Off the back of their defeat away to Tranmere, Dagenham return to the Chigwell Construction Stadium for this weekend’s National League fixture against Guiseley AFC.
Dagenham & Redbridge
The East London side will be looking to get back to form with only one win in their last eight games in all competitions. John Still’s side have stuttered in recent months, and have dropped down into ninth place in the league, four points off a play-off place. Along with their poor form, Still will be looking to his forwards to produce more on the pitch, with only three goals in Dagenham’s last six games in the National League.
Dagenham are on home soil for the first time in three weeks, after two consecutive away games and a week off. The Daggers have made the Chigwell Construction Stadium a fortress from day one, securing 19 points from a possible 27 points. Winning six, drawing one and losing just twice. With Dagenham’s home form being the joint best in the league, 20th placed Guiseley will need to frustrate the promotion chasing side’s rhythm.
Despite the loss to Tranmere, Daggers Manager John Still, speaking on the club’s Official Youtube channel after the game, pleaded for consistency from his side.
“I haven’t had time to give that [the game against Guiseley] any thought yet, I’ll evaluate the performance today, watch it, and decide the next step. What we can’t do is go from the top of our game to the bottom of it. Our level of performances have got to be more consistent and it’s not at the moment.”
Guiseley
Guiseley make the 426-mile round trip down to East London on the back of their agonising 1-0 defeat at home to Bromley last week. The Lions have been on a reasonable run of form over that past five games, winning and drawing two, whilst losing once.
Guiseley have struggled when playing away from home, a return of six points from a possible 27 points is the second worst in the league. The Lions have won once, drawn three and suffered five losses on the road. With Dagenham’s strong home form, Guiseley will have to pull a performance out of the hat to disrupt the home side play-off chase.
Guiseley did however win this fixture last season, with a 2-1 victory. The game saw Dagenham miss a first-half penalty, as well as get a red card, on their way to a 2-1 loss to Guiseley.
Guiseley will be without the presence of commanding defender Ashely Palmer after his straight red card against Bromley. The 25-year-old was sent for an early shower after giving away a second minute penalty. Only time will tell how costly his suspension will be, with his team fighting to get clear from the drop-zone.
