I decided to bring in another left-back on loan deadline day, so that we wouldn't be up the proverbial creek if anything happened to Ben Purrington after Joe's stay ended. The player in question was 26-year-old Wes Wright, whom Colchester United lent to us until late February. As well as being a natural full-back, Wes can do a job in central midfield if need be.

 

After four consecutive away matches, we returned to Victoria Road for our first of what I hoped would be many games in this season's FA Trophy. We were expected us to cruise through Round 1 against Wayne Bridge's Bath City team, who were 19th in the Conference South.

 

25 November 2023: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Bath City

The first nine minutes set the tone of what was to come in this match. Anthony O'Hanlon's push on Rikki Scarlett in the sixth minute gifted us a free-kick just outside Bath's penalty area. Rikki's free-kick hit the wall, but he got to the rebound and blasted it over the crossbar. The early pressure we put City under told three minutes later. Yasser Ibrahim played a deft pass to Jamie Bell, who volleyed it home from the edge of the six-yard box.

 

Jamie had given us the lead in convincing fashion, but his next shot - in the 21st minute - was less impressive. That was one of four attempts at goal we had in the space of around five minutes. Ibrahim and Scarlett each missed the target in between a strike from Mitchell Clark which was easily secured by Bath goalie Geoff Sollis.

 

City were losing possession so frequently that they pretty much had to adopt dirty tactics in order to try and disrupt our rhythm. One rough tackle from right-flanker Craig Christensen just prior to the half-hour left Rikki nursing a rib injury that he tried to play on with. Bath's plan didn't succeed, as a long throw from James Dunne helped us to move 2-0 in front after 33 minutes. Wayne Coton flicked the throw on to Aaron McEwan, who stabbed it in at the far post.

 

Barely a minute later, Bath got themselves back in the game. Rikki's injury clearly hampered him, as Christensen got past him and drilled in a cross that deflected off Wayne before being finished by Dean Coyles. I decided at that point to take Scarlett off and bring on Bradley Dack in his place.

 

Normal service resumed after 37 minutes, when Coton breezed past the woeful Luke Clark to turn Jonathan Roche's cross into the net. It was 3-1 to the Daggers, and had Sollis not made a couple of late saves to deny Bell and Dack, we would surely have been further ahead at half-time.

 

Any fears among Dagenham fans that Bath would fight back in the second half were quickly dashed after only five minutes. Roche's second assist from a corner resulted in Coton's second goal of the afternoon, which he headed powerfully past Sollis. We were now leading by three goals!

 

The floodgates threatened to burst open in the 59th minute, when Dunne hit a stunning 30-yard volley after Mitchell's free-kick had been headed away by City defender Barrie Wilson. Sollis made an assured catch, and two minutes later, he watched Wayne head over what was a great chance to secure an improbable hat-trick.

 

When a 70th-minute strike from Reece Timmins sailed into the stands, Bath's hopes of salvaging at least a replay went down the plughole. The final 20 minutes were a total anti-climax as we breezed into Round 2 by the very comfortable scoreline of 4-1.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 4 (J Bell 9, McEwan 33, Coton 37,50)

Bath City - 1 (Coyles 34)

FA Trophy Round 1, Attendance 1,892

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryder, Beech, McEwan (Tierney), Coton, Purrington, Clark, Dunne, Scarlett (Dack), Roche, Ibrahim (King), J Bell. BOOKED: McEwan, Dunne.

 

One round down, and hopefully five more to go as far as our FA Trophy campaign is concerned. Our Round 2 match would also be at home to a Conference South team - Havant & Waterlooville - in mid-December.

 

We have three more league matches to play before we continue our cup exploits. If all goes well, we should finally return to the top of the Conference Premier soon.

