The Sleeping & The Dead Are But in Pictures : Taking the Daggers to the Top

[Eldritch7]

Aeons ago (well, last October), I started a Dagenham & Redbridge story. it crashed, so i started an Orient story. This crashed too, so i vowed never to do another one (at least til I got a new computer). However, having started another Dagenham game & actually got somewhere, I began to think about turning it into a story, jotting down notes here & there and saving the odd bit of data. However, it was only when i noticed that Donners had returned to the Diamonds that i decided to write it up; there was a nice symmetry in that his first Rushden story had inspired me to do the first of my own...

Anyway, with ten seasons and nineteen days of game time behind me, (which gives you an idea of how slow my PC is ), this is the story of the Daggers & there assault on the League...

TECHNICAL BIT

CM01/02 v3.69 without editors etc. I let the game run for a season just so that there'd be a bit of mystery to it, although I left it running too long & actually only got back to it at the end of August 02. At this point the Daggers are 2nd in the Conference with three wins & two draws from their first five games (so it worked out quite well in the end...).

[Eldritch7]

Aeons ago (well, last October), I started a Dagenham & Redbridge story. it crashed, so i started an Orient story. This crashed too, so i vowed never to do another one (at least til I got a new computer). However, having started another Dagenham game & actually got somewhere, I began to think about turning it into a story, jotting down notes here & there and saving the odd bit of data. However, it was only when i noticed that Donners had returned to the Diamonds that i decided to write it up; there was a nice symmetry in that his first Rushden story had inspired me to do the first of my own...

Anyway, with ten seasons and nineteen days of game time behind me, (which gives you an idea of how slow my PC is ), this is the story of the Daggers & there assault on the League...

TECHNICAL BIT

CM01/02 v3.69 without editors etc. I let the game run for a season just so that there'd be a bit of mystery to it, although I left it running too long & actually only got back to it at the end of August 02. At this point the Daggers are 2nd in the Conference with three wins & two draws from their first five games (so it worked out quite well in the end...).

[Eldritch7]

Aeons ago (well, last October), I started a Dagenham & Redbridge story. it crashed, so i started an Orient story. This crashed too, so i vowed never to do another one (at least til I got a new computer). However, having started another Dagenham game & actually got somewhere, I began to think about turning it into a story, jotting down notes here & there and saving the odd bit of data. However, it was only when i noticed that Donners had returned to the Diamonds that i decided to write it up; there was a nice symmetry in that his first Rushden story had inspired me to do the first of my own...

Anyway, with ten seasons and nineteen days of game time behind me, (which gives you an idea of how slow my PC is ), this is the story of the Daggers & there assault on the League...

TECHNICAL BIT

CM01/02 v3.69 without editors etc. I let the game run for a season just so that there'd be a bit of mystery to it, although I left it running too long & actually only got back to it at the end of August 02. At this point the Daggers are 2nd in the Conference with three wins & two draws from their first five games (so it worked out quite well in the end...).

[Eldritch7]

Aeons ago (well, last October), I started a Dagenham & Redbridge story. it crashed, so i started an Orient story. This crashed too, so i vowed never to do another one (at least til I got a new computer). However, having started another Dagenham game & actually got somewhere, I began to think about turning it into a story, jotting down notes here & there and saving the odd bit of data. However, it was only when i noticed that Donners had returned to the Diamonds that i decided to write it up; there was a nice symmetry in that his first Rushden story had inspired me to do the first of my own...

Anyway, with ten seasons and nineteen days of game time behind me, (which gives you an idea of how slow my PC is ), this is the story of the Daggers & there assault on the League...

TECHNICAL BIT

CM01/02 v3.69 without editors etc. I let the game run for a season just so that there'd be a bit of mystery to it, although I left it running too long & actually only got back to it at the end of August 02. At this point the Daggers are 2nd in the Conference with three wins & two draws from their first five games (so it worked out quite well in the end...).

[Eldritch7]

Chingford & Waltham Forest Guardian, Aug 29, 2002

Ex Orient Man is Surprise Choice for Daggers

Dagenham and Redbridge have announced that their long awaited new manager is former Orient youth team coach Rich Wellard. Wellard, 24, becomes the youngest manager in the Conference, after leading the Os youngsters to the double in his first full season in charge. In a press conference yesterday, the new boss outlined his plans for the club.

' I've been speaking to the board & they agree that last season's eighth place was a major disappointment. We decided that the club needed to bring in some new blood in order to realise its dream of league football, so you can expect a lot of comings and goings over the next few weeks. I feel this club can really achieve something with a bit of effort. I've actually got a ten year plan in mind, at the end of which the Daggers are in the Premiership. The chairman found this quite funny for some reason...'

Many observers have queried the appointment of such an inexperienced manager, but the new man clearly has lofty aspirations. Caretaker manager Mark Stein will become his assistant, although it is likely Wellard will want his own man in the job.

Dagenham Recorder 30/08/02

Hill makes shock return to Victoria Road

New Dagenham manager today surprised everyone by appointing his predecessor Garry Hill as his assistant. Hill, 46, who quit as Daggers boss in June, was apparently asked back due to his long standing association with the club & his close relationship with the players.

[Eldritch7]

Yahoo Mail (dated 31/08/02)

Message: Hill

From : Rich

Re : Players. cf Oh Bugger.

Garry

Watched the lads train today. Here is my honest assessment of the senior squad.

Goalkeepers

Paul Gothard, GK, Age 28

Paul is clearly the best keeper on our books. But seeing as the backup is probably you, that's not saying a lot. To be fair, Paul isn't bad at this level, but he does seem to have a worrying tendency to let in goals in groups (not a lot of 1-0 defeats last year, were there.) A new keeper is a must, probably two, but Paul should stick around as cover for a bit.

Defenders

Billy Jones, DL, 19

I used to have Billy in my Orient youth side. Only occasionally though. I see he's still pretty useless. Transfer list him.

Mark Rooney, DRC, 24

Unfortunately, in terms of footballing ability, Mark is some way away from his young namesake Wayne. Or Mickey, come to think of it. Put him on the list too.

Enso Sylvestre, 20, DC

Riiight. Close the door on your way out, mate. List.

Steven Clegg, DR, 20

Unlike most of our defenders, Steve can pass. Not to our guys though. Transfer list.

Billy Mead, DR, 21

For gods sake, isn't there anyone at this club who can bloody tackle? List!

Kevin Harrison, DRC, 16

Right, we'll hang onto Kevin. Not cause he's any good or anything controversial like that. I just don't have the heart to chuck out a kid of his age. Yet.

Eddie Saunders, DC, 20

Jesus, he's the worst yet! I'm quicker than him & i've got a dodgy knee. It might be an idea for me to come out of retirement if this is an indication of the quality of players we've got. Transfer list. Not that anyone will want him.

Matthew Taylor, DDMC, 28

...and he doesn't even have time on his side. List him.

Kenny Simpson, DL, 19

Oh good, a left back. With no left foot. Or tackling ability. Or pace. Or skill. Hmm. We might have to keep him around for comedy value. Ask him if he can make tea.

Andy Farley, DC, 22

Oh My...this guy's actually not bad! Yes, he can tackle a bit, and head the ball, and run faster than my nan. Make him club captain.

Lee Goodwin, DDMRC, 23

Actually Lee's not bad either. He's a decent attacking full back, which is just what we need. Good to see its not all bad news. Just mostly.

Overall opinion on the defence : We need one.

Need a lie down. Will communicate rest of squad later.

Rich

Message : Rich

From : Hill

Re : Squad

Now you know why i resigned...

[Eldritch7]

Message : Hill

From : Rich

Re : Squad

OK, i think I can continue now...

MIDFIELDERS

Steve Forbes, DMRC, 26

The first thing Steve said to me when i met him was that he wanted to leave. Never let it be said i stand in the way of players who don't want to play for the club. Especially when they're mediocre. Bye then.

Peter Clarke, DML, 17

Another young left sided player without a left foot. By process of elimination (ie coin ****), Peter can leave...

Kieron Gallacher, AMRC, 23

Kieron looks to be a decent enough player. Not good enough to build a team around but certainly worth keeping. That's four so far then...

Chris Baird, DMC, 21

A defensive midfielder is absolutely vital to the way my teams play the game. Chris is not a defensive midfielder, despite what he says. Transfer list.

Jason Broom, MC, 30

Interesting one this. how does a man with so little discernible footballing talent spend five seasons at a 'professional' football club (using the term in the loosest possible sense, of course). Well, no longer. Get rid of him.

Paul Terry, MC, 23

Such a pity he isn't as good as his younger brother John. Then again, if he was, he'd hardly be stuck at the Daggers, would he? Promising, though; another probable first teamer.

Mark Lennon, DMC, 22

Where have all these bloody jokers come from? Why do we continue to pay them money even though they'd struggle to play in the Jewson Wessex League (or similar)? Transfer list.

Jamie Pitman, MC, 20

Jamie seems to have a little bit of talent. Not enough to stay here, though. See if anyone wants him on loan, if not, list him.

Lee Fowler, DMC, 19

Lee looks like the closest thing we have to a star player. Doubt he'll be here for long, then. A definite starter while he is.

Steve Vaughan, MC, 20

Steve is borderline...not good enough to play, too good to discard (yet). Give him a season in the reserves & see if he shapes up.

Ronnie Green, AMFRC, 20

Ronnie is probably just about good enough to be a back up. That isn't the same thing as being actually good, i'm just clutching at straws here. Keep him until we find someone better.

Phil Gibson, AMFC, 20

He can shoot straight. It's sad that that's enough to make him worth keeping but there you go...

Mark Janney, MR, 23

A winger who can run andcross? I feel honoured...seriously, though, Mark should see a fair bit of action this season, hopefully his pace will frighten some people.

STRIKERS

Mark Stein, SC, 36

The closest thing we have to a proper 'name'. Mark is a long way from his glory days at Chelsea, and his days of leading the line are probably gone. But he still jumps well for a little bloke, and you never forget how to shoot. Unless your name's Adi Akinbiyi of course. Hopefully we'll get one more season out of Steino before he calls it a day.

Junior McDougald, SC, 29

Ah, another of my old Orient mates. Nice to see Junior can still play; in fact, he looks better than ever. He should always get goals at this level, although if we do go up he might begin to struggle.

Paul Piscopides, SC, 22

Paul's arguably the best striker on our books, and he's already got four this season. Unfortunately the big(ger) boys want him. Burnley and Millwall have both put in bids. Offer him a new contract, but if he has to go, squeeze every last penny out of him you can...we need some transfer funds.

Tony Lock, SC, 20

Every so often you watch a player in training and can tell he's going to be special. everything he touches turns to gold, you feel priveleged to work with him. Unfortunately, Tony isn't that player. In fact, he's rubbish. Transfer list.

Mark King, SC, 15

Are we even allowed to employ fifteen year olds? Oh well. He's not a lot of cop but he's got eighteen years to improve so we may as well give him a chance.

Overall, then, we need to strengthen just about everywhere. Two keepers, half a dozen defenders, a couple of left sided midfielders and possibly even a striker or two. Better call up every trialist in Western Europe and invite them in. No, seriously.

[Eldritch7]

Yahoo Sport, 1/9/02

Palace man joins Daggers on loan

Crystal Palace defensive midfielder Steve Thomson has joined Dagenham and Redbridge on a four month loan, as the first signing for new boss Rich Wellard. thomson is likely to go straight into the team for tomorrow's game at Farnborough. Dagenham are currently running the rule over no less than nineteen trialists with a view to permanent contracts. They have also released centre backs Enso Sylvestre and Eddie Saunders; the latter is currently training with Hereford.

Extracted from 'A Dagger to the Heart; The Autobiography' by Rich Wellard (published September 2010)

There's something about your first game in charge of a side. It doesn't matter what level you play at, and who the opposition is. It gives you a buzz quite unlike any other to see your lads running out on the hallowed turf to do your bidding, knowing that you and they hold the destiny of the club and its thousands of supporters in your hands. This buzz is only slightly dimmed by the inevitable realisation that you've sent out a bunch of no hopers at a decrepit ground in front of nineteen people. The trick is to ensure that your no hopers are marginally less clueless than the other guys. And that the crappy ground is someone elses. First rule of football management; always suck less in every respect than the opposition. When you get to the big leagues, then you can worry about competence.

