Plunged to the bottom of League Two with the 1-2 reverse against Port Vale, a fug had consumed the terraces with the Conference trapdoor beckoning. Fast forward three weeks, and things are looking up. Fingers of sunlight have begun to shine through the gloom. Knocking Walsall out of the cup has triggered an upturn in fortunes which was long overdue, if not anticipated.

That game at the Bescott marked the return from injury of Maher, for the second time already this season. Unlike the first time around, he set about making his presence felt. The plodding and puffing displays of a man unfit and unable to keep up with runners into the box were a thing of the past; this was the player we all wanted and expected when he signed in the summer. Unfortunately I’m talking in the past tense because, you guessed it, he’s crocked again.

The injury situation this season has been nothing short of a joke. And it isn’t a funny one. Like Maher, Josh Scott has made a long-awaited return to the starting eleven. Eeking towards full fitness, he brought with him the ability to keep hold of the ball up front, to provide a focus for our attacks. Again, like Maher, he is out again.

Still, having this duo at the top of their powers simultaneously, albeit for just a handful of games, has provided a timely boost to the side. Crucially, they aren’t the only ones reaching the peak of their capacity. Dominic Green is back and just beginning to find his feet after a career stalled on Peterborough’s scrap heap. His first start against Barnet brought a searing run capped with a fizzing strike against the bar to remind us what we’ve all been missing. In two games since he has shown more rounded performances in a new attacking central midfield position. Billy Bingham is now fully fit after a stop-start few months and, although we’ve lost Gain to yet another injury, he looks ready to stake his claim with classy touch and quiet efficacy.

The fluidity of our attack in a loose 4-3-3 system has been palpable. Cristian Montano has thrived playing off Woodall and Scott; indeed, both provided assists for his double against the Bees. And with Scott now back on the treatment table, Woodall himself has stepped up to the plate in front of goal, scoring in 3 consecutive games.

Another big factor in our improved form has surely been Spillane’s rebirth in the centre of defence. Exposed in his early games at right-back, a move into the middle has seen an upturn in fortunes. He is calm and assured in possession, able to control the ball and find a teammate rather than simply hammering it into row Z. He is reminiscent of a young Mark Arber. It is no coincidence that Scott Doe is finally turning the corner after a spell of poor form, nor that we’ve only conceded 3 goals in the last 5 games.

Mark Arber is due to return from injury imminently, players such as Elito and McCrory are back in contention, Ogogo’s suspension has been served. Is everything starting to come together?

Possibly, but there is cause for caution before we all get giddy. If Maher, Gain and Scott are absent for any length of time and if we are unable to twist Mr Allardyce’s arm to prolong Montano’s stay, the squad will be looking decidedly threadbare once again. It remains to be seen if we can plug any gaps with further loan signings.

Momentum is key; now we finally have some, we really need to keep hold of it.

The most worrying aspect is that you can’t see where a win is coming from. A month or so ago, the team wasn’t playing terribly but was making mistakes in both boxes. Now we’re still making the mistakes, but we have also lost all concept of how to play football. Effort comes in sporadic bursts rather than by the bucketload as we’ve come to expect in recent years.

Where is it going wrong? The defence is an easy place to start – 15 goals conceded in the last 5 games, including a penalty in every single one of those. Captain Mark Arber is playing like a man whose 34 years aren’t just catching up with him, they’ve galloped past him into the distance. Giving the ball away in bad areas, not winning his aerial duels, being caught for pace and easily given the slip. Scott Doe isn’t covering himself in glory either – red cards in both his last 2 games and some rather tentative displays. Ogogo has been out of form ever since a cast appeared on his arm.

It is difficult to lay all the blame at their door though, given how little help they receive from midfield. Kevin Maher’s 4 games back before another injury consisted mainly of a one-paced jog around the middle of the field with the occasional pass or header. The number of tackles or interceptions he made could probably be counted on one hand and he seems to have a habit of giving runners a free pass into our box. Oliver Lee, who has only just returned to West Ham, also seemed incapable of doing any of the graft required to play in central midfield.

We have also persisted with 2 very attacking wide players which means only Peter Gain is doing anything to help the defence. When you are struggling and conceding so many goals, it might be a good idea to adopt a slightly more cautious approach. Talking of the wingers, it seems Gavin Tomlin’s purple patch is over and we are struggling to fill the other berth with only DJ Green fully fit. DJ at least puts a shift in, even though he is struggling to make an impression. It is a big ask for a young lad such as him to lift a poor side.

With experienced players such as Maher, Arber and Tomlin not really doing enough to arrest this slump, it wasn’t exactly devastating to find them all injured for Saturday’s game against Shrewsbury. Moving Ogogo into midfield finally gave us the energy, tenacity and tackling ability we’ve lacked for most of the season and Femi did a superb job in the middle of the defence. Rose, who came in at right-back, didn’t have such a successful start though as he headed a hopeful punt into the path of Gornell for an early opening goal.

Despite this setback, our new-look line-up meant we looked decidedly more secure than we have in recent weeks. It remains to be seen whether Maher and Arber will be put straight back into the side when they return to fitness, but it would be very harsh if they were.

There is, of course, another major problem in our recent performances; scoring goals. Or rather, not scoring goals.