[CFuller]

Conference Premier Table (End of November 2023)

                                   P     W     D     L     F     A     GD    PTS
1.          Cambridge              24    13    5     6     44    30    +14   44
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.          Chelmsford             23    13    4     6     33    21    +12   43
3.          Stalybridge            24    13    4     7     37    30    +7    43
4.          Dag & Red              22    11    9     2     35    14    +21   42
5.          Ebbsfleet              24    12    3     9     50    33    +17   39
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.          Eastleigh              22    11    6     5     40    31    +9    39
7.          Farnborough            22    11    5     6     28    16    +12   38
8.          Grimsby                24    10    6     8     34    32    +2    36
9.          Salisbury              23    10    5     8     18    16    +2    35
10.         AFC Wimbledon          23    9     6     8     29    28    +1    33
11.         Cheltenham             23    9     5     9     40    35    +5    32
12.         Lincoln                23    8     8     7     24    20    +4    32
13.         Accrington             23    8     8     7     26    25    +1    32
14.         Kingstonian            22    9     5     8     31    32    -1    32
15.         Bury                   23    10    1     12    32    45    -13   31
16.         Boreham Wood           23    9     3     11    36    38    -2    30
17.         Darlington             24    7     7     10    30    33    -3    28
18.         Newport County         24    6     8     10    28    34    -6    26
19.         Preston                24    6     6     12    28    41    -13   24
20.         Dorchester             23    4     11    8     23    32    -9    23
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21.         Bromley                23    4     9     10    32    41    -9    21
22.         York                   24    3     10    11    19    38    -19   19
23.         Carlisle               22    4     6     12    20    35    -15   18
24.         MK Dons                22    4     6     12    18    35    -17   18

 

[CFuller]

DECEMBER 2023

It was December 2023 - that time of year when people were starting to reminisce about big events that had only happened in the previous 12 months, yet already felt like they were ancient history. I'm talking about events such as the first manned mission to Mars, Prince Harry's marriage to Cara Delevingne, Scotland's second independence referendum (they voted yes this time), and Dagenham & Redbridge's last league defeat.

 

It was coming up to three months since Cambridge United became the last team to deny us any points in the Conference Premier. As the campaign reached its halfway point, we hoped to stretch our incredible unbeaten run to 15 league matches, which would be a new club record. We'd already matched our previous best of 14, which was achieved in 2001 under Garry Hill.

 

Our attempt to make history took place at Brunton Park. Over 300 miles separated us from Carlisle United, and we were very far apart in the standings as well. Carlisle were second-from-bottom and still looking for their first league win under their new manager - ex-Manchester City, Newcastle United and England midfielder James Milner.

 

2 December 2023: Carlisle United vs Dagenham & Redbridge

When we last played Carlisle, the Cumbrians' squad was so thin that they had to play an amateur in goal. Four months on, they had former Scotland and Hibernian keeper Cammy Bell between the sticks. The 37-year-old made his first save of this match in the 16th minute, pushing away a cross from Jonathan Roche before midfielder Brad Potts cleared it behind. Shortly after that, another Roche cross almost found Jamie Bell in the six-yard box, but Carlisle captain Niall Chambers made a last-ditch intervention.

 

That was followed by a bright spell from the hosts, whose starting XI consisted of six Scotsmen and five Englishmen. Two of their Scottish contingent linked up well in the 20th minute, but Marc Allison could only head Shaun Brennan's delivery into the hands of our captain Robbie Ryder.

 

Allison missed further opportunities after 29 and 33 minutes, and he would soon be ruing them. In a 34th-minute battle of the Bells, Jamie prevailed over Cammy, placing Roche's pass into the net. Jamie's goal gave us a 1-0 half-time lead, although George Green could've doubled it with a free-kick just prior to the break.

 

Winger Tommy Thompson was very underwhelming for Carlisle in the first half. He had a chance to equalise three minutes into the second half, but his long-distance strike went straight at Ryder.

 

Thompson was soon replaced by Ollie Jones, whose 56th-minute effort went far too high to seriously trouble Robbie. The Cumbrians couldn't create a whole load of scoring opportunities in the second period, mostly due to their conceding too many fouls. They surprisingly only received one yellow card, which went to striker Gary Foster for diving after 65 minutes.

 

We were well on our way to a 1-0 victory, although I hoped for at least one more goal to settle any late nerves. Wayne Coton went close in the 71st minute, while Stuart Gould had a 75th-minute header caught by Cammy Bell. The last quarter-hour was less stressful than I thought it'd be, so we claimed a record-breaking result... and a significant win!