Dagenham Recorder, 3/2/02

Confident Daggers ease past Borough

Farnborough Town 0 Dagenham & Redbridge 2

New Daggers boss Rich Wellard saw his charges get off to the perfect start with a comfortable away win over Farnborough. Two goals in a man of the match performance from young striker Paul Piscopides proved sufficient to earn the away side the points. After the game Wellard acknowledged the result but admitted that the performance was a little disappointing. 'I felt we always had this one in the bag, but i was a bit worried that Paul looked to be our only threat up front. it's looking increasingly likely that he'll be gone before the next game, so we need to find some goals elsewhere. Still, i was quite pleased with the side as a whole, especially considering the number of new players i'm planning to introduce; any points with the current personnel is something of an achievement!'

Recorder Ratings : (4-1-2-1-2) Gothard 9; Clegg 7, Farley 8, Thomson© 7, Goodwin 8; Fowler 9; Lock 6, Janney 7; Gallagher 7; Stein 7, Piscopides 9. Subs Terry 7, Green 7, Rooney 6.

Goals Piscopides 11, 58

[Eldritch7]

Chingford & Waltham Forest Guardian, 5/9/02

Wellard shows intent with transfer flurry

The Victoria Road revolution kicked off in earnest this week, with confirmation of no less than eleven transfers released by the club office. Eight of these are new arrivals to a squad new boss Rich Wellard is reportedly less than impressed with. They are goalkeeper Greg Bass, defenders David Heath & Keith Martin, and forwards Kevin Richardson, Alan Kinsella, Tommy Douglas, David Henderson and Yannick Kamanan. All have arrived on free transfers, and are largely second year yts trainees, although Kinsella and Kamanan are former Academy players at Leeds and Tottenham respectively. The outgoing players have all been for fees, giving Wellard a small transfer kitty for the future. foremost amongst them was striker Paul Piscopides, who has completed his oft rumoured move to First Division Burnley for 110k. Also off is midfielder Steve Forbes, the recipient of an unexpected 70k bid from Coventry, as well as fellow midfielders Mark Lennon & Peter Clarke. Lennon leaves for Margate for a nominal fee, while Clarke makes a 3k move to Serie D side Locri.

www.daggersonline.net

Player portraits

It's been tricky to keep track of the comings and goings at Victoria Road this week. Few Daggers fans are happy at the loss of Paul Piscopides, but the money should come in handy so we wont complain too much. However, we, like everyone else, know very little about the new arrivals, so we sent our roving reporter to talk to Rich Wellard about his new signings.

Greg Bass, GK, 15

Ok, so Greg's a bit young for professional football, but we need a backup keeper immediately and he's definitely got talent. Keep an eye on him, i reckon he could go far.

Kevin Richardson, FR, 17

Kevin's an old fashioned centre forward, big, strong and good in the air. i'm not convinced he'll amount to anything but he shows enough promise to be worth a punt.

David Heath, DRLC, 19

Dave's biggest asset is his versatility; he's two footed and happy anywhere along the back line. It's doubtful he'll be much more than a useful sub but you never know...

Alan kinsella, SC, 17

As a former Leeds trainee, Alan's made a big step downwards, both in footballing and geographical terms. His great strength is his pace; he's one of the quickest at the club. he needs to work on his shooting but he's got a lot of potential for a 17 year old.

Tommy Douglas, SC, 20

i've brought Tommy in to add squad depth; its doubtful he'll displace Mark Stein or Junior, but he's a solid back up who looks a decent goal poacher.

David Henderson, AMRC, 18

i've got a really good feeling about David, he looks to have the makings of a quality player. He had a few first team appearances with Scarborough last season but I reckon in a season or two you could be seeing him regularly here.

Keith Martin, DLC, 16

Left footed left backs are such a rare commodity i tend to pick them up if they've got a modicum of talent. Keith looks a decent player, he could even get some first team action this year.

Yannick Kamanan, SC, 21

I'm not sure what to make of Yannick. He's got bags of ability but he's one of the laziest players i've ever seen (typical Frenchman ). If he applies himself he could be very useful. If he doesn't he'll be on his way back across the channel faster than you can say 'sacre bleu'. Or something.

Wellard also made it clear that this was just the beginning. 'Look on me as Harry Redknapp's younger, more profligate brother', he remarked. 'I want a big squad at the club, but i'm still going to get rid of at least half the players we had when i arrived. don't be surprised if you see another dozen new faces by the end of next month.' DO hopes there's a few more obvious first teamers than have turned up so far...

[Eldritch7]

Dagenham Recorder, 10/09/02

Daggers blow two goal lead to remain second

Dagenham missed out on a chance to go top of the conference yesterday, as they drew 2-2 at Victoria road against struggling Runcorn. Early goals from Lee Goodwin & Kieron Gallagher had the home side on cruise control for much of the game, but defensive lapses in the second period allowed rookie striker Roger Benn to grab two goals for a Runcorn side who rarely threatened. Daggers boss Rich Wellard was disappointed in the performance, although he insisted it was still early days. 'we're still unbeaten, and this was almost the same side that we played last week, so i'm not downhearted. There's clearly work to do at the back but we'll get that sorted sooner rather than later'.

Young striker Yannick Kamanan failed to impress on his full debut, although loan signing Steve Thomson looks a shrewd acquisition. None of the other new boys played, although Wellard insists that first teamers are his main priority.

Recorder Ratings (4-1-2-1-2) Gothard 6; Clegg 6, Farley 6, Thomson© 7, Goodwin 7; Fowler 8; Broom 7, Terry 7; Gallacher 8; Stein 7, Kamanan 6. Subs Rooney 6, Janney 7, Green 7.

MOM Benn (Runcorn)

Goals : Goodwin 4, Gallacher 19, Benn 68, 84

www.daggersonline.net

Daggers boss Rich Wellard has announced the arrival of two more free transfers following yesterday's match. They are;

Leon Hese, DC, 23

Leon was released last year by his hometown club, PSV Eindhoven. He's skilful for a centre back, if a little lightweight, but he should feature.

Juan Antonio Garai, DMC, 15

I'm delighted to have picked up Juan, there were some bigger clubs interested in him. He looks to be a real find, especially at his age. despite his youth i'd have no hesitation at playing him in the first team this season, and i reckon he's a star of the future.

[Lionel_Perez]

Nice start. Good luck with taking the mockneys into the league

[Guest Skorne]

Nice =)

I dont really read any of these stories, but as i have currently gotten The Daggers into the premiership and just survived my 1st season - i thought this would be interesting.

*I do think you have too much spare time on your hands though*

[Eldritch7]

LP - Cheers, feedback appreciated as always, especially from a lower league legend like yourself

Skorne - always good to hear from fellow Daggers bosses - you'll have to wait a while to see if i've achieved the Ten Year Premiership plan, though. Let me know how things are going every so often...

Dagenham Recorder, 11/9/03

Daggers scrape win to go top

Nuneaton Borough 1 Dagenham & Redbridge 2

Daggers continued their unbeaten start to the season with a cagey win that takes them top of the Conference after eight games. Nuneaton striker Lee Cook opened the scoring for the home side, but the Reds were soon on terms thanks to a close range effort from Mark Stein. The second half was a very even affair, with both sides hitting the woodwork, but Daggers snatched the points thanks to a last gasp debut goal from forward Colin McMennamin. Just eighteen hours after signing a contract with the club, the former Newcastle youngster popped up with a close range header to win the game. His manager Rich Wellard praised his latest acquisition after the game;

'I've got big plans for Colin, he's quick and skilful and his final delivery is excellent. Until Junior (Mc Dougald) iis fit, he'll play up front, but after that i might give him a run out in the hole behind the two front men. I was pleased with his contribution today but there's definitely more to come.'

Recorder Ratings (4-1-2-1-2) Gothard 6; Clegg 7, Heath 7, Farley© 8, Goodwin 7; Fowler 8; pitman 6, Terry 7; Gallagher 7; Stein 7, McMennamin 8. Subs Richardson 6, Green 6, Kamanan 7.

MOM Cook (Nuneaton)

Goals :

Cook 31, Stein 42, McMennamin 89.

www.daggersonline.net. 13/9/03

Yet more movement at Victoria Road, as new boss Rich Wellard attempts to build a Conference winning squad. No less than four players left the club yesterday; defenders Billy Jones & Mark Rooney on free transfers (Jones has already signed for Hampton & Richmond), midfielder Jason Broom has joined Lincoln, also for free, and long serving Matthew Taylor has moved west to Cheltenham for 12k. In contrast, only one player has moved to the Road (not including last week's debut hero Colin McMennamin), namely 17 year old midfielder Chris Jackson. Here at DO we're pleased to see the new boss building for the future, but a little concerned that we're yet to see a proven league player arrive. Still, plenty of time for that, and in the meantime our league form is very solid (Top of the League!).

[Eldritch7]

Dagenham Recorder, 15/9/03

Daggers winning run sunk by Southport

Dagenham & Redbridge 1 Southport 4

The Daggers slumped to a poor defeat at home to Southport yesterday, their first defeat of the season. the home side were never in it during the first half, with 'Port racing to a three nil lead after only seventeen minutes, with a brace from Edwards and a penalty from Parker, following a foul from Andy Farley that saw the Dagenham man sent off. Daggers came out better in the second period, and Colin McMennamin made it two in two games for the club with an excellent solo run and shot. however, any hhope they had of salvaging something was dashed when Lee Fowler pulled back Edwards in the box for a second penalty, and second sending off, of the night. Parker duly converted his second spot kick and the nine men were fortunate not to concede more.

After the game Rich Wellard vented his anger on both the team and the officials;

'I thought we were diabolical out there in the first half...you don't give anyone a three nil lead at home, but our defending was shambolic at times, i think we were lucky not to be further behind at half time. We came out better in the second but the ref finished us by sending Lee off when there was clearly no contact. We will appeal but i doubt it'll achieve anything, and to be honest we got what we deserved tonight. I'm going to tell the players that i never want to see a performance like that again, or there'll be even more changes ahead'.

Recorder Ratings (4-1-2-1-2) Gothard 7; Clegg 7, Heath 6, Farley© 6, Goodwin 6; Garai 6; Terry 6, Fowler 7; Gallagher 6; Stein 6, McMennamin 8. Subs Bass 6, Kamanan 6, Richardson 6.

MOM Parker (Southport)

Goals : McMennamin 48, Edwards 3, 17, Parker 12 (pen), 77, (pen).

www.daggersonline.net

Following the Southport debacle, Andy Farley and Lee Fowler have been banned for 3 and 1 games respectively; these suspensions will come into play following the home game with Leigh RMI on the 24th of September. Even worse, keeper Paul Gothard picked up a minor thigh strain in the game, and faces a struggle to be fit for Telford next week.

www.daggersonline.net. 19/9/03

Daggers reserves played a couple of friendly games this week. On Tuesday they beat Atherstone United 3-0, with goals from trialist Finbar Lynch and a double for Ronnie Green. This afternoon they beat Arnold Town by the same score, Green netting again, along with goals from trialist Mark Hicks and youngster Steven Webster. The idea behind these two games appears to have been to find new players, as Rich Wellard fielded teams consisting largely of trialists for both fixtures. DO's dedicated reporter was (alone) at the games and suggests there was little to take from them, other than the fact that reserve keeper Greg Bass looks to be a real find.

20/09

Following the two friendlies Rich Wellard has reportedly offered short contracts to two of the players on show, namely versatile ex Leeds man Finbar Lynch and striker Steven Webster. More news on these potential transfers as we get it...

[Eldritch7]

Dagenham Recorder, 22/9/03

Telford steal points to leave Wellard fuming.

Telford 3 Dagenham & Redbridge 2

Dagenham were the victims of a second poor refereeing decision inside of a week, as Telford United snatched the win with a clearly offside goal six minutes into injury time. Things started so well for the Daggers, with centre back Andy Farley making some amends for his sending off last weekend with a bullet header from Gallagher's corner. Telford came back quickly through on loan Chelsea striker Leon Knight, but the Daggers were back in the lead and well on top after Junior McDougald, returning from a three month lay off, volleyed home Stein's pass. The away side looked to have the points sealed, but a fumble from Gothard (still shaking off a minor injury) let in winger Chris Edge for a scrappy equaliser. Worse was to come as Knight grabbed the winner despite being at least ten yards offside. Despite the defeat Daggers manager Rich Wellard was defiantly upbeat;

'I can't really complain too much about that one...we've been robbed of victory by the linesman but i can't say much more without getting into trouble...the lads didn't look bad out there, though, and i was especially pleased to have Junior back and firing; he scored a great goal and i reckon he'll be vital to us this season.'

The defeat leaves Daggers in third place.