In the last 3 matches we have barely mustered a shot on target. It has been deckchair time for opposing keepers who could probably take a nap during play were it not for the constant goal-kicks yielded by our aimless long balls. We haven’t even looked like we might manage a goal, and indeed the only one we have scored in these matches was a free kick which was badly dealt with by Crawley’s Shearer.

Jon Nurse has been a fixture, mainly due to the chronic injury problems plaguing our other front-line forwards. Unfortunately this is perhaps the worst period of form for the Barbados international since his first season with the club. Yes he has managed a few goals this season, but he hasn’t been at the races for large parts. He seems to lack any kind of sharpness or spark, and the tireless running and tenacity which used to be his main qualities simply aren’t showing up.

He has largely been paired with Woodall, who is learning fast but of course is still very inexperienced. He often shows ability in the air and on the deck and can hold the ball up and defenders off, but in reality both him and Nurse are living on scraps.

The quality of the ball forward has been dreadful in recent weeks. This was typified by the last 30 minutes of Saturday’s game, where every single ball forwards seemed to be a lump onto the head of Ian Sharps. Nursey jumps well for a guy his size, but what chance does he have against mammoth centre halves?

We have been direct ever since John took over, and I have absolutely no problem with that. But to play that way, you need a couple of things: the ability to direct well-judged long balls into the channels, and forwards who can win those balls, lay it off, and then make a beeline for the penalty box. We currently have neither of these. It seems to me that nobody wants the ball for fear of losing it, and the majority of our balls forward are badly directed and badly weighted.

So what is Plan B? Well, it is something John doesn’t think exists – we play our way, we work on playing that way all week, and we implement it on Saturdays. I can completely understand this, but surely it is possible to vary it slightly? Take Saturday for instance – Plan A is our usual way of playing which involves trying to hit the channels. However, what we are actually doing is hitting the centre halves on the bonce. We are failing to execute our plan, but we keep doing the same thing over and over again.

By this point we had a man advantage, and our main danger men, the wingers, are seeing absolutely none of the ball. Can’t we find a way to go through the midfield so we can get the ball wide? I’m not asking for 127 passes, but maybe a forward or a midfielder could come short for the ball and knock it to Green or Scannell. It doesn’t even have to be on the floor – it could be a clipped pass into the chest of Woodall. But what we surely cannot keep doing is hammering the ball onto the defender’s head.

It will be very interesting to see how John deals with this in the coming weeks. And yes, before anybody asks that particular question; it should definitely be John who gets the chance to rectify this predicament.

Since last month’s narrow but poignant defeat at the hands of Hereford, the defence have finally succumbed to the burden of having to keep a clean sheet to stand a chance in any game. You sensed it had been coming, but the point was forcefully hammered home at Edgar Street.

Some of our defending since has been shambolic. The following week’s visit to the hell-on-earth which is the Don Valley Stadium saw the “home” side hit three first-half goals without really breaking sweat. Phil Walsh, who certainly gives his all but just isn’t cut out for life in the Football League, was found wanting and replaced at half-time but the damage was already done by then. It strikes me as strange that Walshy is seemingly our 3rd-choice centre back when we have a surplus (when fit) of midfield players, but that is a conversation for another day.

The Oxford match was more of a return to our normal pattern of creating chances and failing to convert. Nurse, Woodall and Williams were all guilty and Hall’s goal shortly before half-time was enough to give the visitors the spoils. It would be difficult to blame the defence on this occasion, but Morecambe’s long trip south a few days later saw another exhibition of how not to defend.

One long, diagonal ball was enough to cut out the entire back-line on two occasions, one of which ended with the ball in the back of our net. A quickfire second left us on the ropes but Lee made things interesting with an exquisite free kick into the top corner. Woodall provided a more pro-active attacking force from the bench as his header was cleared from the line, but the game was lost through our two defensive howlers.

And so it continued at Northampton. Early in the game Lewington made a superb double save and still no Dagger reacted as Davies gleefully fired the ball into the Daggers net. We were much improved after the break but couldn’t find a goal, Williams missing a sitter with his head from inside the 6-yard box, and Scannell firing a good chance wide. When roly-poly Akinfenwa headed home Northampton’s only chance of the half it added insult to injury, meaning Lee’s last-gasp shot straight through the cardboard keeper wasn’t enough to save a point.

A run of 5 straight league defeats with just 3 goals scored and 9 conceded was finally halted with a vital three points against Crewe. The Daggers started very well but neither Nurse nor Tomlin could convert their chances. The predictable goal came with 15 minutes left, Moore bundling home a rebound. But, for once, the Daggers clawed their way back. Tomlin, who had a fine game in a left-wing role, ran at the defence and crossed for Williams to poke the ball in. And deep into the injury time partly created by Crewe’s own time-wasting, Rose, erm, rose to head home McCrory’s corner and seal the comeback.

It seemed this form would be carried into the game at Cheltenham as a bright start from the Daggers saw Nurse head a good chance over and Tomlin denied by the bar after a lovely move between himself, Lee and Scannell. Williams’ season-ending injury against Crewe gave loan signing Troy Hewitt a chance to shine, and he almost marked the occasion with a goal. He done well to get on the end of Nurse’s excellent right-wing cross but could only spoon the ball up from 6 yards. Although the ball wasn’t finding its way into the net, the movement of Nurse and Hewitt as a pair was a welcome relief after weeks of watching a static front-line without the hunger to get into goalscoring positions.