 

Carlisle United - 0

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (J Bell 35)

Conference Premier, Attendance 1,714 - POSITIONS: Carlisle 24th, Dag & Red 1st

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryder, Beech, McEwan, Coton, Purrington, Dack, Dunne, Green (Wright), Roche (Gould), Ibrahim, J Bell.

 

Elsewhere, Cambridge United lost 2-0 at Boreham Wood, Chelmsford City conceded a late equaliser to AFC Wimbledon, and Stalybridge Celtic threw away a two-goal advantage against Darlington. All that meant we topped the Conference Premier for the first time since the opening day of the season! How long would we stay there?

 

Three days. Rio Ferdinand's Cambridge wouldn't be kept down for long, and a resounding 3-0 triumph against Bromley put them back in the lead on Tuesday night.

 

We had an opportunity to regain top spot just 24 hours later, when we played host to mid-table AFC Wimbledon. If we could beat the Dons, we would have 1st place locked down for a fortnight.

 

6 December 2023: Dagenham & Redbridge vs AFC Wimbledon

Referee Peter Wright had much to deal with during the opening stages, as tackles flew in from both sides. Just as the first minute came to an end, Dagenham's Yasser Ibrahim went down in the Wimbledon area under a challenge from defender Frank Newby. The referee didn't award a penalty, however. Instead, he booked Ibrahim for diving.

 

After five minutes, Bradley Dack centred the ball into the Dons' six-yard box, and it looked for all the world that Wayne Coton was going to tap it home. That was until Kenny Cairney intervened with a crucial tackle that sent Coton crashing down. Wayne was very badly hurt in that challenge and had to be replaced with Thomas Tierney, whose 8th-minute header from a James Dunne throw was caught by goalkeeper Ian McLoughlin.

 

About six minutes later, the ref brought out his yellow card again after Lee Finnie was shoved by the Dons' former Dagenham midfielder Ben Sayer. Mitchell Clark played a long free-kick into the box, and Bevis Mugabi tried to nod it clear. The defender's header looped towards Mitchell, who raced forward and whacked a 25-yard half-volley into the net with his left foot! It was one of the best goals I had seen in a very long time!

 

AFC Wimbledon's first attempt to equalise came after 26 minutes, when right-winger Daniel Perrin got to a cross from left-back Bob Dunham. Perrin was forced into a tight angle, and Robbie Ryder blocked his shot before Tierney cleared. A better opportunity came the Dons' way in the 42nd minute, but Adam Wixted's strike hit the post.

 

Two more Dons players - Cairney and Diego Poyet - were cautioned late in the first half, and another entered the referee's book just two minutes into the second period. Newby hacked down Jamie Bell in the centre-circle - right in Mr Wright's view - and was perhaps lucky to escape with only a yellow card. Jamie had a pop at goal in the 52nd minute, only for Mugabi to block his effort.

 

On 55 minutes, Dack hit an excellent first-time shot that McLoughlin did well to turn behind. Six minutes later, Finnie failed to test Wimbledon's Irish keeper with a speculative shot from distance. This was Lee's 20th match of the season, and his long wait for that elusive first goal would continue. The deluge of Wimbledon fouls also continued, as Montserrat international Dunham received the visitors' fifth yellow card after tripping Finnie in the 70th minute.

 

Sayer put a piledriver over the Dagenham bar on 73 minutes, though we were much more effective with our next attack less than a minute later. Lee may have lost his firepower, but the Scot was still able to set up goals, as he showed with a low cross that was turned in by Bell!

 

Jamie had scored for the fourth match in succession, and we now held a 2-0 lead that Wimbledon could not surmount. Daggers substitute Wes Wright tried to make the away fans' night even worse after 81 minutes, but his shot went well off target.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 2 (Clark 15, J Bell 74)

AFC Wimbledon - 0

Conference Premier, Attendance 2,234 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 1st, AFC Wimbledon 12th

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryder, Beech, McEwan, Coton (Tierney), Purrington, Clark, Dunne, Dack (Wright), Finnie, Ibrahim (Gould), J Bell. BOOKED: Ibrahim.