Recorder Ratings (4-1-2-1-2) Gothard 5; Heath 7, Farley© 8, Hese 6, Goodwin 7; Garai 7; Green 7, Fowler 6; Gallagher 7; Stein 6, McDougald 8. Subs Kamanan 7, McMennamin 7.

MOM McDougald

Goals Knight 33, 90, Edge 81. Farley 17, McDougald 50

Dagenham Recorder, 25/09/03

Lowly Leigh make it three losses in a row for Daggers

Dagenham & redbridge 1 Leigh RMI 2

Daggers turned in a poor performance to lose a second home game on the spin against 19th placed Leigh. The game was decided in the first twenty minutes as veteran forward Graham Fenton grabbed two scrappy goals in the early stages. The rest of the game was all Daggers as they barraged Leigh keeper Andy Chapman with effort after effort, but all they had to show for it was a twenty five yard screamer from the increasingly impressive Colin McMennamin. the Geordie hit the post as well, as did McDougald and Terry, but Daggers simply couldn't make their superiority tell. a visibly miffed Rich Wellard offered no comment on the defeat, which leaves Daggers in fifth place in the Conference, and in danger of losing touch with leaders Barnet and Scarborough.

Recorder Ratings (4-1-2-1-2) Gothard 6; Broom 6, Hese 7, Farley© 8, Goodwin 6; Fowler 6; Terry 8, McMennamin 7; Gallagher 7; McDougald 7, Stein 6. Subs Thomson 8, Richardson 6, Kamanan 6.

MOM Fenton (Leigh)

Goals : Fenton 4, 19. Mc Mennamin 47

[Eldritch7]

Dagenham Recorder 29/09/03

Stein miss costs Daggers point

Northwich Victoria 2 Dagenham & Redbridge 1

A late penalty miss by Mark Stein saw the Daggers slump to a fourth consecutive defeat that leaves them eighth in the Conference. Having taken the lead early on through a Paul Terry header, two more costly errors from Paul Gothard saw the Daggers fail yet again to hold on to an early lead. On 55 minutes Gothard failed to hold a Tony Croft header, which was bundled in by Mark Jackson from the rebound. Seven minutes later the keeper allowed a speculative effort from full back Jason Gavin to go under his body. Stein had a chance to equalise with nine minutes left but he blazed his spot kick over the bar.

Manager Rich Wellard was unusually philosophical about the defeat; 'It's a bit of a worry, definitely...four losses in a row is hardly the form we need to show if we want to get anywhere in this league. Having said that we were a bit unfortunate today; if Steino had scored and Paul Gothard hadn't had a bit of a 'mare we could have won easily'.

Wellard has also implied to Daggers fans that his squad rebuilding is far from over. 'Expect some more new faces in the next month or two. I'm rebuilding this club from the bottom up and there're bound to be teething problems. Once we break this losing streak we'll be fine'.

Recorder Ratings (4-1-2-1-2) Gothard 4; Martin 6, Hese 4, Thomson©7, Goodwin 5; Garai 5; Terry 7, McMennamin 8; Gallagher 7; McDougald 6, Stein 6. Subs Bass 7, Heath 7, Douglas 8.

MOM McMennamin

Goals Jackson 55, Gavin 62, Terry 17

www.daggersonline.net 30/09/03

RICH'S RANT

Welcome to the first in a monthly series of columns about the state of the Daggers by me, Rich Wellard. This column will hopefully give me a chance to let you all know what's been going on at the club over the preceeding weeks, and give you a clue as to what happens next.

Obviously i'm quite disappointed by the way things have gone since I took over. Although we started the month well, things went downhill pretty quickly and we're a few points adrift of the top as I write this. Still, it's early days, Rome wasn't built in a day etc. (note to self; don't use cliches); i'm confident we can turn things round sooner rather than later. Most of the lads have been turning in decent performances, we just need some luck.

Most of the fans i've spoken to have asked me why i'm buying so many young players. Despite what some of you reckon, i'm not running an Essex-wide stable of rent boys under the cover of a respectable football club. The simple answer is that it makes financial sense. A teenage prospect tends to want a tenth of the wages of a seasoned professional, and we simply can't afford to bring in experienced heads at the moment. It'll come; i've got about 150k of transfer funds to spend, and i'm intending to use them for wages and signing on fees rather than transfer fees. Of course, relatively few league players are interested in a move into the Conference (which is why promotion is a must). Having said that, i've got a surprise or two coming next month...but you'll have to wait and see.

I'm glad to see how well some of the lads are doing at the moment, and not just the ones i've brought in. Junior McDougald is looking every bit as good a player as he did when we were together at Brisbane Road, and i'll stick my neck out and pick him as our top scorer this season. Lee Fowler & Adam Farley are looking capable of great things, sendings off aside, while i've been impressed with the start Colin McMennamin has made. See, its not all bad news!

Anyway, next month is going to be an important one for us, even though there's only four games. We need to start winning, and where better than at home to Hereford on Saturday? The FA Cup qualifier against Bishop Auckland is also an improtant one for us; a cup run'll give us some much needed funds.

Until next month,then.

[BobBev]

Good start Eldritch7. I like the mix of newspaper-style reporting and the less formal daggersonline style.

[Eldritch7]

BobBev - Cheers, glad you're enjoying it so far. I almost wrote the whole thing as a giant, episodic screenplay, but it looked a bit limited. This way i can pretty much write in whichever style i choose

www.daggersonline.net. 3/10/02

Stop Press - Daggers spend money!

Rich Wellard today announced four further signings for his growing squad...including his first two cash deals for players. He talked to us about the latest arrivals.

James Coppinger, SC, 21. 45k from Newcastle

Colin McMennamin told us about one of his former team mates who was looking for a move down south. I sent my scouts to look at him and they suggested he was worth a try. James is a good old fashioned centre forward, good in the air and with a great right foot. My only concerns are his stamina & commitment but hopefully after a few months they'll start to improve.

Scott Marshall, DC, 28. 28k from Brentford

Scott could prove to be a very useful acquisition. His age and experience will allow him to keep an eye on the youngsters at the back, and from what i've seen so far he could put together a decent partnership with Adam Farley.

Wayne Thomas, DLC, 24. Loan from Stoke City

We've only got Wayne for two months, but he should feature in a few games. We've been lacking a bit in defensive stability of late and again, Wayne is a player with league experience so he could improve things.

Chris Barrett, SC, 17

Yeah, Ok, its another young striker. So? I like having a lot of strikers. Chris looks quite decent for his age...he should play some reserve games this year & we'll see after that.

DO reckon that the of the two cash signings, Marshall should turn out the best. We watched the lads in training last night & Coppinger looks pretty average, but we'll give him a chance...

Dagenham Recorder, 6/10/02

Daggers look strong but succumb to sucker punch

Dagenham & redbridge 2 Hereford 2

The Reds will be disappointed not to take the three points from a game in which they always looked the better team. Leading 2-1 with eight minutes to go, a harsh handball decision led to a free kick, despatched with aplomb by Hereford front man Steve Young. Goals from Colin McMennamin and a thirty yard screamer from McDougald had put the Daggers back on top after Tony West's early header, and in truth Hereford rarely looked likely o equalise before the final minutes. Mark Stein hit the post and Paul Terry had a goal disallowed, but in the end the home side had to settle for a point, their first in five games. Manager Rich Wellard was happy with the perfoormance if not the result, remarking 'I've seen teams win games 4-0 with half the chances we had today. Still, a point's a point, and at least we've stopped losing...'

Recorder Ratings (3-5-2)Gothard 8; Goodwin 7, Heath6, Fowler 6; Terry 7, Garai 8, Thomson© 8, McMennamin 9, Gallagher 7; McDougald 8, Stein 7. Subs Janney 6, Coppinger 6, Hese 7.

MOM McMennamin

Goals McMennamin 30, McDougald 41. West 12, Young 82

www.daggersonline.net 8/10/03

One out, five in as Wellard continues to rebuild

The frenetic transfer activity at the Road continues at pace, with Rich Wellard unveiling fiive more signings at a local press conference yesterday. The star buy is undoubtedly former Millwall goalkeeper Willy Gueret. The 30 year old frenchman was released by the South London club in the summer & has taken a considerable wage cut to drop to the Conference. He could be the man needed to stabilise the defence, and is a commanding presence as well as an excellent shot stopper. Along with Gueret comes another interesting attacking prospect in the form of ex Man City man Leon Mike, who has signed on a short term deal. The long mooted transfers of Stephen Webster & Finbar Lynch have been confirmed, while the last of the quintet is rookie left winger Darren Pearson. Leaving the club this week was right back Steven Clegg, a long term target of more than one league club who agreed terms with Darlington and made a 55k switch on Wednesday.

We feel that,although Wellard's dedication to squad depth is admirable, all of these young players are somewhat unnecessary. Most of his first team signings are to be applauded but we already have a very big squad for the conference. With more purchases on the horizon, it'll be difficult to keep everyone happy.

[Eldritch7]

Dagenham Recorder, 13/10/02

New boys shine in creditable draw

Yeovil 0 Dagenham & Redbridge 0

New keeper Willy Gueret turned in a superb debut performance for the Daggers in what looked to be a tough fixture. The Frenchman displayed few signs of rust despite being out of the game for almost a year, and was backed up well by a solid all round defensive performance. The home side had most of the play, although late Daggers sub Yannick Kamanan should have won it at the death. Although he admitted it was far from championship form, Rich Wellard suggested that the signs were better than they had been recently. 'The defence looked good today, and we know we can score goals. Now we just need to do both in the same match!'. The draw leaves Daggers in sixth, eight points behind leaders Scarborough.

Recorder Ratings (4-1-2-1-2) Gueret 8; Thomas 9, Marshall 7, Heath 8, Goodwin 7; Thomson© 7; Terry 7, Gallagher 7; McMennamin 6; McDougald 6, Coppinger 6. Subs Garai 6, Stein 6, Kamanan 6.

www.daggersonline.net. 17/10/03

Wellard defiant; 'I'm not stopping yet!'

Four more arrivals means the Daggers now have officially the biggest squad in the Conference. The fact that our wage bill remains more or less at the same level as at the start of the season is testament to Rich Wellard's business sense (and the low wage demands of teenagers, of course...). This week's influx appear to be more backups for the few positions we are short in. The best of them looks to be Keith Duffy; not the Boyzone one, but a quick, skilful 15 year old forward. Craig Woodman, 19, is a backup left back signed for nothing from Bristol City, while Tony Mitchell & Ross Adams are both centre backs. The boss has suggested that these are the last back up players he'll be sgning; 'From now on, expect first teamers', he remarked when we asked him if there'd be more signings.

[Eldritch7]

Dagenham Recorder, 20/10/03

Daggers make hard work of part timers

Dagenham & Redbridge 2 Bishop Auckland 0 (FA Cup Final Qualifying Round)

A professional, if unconvincing, performance saw the Reds back to winning ways and into the hat for the First round of the FA Cup. Although Bishop Auckland offered relatively little going forward,they still managed to restrict a misfiring forward line to two second half goals. Paul Terry finally broke down the visitor's stubborn resistance with a fine strike from the edge of the area, but it wasn't until the 88th mnute that Junior McDougald made things safe. Rich Wellard was unavailable for commented but was reportedly satisfied with the result.

Recorder Ratings (4-1-2-1-2) Gueret 8; Thomas 7, Heath 6, Farley © 8, Goodwin 5; Thomson 8; Terry 7, McMennamin 6; Gallagher 7; McDougald 9, Stein 7. Subs Garai 6, Coppinger 7, Kamanan 6.

MOM McDougald

Goals Terry 55, McDougald 88

www.daggersonline.net 23/10/02

Kamanan transfer listed after amazing bust up.

Recently arrived French striker Yannick Kamanan appears to be on his way out of Victoria Road before he has even unpacked, after a training ground confrontation with manager Rich Wellard. The player reportedly demanded that he be the first name on the teamsheet; Wellard's alleged response was 'you don't even deserve to be in the ****ing stiffs on current form'. Kamanan then allegedly threw all of his toys out of the pram and hurled abuse at everyone in sight, leading Wellard to transfer list him immediately, 'not that anyone will want the self absorbed little ****'. Although the player was showing few signs of being up to his own high opinions, such an incident so early on in the new manager's reign is clearly a concern.

[Eldritch7]

Dagenham Recorder, 27/10/02

Five Star Daggers massacre sorry Stafford

Dagenham & Redbridge 5 Stafford Rangers 0

Daggers turned in an excellent performance to grab their first league win in seven games in some style. Current top scorers Junior Mcdougald & Colin McMennamin each grabbed two as the home side ran riot, Mark Stein bagging the other. In truth, so outclassed were Rangers that it should have been ten, Mc Dougald alone having two goals disallowed and hit the post in a stunning performance. Rich Wellard was understandably pleased with the result; 'I think we've been threatening that for a while. Its a shame we didn't really slaughter them, that'd have put the fear of God into the rest of the league.'

