Dagenham & Redbridge look to have turned a corner after two wins in four days. The Daggers dispatched high flying Harrogate Town at the Chigwell Construction Stadium on Saturday afternoon, before travelling to Dover and ruining Andy Hessenthaler’s return to the Crabble as manager, as Dagenham ran out 2-0 winners.
Club Turmoil
The Daggers have started the National League season in dismal form and had won only two of their 16 matches until the victories during this week. Many expected the East London club to cease to exist at the end of last term, as Glynn Hopkin – former majority shareholder – pulled the plug on his continued investment, which saw a mass exodus from the playing staff over the summer.
The club rallied together, and thanks to the fantastic work of those off the pitch, and from various fundraising exercises, the Daggers survived the summer. Peter Taylor was appointed as the club’s new manager after former manager John Still departed for Barnet.
Taylor, the ex-England boss was handed a shoe-string budget, plus the added challenge of 10 first team players departing. Taylor used his many contacts in the game to assemble a squad of young and hungry individuals that he hoped would make an impression and make good of their chance in the National League.
The Daggers struggled in the opening month of the season, picking up one point in August. As September came around the hope start to build around Dagenham, as they drew 0-0 with title favourites Salford and beat Braintree Town at home, before travelling to Barrow and securing a last gasp winner thanks to (the now departed) Elliott Romain.
Club Survival
New investment from Trinity Sports Holdings was announced a week later, who are backed partly by former Manchester United and Everton goalkeeper, Tim Howard. The buzz returned to East London, as the Daggers were now safe from financial trouble and could concentrate on matters on the pitch, rather than off it.
Results and consistency didn’t improve however, as Dagenham started to slide. The new investors acted quickly, bringing in Jack Munns and Liam Bellamy, both of whom have a large amount of National League experience. Both newbies struggled for fitness, and weren’t properly introduced until the 6th October, when the Daggers lost 2-0 away at Gateshead, making it five matches without a win.
Taylor Under Pressure
The fans began to turn on Taylor. Previously, they had been lenient on both the players and the manager, as they knew the circumstances surrounding the club’s finances and could see that they were giving it their all on the pitch. The former Gillingham boss began tinkering with his team, but it was to no avail.
The FA Cup offered a distraction from the dismal League campaign, as the Daggers produced a miraculous injury time comeback to draw 2-2 against Boreham Wood at Meadow Park to give the fans something to cheer about. However, the replay saw a return to the dull performances at the start of the season, where the East London side looked lost, hopeless, and out of ideas – losing the game 1-0 at the Chigwell Construction Stadium.
The investors once again acted, bringing in forward Angelo Balanta from Boreham Wood for a ‘sizeable fee’, as well as Nathan Smith and Manny Onariase to sure up the leaky defence. Against Harrogate, the Daggers looked like a different outfit, passing the ball well, defending brilliantly and working together as a team.
Onariase battled for everything that came his way, winning almost all of his encounters. Jack Munns started his first match for the club after his slow return to full fitness and he, along with Balanta, provided flair and creativity that has been lacking for the Daggers this season. Taylor switched from his favoured 5-2-3 and 4-3-3 formations to a standard 4-4-2, which gave Dagenham a structured starting point.
Taylor has faced criticism for his constant tinkering with the starting XI this season, it not being unusual for him to make three or four changes between matches. However, he only made one change against Dover, as Luke Pennell stepped in for Smith who had picked up a knock. The team showed the same togetherness and creativity against the Whites, and got their rewards as they secured a 2-0 victory.
Upward Trajectory
The feeling around Dagenham is that this squad have turned a corner. Individuals like Tomi Adeloye and Harry Phipps, both of whom scored in the 2-0 win over Dover, had previously fallen out of favour under Taylor, but are now back in the squad and showing promise with their brimming confidence.
The next order of business for the Daggers will be to trim their squad of 34 players, an exceedingly large amount, one which Taylor was asked about in a fans forum event last week, where he was quoted saying he wanted “no more than 24 outfield players and two ‘keepers.”
On the pitch, the Daggers face 8th placed Sutton United at Gander Green Lane on Saturday, as they look to secure three consecutive victories for the first time this season, and move further away from the relegation places in the league.
Photos reproduced by kind permission of Dagenham & Redbridge FC
