All Wright! Daggers See Off Altrincham To Extend Unbeaten Run.
Good performance, not the
best, but good enough for three points which were desperately needed points for
the Daggers – continuing their bid to push up the table. A win which came after
last-minute heartbreak on Tuesday and the Dagenham goal then was a wonder goal –
Will Wright wanted a slice of that action.
That’s exactly why he
tried his luck from 25 yards with a free-kick and beat the man between the
sticks - providing the winning goal for his side. A wonderful strike which
luckily, on this occasion, wasn’t cancelled out at the death!
The State Of Play
Going into this one there was little to split the two
sides really, as the league position didn’t tell the full story, the Robins
having played 3 more games than McMahon’s side. But they did, nonetheless, sit
13th and 4 points clear of Dagenham with 38 points on the board.
Their season had gone very much in a downwards trend in
recent times, their form a far-cry from what it was back when they defeated
Dagenham in the return fixture back in early December.
Moving away from the head-to-head aspect, it was
crucial for Dagenham to not only extend their unbeaten run but to do it by
securing three points. Not only because of the loss of two points on Tuesday
but looking in the other direction, the fixtures they have coming up – they needed
a victory on Saturday.
Despite being cleared to play, the East London side were
still feeling the impacts of COVID, leaving a bare 16 players for McMahon to
choose from when selecting his side – little choice at all. A debut was handed
out to Saidou Khan and he was later replaced by another new recruit – Mauro Vilhete
– whom fans were able to get a good look at.
My Take
So, the visitors, in yellow and blue (oddly) – looking
more like Mansfield Town – got the game underway! Taking control were the Daggers,
at the J. Davidson Stadium in Altrincham, Myles Weston proving too hot to
handle in the early stages.
However, for all the pressure, there was little substance
and even this early on; the away supporters (myself included) were growing
concerned it’d be a repeat of results such as the Weymouth one.
Our concern came close to becoming reality on sixteen
minutes as Kenny Clark was forced to head the ball off the line – alert enough
to avert an early Alty lead was the number 6!
Up the other end of the pitch, the yellows came close
to an opener as Scott Wilson found space in the box, but this effort was
deflected wide! A perfect opportunity and I thought I knew which way this game
was going to go; dominant yet wasteful and it would prove costly – that was my
hypothesis.
However, the Daggers were to see out the 20 minutes
until half-time, in a 20 minutes that very much mirrored that of the 25 prior.
The Daggers began this stint though, under pressure, with balls flying into
their box from consecutive set-pieces – but they were defended well.
Continuing to cause havoc was Myles Weston, hence why
I refer to this as a reflection of what had gone before. There was a similar
ending in how we hit our efforts wide of the mark too, a difference though, was
Weston was beginning to take matters into his own hands.
The winger went more direct in his pursuit of a goal,
cutting inside, but the ‘same old Dagenham’ of this season was to out and the
final third was where our attacks broke down.
Nevertheless, our possession in and around the box
caused the Robins defence some concern and it was concern enough for them to commit
successive fouls on the edge of the box. It was Mo Sagaf who won the first, but
somebody who had been very much present in the last 40 minutes – Weston, was to
lift it over the bar.
Another free-kick was to follow in the last action of
the half and although it came close it wasn’t close enough as the Wright effort
went inches wide of the mark. After the first half, here were my thoughts at the
break:
Into the second half, and it was a much more tightly
contested 45 minutes as the Daggers struggled early on due to the home side
almost making Weston, the main outlet, redundant out wide – closing him down.
Therefore, the Irishman in the away dugout opted for a
change in tack and six minutes into the half introduced Mauro Vilhete. This pleased
me as it was a chance to see what he could do in a Daggers shirt given forty
minutes to prove his worth.
The next ten minutes saw another six-hundred seconds
of half-chances up either end and the game there for the taking – I grew
concerned we’d throw away a glorious opportunity for three points. So too was
the midfield maestro, Angelo Balanta, as he began to get onto the ball as the
half progressed – dangerous for the opposition.
The Colombian took aim at goal on the sixty minute
mark, on the half-volley, but it wasn’t to trouble Thompson in the Altrincham
goal. That chance coming from a Liam Gordon cross, the Daggers were now as a
collective moving back up the pitch.
However, there was still no goal so McMahon had another
role of the dice and brought on Adrian Clifton in place of Sagaf whom put in a
good shift - without pulling up any trees.
Another ten minutes had flown by and the prospects of
a draw became increasingly likely, frustration creeping in, Daggers captain
Dean Rance was to enter the book. To try and find that allusive winner the
Daggers kept probing and the key was – patience – cries of ‘settle’ and ‘calm
down’ came from the men in yellow and blue.
The final opportunity to influence from the sidelines,
the lightning-fast McQueen was introduced, and he made an almost instant
impact. Within two minutes of crossing the white-ruled line, he won a free-kick
in a dangerous area – Myles Weston and Will Wright standing over it.
The former ran over the ball, before the latter struck
it with such precision that the net was to bulge moments later… Will Wright
struck again! The match needed a moment of brilliance to win it, as how else could
it have been one? There was little, if any, goal-mouth action for the best part
of 80 minutes!
The only job for the visitors now was to see it out…
which you’d assume is simple, but as I and every Dagger knew all too well – you
can’t exactly trust this side when it comes to that! However, this time they
looked to be getting it right, keeping the ball, with some lovely exchanges between
Balanta and Vilhete in the midfield – even looking for an opening for a second.
An experienced and professional end to the game from
the Daggers it was, thankfully! As McMahon’s men had secured a victory in
Altrincham – the referee signalling full-time.
I still have my doubts over whether we’re hitting the
target enough or are able to go on a WINNING run – of the length so that we can
make the play-offs. On that I’m not confident, but I’ll have another post out
shortly on the direction the club is taking.
Back to the
overview of the match, and it was a solid performance that needed that moment
and Will Wright gave us just that with a delightful set-piece. The individual
performances and YOUR Man of The Match I’ll move to now!
Player Ratings
Elliot Justham – 6
Elliot Johnson – 5
Kenny Clark – 8
I have been a
critic of Clark as he had made a series of mistakes, co-incidentally while
wearing the Captain’s armband, but since then I feel he has been very much a
different play – for the better. A crucial goal-line clearance on Saturday and
a great job in shoring up that back-line.
Will Wright – 8
A vital goal
at a vital moment and that individual moment of quality is what this game
needed – he delivered.
Myles Weston – 7
Despite not being
involved in a goal, Myles posed a threat for large spells and continued to be a
great, attacking outlet for the Daggers.
Liam Gordon – 6
Saidou Khan – 6
Dean Rance – 6
Mo Sagaf – 6
Scott Wilson – 6
Angelo Balanta -7
In particular,
his second half performance Balanta took it upon himself to get onto the ball
and get the team driving forward, his link-up play was brilliant. His use of
experience was key too, towards the end.
Subs
Adrian Clifton – 6
Darren McQueen – 6
Mauro Vilhete -7
Put in a great
shift when he came on and lifted the team, a breath of fresh air and excited to
see how he progresses in a Daggers shirt.
Thanks for
Reading,
Keane | COYD
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