Recorder Ratings (4-1-2-1-2) Gueret 7; Martin 8, Farley©8, Thomas 7, Goodwin 7; Thomson 10; Terry 7, Gallagher 7; McMennamin 10; Stein 9, McDougald 10. Subs Garai 6, Janney 6, Green 7.

MOM McDougald

Goals - McDougald 7, 43, Stein 28, McMennamin 51,54.

[Eldritch7]

Sorry for the gap in posts, have been too busy recently, & will be for a few weeks. Should be able to get back to more or less daily posts by the end of the month though...

www.daggersonline.net. 31/10/02

RICH'S RANT

It's nice to be sitting here writing this on the back of a 5-0 win, With any luck it'll be the first of many. Things are slowly beginning to come together, but it always takes a while for an entirely new team (which is more or less what we've got now) to gel. I don't intend to stop shopping just yet - we need some more depth at the back for a start - but i reckon we've nearly got a team that can win this league. The important thing is that despite the bad results at the end of last month, we're still in touch with the top two, and a few good wins will put us right back in there.

I'm not going to go into too much detail about the 'Kamanan Affair', but lets be honest, those of you that saw him play...he was rubbish, wasn't he. We don't need anyone here with a bad attitude so he'll be gone as soon as possible. I thought you needed a bit of ability to fit the moaning Frenchman stereotype but there you go.

Anyway, until next month.

[Eldritch7]

www.daggersonline.net. 6/11/02

More players leave as Wellard looks to the defence

The transfer circus that is Victoria Road ground into action again this week, with three in and three out among the playing staff. The three departing players were striker Tony Lock, snapped up by Cheltenham for 30k, fellow forward Ronnie Green, who joined Blackpool for the same fee, and defender Chris Baird, who becomes a Darlington player for 12k. The incoming names are quite an interesting mixture; we asked Rich Wellard for his views.

Ludvig Lannerstrom, 22, DRLC. 1k from Kenty

Ludvig joins us out of lower league Swedish football, one of the few levels of the game below our own... he looks to be a reasonable utility defender, but he's only here on a six month contract as i'm not sure he'll adapt to our game. If he looks good he might stick around.

Jamie Parry, 18, DC.

Jamie was released by Manchester United at the end of last season; quite honestly i was amazed to find him available and willing to come to us. He's a real find - even discards from the Theatre of Dreams tend to have something about them. He could very likely find himself a first team regular if he fits in OK.

Paul Rachubka, 21, GK.

Another kid discarded by Sir Alex in the summer, Paul should be a capable number two to Willy Gueret. He could & should get better, but for now he's unlikely to start many games. Always nice to have an under 21 international in the squad though, even an American one...

Dagenham Recorder, 10/11/02

Daggers get better of local rivals but fail to take points

Southend United 1 Dagenham & Redbridge 1

Rich Wellard's increasingly new look Daggers put in a capable performance against Southend, but didn't quite have the firepower to take the victory. Despite falling behind to an early goal from eventual man of the match Searle, the Daggers dominated the game, but only had a Mark Stein penalty to show for it at the end. Wellard was upbeat after the game; 'Southend are a tough prospect at home, they were one of the sides above us in the league but we showed them who the better side were today. Their team wasn't much different today than when they were relegated, so i think this result tells us we're on the right track.'

The only sour note for the Daggers was an injury to inspirational midfielder Kieran Gallagher - a pulled hamstring will see the player sidelined until mid December.

Recorder Ratings (4-1-2-1-2) Gueret 8; Martin 6, Farley© 8, Thomas 7, Goodwin 8; Thomson 7; Terry 6, McMennamin 7; Gallagher 7; McDougald 7, Stein 7. Subs Janney 7, Garai 6.

www.daggersonline.net. 12/11/03

Former Spurs man signs on

Canvey Island striker Wayne Vaughan becomes the twenty-seventh player to be signed in ten weeks by Daggers boss Rich Wellard. The 24 year old former Spurs Academy striker has signed a one year deal with Dagenham in a deal worth around 4k.

[Eldritch7]

Dagenham Recorder, 17/11/02

High Flying Walsall too good for Reds

Walsall 3 Dagenham & Redbridge 0 (FA Cup First Round)

First division Walsall saw off a potential banana skin as they overcame the Daggers thanks to a brace from recent signing Jamie Cureton. Daggers struggled manfully but the quality of their opposition told in the end, with the former Reading striker finishing off two sweeping moves to give the home side a 2-0 half time lead. Although the Reds came forward more in the second half, veteran keeper David Seaman was more than equal to their best efforts, and a late third by man of the match Ian Bennett was ultimately irrelevant. Despite the reverse Rich Wellard was in good spirits; 'We've come to a strong side today and given our best. Walsall are doing well in the league and there was little cwe could do against them today. We need to pick ourselves up for Woking in a couple of weeks.' When reminded that the Daggers did in fact have a game next Saturday in the FA Trophy, Wellard responded, 'Bugger that, i'm going on holiday. Stupid competition anyway'. This reporter gets the impression that cup competitions are less of a priority this year...

Recorder Ratings (4-1-2-1-2) Gueret 5; Woodman 6, Thomas 8, Farley© 8, Goodwin 7; Thomson 6; Terry 6, McMennamin 6; Janney 6; McDougald 7, Stein 6. Subs Garai 7, Vaughan 7, Duffy 6.

Goals - Cureton 17,33. Bennett 86

MOM Bennett

Dagenham Recorder, 21/11/02

Shoddy Daggers crash out.

Purfleet Town 2 Dagenham & Redbridge 1 (FA Trophy 1st Round)

The Daggers made it fairly clear that the FA Trophy was far from a priority with a lazy performance against their Dr Martens league opposition. Despite fielding a fairly strong team it was clear that most of the players were coasting, and as such the defeat wasn't so much of a shock. Purfleet scored twice in the first half hour, and all the Daggers could manage in return was a fine volley from Junior McDougald. Even Garry Hill, standing in for the absent Rich Wellard, had nothing to say about the game, suggesting that we'd see a much different performance against Woking next week.

Recorder Ratings (5-3-2) Rachubka 8; Woodman 6, Thomas 5, Farley© 5, Thomson 6, Janney 6; Terry 7, Garai 5, Duffy 7; McMennamin 7, McDougald 7. Sub Marshall 7

Goals Allen 16, Stewart 29. . Mc Dougald 48.

MOM Stewart

Dagenham Recorder, 30/11/02

Rampant Daggers hit Four as Woking crumble

Woking 1 Dagenham & Redbridge 4

After the cup shennanigans of the last two weeks, Daggers got back to the real business of the Conference with a convincing win at struggling Woking, that takes them into 4th. The three man forward line had too much for the home side, although the Woking defence held out until just after half time, when Junior McDougald continued his rich scoring vein with a powerful near post header from a Terry cross. Almost immediately it was two, 15 year old Keith Duffy opening his account and becoming Daggers youngest ever scorer into the bargain. Substitute Wayne Vaughan added a clinical third, before Warren bundled home a consolation for Woking. Colin McMennamin crowned a superb team performance in the 90th minute with another special solo goal.

Recorder Ratings (4-1-2-3) Rachubka 7; Woodman 7, Farley©6, Parry 8, Lannerstrom 5; Thomson 7; Terry 8, Duffy 9; McMennamin 8, Stein 6, McDougald 8. Subs Garai 7, Vaughan 7, Marshall 7.

Goals - Warren 82. McDougald 47, Duffy 48, Vaughan 66, McMennamin 90

MOM Duffy

www.daggersonline.net. 30/11/02

RICH'S RANT

For all the cup misery i'm quite happy this month. We never expected to get anything out of the Walsall game, especially with the likes of Seaman, Merson & Cureton fit. As for the FA Trophy, well, its hardly going to rock the world if we win it, is it. Ditto the Vans Trophy, which is next week. More of the same i'd imagine; we've got to focus on the league.

Nice to see some of the youngsters doing well at the moment. Parry & Rachubka have both made strong starts to their Dagenham careers, and should be around for a while (although Paul will find it tough to keep his place when Willy Gueret is back from injury). Young Keith Duffy has really impressed me of late, and he deserved his MOM award in the last game. I'm still not convinced of his long term potential but he makes up for it with enthusiasm.

Next Month is a crunch time for us; we've got five games in the league, including the top three; Barnet, Scarborough & Boston. Two out of three wins would delight me, but we'll want to win them all. The other two, against Enfield and Stalybridge, are eminently winnable, but i'd settle for ten points from the month.

Until December...

[Eldritch7]

www.daggersonline.net. 5/12/02

Kamanan goes but his replacement is already here...

Never one to hang around when there's dealin's to be done, Rich Wellard has offloaded problem Frenchman Yannick Kamanan for nothing to Farnborough Town, and brought in the man he feels 'will fire us into the league'. Former Orient man Aaron McLean, at 20 years old a crucial member of Wellard's all conquering youth team, hitches up again with his former boss for a club record 55k. The young striker will go straight into the squad for the imporatant league game against Boston.

Dagenham Recorder, 7/12/02

Brilliant Daggers Jump to Third

Dagenham & Redbridge 4 Boston United 0

Daggers took a big step towards the top of the table with a convincing victory over nearest rivals Boston United, who they leapfrog into third place. The away side were never in it as the Reds dispatched their chances with clinical precision. The opener came just three minutes in, debutant striker Aaron McLean making an impressive statement of intent with a rasping 25 yard drive. 16 year old midfielder Juan Antnio Garai made it two quite quickly, just missing out on Keith Duffy's record as youngest ever scorer. Steve Thomson ended the game as a contest before half time, and the home side relaxed somewhat in the second half. Wayne Vaughan netted his second in as many games as the Reds settled for four.

Rich Wellard was full of praise for his side after the game; 'I think that's the best we've played since i arrived. Boston are a good team and we took them apart with ease. If we can keep playing like that we'll walk to the title'

Recorder Ratings (4-1-2-1-2) Rachubka 8; Martin 7, Farley©9, Parry 8, Lannerstrom 6; Thomson 7; Terry 6, Duffy 7; McMennamin 7; McLean 9, McDougald 9. Subs Garai 8, Vaughan 8, Stein 7.

Goals McLean 3, Garai 22, Thomson 40, McMennamin 75

MOM McDougald

[Eldritch7]

Well, the interminably long gap between posts is almost over, for any of you who still care. The Daggers should be back soon, possibly even today if i have time; watch this space...

[furtherseemsforever]

just read the lot

KUTG sir

[Eldritch7]

www.daggersonline.net. 9/12/02

Canvey full back joins in time to face Torquay

The now traditional new face at the Road this week is Canvey left back Michael Croft, an 18 year old who signs for a fee in the region of 40k. The youngster, whom boss Rich Wellard apparently regards as a probable first teamer, will be in the squad to face Torquay tomorrow in the Vans Trophy.

Dagenham Recorder, 11/12/02.

Lacklustre Daggers crash out of third cup competition in three weeks

Torquay United 3 Dagenham & Redbridge 1

The Daggers brief sojourn in the Vans Trophy came to an end last night as they were comfortably dispatched by third division Torquay. Despite publicly voicing a lack of interest in the competition Rich Wellard fielded a near first choice side, including debutant Michael Croft, but the side played as if they knew it wasn't a priority. Torquay forwards Lee Trundle (2) and Rory Fallon put the home side 3-0 up at the break, and despite a late consolation by Aaron McLean, the Daggers offered little. Wellard was philosophical in defeat,"We needed to concentrate on the League, and at least now we've got no distractions. i'd have preferred it if we'd put up more of a fight but to be honest the result isn't particularly problematic."

Recorder Ratings (4-1-3-2) : Rachubka 7; Croft 6, Hese 6, Farley 6, Goodwin 7; Thomson 5; Terry 6, McMennamin 6, Gallacher 7; McDougald 7, McLean 7. Subs Stein 6, Garai 6, Vaughan 6.

Goals Trundle 6, 22, Fallon 34. McLean 77.

MOM Trundle

Dagenham Recorder, 15/12/02.

Daggers unfortunate in battle of league leaders

Scarborough 1 Daggers 0

Dagenham fell to a second defeat in a week last night thanks to an injury time goal from Scarborough captain Lee Thorpe. The former Lincoln man continued his rich vein of scoring form in the conference with a bundled winner that leaves the Daggers five points adrift in third.