After controlling the half so well against a good side, it was incredibly frustrating to fall behind. A harsh free-kick was lofted into the Daggers box, and Bennett was given the freedom to nod the ball just inside the post with the defence asleep. Thankfully we took some reward from the half as Scannell almost immediately drove at the defence and crossed for Nurse to turn the ball home.

The expected second-half impetus never came. An early goal from more slack defending set the tone, Pack’s pass squirming under Gain’s foot to Spencer who drilled past Lewington’s somewhat early dive. Gain had largely controlled the first period but was helpless after this as the Robins dominated proceedings. A midfield 4 of Scannell, Lee, Gain and Tomlin looked increasingly fragile with 3 attack-minded players, something which had been hinted at in periods against Morecambe and Oxford when the opposition enjoyed possession.

Pack bossed the second period in the absence of any physical challenge to his possession of the ball, and only Lewington’s superb goalkeeping kept the score down particularly when turning Spencer’s header away.

This recent run means Saturday’s visit of Plymouth takes on huge significance as the Daggers find themselves in a real fight to stay clear of the drop zone. It seems we are really struggling at the moment to put together a 90-minute performance despite patches of good play. It is what happens in the 2 boxes that decides football matches, and we’re making mistakes in both at the moment. The defence need to regain the focus which led to our early-season clean sheets, whilst we are still to find the right blend in midfield and up front. I would recall Bingham to add some bite alongside Gain and keep Lee in reserve for any late salvage missions. Hopefully the return of Green and Elito will also offer us the chance to do something different in attack.

Thankfully our defence has proved resolute, allowing us to take 3 wins and a draw from these opening matches. Whilst this is very welcome, it is not something you can rely on throughout a season. Eventually, such as on Saturday at Hereford, the opposition will find a way through. Sensing a lack of threat in their penalty area, they will have impetus in ours. Nerves can creep in once it dawns on our players that if they concede, they can’t win the game.

Before we get too dramatic, it is worth noting that the season is in its infancy. With several players out injured, there is plenty of time for the tide to turn. But will it?

Without wishing to sound too smug (OK, we love being smug really), the lack of a goals was a problem we highlighted in several of the preview pieces written for other sites. We weren’t a lone prophet either – this is an issue which has troubled many of our fans. Our downfall last season was our profligacy, and surely this is something we should be solving. It is worrying that we haven’t.

Of course we were hoping Josh Scott would return from injury in time for the season’s start. Whilst this would’ve been a massive plus, pinning the goalscoring hopes of the side on one player feels slightly dangerous. Especially when that player spent a few spells of his debut season out injured, and was always going to pick up niggles coming back from such a serious problem. His knee damage is hardly a niggle and we could hardly have foreseen this, but it is a reminder of the problems of relying on one man.

I think most fans would agree that the acquisitions of Jake Reed and Brian Woodall are a positive step. Both already have been given a taste of League football, and the manager has said how much they’ve surprised him. Woodall in particular has done very well with his aerial ability and hold-up play, whilst also finding himself in some good goalscoring positions. He hasn’t taken one of those chances yet, but it is harsh to criticise a player finding his feet. We should see either of these lads partaking at such an early stage as a bonus.

With other young forwards such as Rob Edmans (who was already injured when he signed), and Alex Osborn on the books, the real contenders for starting berths were always going to be Nurse, Tomlin and Williams. Let’s have a closer look at those three.

Jon Nurse we know all about – he came to us with a fairly average goalscoring record at Conference level and struggled to find his feet for some time. Last season was his best return in a Daggers shirt – 10 goals in 42 games. Time will tell us whether he can improve his ratio further or whether this was a peak.

Tomlin we also saw in a Daggers shirt last season, but 2 goals in 20 games saw him shipped out to Torquay on loan. It was a pretty disastrous start if we’re being honest – he was easily shrugged off by League One defenders and his pace cut little ice against the more intelligent players that division offered. He also failed in front of goal, which shouldn’t have been much surprise after 7 goals in 36 and 8 goals in 46 in the two previous seasons.

His reappearance this season has actually been an improvement, showing flashes of good skill and getting into decent positions. He done very well to win the penalty against Swindon, but the problem persists in front of goal. His shooting from range tends to be scuffed and when presented with good chances in the box, he tends to miss the target. This isn’t designed to be a criticism – we should’ve known about his pros and cons when he signed – but the weight of evidence does suggest that he won’t be troubling the top of the scoring charts.

Sam Williams is another guy who had limited success at Yeovil. Not a big fans favourite by all accounts, 6 goals in two seasons perhaps explains why. With Savage and Akinde not around this season, a target man was required and Sam seems to be more in this mould. He has also missed good chances this season but did manage to net a fine header against Torquay. His hold-up play has been decidedly average though, with performances at Macclesfield and Bradford probably not on his all-time greatest games list. The fact that Woodall looked more capable in this department might set some alarm bells ringing.

So, whilst there is potential for some players to emerge towards the end of the season, it doesn’t seem that the answer to our immediate goalscoring problems lies within the squad. There is, of course, the question of service but you have to say we’ve missed plenty of presentable opportunities already this season even without a hugely creative influence. The presence of Elito, Scannell, Lee and now Dominic Green should mean there is always some sort of supply line.

I understand the point John Still has made about not being able to buy ready-made players. I know we have to bring players through, and I know that goalscorers don’t come cheap. However, you can give yourself a fighting chance by having somebody with a goalscoring pedigree in the squad. In the past, players such as Josh, Kandol, Moore, Strevens were brought in from 1 or 2 levels down with a history of scoring goals, and quickly made an impact. We haven’t really found that player in the last couple of years.

