Digger Dagger Matchday

  Following on from yet another defeat on Saturday, this time to Yeovil, there was again frustration (obviously) as we were again left broken following a last-gasp winner by our opponents. But, I feel that although I don’t believe the official made the right call in giving the free-kick that lead to the goal, there was less of a feeling of injustice. A lesser sense of injustice than on the Tuesday, when two wrongly given penalty decisions saw us defeated 1-2 at home to Sutton. This is because, on Saturday, we had several clear-cut chances where our players were free from pressure in and around the box – yet we were unable to score and even hit the target in most cases! Therefore, however harsh the defeat was, I believe that it was self-inflicted in that we conceded a free-kick in a dangerous area – another individual error. But, more collectively and importantly, our missed chances and opportunities to get two or three goals ahead led to the vulnerability of one goal leaving us wit

  Unjust and harsh. Now some, on reflection of conceding from a last-minute penalty that led to a bitter 2-1 defeat, will say – that’s football. Indeed, after venting his frustration at the officials at full-time, goal scorer Liam Gordon took this view. Now, this is no nice way to lose, but the 2 nd placed side in the division leaving you devastated and robbed of a point and even being gutted you didn’t win – that says a lot about your team’s performance. Tuesday’s game seemed a continuation of the performance put in seven days prior; the Starting XI mirrored that of the one from last week which helped too – we’ll get onto this. But in a nutshell, the two great performances put in over the last two games have been encouraging… long may it continue and results will soon follow. The State Of Play The Daggers were certainly the underdogs going into this one, but the 12 place gap in the league table didn’t limit expectations of McMahon’s side. Particularly due to the previous clashe

  A solid, workmanlike performance saw the Daggers defeat fellow London side Bromley in a game where McMahon’s men had no stand-out performers. This fact, only testament to the togetherness and spirit of the hard-working Dagenham side who saw out a 1-0 win following a 25 th minute Liam Gordon breakthrough. The State Of Play Well, following the postponement of the Hartlepool fixture at such late notice on Saturday – the Daggers had more time to prepare for Tuesday’s fixture – as they played host to the Ravens. That extra time to prepare was much-needed by all accounts, this, following the embarrassment of a defeat to Notts County. A defeat that owners, supporters and the under-fire manager demanded a response from. I felt this imperative to put in a wholly-improved display would see a positive result, but by the same token, I knew all too well what a good outfit Bromley were. Their form dipping since the start of the season but nonetheless – they provided a threat on their day.

  Daryl McMahon’s side losing 1-3 to a Notts County team that weren’t only down to ten men – but without a recognised keeper – was a new low for the Daggers. This time, he and his players just couldn’t get to the petrol station in time to save themselves from breaking down [defeat] and in this case, embarrassment. The Warning Signs: Before we delve into the embarrassment of Tuesday in Nottingham, let’s take a step back, and look at the warning signs of such a performance in the months prior. By McMahon’s own admission, the first half at Aldershot (just to take one example), was a ‘disgrace’ – the players simply not turning up. It happened again for a full 90 minutes away to Eastleigh where we lost 3-0 in Hampshire, another game where Dagenham just seemed flat – without desire or want to win. These games are reminiscent of those under Peter Taylor, where our away record was horrific, so much so – you were resigned to the fact we’d lose away. Or, if not, a point was always a valuable