Despite their best efforts the Daggers failed to break down the stubborn defence of the Conference's top side, although Mark Stein had a goal disallowed and substitute Leon Mike appeared to have a legitimate penalty call rejected. The away side had the better of the game before Thorpe's sucker punch in the dying seconds.

Recorder Ratings (4-1-2-1-2) : Gueret 7; Croft 7, Farley 8, Parry 7, Goodwin 6; Thomson 7; Terry 6, Gallacher 6; McMennamin 6; Stein 7, McLean 6. Subs Mike 7, Duffy 6, Vaughan 6.

Goals Thorpe 90

MOM Farley.

[Eldritch7]

Oh, & thanks for the feedback , fsf. I'm going to try to keep this going this time as i've got ten more seasons to type up...it'd be shame not to use them...

Dagenham Recorder, 22/12/02.

Daggers settle for draw in thriller

Dagenham & Redbridge 3 Stalybridge Celtic 3

A six goal thriller at Victoria Road yesterday saw the points shared thanks to a late flurry by the vistors, whose striker Stuart Crawshaw grabbed a hat trick on the day.

In an evenly fought and frequently exhilarating contest, the Daggers always looked favourites to take the game, leading 2-0 then 3-1 thanks to a goal each from the front three of McLean, McDougald & McMennamin. The visitors were always in it, however, and ultimately the draw looks a fair result. Rich Wellard agreed "All credit to Celtic today, they came to play and probably warranted the result. I enjoyed today's game, it's not often you see two good attacking sides at this level and i think most of the fans will go home happy. It's a shame we didn't hold on for the win but you can't have everything."

Daggers only concern will be a hamstring injury to Aaron McLean. The yyoung striker has made an immediate impact but could now be out for a month.

Recorder Ratings (4-1-2-3) Gueret 6; Croft 5, Farley 7, Parry 7, Goodwin 7; Thomson 8; Terry 7, Duffy 7; McLean 8, McDougald 7, McMennamin 7. Subs Garai 7, Mike 7, Janney 6.

Goals McLean 16, McDougald 19, McMennamin 58. Crawshaw 37,61,69

MOM Crawshaw.

Dagenham Recorder 29/12/02

Daggers have a good Christmas

Dagenham & Redbridge 2 Barnet 0

Enfield 1 Dagenham & Redbridge 2

The Christmas period saw the Daggers face two of their North London rivals and register two excellent wins. They saw off the challenge of Barnet on Boxing Day thanks to a Junior McDougald header and a magnificent thirty yard drive from Steve Thomson. The performance against Enfield was arguably better still, with a weakened Reds side coming back from a goal down thanks to another two from McDougald.

Rich Wellard admitted he couldn't have been happier with how the games had gone. "I think we're really starting to click now. It helps that Junior is finding a good vein of scoring form, but the whole team are chipping in at the moment. Thommo's goal was something to treasure, and i reckon we're going to really miss him when he goes back to Palace next week. All in all we're about where i hoped we'd be at the end of the year. We're equal top with Barnet so beating them was essential, and hopefully we can build ourselves a bit of a lead in the next few games."

Daggers v Barnet

Recorder Ratings (4-1-2-1-2) Gueret 8; Croft 8, Farley 8, Parry 8, Goodwin 7; Thomson 8; Terry 6, Duffy 7; McMennamin 7; McDougald 9, Vaughan 7. Subs Garai 7, Janney 6, Mike 7.

Goals McDougald 18, Thomson 46

MOM McDougald

Enfield v Daggers

Recorder Ratings (4-1-2-1-2) Gueret 9; Woodman 7, Marshall 8, Farley 7, Goodwin 7; Thomson 7; Terry 7, Janney 7; Douglas 7; Vaughan 8, McDougald 9. Subs Garai 7, Stein 7, Mike 6.

Goals Smith 11. McDougald 34, 58.

MOM McDougald.

[Eldritch7]

www.daggersonline.net. 31/12/02

RICH'S RANT

Overall, i'm quite pleased with the way things are standing at the end of the year. Ideally i wanted to be ten points clear at the top by now but you can't have everything . A share of the lead isn't so bad, and realistically the promotion spot is between four of us now; Daggers, Barnet, Scarborough and Telford. I'm in no doubt that we're best equipped for the long haul; Barnet and Telford have small squads and could suffer if injuries start to occur, while Scarborough have lost four on the spin & their confidence looks to be shot to pieces...which is nice.

I think the next month should be all about fine tuning...some of the short term contracts i offered to players are up soon and to be honest few of those are going to stick around. I think we've got the core of a decent third division side here now; the defence and attack are both strong, and the midfield is ok. Even so i'm going to look well ahead over the next few months and try & arrange some deals for players who can perform in the higher divisions (if they'll come); that might sound a bit pre-emptive but i'll stake my reputation (such as it is) on us having a good shot at promotion.

Until next month.

Dagenham Recorder, 9/01/03.

Daggers open year with dull draw.

Dagenham & Redbridge 0 Margate 0

The Daggers started 2003 with arguably their worst performance of the season; yet a Margate side bereft of guile or inspiration failed to punish them for it. In a game almost completely lacking in action of any kind, Daggers came closest through a long range effort from Paul Terry, probably the only man on the park to show any real fight.

Rich Wellard declined to comment on the match, but captain Junior McDougald admitted his boss was less than happy. 'It's the shortest team talk we've ever had. The gaffer just walked in to the dressing room with a local paper in hand, pointed to the Dr Martens League table and said 'keep playing like that and you'll be much better acquainted with it', then left. I don't think he needed to say much else, we were awful.'

Recorder Ratings (4-1-2-1-2) : Gueret 6; Woodman 6, Parry 7, Farley 7, Goodwin 6; Fowler 6; Terry 9 Gallacher 7; McMennamin 6; McDougald 6, Vaughan 6. Subs Garai 7, Duffy 7, Stein 6.

MOM Terry

Dagenham Recorder 12/01/03

Classy Daggers squeeze past stubborn Borough

Stevenage Borough 1 Dagenham & Redbridge 2

The Daggers bounced back from their poor weekend performance to claim three points against Stevenage. Despite resting several first teamers, the Daggers went in 2-0 at the break, strikers Mark Stein & Wayne Vaughan grabbing a goal each and showing a good understanding in their first start together. Following the break the home team pressurised the Daggers defence, but they remained firm until three minutes from the end, when a goal from Douglas made things a little tense. the Daggers held on, however, and with Barnet's defeat are alone at the top for the first time this season. Rich Wellard praised his second string strikers, saying 'Mark and Wayne know they're here as backups, but if they can play like that they should get some game time.'

Recorder Ratings (4-1-2-1-2) : Gueret 8; Croft 7, Marshall 7, Parry 7, Goodwin 7; Fowler 7; Terry 7, Gallacher 6; McMennamin 6; Stein 7, Vaughan 8. Subs Garai 6, Duffy 6, Douglas 6.

Goals Stein 19, Vaughan 37. Douglas 88

MOM Garvey (Stevenage)

www.daggersonline.net. 13/01/03

Daggers today announced the sale of winger Kieran Gallacher to Second Division Bury for 40k. The right sided player had attracted a lot of league attention with some eye-catching displays this season, and signs on a four year deal.

[Eldritch7]

Dagenham Recorder, 19/1/03

Dreary Daggers Fail to shine on travels

Runcorn 0 Dagenham & Redbridge 0

Daggers were held to a second 0-0 draw of the year yesterday in a dull match at Runcorn. Neither side looked to have much inspiration going forward, and although the Daggers crafted the best chances, they rarely looked like scoring. Rich Wellard apologised to the travelling fans after the game, promising better things to come.

Recorder Ratings (4-1-2-1-2) : Gueret 7; Croft 7, Parry 7, Marshall 8, Goodwin 7; Fowler 8; Terry 7, Janney 6; McMennamin 7; Stein 6, McDougald 7. Subs vaughan 7, Mike 7, Duffy 7.

MOM Fowler

Dagenham Recorder, 26/1/03

Off form Daggers sneak victory

Dagenham & Redbridge 1 Farnborough Town 0

the Daggers returned to winning ways after a patchy start to the new year, although in terms of quality this game had little to recommend it. Indeed, the only goal, scored by returning striker Aaron McLean, was a fortuitous one, a speculative long shot taking a heavy deflection off a defender. Rich Wellard admitted his team were capable of more, but pointed out that an unbeaten January left the Daggers top of the table.

Recorder Ratings (4-1-2-1-2) : Gueret 7; Croft 7, Parry 8, Marshall 8, Goodwin 7; Fowler 8; Terry 7, Janney 7; McMennamin 6; McDougald 8, McLean 8. Subs Duffy 6, Vaughan 6, Martin 7.

Goal McLean 54

MOM Marshall

www.daggersonline.net. 31/1/03.

RICH'S RANT

It's pretty hard to find fault in an unbeaten month...but i'll try. frankly, we've been awful in the last few games, Stevenage aside, and better teams would have turned us over with some ease. Having said that, we've still ground out results, and although it's hardly the style i want to see us play, we've maintained our position at the top of the conference... incidentally, i don't know what's happening at Scarborough; at the start of the month they were a point behind us, but they've lost seven on the spin now...still, one less threat to worry about, eh.

As for the next month, i think we'll see a definite improvement in how we play. It's good to have Aaron McLean back, he's rapidly becoming indispensible to us. But, and here's a bit of insider info, i've just sealed a deal that'll knock your socks off. As of tomorrow, the Daggers will have a World Cup record holder in their midst. Intrigued? Keep watching!

[Eldritch7]

www.yahoo.co.uk/football. 1/2/03

Daggers pull off coup for russian international

Nationwide conference side Dagenham & redbridge this morning unveiled their most prestigious signing to date, in the form of 31 year old former Russian international Oleg Salenko. The striker, formerly of Salamanca and Victorio Guimaraes, joins the Essex side on a Bosman transfer after a work permit application was approved, although he is unlikely to be eligible for tonight's Conference clash with Hayes.

Dagenham Recorder, 2/2/03

Ruthless Daggers power past Hayes

Hayes 2 Dagenham & Redbridge 5

An excellent performance from the Reds last night condemned struggling Hayes to their third consecutive home defeat, while cementing the away side's place at the top of the Conference. With major new signing Oleg Salenko in the stands, the Daggers turned in an excellent display of attacking football, no one more so than forward Aaron McLean. The young striker fired a warning to the newcomer with a clinically taken hat trick, as well as setting up a fourth for young winger Keith Duffy. Striker Junior McDougaldwrapped the game up with a late fifth. Rich Wellard was delighted with his side, even though two sloppy second half goals allowed Hayes to salvage a little pride. 'That was just the sort of performance we needed after the last few games. We should be turning in results like that more often but i'm still delighted whenever we actually do...Aaron was on fire tonight, anyone would think he's worried about his place in the side! Seriously though, i'm thinking about playing three forwards from now on, so hopefully more big scores could be on the cards...'

Recorder Ratings (4-1-2-1-2) Gueret 7; Croft 7, Parry 7, Marshall 8, Goodwin 7; Fowler 8; Terry 7, Janney 8; McMennamin 7; McLean 9, McDougald 8. Subs Duffy 7, Vaughan 7, Martin 7.

Goals Simpson 78, McReady 88. McLean 5, 19, 33, Duffy 64, McDougald 89.

MOM McLean

Dagenham Recorder, 5/2/03

Unlucky Reds Denied by Poor Decisions

Dagenham & Redbridge 0 Morecambe 1

Daggers were feeling cheated last night when several extremely suspect calls from referee John Eldridge cost them three points against fellow promotion hopefuls Morecambe. The home side saw two goals disallowed and two men sent off, yet still almost managed a draw. Morecambe took thhe lead with a scrappy goal from Greek full back Giorgios Kikidakis, but both

Aaron McLean & Mark Janney had the ball in the net within minutes, only to see their efforts ruled out for offside and handball respectively; neither decision looked correct. Further injustice was heaped on the Daggers when playmaker Colin McMennamin was harshly red carded for an innocuous shove on the Morecambe keeper. Daggers poor day was complete on 62 minutes when debutant Finbar Lynch was sent off for a waist high hack on the goal scorer, Kikidakis; possibly the only correct decision all night... Daggers still could have salvaged a point in the dying seconds, but both McDougald and McLean hit the bar in a goal mouth scramble.

Rich Wellard declined to be interviewed after the game, 'because he didn't want to be fined for innapropriate comments', according to Garry Hill. However, the Daggers have filed an official complaint against the referee; more news as we get it.