A loan player could help us when the window re-opens next week. Or perhaps Jon Nurse fancies being the unlikely hero once again. Here’s hoping!

The scoreline in this particular match probably doesn’t tell the full story. Despite Mendez-Laing leaving our back-line for dead to slot past Roberts, we had perhaps the better chances of the first half. There was to be no last-day magic – the story was uncomfortably familiar. The golden tickets marked “League One entry 2011/12″ were spurned with our inability to put the ball into the net. To use the common terrace vernacular, we couldn’t hit a cow’s arse with a banjo.

Posh weren’t in the mood to feel sorry for us – they had momentum to create for their impending play-off campaign. A second-half goal from McCann saw us lose shape and leave the back-door unlocked whilst pushing forwards. Three goals in the closing minutes put a gloss coat on the score. If there’s one team you can’t afford to chase the game against, it is Peterborough – their devastating pace and movement on the counter-attack has undone better sides than ourselves.

Thankfully, our crowd realise just how lucky they are to have been part of our rise from Ryman to League One over an 11-year period. There was little criticism, and certainly no booing. The crowd didn’t wane in their support, particularly that of John Still. Whilst other clubs may call for their manager’s head, we realise the miracles he has worked. He has already acknowledged this support as a big part of why he wants to remain in charge despite offers from bigger clubs. On the day, the 1000 visiting supporters were absolutely magnificent.

It we’re honest, it would’ve been hugely unexpected had we managed to take something from the game. You don’t get relegated because of one game – it is the season as a whole. We can all look down the fixture list and find that solitary point which ultimately would’ve been enough. In fact, we can probably find ten or more, such has been our ability to fritter away points from winning positions. That is why relegation is so galling – we have rarely been outclassed, but ultimately that dash of composure in both penalty boxes has eluded us.

So what does life back in the Football League’s bottom division have in store? It will be very difficult to say until the summer’s comings and goings are finalised. As we know from experience, this won’t be any time soon – Paul Benson was taken from us on 30th August last year, 4 games into the season.

Several players definitely won’t be pulling on the red shirt next season, as Phil Ifil, Bas Savage, Tommy Tejan-Sie and Graeme Montgomery won’t have their contracts renewed. None of these will come as a surprise, although the lack of progress from TJ and Monty will be lamented. Monty in particular, who had such a big role to play in hauling us into the play-offs this time last year, but could never quite find the tenacity required for a starting berth. As for Savage, he was never a long-term solution. His efforts were admirable despite his limitations as a player, but he simply didn’t pose enough of a threat.

Perhaps slightly worrying is the news that Tony Roberts’ contract is still being discussed. It was previously reported that he had a 1-year option on his deal, and surely we would simply activate this given his continued excellence between the sticks. That it requires further negotiation raises the question as to whether he will be staying. Another player still in talks is Will Antwi, who is a big asset (in many ways) but seemingly cannot stay fit for a whole season.

With loan players John Akinde, Oliver Lee, Cameron Lancaster, Marvin Morgan and Solomon Taiwo departing, and several other contracted players possibly available for transfer, there should be a fair amount of scope for the squad to be rejigged. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Gwillim and Tomlin joined their loan clubs Wimbledon and Torquay respectively, and there are several other players such as Walsh and Scannell who struggled to make the squad towards the end of the season.

Much of the summer nail-biting though is likely to surround the futures of our young stars. It would be disappointing to lose any of Green, Ogogo or Vincelot, and it would be devastating to lose more than one of them. Their performances undoubtedly deserve attention from Championship and even Premiership clubs but the fans will be expecting two things should they depart: club-record-shattering fees and plenty of time before deadline day.

With John Still committed to the cause and an array of young talent waiting in the wings, there should still be plenty of excitement in store over the next year. Whatever happens, it will be another season as a football league club. And that in itself is something to be proud of.

Beating Argyle was never going to be a simple task – going into the game they had actually accrued more points on the pitch than ourselves. The only two chances of note before the break saw Roberts superbly turn a Bolasie effort over the bar low to his right, and Button thwart Akinde at the other end after his own persistence and a one-two with Nurse had sent him clear on goal. Otherwise neither side showed much attacking intent, the fear factor clearly playing a part in such a crucial match. It wasn’t lost on John Still, who spent his half-time talk urging his players to come out of their shells.

The effect wasn’t immediate, as the first act of the half was a goal for the visitors. An attack which should’ve been halted yards earlier was finally ended by foul means some 30 yards from goal. Up stepped Patterson, who drilled the ball straight through a limp wall and into the bottom corner. From this point though the Daggers were on top – Akinde was soon sent clear again to be foiled by the onrushing Button, who leapt to his feet to turn away Green’s follow-up. Long periods of pressure though brought few other clear chances, Currie and Ogogo both drilling just wide and Nurse seemingly bundled over in the box, before the referee called time on another frustrating day.

One highlight from the day was the debut of Danny J Green from the bench, who showed several nice touches but wasn’t utilised enough in our eagerness to get the ball into the box.