 

After surviving our 16th - that's right, SIXTEENTH - league match without defeat, we were in control of the Conference Premier!

 

Not even a twisted ankle for Wayne Coton could dampen our sky-high spirits. It was rather bad luck for young Wayne, who would miss the next six weeks as a result, but his injury coincided with another centre-back returning from a long enforced absence.

 

Four months after breaking his foot in a pre-season friendly, Billy Kenyon was finally in line to make his competitive debut for Dagenham & Redbridge. Billy took his place on the bench at Gigg Lane against Bury, who had won six of their last eight league matches. Would Grant Holt's Shakers be the team that ended our great run?

[tenthreeleader]

It was December 2023 - that time of year when people were starting to reminisce about big events that had only happened in the previous 12 months, yet already felt like they were ancient history. I'm talking about events such as the first manned mission to Mars, Prince Harry's marriage to Cara Delevingne, Scotland's second independence referendum (they voted yes this time), and Dagenham & Redbridge's last league defeat.

This is really cocky -- and I love it. Very nice piece of writing.

[CFuller]

This is really cocky -- and I love it. Very nice piece of writing.

I really can't believe how long it has been since we last lost a league game! I hope we can keep that unbeaten run going into next year, but Bury are a good side and I wouldn't be surprised if they brought that to a halt.

You can also tell that I like writing about stuff that happens in the future, even if it's unlikely to actually come true! If Mars hasn't been colonised by 2024, though, please don't have a go at me.

[CFuller]

DECEMBER 2023 (continued)

12 December 2023: Bury vs Dagenham & Redbridge

Dagenham & Redbridge keeper Robbie Ryder made his first catch in the third minute - a comfortable one from Carl Castles' header. The action switched to the other goal a minute later, with James Dunne's bender being held by Bury's number 1 Conor Lyons.

 

This was likely to be a close contest, so we didn't want a key defender to get injured early on. Unfortunately, that was what happened to Aaron McEwan as he made a crucial saving tackle on Shakers midfielder Osei Douglas after 10 minutes. Aaron was in considerable pain, but such was the Scottish centre-half's importance to our team that I decided not to substitute him... for the time being.

 

McEwan showed why we needed him in the 15th minute, as he headed a Joe Williams centre behind before Bury striker Bradley Reid could nod it into our net. Our Scottish centre-half nearly flicked Lee Finnie's corner into the hosts' net after 21 minutes, but he put it over the bar.

 

A minute later, Mitchell Clark's foul on Douglas gave Bury the chance to score from a set-piece of their own. David Sinclair had a free-kick on the edge of our 'D', and he curled it bang into the top corner. 1-0 to the Shakers.

 

By the 25th minute, Bury were threatening to go two goals ahead. Castles' inswinging corner found defender Lawrence Gorman, whose header rattled the crossbar and deflected out. The opposite bar took a beating from Jamie Bell in the 33rd minute after an incisive pass from Dunne had played our frontman through.

 

Barely a minute after their narrow escape, Bury found themselves leading 2-0. Williams' throw was flicked on by Jim O'Hanlon into the six-yard box, where Reid rose above McEwan to score his 14th league goal of the season. That proved to be a real body blow for us and our unbeaten league run.

 

Bradley Dack and Dunne each missed late chances for Dagenham, leaving us with an uphill struggle going into the second half. Our task would've been even more difficult had O'Hanlon not skewed wide an opportunity for 3-0 in the 45th minute.

 

During the break, I replaced the woeful Wes Wright with Ben Purrington at left-back and ordered my team to take more risks. A superb pass from Finnie presented Dunne with a chance to halve our deficit in the 49th minute, but James could only side it into Lyons' hands. Four minutes later, Dack was unlucky not to find the target from the edge of the area.

 

After an encouraging restart, we ran out of steam. Bury had a highly-structured defence, even more so than ours, and Crewe Alexandra loanee Gorman was holding it together like glue. In contrast, our rearguard was starting to crack again. I finally decided to sub McEwan after 70 minutes, out of fear that his knock would become something more serious if he played on any longer. Billy Kenyon came on for his Daggers debut, and he was relatively untroubled for the first quarter-hour or so.