Recorder Ratings (4-1-2-1-2) Gueret 7; Woodman 5, Parry 7, Marshall 7, Goodwin 5; Fowler 8; Lynch 4, Janney 6; McMennamin 6; McLean 6, McDougald 6. Subs Martin 6, Vaughan 6.

Goal Kikidakis 13

MOM Mawson (Morecambe)

www.daggersonline.net. 7/2/03

A quick note on the events of midweek; Daggers official complaint against the criminally inept refereeing in the Morecambe game has led to... well, not much, really. The FA have promised to keep an eye on Mr Eldridge but we all know that means nothing. On the plus side, Colin McMennamin's three game suspension has been reduced to just one on appeal, although finbar Lynch has been banned for a further five games (for a total of eight) after his admittedly shocking challenge. With the Irishman's contract up in a couple of months it looks likely that his first Daggers game was also his last...

One final piece of news; Leyton Orient winger Paul Dalglish has joined the club on loan til the end of the season.

[Eldritch7]

v short one today i'm afraid folks. lots to do...more to come tomorrow with any luck

Dagenham Recorder, 9/2/03

Reds make heavy work of Telford

Dagenham & redbridge 1 telford united 0

An edgy performance from the Reds proved just enough to take home the three points against a well drilled Telford side. In truth the home side never appeared threatened, but created little in return, the solitary breakthrough coming after 66 minutes thanks to a Paul Terry header. The new saviour of Victoria Road, Russian International Oleg Salenko, made an inauspicious home debut, but despite looking short of fitness, showed enough to suggest that better things are to come. Manager Rich Wellard agreed; 'you have to remember that Oleg hasn't played a competitive game for eight months, with injuries and his release from Guimaraes. I was pleased with his showing and reckon he'll get better by the week'.

Recorder Ratings (4-1-2-3) Gueret 7; Woodman 7, Marshall 8, Parry 9, Goodwin 7; Fowler 7; Terry 8, Janney 6; Salenko 7, McLean 6, McDougald 7. Subs Duffy 7, Dalglish 7, Martin 6.

Goal - Terry 66

MOM Parry

[Eldritch7]

Dagenham Recorder, 16/2/03

Daggers Fall again to bogey team.

Leigh RMI 3 Dagenham & Redbridge 2

Daggers failed to capitalise on a good start as the Railwaymen scored their fifth successive victory over the Victoria Road side. Leigh striker Mark Fitzpatrick was the star, scoring two and creating the other, but Daggers will rue a series of missed chances and the loss of a two goal lead. The away side opened the scoring, Oleg Salenko grabbing his first for the Reds with a rasping drive from the edge of the area. Soon after a cross from Paul Dalglish, making his first start for the club, was nodded home by junior McDougald for his fifteenth of the season. However the Daggers visibly relaxed after the second goal, allowing Fitzpatrick to bundle home his first on the stroke of half time, then letting the striker run through the defence before setting up Spaniard Antonio Lopes for the equaliser.

Both Salenko and Mcdougald could have won it late on for the Daggers, but it was Fitzpatrick who finally settled the match with a last minute header.

Rich Wellard admitted his side had thrown away a vital three points, but took some comfort from the performance. 'We always lose to Leigh; I can't explain it but there you go. it's not much of an excuse, but i think we did enough to win out there. we need to pick ourselves up for the Nuneaton game now. Hopefully Oleg will continue to improve, he impressed me out there today.'

Recorder Ratings (4-3-3) Gueret 6; Woodman 6, Parry 8, Marshall 9, Goodwin 7;Terry 6, Fowler 7, Dalglish 7; McLean 7, Salenko 8, McDougald 7. Subs McMennamin 6, Duffy 6, Janney 6.

Goals Fitzpatrick 45, 89, Lopes 57. Salenko 8, Mcdougald 33

MOM Fitzpatrick

Dagenham Recorder, 23/2/03

Daggers bounce back to bury Borough

Dagenham & Redbridge 5 Nuneaton Borough 1

Daggers turned in a splendid home performance to bury the memory of last week's disappointment at Leigh, comfortably seeing off Nuneaton despite conceding inside 35 seconds. Much of the credit must go to young striker Aaron McLean, who struck a glorious hat trick and looked a class act thrugh out. notable also, however, was Oleg Salenko, who grabbed the other two and finished a match for the first time in Dagenham colours.

Rich Wellard was delighted after the game; 'there's not a lot i can say about that one, we were as good as we've been all season and could have had a couple more. The three strikers are really starting to gel now, and with Oleg back to full fitness and Aaron back in form we can drive on towards the title now.'

the win returns the Daggers to the top of the conference on goal difference, with rivals Barnet on their tail.

Recorder Ratings (4-1-2-3) Gueret 7; Woodman 7, Parry 7, Farley 8, Goodwin 8; Fowler 8; Pearson 7, Dalglish 7; McLean 10, salenko 9, Mcdougald 7. Subs McMennamin 7, Duffy 6, Janney 7.

Goals Mead 1.McLean 23, 41, 87. Salenko 46, 79.

MOM McLean

[Eldritch7]

www.daggersonline.net. 28.02.03

RICH'S RANT

Things are going pretty well at the moment, as long as we dont play Leigh RMI of course... of all the promotion chasing teams we're in the strongest position, seeing as how we've played a game less than everyone but Barnet, and they have to go to third place Telford on the last day of the season. I'm also pleased with how the squad is shaping up; i feel we can put out one and possibly even two competitive teams at any one time. This is good for the club as the competition is fierce, especially at the back. I'd suggest our first team at the moment reads like this;

Gueret; Croft Marshall Parry Goodwin; Fowler; Terry Dalglish; McLean Salenko McDougald. Subs Rachubka Farley Garai Janney McMennamin.

That's as good a side as any in this division and probably capable of performing in the third division as well. Let's hope they get the chance.

Just because i'm happy with my squad it doesn't mean i'll stop tinkering with it though. I've got my eye on a few players at the moment, and a couple of contracts expire next month that i probably wont renew. The end of the season will probably see a bit of an exodus too, as i signed a lot of people on one year deals and they haven't all impressed me...

Still, at least it's better than having too few players. Stafford Rangers show how big a problem that can be, they've only got 17 first teamers and are rooted to the bottom of the Conference. Granted, some people have criticised my shopping policy but, fingers crossed, it seems to be working. ish.

Till next month...

Dagenham Recorder, 2/3/03

Resilient Southport hold Reds to draw.

Southport 1 Dagenham & Redbridge 1

Daggers failed to follow up their resounding victory over Nuneaton with another win, but were well worth a point in a strongly contested match played in terrible conditions. The driving rain was so heavy that many Daggers fans failed to see Junior McDougald's bundled opener at the far end, although Southport's rapid reply would have been somewhat more visible... the game deteriorated along with the weather conditions and the second half was uneventful, although salenko was unlucky to see a header come back off the post. Overall, the Daggers seemed happy with the point, Garry Hill remarking that 'the pools panel would probably have got this one spot on if it had been abandoned'.

Recorder Ratings : (4-1-2-3) Gueret 8; Woodman 6, Farley 8, Hese 5, Goodwin 6; Fowler 7; Pearson 7, Dalglish 6; McLean 7, Salenko 7, McDougald 8. Subs McMennamin 7, Croft 7, Duffy 7.

Goals Sampson 41. McDougald 39

MOM McDougald

www.daggersonline.net 5/3/03

The first of the expected departures from Victoria Road over the next few months were confirmed today, as Rich Wellard released three of his failed 'experiments'. The release of Finbar Lynch had been predicted after his one first team appearance ended with a horror tackle and an eight match ban, but the releases of Leon Hese & Ludvig Lannerstrom are unexpected, if unsurprising. Hese, despite his pedigree, has failed to adapt to the lower league game, and his lack of pace has been a factor. Lannerstrom, meanwhile, has paid for his utility... he ultimately wasn't good enough in any position. Wellard wished the three well, but admitted that, as three of the highest wage earners at the club, their contracts weren't worth renewing.

Dagenham Recorder, 9/3/03

clinical Daggers ease past Yeovil.

Dagenham & redbridge 2 Yeovil 0

A Colin McMennamin brace ensured that the Daggers good run continued, and gave the home side a two point lead at the top of the conference with 9 games to go. The young forward, hampered in recent months by injury and lack of form, turned in his best performance for the Reds in place of the rested Oleg Salenko, and was unlucky not to grab a hat trick. Rich Wellard praised his front man and suggested more was to come. 'Colin was frustrated when he injured his ankle, he was settling into the team and playing well. Today he looked back in form & that should help us in the run in.'

Recorder Ratings : (4-1-2-1-2) Gueret 7; Woodman 7, Parry 9, Farley 8, Goodwin 9; Fowler 8; Terry 6, Dalglish 8; McMennamin 9; McLean 7, McDougald 8. Subs Stein 7, Croft 7, Duffy 6.

Goals McMennamin 28, 55

MOM McMennamin

www.daggersonline.net 10/3/03

Daggers Online has heard a rumour that First Division Derby County have had an offer of 75k rejected by the Reds for full back Lee Fowler. The defender has been in excellent form for the Daggers this season, but Rich Wellard admitted some time ago that he'd be willing to accept the right bid for just about anybody, so we'll have to wait and see.

[Eldritch7]

Just noticed...\0/ second page \0/. A proud, and unique, moment

Dagenham Recorder, 12/3/03

Wasteful Daggers fail to kill off bottom side

Stafford Rangers 2 Dagenham & Redbridge 2

Daggers were disappointed not to come away from Stafford with three points after a commanding performance was marred by profligacy in front of goal. The Home side came out looking to defend, but grabbed a breakaway lead when striker Sean Eccleston ran clear to slot under Gueret. Daggers redoubled their efforts and were rewarded with two goals in three minutes from the rejuvenated Junior McDougald. in truth, the Daggers should have put the game away in the second half, McDougald, Salenko, Terry and McMennamin all wasting good chances. They paid for it in the 73rd minute when the impressive Eccleston put through strike partner and former Orient man Steve Watts to score the equaliser. Even then Daggers could have snatched it, but substitute Keith Duffy blasted a good chance wide in the last minute.

Overall Rich Wellard was fairly pleased with the result. 'you can never guarantee an away win, and credit to Rangers, they were far better today than their position suggests. We do need to start putting away more of our chances though.'

Recorder Ratings (4-1-2-1-2) Gueret 7; Martin 6, Croft 7, Farley 8, Goodwin 7; Fowler 8; Terry 7, Pearson 7; Salenko 8; McDougald 8, Stein 6. Subs Duffy 6, McMennamin 7.

Goals Eccleston 24, Watts 68. McDougald 39, 42

MOM Eccleston

www.daggersonline.net 14/3/03

Fowler departs but Senda joins

Dagenham today confirmed the transfer of Lee Fowler to Derby for 120k, as well as the arrival of young winger Danny Senda from Wycombe for 22k. Fowler will be missed, as one of our most consistent performers this season, but as Assistant Manager Garry Hill remarked, 'we needed the money, and yyou can hardly deny someone the chance to go up three divisions...'. Senda is said to be a tricky, talented right footer whom Rich Wellard has been keeping tabs on all season.

Lee Fowler - Daggers Career (this season) Games 24, Goals 1, MOM 2, AR 7.54.

[Eldritch7]

Dagenham Recorder, 16/3/03

Reds comfortably overcome Victoria

Dagenham & Redbridge 2 Northwich Victoria 0

Daggers took one more step towards promotion with a professional performance against fourth placed Northwich. The Dagenham defence, marshalled well by the increasingly impressive Jamie Parry, took everything the visitors had with some ease, allowing the forwards to tie up the game by half time. junior mc Dougald slotted home his fourth in as many games early on, before young Colin McMennamin added another on the stroke of half time after good work by debutant Danny Senda.

Garry Hill fielded questions after the game, standing in for the absent Rich Wellard, who was allegedly on a 'scouting trip' to Sweden, and admitted that the Reds had done a good job. 'It wasn't spectacular but the result was the right one. We only need a few more wins to take the title now.'

Recorder Ratings (4-1-2-3) Gueret 8; Woodman 7, Parry 8, Farley 7, Goodwin 6; Garai 6; Pearson 6, Senda 7; McDougald 8, Salenko 8, McMennamin 8. Subs Stein 6, Croft 7, Janney 7.