An Easter Monday trip to Huddersfield had long been earmarked as an unlikely game to yield any points, but it now looked increasingly likely that something would be required. Antwi replaced Doe who picked up a hamstring strain against Plymouth, and Bingham was preferred to Currie in midfield. It didn’t start well for Antwi or the Daggers, when a speculative ball forwards saw the tall defender robbed by Afobe who simply picked out Rhodes for a tap-in. A similar ball caught out Femi soon after but this time Rhodes was defied by Roberts.

With the home side threatening to score further goals, suddenly the Daggers found themselves back in the game. A lovely interchange between Gain, Vincelot and Akinde set up a strike for the Frenchman on the edge of the box, and he found the top corner of Bennett’s net via the keeper’s fingers. Within minutes though the Terriers restored their advantage, Gary Roberts’ near post cross met by Rhodes for his second goal.

The Daggers refused to go without a fight, and the second half saw the visitors attack the hosts with enthusiasm. Femi’s deep cross was met by Akinde, but he got his header all wrong from just six yards and diverted it past the post, possibly due to the arm-pulling and subsequent push in the back from the eternally nefarious Clarke. You may recall the same player rolling around clutching his face to ensure Roberts’ dismissal at Roots Hall a few years previous.

Akinde was in the thick of the action again when set free by Danny J Green’s header, just managing to prod the ball towards goal before being tripped by that man Clarke again. Bennett managed to turn the ball onto the post, before Akinde scrambled to his feet to somewhat scuff the rebound goalwards, only to see Bennett also recover to push the ball away. The big man then set up Gain who crashed a drive inches wide of the far post, and J Green had an effort which he screwed wide. Once again it wasn’t to be our day and we left empty handed.

If the Argyle game had been described as “must-win”, the visit of Carlisle had now become “must-must-must-win… must”. Thankfully this time the Daggers tore out of the traps and immediately set about the Cumbrians. Within 4 minutes, Akinde robbed the plodding Michalik on the by-line and took the ball into the box, only for the irked defender to make an ill-advised lunge for the ball. He missed, Green stepped up for the spot-kick, and thankfully Nurse was on hand to tuck away the rebound after Collin’s save.

Whilst Michalik was proving to be the weakest link, the others around him weren’t exactly holding firm either – twice Vincelot was allowed to run onto balls into the box and nod them just wide of the target. Then Vincelot’s ball sent Nurse clear of the defence, but rather than take the clear shot on goal he got the ball stuck under his feet and the chance was gone. Nurse made no mistake minutes later though, once again on hand to net a rebound after Akinde’s strike was turned away.

The half saw three more Nurse chances, a lovely ball from Taiwo giving him a shot on goal which Collin turned away, a shot over the bar after controlling a cross on his thigh, and an effort from Gain’s left-wing cross which lacked the power to find its way beyond the keeper. The final action seconds before the break involved Akinde who could only shoot over the bar after Collin had pushed away Green’s powerful free kick.

After such a superb first half, the second always had a lot to live up to. Chances were sparse as the visitors attempted to find a way back into the game, but found their main outlet Zoko consistently halted by the excellent Femi. Nurse had yet another chance to complete his hat-trick as Collin palmed away his curling effort, but Danny Green sealed victory by drilling low into the corner after Akinde had teed him up on the edge of the box.

The only sour point was a red card for Green with just a couple of minutes left. Already on a yellow from an innocuous tackle earlier in the half, he mistimed his challenge on Robson to rule himself out of the final game of the season.

And what a tense game it promises to be. A vital three points means we find ourselves a single point from safety with a single game to play. Ourselves, Walsall and Notts County will battle it out to avoid occupying the final relegation place. Whilst Walsall seem to face a tough trip to Southampton, the Saints have already won promotion with their midweek victory and could possibly take their eye off the ball. Notts County have an equally daunting task with Brighton going to Meadow Lane, but the Seagulls are also already promoted and haven’t won in 3 games.

However, we need to focus on own visit to Peterborough United, who have little say in whether they will face MK Dons or Bournemouth in next week’s playoff semi-final. A point might do it, but conversely, 3 might not be enough. The time to worry about other results is when our game is over. We must give every last drop of energy we have left, and we must go for the win. For the last time this season, COME ON YOU DAGGERS!

Off the back of 3 defeats, the visit of relegation rivals Notts County was fast looking like a must-win game. An early chance fell to Nurse from Green’s back-post cross but the Barbadian fluffed his lines, getting the ball stuck under his feet. With Akinde having better luck coordinating his limbs, he made no mistake from an almost identical cross to open the scoring. County almost got back into the game through Hughes, who had earlier followed through on Roberts, after he latched onto Harley’s throw and curled onto the top of the bar. It would’ve been particularly hard to take given that Green had put the ball out for Vincelot’s treatment and County unsportingly didn’t return the ball.

With the game poised nervously and half-time approaching, things took a decisive turn. Nurse got away from Lee but was pulled back as he bore down on goal, the defender earning himself an early shower. And in typical fashion, Green was quick to rub salt into the wound, arrowing a fabulous free kick into the top corner of Nelson’s goal. Soon afterwards Vincelot’s header was cleared off the line before Nurse got in behind again only to see his lob also cleared off the goalline. But it didn’t matter, Akinde making his second telling contribution by reaching the rebound first and drawing the foul. Green again stepped up to drill the penalty home.

We probably expected to cruise to victory after this, but the second-half failed to occur from a Daggers perspective. It was difficult to tell County had a man deficit as they poured forward in search of an unlikely comeback. Our new-found frailty had time to rear its head again, Demba-Nyren unmarked to guide a corner into the net, but thankfully there were precious few clear chances for the visitors although Spicer did force a superb fingertip save from Roberts.

