Dagenham & Redbridge

Last Season at a glance

1st in non league

Last season was a walk in the part for Dagenham as they absolutely romped to the Conference Title. They went top after twenty four games, and never looked in danger at any stage after then, eventually winning by fourteen points.

Even the sale of leading scorer Craig Mackail Smith couldn't put them off their title challenge.

John Still is an old operator at this level, and having done the job for so many years with Barnet, he'll know exactly what is required to ensure that Dagenham not only stay in the League, but also consolidate their position.

Last season was Still's third season in charge of the Conference Champions.

Well of course they will have a better season. One season in the Football League is ultimately better than anything which is outside of the footballing spectrum, so even if they were to finish with zero points for the season, its an improvement.

Well one problem that Dagenham could find this season is that its been so long since they were challenged, it's all become just a bit too easy for them.

Last season was a stroll for them, and it will be a completely different mindset required to find themselves having to scrap for every point which will be available.

And let's not forget Jon Boardman. We don't expect him to be a regular with Dagenham this season, but he will be there from time to time, and any striker would fancy their chances if they come up against him.

Despite looking like the singer from Radiohead, striker Paul Benson was head and shoulders above everyone at Dagenham last season in terms of goals scored. He got thirty goals in total for Daggers as he helped them towards the Conference title.

Having been on the books at Southend as a kid, he quickly faded out of the football scene and it wasn't until 2005 when he was spotted playing local football in Essex. It took him a while to settle, scoring just one goal in his first season, but as they say, since then he has never looked back.

If he scores just half the goals he did last season, then he'll have secured Dagenham's second season in the Football League in the process.

As is no doubt obvious from everything above, we don't know much about Dagenham and Redbridge. In fact, we know hardly anything, A quick look earlier, revealed one player and a manager who used to be at Barnet, and Jon Boardman, and then a whole host of players that I've never heard of. Ignorance is bliss and all that, and its not my fault that I've never read the non league newspaper.

So we've based most of the above on the fact that most Conference champions who come up usually do well enough. The gap between the divisions is comfortable enough for the Conference winners to remain within the FL, helped by that momentum that we often talk about, but not quite have it about them to ensure that they push for the Play Offs.