Goals McDougald 11, McMennamin 45

MOM Parry

Dagenham Recorder, 23/3/03

Daggers held by Hereford, lose Goodwin

Hereford Utd 1 Dagenham & Redbridge 1

The Reds failed to collect a win that would have put them four points clear at the top of the Conference, but in truth will be more concerned about full back Lee Goodwin, who was stretchered off after just nine minutes with what appears to be a torn groin muscle. The defender, a consistent fixture for Daggers this season, will miss the run in and is expected to be out of action for up to four months.

The game itself was little to write home about, both sides looking cagey and off form. Hereford took the lead through Ian Clarke on 28 minutes, but Colin McMennamin continued his rich vein of scoring form by equalising mid way through the second half.

Recorder Ratings (4-1-2-1-2) Gueret 7; Woodman 7, Parry 9, Farley 7, Goodwin 6; Garai 7; Terry 7, Dalglish 7; McMennamin 8; McDougald 8, Salenko 7. Subs Senda 6, Croft 6, Janney 6.

Goals Clarke 28 McMennamin 61

MOM Parry

Dagenham Recorder 30/3/03

Daggers record comfortable win but suffer further injury setback.

Dagenham & Redbridge 2 Southend United 0

Dagenham recorded a good win over Essex rivals Southend at Victoria Road yesterday afternoon, but suffered another injury scare when keeper Willy gueret was carried off after a collision with concussion. the Reds' first choice keeper could be out for the rest of the season, leaving their promotion hopes in the inexperienced gloves of Paul Rachubka.

The game was decided by another brace from the impressive junior McDougald; the striker now has 23 for the season and six in six games for March. Southend had few ideas going forward and the Reds should perhaps have won more convincingly. In any case, they need just seven points from their last five games to win promotion, although the loss of Gueret could be a problem.

Recorder Ratings (4-1-2-1-2) Gueret 7; Woodman 7, Parry 8, Marshall 8, Farley 8; Garai 7; Terry 7, Dalglish 7; McMennamin 8; Salenko 7, McDougald 10. Subs Senda 7, Rachubka 7.

Goals McDougald 34, 60

MOM McDougald

www.daggersonline.net, 31/3/03

RICH'S RANT

Well, injuries aside, it's been a decent month. We're favourites for promtion now, & should be fine as long as we keep our eye on the prize. In terms of injury problems, i've acted as ecisively as possible at this time of year, and brought in a couple of new faces. Mike Simpkins has joined us from Cardiff; he's a utility defender who'll take over at right back for the rest of the season. At 28k he should be good value. Matthew Carslake is a 19 year old centre back who i feel could be a big star. I feel he could form a great partnership next season with Jamie Parry; he's big, strong, superb in the air and quite quick. I've splashed out 70k on him, which is nearly all of my current funds, but i think he'll prove his worth quickly.

Anyway, we now need three wins to gain promotion. Shouldn't be a problem even without Willy Gueret in goal. I think Paul (Rachubka) will do his job, and hopefully i'll be writing this next week as manager of the Conference champions!

Fingers crossed...

[Eldritch7]

Dagenham Recorder, 8/4/03

Daggers on Brink after two wins in three days

Boston United 1 Dagenham & Redbridge 3

Dagenham & Redbridge 2 Scarborough 1

The Daggers are just one point away from Football League status after a couple of clinical wins over clubs in mid table. They followed up an effective trip to Boston with victory over former title rivals Scarborough, now on the slide and struggling to finish in the top half of the table. The Boston game was notable for a magnificent debut from teenage centre back Matthew Carslake. The new signing from Brighton put in a commanding performance at the back, linking up well with fellow youngster Jamie Parry, and capped his debut with the second goal, sandwiched between strikes from McLean & McDougald.

Daggers were a little more circumspect against Scarborough, who despite their pitiful form are a strong outfit. Nevertheless the Reds grabbed a deserved victory thanks to goals from Wayne Vaughan & Oleg Salenko.

Rich Wellard was delighted with the back to back results, praising his players for their stamina and drive. 'Two in three days is always tough but i had to make very few changes, the lads are all determined to see this through and send us up. We only need a single point but we want to win the Conference in style, so we'll be looking for three wins.'

Boston Utd v Dagenham

Recorder Ratings (4-1-2-3) Rachubka 8; Croft 7, Carslake 9, Parry 8, Simpkins 8; Garai 7; Terry 6 Dalglish 7;McLean 7, McDougald 8, McMennamin 8. Subs Salenko 7, Marshall 7, Senda 7.

Goals Stephens 58. McDougald 21, Carslake 40, McMennamin 72

MOM Carslake

Dagenham v Scarborough

Recorder Ratings (4-1-2-3) Rachubka 6; Woodman 6, Farley 6, Carslake 7, Simpkins 7; Marshall 7; Terry 7, Dalglish 6; Salenko 8, McLean 7, McDougald 7. Subs McMennamin 6, Senda 7, Vaughan 7.

Goals Vaughan 61, Salenko 76. Lowe 74

MOM Salenko

Dagenham Recorder 17/4/03

Reds Party on hold as Margate pull of last gasp victory.

Margate 3 Dagenham & Redbridge 2

A last gasp goal from on loan striker Richard Langley (his third of the game) denied the Daggers promotion with two games to go. But Rich Wellard remains confident that his side will clinch matters at Victoria Road against Woking in 10 days time.

The match was an excellent one, two attacking teams matching each other for much of the duration. Yet for all the industry of the Reds formidable front line, both goals came from the head of the increasingly impressive Matthew Carslake. Yet Margate refused to give up, and in QPR man Langley had the best player on the park by some margin. Twice equalising with sweet strikes from the edge of the area, the big forward bundled home an unlikely winner in stoppage time at the end of the game.

Rich Wellard admitted that despite the result, he had enjoyed the game; 'i can't complain too strongly, that was a great attacking spectacle & a draw would perhaps have been fair. On the plus side it means we can clinch the title in front of our own fans next week!'

Recorder Ratings (4-1-2-3) Rachubka 6; Woodman 7, Farley 6, Carslake 8, Simpkins 6; Marshall 5; Terry 6, Senda 7; McLean 7, Salenko 8, McDougald 7. Subs Parry 7, Dalglish 6, McMennamin 6

Goals Langley 21, 44, 90. Carslake 19, 31.

MOM Langley

Dagenham Recorder 27/4/03

Jubilant scenes as Daggers clinch promotion

Dagenham & Redbridge 3 Woking 0

The Daggers obtained League status for the first time in their history with an exuberant performance against relegated Woking. A record crowd saw the home side completely dominate proceedings, first half goals from Danny Senda & Oleg Salenko all but confirming the result within the first 20 minutes. For the remainder of the game the Daggers played elaborate posession football, restricting Woking to a single shot on goal while creating numerous opportunities themselves. They only scored once more, however, Junior McDougald showing a sense of occasion by volleying home his 25th of the season towards the end.

With Barnet's draw the Conference title was won, and will be presented at Stalybridge next week in the Daggers final game of the season. After the game a delighted Rich Wellard paid tribute to his players. 'i always hoped we'd end thhe season like this, but i'd be lying if i said i was always confident of it. I feel we've been worth our position for most of the season, and i'm so proud of the way the lads have performed week in week out. It's tough when there's so many players at the club but i thiink we've got the foundations of a good squad. Hopefully we can achieve something next season as well.'

Recorder Ratings : (4-1-2-3) Gueret 7; Woodman 6, Parry 7, Carslake 7, Simpkins 7; Garai 8; Pearson 7, Senda 7; Salenko 8, McLean 7, McDougald 8. Subs McMennamin 8, Farley 7.

Goals Senda 8, Salenko 17, McDougald 71

MOM McDougald

www.daggersonline.net 30/04/03

RICH'S RANT

Somehow it's always tougher to talk about a successful season than a poor one. i'm not going to be arrogant and suggest everything went as planned, but we were always quietly confident that this'd be our year. Even in our slump before Christmas we knew that a good run would get us back up, and so it proved.

It seems odd to talk about next season and appraise my players when we've still got a game to play...so i wont. However there are a few of the lads i want to single out for special attention;

Junior McDougald

I always new JMD would be vital to our cause. I played with him once or twice and he was a class act, albeit stifled a little by Pat Holland's tactics at Orient. Even so, 25 goals is a great performance, and most of them were important ones. He seems to revel in a three man forward line so hopefully he'll have another fruitful season in the Third Division.

Jamie Parry

Most of the plaudits at the end of the season are going to Jamie's defensive partner Matt Carslake, but while he has made a good start, i've been just as impressed with Jamie. He's probably been our most consistent player this season, and i can't wait t see the partnership he & Matt will form next year.

Aaron McLean

I knew all about Aaron when i signed him; he'd been one of my double winners at youth level with the O's and i felt he'd be more than good enough to do well at conference level. At times his attacking play was exhilerating, he's quick, skilful and good wth both feet. At 20 he's got a lot more to come.

I could continue but as i said, it doesn't feel right before the season is over. I'll probably be back at the end of the summer to cast an eye over the squad and i'll discuss the rest then. but for now, i'm off to bask in reflected glory...thank you all for your support and we hope to do even better next season!

Just to let you know, i'll try & post a final league table, stats and pre season this week, then i might be computerless for a few days. we'll see, though...

[BobBev]

Well done on your promotion I'll look forward to you taking Division 3 by storm.

[Eldritch7]

BobBev- cheers for the feedback.

Dagenham Recorder, 4/5/03

Jubilant Daggers sign off with victory

Stalybridge Celtic 0 Dagenham & Redbridge 1

The Daggers paraded the Conference title before kick off, but in truth looked a little hung over when the game began, struggling to overcome relegated Celtic. In fact, the decisive goal, from Oleg Salenko, was probably the sole moment of note in the whole game. Rich Wellard was predictably unconcerned, however; 'This was pretty much a meaningless game, in the end. All it does is give us a better winning margin. Still, the lads managed to get themselves up enough to get the points, so that's something.'

After this successful season we at the Recorder would like to offer the Reds our congratulations, and wish them luck in their assault on the league...although if Rich Wellard remains true to form it'll be a very different side we see next year...

www.daggersonline.net

McDougald voted Player of the Year

The Daggers supporters club unanimously voted Junior McDougald as the club's player of the year. The striker's 25 goals were critical to the club's stunning success this year and earned him 54% of the vote. Runner up was young centre back Jamie Parry, who also took Young Player of the Year.

On a more general note, more congratulations are due to McDougald for finishing as top scorer in the Conference for 02/03, and winning a place in the Team of the Year. There was also an honour for Rich Wellard, who took home the Conference Manager of the Year title.

[Eldritch7]

No idea if this is going to work...here's hoping

Final League Table 2002/03

English Conference

1 Dagenham 42 24 10 8 86 41 82

2 Barnet 42 22 13 7 75 43 79

3 Telford 42 24 4 14 81 61 76

4 Nuneaton 42 22 9 11 91 77 75

5 Northwich 42 22 9 11 71 61 75

6 Farnborough 42 21 8 13 59 47 71

7 Morecambe 42 19 12 11 77 59 69

8 Leigh RMI 42 21 5 16 83 76 68

9 Southport 42 18 12 12 84 71 66

10 Stevenage 42 19 5 18 62 56 62

11 Boston 42 17 11 14 62 59 62

12 Yeovil 42 18 6 18 66 64 60

13 Enfield 42 17 8 17 55 58 59

14 Scarborough 42 16 10 16 50 50 58

15 Margate 42 16 9 17 66 66 57

16 Southend 42 15 10 17 61 58 55

17 Hereford 42 11 16 15 49 70 49

18 Hayes 42 13 6 23 60 79 45

19 Runcorn 42 7 13 22 48 75 34

20 Stalybridge 42 7 8 27 69 98 29

21 Woking 42 7 8 27 37 81 29

22 Stafford 42 7 6 29 53 107 27

[Eldritch7]

Well, it's a bit messy but you get the idea...

Pre Season

www.daggersonline.net. 01/06/03

With the club building up for the new season, DaggersOnline is proud to present a new innovation for the Third Division - Rich Wellard's Weekly Online Diary (aka 'I got bored writing in the third person' -ed).

Hey everyone. i'm glad to have been given the opportunity to share my thoughts with you on a weekly basis...whether this is a good or bad thing will become clear as the season progresses. i'll be giving feedback on matches, transfer deals and other malarkey as and when it happens, so you should be the best informed fans in the League...outside the Premiership anyway.

Not much to discuss this week, but i am in the process of sealing a few deals for players (in and out) that were finalised earlier in the year. More as it happens, but for now i can let you know that we've made Paul Dalglish's loan move permanent, having agreed a fee of 16k for him with Orient. Paul looked quite good at the back end of last season and his league experience will help us no end. The other deal close to conclusion is for Sunderland full back Mark Maley; he's been with us for a week with a view to a 24k switch. He's a right back, which is good, as it seems Lee Goodwin could be on his way out... bigger clubs are sniffing around and we've already rejected a 45k offer from Portsmouth.

