October
4th Ryman Prem
Final
Score: Daggers 2 Chesham 0
A great family day out,
we had 3 generations here today and what a day!!
This was non-league football at its best, starting with Thomas the mascot
looking particularly stupid in what looked like Jason Broom's shorts,
still he enjoyed the day, but he did miss the first goal as a poor back
pass just outside Chesham's penalty area, was latched onto by a
prowling Cobb who calmly put the ball away. Young Thomas knew we had
scored though from the roar that he heard in the changing room. The
game from then just got better and better with the ball being passed
around well by both teams. Dagenham & Redbridge started to lose
the plot for the last 15 minutes or so and really needed the break so Ted
Hardy could have a word. This he obviously did as within 2 minutes
of the restart Cobb once again in the thick of the action(which he was all
game) won a penalty which he converted to give the home team a little
breathing space. The game was by no means over as the ball was
moving from end to end. Chesham forcing a good save from Gothard before
they got a penalty. The resulting shot was low and to the left hand
corner but Gothard had guessed right and managed to gather the ball.
Creaser then congratulated Gothard in his own inimitable way(I know
because I have a video of it). David Pratt came into his own for the
rest of the game taking the ball down the left on numerous occasions, even
though he didn't look 100% comfortable on this side of the field.
Cobb came close to his hat-trick when a shot struck the post after beating
the 'keeper.
Heard from the
terraces "Paul Cobb, Paul Cobb, don't drink beer, but he does the job"
Gothard,Pratt,Cole(Naylor),Howard,Conner,Creaser,Parratt,Cobb[2],Wallace(Hewes),Bird,Mas
October
6th Ryman Prem
Final
Score Daggers 2 Stortford 1
The first match played in the rain at home this season made the early stages of the game a bit of a lottery as the ball was skidding at pace from the wet grass. It wasn't long before the players were compensating for it and Howard who controlled the midfield for most of the game put a perfectly weighted ball through to Jamie Wallace who collected and then struck well to hit the back of the net by-passing the advancing keeper. Jamie who had a good first half, then supplied the pass to Cobb for him to put his league total into double figures. Then came the Daggers standard last 15 minutes of every 1st half when they seem to lose a little composure, concentration was lacking and this gave Bishop's Stortford the opportunity to pull one back.
Normally after Ted
Hardy's little chat at half time the team's composure returns.....not
tonight. They lacked any shape and couldn't string together more
than two passes. Good work from Steve Conner probably save the
day(night), that along with a bit of luck especially when Stortford had
shots saved off the line and then hitting the crossbar. It felt like
being at Stortford's ground at the second game of the season again, when
the luck went the other way.
Still an exciting
evening and the points will be useful.
Gothard,Mas,Pratt,Howard,Conner,Creaser,Parratt,Cobb[1],Wallace[1],Bird,Naylor
Stimson as sub not used!!
Final
Score Daggers 4 Walton & Hersham 2
Another exciting game at
Victoria Road tonight, again the rain came down and it took a while for
both teams to settle down, Walton doing so a little quicker, having a good
opening 15 minutes. The Daggers soon started to take control and with
Wallace & Cobb working well together. Cobb put a cross in from
the right only for the ball to come back out to the edge of the area,
where Tolo Mas struck the ball well first time at about waist height,
going through the crowded penalty area to beat the keeper. Daggers
came alive after this, but only due to new FA rules were they able to
increase the lead. Kevin Mitchell in the Walton goal was deemed to
have held the ball for longer than the allotted 5 to 6 seconds giving the
home side an indirect free kick inside the penalty area. A back heel from
Parratt to Howard was then deflected for prowling Cobb to hit home from 6
yards.
2-0, Daggers feel
guilty and think that they should make it hard for themselves, Walton's
first goal did include some good build up work and a classic far post
cross was met and buried by Garfield Blackman Within minutes they
were back on level terms due to what can only be described as pathetic
defending, a weak goal from a corner headed from close range by Matthew
Pearson. Dagenham then clawed there way back into the game with,
maybe the goal of the season, Cobb once again in the thick of things
putting a cross in from the right that Pratt pick up from just outside the
penalty area, he looked up and chose the top right hand side of the goal
and that is where he put it.
3-2 at the interval,
the teams came out for the second half, Ted Hardy's chat once again
transforming an already impressive looking side. Shots rained in
from all angles and Tolo obviously had the taste for it!! Pratt once again
controlled the left flank and was also enjoying the exchanges with the
crowd. The 4th goal was an own goal which came with the run of play.
The match wasn't totally one sided as Gothard did make at least 3 very
important saves and Walton had a goal disallowed for offside. This
would have made the score 3-3 and the outcome may have been different.
At the end of the game, I feel it was a fair result.
Gothard,Pratt[1],Cole,Howard,Conner,Creaser,
Parratt,Cobb[1],Wallace,Bird,Mas[1]
October
25th Ryman Prem.
Final
Scores Daggers 1 Yeading 1
There is only one word
that can describe today's performance, unfortunately I'm not a person who
would use such language on the internet.
Yeading pushed the ball around well, switching the play from right to
left and left to right. Dagenham & Redbridge do not know how to
handle this, especially as the defence formation is changed on a weekly
basis. Steve Conner not looking comfortable on the left side of
defence. It was this area from where the first goal was created, a
cross coming into the box where the 4 or 5 defenders didn't have a clue
what to do and the shot hit hard and low into the left of the goal taken a
deflection off the post and ending up in the opposite corner of the net.
Yeading continued to have control of the game and only a defensive error
by them gave Cobb half a chance that he struck well past the advancing
keeper to hit the roof of the net.
The second half
brought no great improvement even though the defence looked a little more
stable, due to Conner being replaced by Creaser and therefore reverting to
a more conventional system. Pratt and Naylor got more involved and towards
the end of the match there were a couple of chances missed. The
Daggers worked to win the ball but the final pass just was not good enough
and went astray on far too many occasions. Gothard made a good save
in the last minute but I feel that Yeading will go home slightly
disappointed to not have taken all 3 points with them.
The day didn't get any better as The Daggers have got Bognor/Farnborough
in the F.A.Cup 1st Round, and my Guinea Pig died during the game (just
like the team)
Gothard,Pratt,Culverhouse,Howard,Conner(Creaser),Cole,Parratt,Cobb[1],Hazle,Naylor,Mas