Getting points on the board was a welcome confidence booster just days before another game against Brighton. What a match it turned out to be. Given no hope by anybody, the Daggers again pushed the now-Champions hard and should really have taken something from the game. It took just 21 seconds for Akinde to score, outmuscling the defender to shoot into the bottom corner thanks to a healthy deflection.

Brighton pressed hard but were restricted to efforts from range until our defence was undone twice in a minute. A corner-kick was played into the gaping hole at the near post and Calderon gleefully accepted the chance to poke the ball in. And almost straight from the kick-off, a deep left-wing cross found Murray who nodded the ball home to turn the tables.

The Daggers were in buoyant mood though and twice Akinde forced smart stops from Ankergren before the break. And after the interval it was all-change again, Nurse’s deflected shot looping over the keeper before Akinde was tripped to give Green the chance to make it 3-2. With barely time to draw breath, play was back at the Daggers’ end and a deep free-kick was met with a free header against the bar.

It didn’t take long for another goal to arrive though as Bridcutt’s blockbuster sailed into Roberts’ top corner. And it was heartbreak minutes later when Barnes got away from Doe at a corner to head home the winner. Arber had a late, great chance to grab a point but his lob fell wide of the post.

So onto another proverbial six-pointer at Tranmere, who have flirted with relegation most of the season but always seem to keep their heads above water. It took just twelve minutes for them to assert their intentions here, Cresswell seemingly having an eternity to cross perfectly for Showunmi to tower over Arber and nod into the bottom corner. The aerial problems continued as Goodison flashed a header wide from a corner but the warning wasn’t heeded as the same man got between Femi and Nurse to head home a deep free-kick from 4 yards.

The second half saw some improvement with Currie tricking his way into the box to test Warner low at his near post, before Nurse’s volley forced the keeper into a decent stop. Roberts had to make two decent saves of his own but there was little further threat from the Daggers who lost Akinde after half an hour to illness, and with it our best chance of scoring.

All in all, the last six games have seen us concede twelve goals which has certainly been a shock given our improved defensive form this year. In fact, before this run, only Bournemouth had managed more than one goal against us since January 3rd. The problem certainly seems to be set pieces and the aerial ball, with almost all the goals coming directly from restarts. It is something that simply must improve if we are to get the necessary points.

The lack of points has perhaps overshadowed the impact of John Akinde which is unfortunate. He seems to have finally given us a real goal threat whilst also acting as the focal point of the attack with his obvious size and pace. It certainly seems he will be key in the coming weeks.

Whether it is tiredness, nerves, or even cosmic forces, it hasn’t worked out that way.

Brighton visited Victoria Road with 3 consecutive 1-0 away wins so it should’ve been no surprise to anybody how things would pan out. In late-season results mode, the sides which can grind out those scorelines often end up with the silverware. They probably weren’t expecting to be given quite such a stern examination on the way though – the golden chance to take the lead came when Nurse forced a save from Ankergren before Savage bobbled the rebound goalwards. Acrobatically cleared off the line, Savage again got something on the ball only to see it come back off the bar.

When Bas again wriggled free minutes later, he could only fire straight at the keeper and it was a similar story in the second half as Savage found space only to volley at the keeper. We paid for this profligacy when Brighton’s only real chance fell to the invisible man, Glenn Murray. Only half-clearing a long throw, the ball was volleyed back into the box and Brighton’s top scorer found himself in far too much space to score the only goal. It was the only time he was noticeable throughout 90 minutes, but it was defining moment of the match.

An admirable performance gave much hope for the trip to Exeter, a team with seemingly nothing to play for except pride. Unfortunately for us, they’re actually a side going full tilt and could stage an incredible late play-off bid. Very nearly undone by a quick-throw which saw a header flash over the bar, the Daggers settled down and forced a goalline clearance from Nurse’s header and a good save from Ogogo’s low drive.

And with 15 minutes left, the Daggers took a narrow but probably just about deserved lead. Arber headed Green’s corner back and Vincelot – who else – was on hand to head the ball beyond Hamer. Set-piece woe was to strike at the other end though. With just nine minutes left, a long free-kick launched into our box was watched by everybody as Taylor pulled off Arber and Ogogo for a free header 6 yards out. It was calamitous at best, but worse was to follow. A cross-field ball saw Ogogo up against two players, and they interchanged simply to cross for Logan who had stolen in behind McCrory to net the winner.

It was a terrible way to lose the game and there was no respite with free-scoring Peterborough visiting three days later. Within ten minutes the same defensive woe reared its head twice as Ball wrapped the points up. Firstly Doe plopped a clearance into midfield and the ball was played straight back past him for Mackail-Smith to run clear and square for Ball’s first. Then a throw-in flicked off Doe’s heel straight into Ball’s path and he needed no second invitation to slot home.

Perhaps it would’ve been different had West Ham loanee Oliver Lee taken a first-minute chance he cleverly fashioned himself, but the damage was already done when Akinde, making his first start, tamely hit a volley wide of the target. Into the second half, Mackail-Smith shrugged off Doe to fire just wide but most of the pressure was from the Daggers as Posh looked happy to settle for what they had. Despite knocking on the door, very few clear chances materialised and the game ended with Lewis largely untested.

