The Opposition View – Dagenham and Redbridge

Following the Wanderers’ narrow but deserved 1-0 victory over Dagenham and Redbridge at Adams Park yesterday afternoon, here are some views on the game from both camps and a handful of Daggers fans.

Dagenham and Redbridge manager John Still didn`t speak to the press afterwards, so it was left to his assistant Wayne Burnett to discuss his side’s defeat.

He said: “We are obviously disappointed, we are just ticking along under the play-off places and if we had won here that would be 40 points and just off the play-offs.”

“We had a real chance to put some pressure on the teams above us but this game wasn’t a Dagenham performance and that is disappointing.”

“It is one step forward and two steps back. Losing Dwight Gayle and Michael Spillane wasn’t why we lost this game, we as a group didn’t perform. We were second best from one to eleven and we have to move forward.”

“But we have got some good young players under the surface. Louis Dennis came off the bench and has come back from Canvey Island and has the potential to be a top player, he just has to show it on the pitch now for Dagenham.”

Still was clearly a frustrated man at the end and was involved in a heated exchange with Chairboys striker Dean Morgan after the final whistle.

Manager Gareth Ainsworth adopted a different approach, saying: “I have a lot of respect for John so there`s no chance of us falling out. I played under him and he furthered my career as a player with the advice he gave me.”

“And he has as a manager too. After the last game between us he gave me the best advice I’ve had since becoming a manager. He said don’t let the highs get too high and the lows get too low, and that’s really shaped my attitude towards management.”

“We are looking up the table and that is a good place to be in. When I turned up in the car park, I got here at 11:30am, and I think the fans had been here four hours before me. One of them had a mate with a snow plough and he got him out.”

“All the fans had shovels and I`m pulling in the car park with a nice car and a suit and there was only one thing I could do – I had to go over and say thank you to them because without those guys, the game wouldn`t have gone ahead today and we wouldn`t have got the three points.”

“I made the players aware in the team talk how hard the fans had worked this morning and I told them if we did the same we would win.”

“It speaks volumes about the club and the togetherness I want to get here. I want to get Wycombe Wanderers back to its former glories and believe me the players are well aware of that.”


Daggers fans weren`t impressed with either side yesterday and were pretty damning in their assessments.

The following extracts are taken from the daggersforum.

Sussex Daggers wrote
“That must be one of the worst matches I have seen for over a decade. Both sides were beyond dreadful and if half our team had shown the same fight as our manager at the end of the game then we may have got somewhere. Is there really eight worse teams in this league on current standings than these two? Dear oh dear.”

Lee Wilson wrote
“That was awful. We’re really too up and down to mount a challenge. Still, I’ll take a mid table season.”

DI Mike Dashwood wrote
“That was an appalling game, dreadful. It didn’t ruin my day as I had a great day out, but the football was the worst part of the day! It was absolutely awful from both sides. I can remember four shots in the whole game from both sides, one of them being the goal. We could have played all day and all night and not scored. We have 17th written all over us (maybe 18th or 16th!!).”

telecastertel wrote
“We never look like scoring. It is the same old problem of having no quality in attacking positions. I found it to be a very boring game. I maintain that we will survive at about 19th although I said three points from Wycombe Wanderers and the next two games. Perhaps I was being optimistic on yesterday’s showing.”

Woodford Dagger wrote
“I knew inside of me that this was going to be a crap match. They should have just called it off as no one was going to be right up for it and both teams probably just wanted to go home. Honestly would’ve preferred going on a Tuesday night.”

Vindelot (sic) wrote
“There was not much evidence that Stuart Lewis could play football today although of course he was awarded Man of the Match in another two fingers up to us. I reckon yesterday’s efforts to get the game on was all about cash flow. The three points and the Stuart Lewis biggup-athon were a bonus.”

Steve W wrote
“That game deserved to be played behind closed doors!!”

Next: Bradford City versus Wycombe Wanderers – League Two
Valley Parade – Saturday 26th January 2013 – Kick off -3pm