 

Indeed, much of the attacking action was happening at the Shakers' end. Had Lyons not pounced like a lion to reach Tim Beech's cross ahead of Bell, we might have been back in contention with nine minutes to play. As it transpired, Bury would kill us off after 86 minutes, with Reid bundling Williams' corner into the net for 3-0.

 

Tierney did give us a goal back in similar circumstances during the last minute of normal time. Alas, the Irish-American's first senior strike would not be the last of this match.

 

Play had barely resumed when Dack carelessly gave away a penalty for a push on Reid. There was no debate about who would take Bury's penalty, and very little doubt that Reid would dispatch it for his hat-trick. The Welshman's treble had condemned us to a crushing 4-1 defeat - our first reverse in the league since September.

 

Bury - 4 (Sinclair 22, Reid 34,88,pen90)

Dagenham & Redbridge - 1 (Tierney 90)

Conference Premier, Attendance 1,281 - POSITIONS: Bury 9th, Dag & Red 1st

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryder, Beech, McEwan (Kenyon), Tierney, Wright (Purrington), Clark (Scarlett), Dunne, Dack, Finnie, Ibrahim, J Bell. BOOKED: Clark.

 

After going sixteen league matches without losing, we had finally come up short. One of the players jokingly suggested on the long coach journey back home, "I know why we lost! Thommo's cursed us!"

 

Loanee left-back Joe Thomson had been with us through the entirety of that three-month-long run. He joined us a few days after our previous defeat to Cambridge United, and went back to Wycombe Wanderers the day before our trip to Gigg Lane. Had the Scot really been a lucky charm for us?

 

We didn't have long to dwell on that defeat. Four days later, we resumed our FA Trophy bid, with Havant & Waterlooville entertaining us in Round 2. Havant knocked out Romford on penalties in Qualifying Round 3, so I was keen to restore some local pride for this corner of Essex.

 

16 December 2023: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Havant & Waterlooville

Havant & Waterlooville were battling against relegation from the Conference South, and they were under pressure right from the start. Havant keeper Anthony Weetman needed to make a fantastic save after three minutes, pushing James Dunne's effort behind. That proved to be in vain, as Michael King's corner was headed home by Aaron McEwan, and we were leading 1-0.

 

By the sixth minute, we were looking good for a 2-0 advantage. Jamie Bell spearheaded a Daggers counter-attack, and although Weetman parried his shot, Bell quickly retrieved the ball and crossed to Dunne. Our experienced midfielder got just enough of a connection to the cross, but he could only hit the post.

 

At the other end, McEwan was in inspired form, making several interceptions to frustrate Havant. The Hawks finally got their first shot on target in the 16th minute, when Kieran Roberts' low shot was pushed away by Nguyen Van Phung. Five minutes later, Roberts' strike partner Patrick Sinclair hit a less convincing effort off target.

 

Our domination resumed after 30 minutes, when an exquisite cross from Jonathan Roche was headed home by Bell. However, Jamie's goal was disallowed, and it wasn't clear why. I wasn't very happy with the referee, but his decision would not be too costly. Sinclair's 40th-minute header for Havant struck the post, and we went into the interval still leading - just about - by one goal to nil.

 

Our slender advantage was threatened by a pair of Robertses early in the second period. Firstly, Nguyen had to catch a strike from Kieran Roberts in the 48th minute. Six minutes later, former Cambridge United right-back Kevin Roberts tried his luck from a free-kick... and struck the crossbar!

 

We really needed to double our lead before the Hawks went one step further and erased it completely. Stuart Gould's shot in the 61st minute did not have the desired effect, as the on-loan Aston Villa man floated the ball wide. Three minutes after that, though, Gould struck gold. Stuart got behind Havant defender Dan Preston to connect with Louis Jack's first-time centre and nod it into the net! At 2-0 up, we were well on course to reach the next stage.

 

Sinclair nearly put the outcome up for debate again with nine minutes to go, as his powerful shot only just cleared our crossbar. King then came close to finishing the visitors off two minutes later, hitting the bar from 20 yards. Although Michael wouldn't score his first Dagenham goal, he would finish the day with another corner assist after 88 minutes. Mitchell Clark got the deftest of touches to King's delivery, securing a 3-0 win - and a place in Round 3!