So three matches without any points, and a worrying new trend of defensive problems. Part two, covering games against Notts County, Brighton and Tranmere follows tomorrow.

That was ten years ago. This time around, Charlton came as a fellow League One side. Both clubs have come a long, long way since 2001.

Scannell came into the side with Taiwo’s injury ruling him out, and the Daggers started brightly. Within a minute Nurse got free on the left and forced a save from Worner to substantiate pre-match optimism. Gain quickly followed with 2 efforts, one dragged wide and another deflected wide for a corner. The Addicks finally shook off some of their lethargy to make forays into the home half, one Wagstaff run amusingly halted when Gain flicked his ankle but it took him another two steps to realise. Finally crumpling into a heap, perhaps the several minutes of treatment were more to deflect his embarassment.

Despite this brief spell, it was the Daggers who took the lead through GQ Magazine Man of the Year, Jon Nurse. Savage won the flick to Green, who played a low cross into the box perfectly for Nurse to crash a vicious strike past Worner. Nurse almost returned the favour within a minute, breezing past the brittle Llera to tee up Green for another blockbuster strike which Worner did well to claw away. Llera hadn’t learnt his lesson and soon pulled himself miles out of position to ineffectually challenge Nurse again, who cut inside before almost beating Worner with a speculative ball into the far post.

Half-time came and went, presumably with a certain Spanish centre-back receiving a healthy amount of “encouragement” from his manager. Whatever did happen, it didn’t have the desired effect. Accepting Fry’s suspicious throw, he spooned the ball straight up in the air to Savage who knocked it down for Scannell. The beardy winger dug out a cross and, when Dailly let it run, Green needed no second invitation to hammer a sweet strike into the top corner.

Nurse soon spurned a chance for his second double of the season, and Doe came as close as he ever has in the red and blue, heading against the angle of post and bar. The unexpectedly subdued Nouble passed up a good chance at the other end, heading wide from a few yards, although he did have the final word in the last minute. Arber’s clearance fortuitously bounced off Femi straight to Wright-Phillips, who crossed low for Nouble to fire in from a yard or two.

It was a very good performance from the Daggers with every player doing their job on the day. Charlton were understandably furious with their side’s efforts, seeing them from the pitch with a chorus of boos.

Indeed it was the perfect prelude for a trip to in-form Leyton Orient, who were an incredible 17 games unbeaten in their own housing estate in all competitions. Unsurprisingly we were unchanged, although it wasn’t quite the same start as Saturday with Orient starting the better, mainly through irritating wasp Dean Cox. Buzzing off his flank, he fired a 20 yard effort just wide and another over from similar distance.

But it was the Daggers who took the lead somewhat against the run of play. Vincelot won the ball 25 yards out to feed Green who played a lovely one-two with Scannell before touching past Jones and scoring into the empty net. The lead was only intact at the break thanks to a fabulous save from Roberts though. Tehoue found himself through on goal but the Daggers keeper was out quickly to narrow the angle and plunge to his left. The rest of the half passed mainly with Orient playing keep-ball across their back line.

The second half started with Cox again at the forefront, weaving past 3 Daggers players before forcing a good save from Roberts. He could probably count himself lucky to still be on the pitch though after a wild lunge at Doe in the first half thankfully failed to make contact.

With the Daggers beginning to press higher up the pitch, Orient were still attempting to keep the ball in defence. The warning came when Gain nicked it away and galloped towards goal, firing just wide of the near post. At the other end Dawson found space to fire one just wide of Roberts’ post, but the best chance of all fell to substitute Marvin Morgan. Green had plenty of time to whip a low ball across the face of goal, and when the lanky striker met it 4 yards out, there was only one outcome. To see the ball squirm wide of the post left the visiting support agog.

And with just injury time left, Orient squeaked out an equaliser. Doe’s header hit the back of McGleish’s head and fell for M’Poku who had got goal-side of Femi. The young defender desperately tried to recover, but could do nothing as the forward took a theatrical tumble. It looked untidy at the time from 100 yards away, but really the referee should have seen what the replays confirm – it was a dive. To make matters worse, Femi was shown the red card before McGleish coolly netted the spot kick.

In the cold light of day it was a bonus point, but a sickener nonetheless.

Feeling hard done-by going into Saturday’s key clash with former giants Sheffield Wednesday, McCrory replaced the suspended Femi. Whether it was tiredness or simply the effect of two struggling sides desperate to avoid defeat, everything about the first half felt flat.

The opening goal befitted the fare on offer – giant Jones won a long throw and Teale was left unmarked to nod the loose ball past Roberts. It was ill deserved, and from then on the visitors seemed content to protect this narrow lead with O’Donnell in particular taking an age over every kick. The only chance of a reply for the Daggers came from Nurse who got up well in front of O’Donnell from McCrory’s lofted cross but handled the ball in the process of scoring, the effort ruled out by the officials.

Despite an improved Daggers showing in the second half, chances were still at a premium with Nurse’s flicked header not carrying enough power to trouble the keeper. It took until ten minutes from time to secure the equaliser, from a hotly disputed penalty. Currie’s cross was batted away by a trailing Sedgwick arm, for one of those 50/50 decisions. Thankfully it was given and Green stepped up confidently to score despite waiting for several minutes whilst players followed the referee around the pitch.

