Digger Dagger Matchday

  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

  The Daggers frustratingly shipped two goals, before pulling one back and eventually recovering that deficit in the final minutes. Therefore in that sentence alone, you can understand how I and other supporters, have mixed emotions following the draw in North Wales. Clearly praise was due for the mentality, character and determination to come back from 2-0 down – but, why were we finding oursleves in that situation again in the first place? The State Of Play:   I say these emotions are felt in equal measure; although on review you’d have to admit – at the end of the day – it was a good point on the road. Wrexham are often tough opponents and going into this one I wasn’t the most confident I’ve been – the Dragons on the up and sitting in 8 th . The build-up to the game was also dominated by the completion of the takeover of the Welsh side by Hollywood stars. This idea of the perfect start under new owners seemed to be the perfect circumstance for the hosts to put on a show. So, o