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 3 (McEwan 4, Gould 64, Clark 88)

Havant & Waterlooville - 0

FA Trophy Round 2, Attendance 1,886

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Nguyen, Jack, McEwan, Tierney (Kenyon), Purrington, Roche, Dack, Dunne (Clark), King, Gould (Green), J Bell.

 

We would be facing another Hampshire team at home in the next round. Eastleigh - one of several rivals for promotion from the Conference Premier - will be our visitors for Round 3 when that gets underway next month.

 

Two more of our biggest challengers would be coming to Victoria Road just before Christmas. Four days prior to Farnborough's visit, we hosted Essex rivals Chelmsford City. Gary Meakin's side were the first team to beat us this season, so this was an opportunity to get payback.

 

19 December 2023: Dagenham & Redbridge vs Chelmsford City

My career record against Chelmsford was woeful - and after six minutes, it looked like it was about to get even worse. Daggers left-back Ben Purrington was muscled off the ball by James Vincent, who slid it across the park to Lewis Lavender. The ball was then passed to Darty Fieldwick and subsequently Ryan Lloyd, whose first-time strike smashed the post and went in. 1-0 to Chelmsford.

 

It was a terrible start, and had Robbie Ryder not tipped a Kingsley James free-kick behind, we might've been 2-0 behind after 11 minutes. Moments after he made that save, Ryder was relieved to see Prince Clarke's header skim the bar.

 

We were struggling to get going, and although Yasser Ibrahim clipped the woodwork with a 17th-minute cross, we would have very few scoring chances before half-time. One rare opportunity came to Bradley Dack in the 36th minute, but he couldn't keep his long-range piledriver down. We ended the first half with two failed corners and another awful miss from Dack on 44 minutes.

 

In an effort to gain more control of the midfield, I subbed both of my attacking widemen and switched to a 3-5-2 formation for the second half. One of my two substitutions was striker Stuart Gould, who after just 16 seconds was presented with a great opening. Incredibly, Stuart missed... but a poor kick from City keeper Rob Peet allowed Jamie Bell to send him through on goal straight away! Gould chested Bell's aerial pass... and hideously half-volleyed it off target.

 

Our encouraging start to the half continued in the 56th minute, when Mitchell Clark's strike deflected behind off Chelmsford centre-back Simon Maris. Maris' partner Mike Richards headed away a promising cross from Clark a minute later, and he frustrated our attack again on 61 minutes. The former Plymouth Argyle man made an important tackle on Bell in the Chelmsford area, and Bell went down so hard that he had to come off briefly for treatment.

 

The 65th and 71st minutes saw Peet perform a save each to deny Dack and Thomas Tierney, with Gould picking up a booking in between. Ryder's second half was quieter than his first, but he was called into action after 73 minutes, catching Clarke's header from Lloyd's cross. Two minutes later, Tierney had an unsuccessful penalty claim for what he thought was an unfair tackle from Richards. Three more minutes after that, Gould played Tim Beech through on goal, only to see the right-back pull his shot wide.

 

Time was running out for us, and with less than two minutes of normal time remaining, Stuart resorted to desperate measures. Gould went to the ground under a fair tackle from City captain Joe Doyle, but the referee did not fall for his play-acting. Our diving striker was sent to the showers with a second yellow card, and our last hope of getting anything from this match was gone. To make matters worse, Cambridge United knocked us off top spot with a comfortable 4-1 win at Milton Keynes Dons.

 

Dagenham & Redbridge - 0

Chelmsford City - 1 (Lloyd 6)

Conference Premier, Attendance 2,148 - POSITIONS: Dag & Red 2nd, Chelmsford 3rd

DAG & RED LINE-UP: Ryder, Beech, McEwan, Tierney, Purrington, Clark, Dack (Dunne), Green, Roche (Kenyon), Ibrahim (Gould), J Bell. BOOKED: Clark, Gould. SENT OFF: Gould.

 

Having gone unbeaten for so long, we'd now suffered back-to-back league defeats. Was this merely a blip, or was our promotion challenge starting to derail?