Perhaps in way of recompense we were then penalised by a series of poor decisions, best illustrated when debutant Lancaster conceded a free kick after being pushed by one Wednesday player into another, or when Nurse was bundled to the floor but told to get up. With Megson jumping up and down on the sideline and directing all manner of abuse towards the officials, he was finally sent to the stands but not before Roberts dug out a brilliant save low to his right from Potter’s fierce drive.

Both sides had late flourishes, but a point was probably fair in terms of chances even though the Daggers had better territory throughout much of the game.

Even after the match Megson couldn’t contain himself, insinuating that John Still had influenced the referee at half-time. Well Gary, one debateable penalty decision doesn’t explain the negativity of your own side, and nor does it mean we were favoured by the officials after having to endure numerous nonsensical decisions ourselves. And perhaps when you next see a manager talking politely to a referee rather than ranting in his ear, you could learn some decorum rather than make derisive comments about it.

Still, let this take nothing away from another valuable point and our continued run of form. With Brighton up next, it isn’t getting any easier!

Bristol Rovers played host for the first game of March, one of the biggest matches of the season. Thankfully Scott Doe returned in the middle of defence after injury, meaning Vincelot could resume in midfield. With both clubs desperately trying to avoid the clutches of League Two, neither settled immediately but the home side had the best early chance. Hughes forced a strong-handed save before Howe somehow hit the stricken Roberts with the rebound and Hoskins scooped against the bar.

After this let-off, it was the Daggers who started to make inroads and wasted a glorious chance of their own when Taiwo headed over from 6 yards. It was another one of those days for Sol who has struggled for consistency since his return, putting in a spectrum of good and bad performances.

However the game was turned decisively in our favour with seconds of the half remaining. Nurse done well to hold off Coles’ man-handling, before slipping the ball in Vincelot’s path. With Jerel Ifil having a lot of ground to make up, Romain just touched the ball away from him, drawing the foul right on the edge of the box. Ifil was given his marching orders, handing family bragging rights to his brother Phil who returned to the Daggers side for this game. Whilst Gain desperately pressed our case for a penalty, it mattered little as Green stepped up to crash the ball into the top corner of the net from 18 yards.

The second period saw Rovers twice correctly denied by the offside flag before the Daggers tried to seize the numerical advantage by bringing on ex-Bristol City man Savage. Once again subjected to prolonged abuse as he had been in our previous meeting, it didn’t stop him finding space to force a superb save from Logan to keep the Pirates alive.

However Logan could do nothing soon after as Vincelot was afforded the freedom of the box to meet Green’s corner and score yet another headed goal to seal the win.

The chance for some momentum came just a few days later as Colchester made the short trip to Victoria Road. With the U’s comfortable in mid-table, their away record is surprisingly poor and a Saturday defeat at the hands of Southampton meant we perhaps had the edge going into the game.

One change saw Savage return in Currie’s place, but rather than partner Nurse in a 2-pronged attack, Nurse played more as a left-winger with Gain narrow in a 3-man midfield. It mattered little to big Bas, who took just 11 minutes to latch onto a loose ball after Vincelot’s superb persistence and bury the ball beyond Williams.

With the Daggers threatening to take full control, Green firing wide after a lovely ball from Taiwo, the attacks became more sporadic with the game turning into something of a stalemate. The visitors offered surprisingly little, only a decent effort from Bond troubling Roberts at all before the break. In fact, he looked in more danger from Arber who almost lifted a header over his own goalkeeper.

The second half carried on in a similar vein, Nurse going close with a header and a low drive into Williams’ arms, before Wordsworth wasted the best chance when lifting over Roberts and the crossbar. Thankfully though the rest of the game passed by in blissful boredom as both sides seemingly settled for 1-0 and we moved 3 points closer to safety.

With the monkey of having not won consecutive games off our backs, and having moved out of the bottom 4 for the first time since early October, another nervy relegation battle followed at new incumbents of last place, Swindon.

Belying their lowly position, Swindon were quick out of the blocks and set about playing the ball cleverly from back to front and peppering the Daggers box with crosses. The best chance fell to Prutton who was sent clear but superbly foiled by Roberts.

Coming back into the game with two low crosses Vincelot couldn’t quite reach, it seemed we had weathered the storm until a rare error from Mr Consistency Abu Ogogo gifted the Robins the lead. There seemed little danger from a high ball forwards, but Ogogo let it bounce twice and suddenly Grella was in to expertly lift over Roberts.

Towards the start of the second half, Savage had a good penalty shout turn down when he attempted to score his own lobbed effort but was knocked over by Frampton. A surging run from Vincelot then saw Savage almost get lucky with a cross-shot which was tipped over the bar, and then a corner caused mayhem in the box with Arber and Nurse brilliantly shut out with brave blocks.

Roberts had to keep us in the game though with a quite brilliant save from former Dagger Matt Ritchie, who cut in from the right and unleashed a curler which looked destined for the top corner until Roberts’ intervention.

Just when it seemed we were about to return to losing ways, a piece of opportunism from the reborn Nurse grabbed a point. Gain’s volley was miscued down into the turf and looped up nicely for our Barbados international to nod over Smith. We then survived a late penalty appeal when Ritchie went over, but Vincelot had toed the ball away and thankfully the referee was well placed, unlike our contingent of fans whose perspective hinted at a foul.

So a great run of results for the Daggers puts us in a strong position, albeit with some very tough games on the horizon. Starting with Charlton this weekend, it is a chance to keep this run going. Come on you Daggers!