[Eldritch7]

www.daggersonline.net 14/6/03

We've had quite an eventful two weeks considering a lot of the lads are on holiday. We did play one pre season game, Garry taking the younger lads to the New Den for a match against Millwall; we lost 4-0 but the youngsters, trialists & academy kids we put out there gave a better account of themselves than that suggests. Off the pitch things have been ticking along as well; i've brought in Nigel worthington as my new head coach, which i'm delighted with as it'll give Garry & I more breathing space. There's been a little bit of transfer activity too. We released a couple of the youngsters earlier in the week, namely Stephen Webster & Kevin Richardson; they were the unfortunate result of a cull on our surfeit of strikers. i'm glad to report that they both seem to have landed on their feet, though...Kevin has signed a deal with Woking while Stephen is having trials at Crawley.

More relevant to us is the finalising of a deal for Lee Goodwin; Portsmouth were happy to stump up the 85k i requested so it looks like he'll be playing First division football next season. Good luck to him; he did a good job last campaign and can definitely make the step up.

LEE GOODWIN - Last Season Apps 39 Goals 0 Assts 3 MOM 1 AR 6.91

i've brought in some defensive cover for the new right back Mark Maley, in the form of 16 year old Scotsman Jamie Little. He's cost us 14k from Alloa, but he has raw potential and could develop well.

That's it for now; next update in a couple of weeks...

www.daggersonline.net 30/06/03

Well, here we are at the end of June, with another new face and a few departures to tell you about. The new face is Andy Crosby, a centre back who has joined us for free from Wrexham. He's solid & experienced & should back up the young lads well. Three players have left the club in the same period, two for cash fees. Phil Gibson has joined Macclesfield for 6k, while James Coppinger has gone to Cardiff for 45k. Again, both are strikers, as it's dawned on me that forwards who can't score are actually not much use. i'm especially disappointed with James; we've made our money back on him but i had high hopes which he didn't come close to fulfilling. Still, not every deal can work, can it?

The last departure is a Daggers stalwart from before my time - keeper Paul Gothard. We'd have liked to hang on to him but he wasn't satisfied as a backup, so when Doncaster offered him first team football and a better wage he jumped at the chance. We let him leave for nothing as Doncaster are broke, but i always feel it's best to get rid of unhappy players asap unless they're vital to the cause.

Next month we have four friendlies scheduled, and look out for more transfer activity...

[Eldritch7]

www.daggersonline.net. 14/7/03

It's been a busy two weeks at victoria Road, with two home friendlies to play and a couple more new faces to welcome. On the first of the month we were delighted to receive a couple of players with Premiership experience into our midst. First up was Richard Naylor, a tall, talented striker who arrives on a bosman free from Ipswich Town. I feel his capture is quite a coup, as several other league teams were interested, but a lot depends on how well he has recovered from a badly broken leg he sustained at the tail end of 2001. Having been out for nearly two years he'll need a recovery period, but if he gets back to his best he'll excel at this level. The other new boy is Alioune Toure, a cultured French winger recently released by Manchester City. In terms of skill, vision and all round ability he's a star; in terms of work rate and temperament he's questionable. If he decides he's willing to play in division 3 we should do well out of him.

Our other transfer activity has been less dramatic; one more signing in the shape of

Shane Nicholson, a young, pacy midfielder released by Sheffield United, and two youngsters departing, Kenny Simpson & Ross Adams. Ross has an adventure ahead of him, incidentally; he's moved to Racing Club De Andorra for 5k.

We won one of our two friendlies and drew the other; most of the first team helped us overcome Aylesbury 2-0 at the Road, Salenko & McLean with the goals. Then last Wednesday we had an excellent match at Boston, a side comprising of trialists and a few first teamers grabbing a 1-1 draw, with Oleg Salenko scoring again. Coming up we've got Premiership Preston and a game at Southport.

Dagenham Recorder, 24/07/03

Makeshift Daggers suffer heavy defeat

Dagenham & Redbridge 1 Preston North End 5

The Reds suffered a second pre season mauling at the hands of Premiership opposition, newly promoted Preston comfortably putting away an inexperienced home side. The visitors were three up inside 11 minutes, a header from captain Chris Lucketti and a spectacular double from young star Kalam Mooniaruck effectively ending the game as a contest. England under 21 international Mooniaruck made it four before half time, and although Richard Naylor opened his Daggers account, Preston scored a fifth near the end through Jamie Forrester. Rich Wellard was sanguine about the defeat; 'We came up against a hell of a side today. I think Preston will surprise a lot of people in the top flight this year. The boy Mooniaruck is dynamite, he tore us to shreds in the first half. Having said that, there were encouraging signs after the break. it's a setback, yes, but not a major one.'

Recorder Ratings (4-1-3-2) Rachubka 6; Croft 5, Crosby 6, Mitchell 5, Little 5; Garai 6; Simpkins 5, vaughan 6, Henderson 6; Naylor 7, Kinsella 6. Subs Duffy 6, Toure 6, Salenko 7, McLean 6, Marshall 7, Bass 6, Janney 5.

Goals Naylor 57. Lucketti 3, Mooniaruck 6, 11, 33, Forrester 81

MOM Mooniaruck

www.daggersonline.net. 31/07/03

The Preston debacle hurt us somewhat, i'll admit. I made the mistake of thinking they'd send a weak side, and i put out a team patently uncapable of challenging them. Having said that, it doesn't actually matter at all... and nor does the equally miserable performance against Southport, where we lost 2-1. Pre season friendlies are there to get some fitness and form back, the results are unimportant. Still, if we start the season like that i'll be concerned...

As for new signings, i've got three permanent and one loan for you this update ; the loanee is left back Adrian Clarke, with us for a couple of months from Hull. The signings are right midfielder Lee Crooks, a 70k record signing from Barnsley who looks impressive; Adam Eaton, a 23 year old left back from macclesfield for 24k; and Adam Quinn, an academy centre back released by Sheffield Wednesday. In terms of rebuilding that's about it for now, although i'm still looking for a left midfielder...

I'll be back weekly for the start of the new season

[Eldritch7]

The Sunday Times, 3/08/03

Nationwide League Division III Preview

Blackpool

02/03 position ; 24th, Division 2

Players in : Jurgen Macho, Bos, Sunderland. Willem korsten, Bos, Spurs.Radostin Kisischev, Bos, Charlton. Patrick Suffo, Bos, Sheff Utd.

Players Out : Graham Fenton, Bos, Darlington. Jamie Milligan, 120k, Cardiff. Brett Ormerod, 775k, Notts County. John O Kane, Bos, Northampton. danny Nardiello, 50k, Walsall.

Despite their relegation last season, Blackpool have the foundations of a strong side. although the loss of Ormerod in paticular will be a blow, they have bought wisely in the summer and are certainly a favourite for promotion. Much will depend on the form of the new boys, although veterans Paul Furlong & Warren Barton will also be crucial to the cause.

Predicted Position : will just miss out on promotion, but may get through the playoffs. 4th.

Bournemouth

02/03 Position : 12th

Players in : Kit Symons, Bos, Fulham. Steve Harkness, Bos, sheffield Wednesday

Players Out : Jason Tindall, 50k, Aldershot.

Mid table mediocrity seems to suit Bournemouth at the moment, and they offer little suggestion of doing anything else this year. The experience of Symons and Harkness will shore up an often leaky defence, but a lot will depend once again on the goals of Carl Fletcher.

Predicted Position : Same again. 12th

Bristol Rovers

02/03 Position : 13th

Players in : Graham Stuart, 230k, Charlton

Players Out : Vitalis Astafjevs, Bos, Macclesfield

Graham Stuart gives Rovers something resembling a star name, but in truth this is another side with little ambition. Last season's form oozed mediocrity, as the rovers drew more games than they won and scored relatively few goals. those that did come came from the mercurial Nathan Ellington, and 'the duke' will be looking for a strong season this time around.

Predicted Position : Better than last term but still some way off the pace. 9th.

Bury

position 02/03 : 17th

Players in : Paul Nicholls, 16k, Boston. darren Pitcher, Bos, Peterborough.

players Out : Baichung Bhutia, released.

A team on the slide, Bury are devoid of stars and frequently short of ideas. last season's 17th was a good result considering a disastrous start that left them bottom at Christmas. Ex Chelsea man Nicholls will give them options up front but most of their guile has departed with Bhutia, leaving Ian Hillier in the role of midfield general.

Predicted Position : they'll start better, but still finish worse off. 20th.

Cardiff City

02/03 position : 23rd in Division II

Players In : James Coppinger, 45k, Dagenham & Redbridge. Jamie Milligan, 120k, BlackpoolMikael Menetrier, 140k, Bradford. arjan Van Heusden, 10k, Woking

players Out : Robert Earnshaw, 425k, Notts County. Graham Kavanagh, 200k, Notts County. Steve Torpey, 50k, Gillingham

Not so long ago, Cardiff were looking towards the First Division as a reasonable goal, with a dynamic young team and capable manager. Now they're shorn of both, and with the loss of Earnshaw & Kavanagh, the goals could be hard to come by this season. none of their new signings look particularly stellar, but the bare bones of the old cardiff should keep them going ok.

predicted Position : Playoffs, but they wont go back up. 6th.

Cheltenham Town

02/03 Position : 5th

Players in : Alan Cawley, 240k, Millwall. Adrian Viveash, Bos, Reading.

players Out : Jamie Victory, Bos, Peterborough. darren Ellison, 75k, Crystal Palace

Play off finalists last season, Cheltenham will feel they can go one better this year. With a strong squad based around flying winger Scott Huckerby and talented Portuguese striker Kiwi, they'll be good to watch and in there at the end.

predicted Position : Not good enough to win, definitely good enough to come second. 2nd.

Colchester United

02/03 Position : 14th

Player In : Steve Watson, 55k, Macclesfield

Players Out : Nick Maddison, 600k, Bolton. Dean Morgan, 75k, Norwich.

perennial underachievers Colchester could struggle this year, having lost star striker Morgan and the division's best keeper in the shape of Maddison. Former Everton man Watson should pull the strings, and the attacking flair of Kevin Rapley & Kemi Izzet cannot be completely discounted, but the odds are on a difficult season.

predicted Position ; Bottom half strugglers. 19th.

Dagenham & Redbridge

02/03 Position : 1st, Conference

Players in : Richard Naylor, Bos, Ipswich. Lee Crooks, 70k, Barnsley. Alioune toure, Bos, Manchester City. Paul Dalglish, 35k, Orient.

Players Out : James Coppinger, 45k, Cardiff. Lee Goodwin, 75k, portsmouth. Paul Gothard, Bos, Doncaster.

Considering they are the new boys in the league, the Daggers look to have plenty of strength in depth. Their forward line in particular is formidable, new signing Naylor joining Conference top scorer junior McDougald and Russian international Oleg Salenko. However, with an inexperienced defence, back to back titles seem a long way off.

Predicted Position : Dagenham could surprise a lot of people, and have an outside chance of a playoff place. 8th.

These are taking a while...will do the remaining 16 either over the weekend or next week.

[Brian of Nazareth]

For tables, you could try coding - but nonetheless this has been excellent so far - I hadn't really noticed this until recently Good luck in division 3

[Eldritch7]

BoN - Great to have you on board... will try & get a better table together for the end of next season...long way off though

Darlington

02/03 Position - 18th

Players In : Graham Fenton, Bos, Blackpool. Vince Bartram, 50k, Orient. gary McSheffrey, Free, Coventry.

Players Out : Neil Edwards, 100k, Oldham

Darlington look to have added little to the squad that struggled last season. Bartram and MacSheffrey should shore up their leaky defence, while Neil Wainwright will bag his share of the goals, but another tough season is on the cards.

predicted position : Free of relegation worries but little for the fans to cheer about. 16th.

Doncaster Rovers

02/03 Position : 7th

Players in : Paul Gothard, Bos, Dagenham & Redbridge.

Players Out : None

Rovers impressed a lot of people last season in gaining a playoff place, and have every chance of doing the same this season. A lot well depend on towering centre back Nevin Saroya marshalling the defence, as well as the aging legs of midfield general john Moncur.

Predicted Position : in the shake up for playoff places but their lack of depth will cost them. 10th.

Exeter City

02/03 position : 15th

Players in : Scott McNiven, Bos, Oldham.

Players Out : Darren Wright, 120k, Kidderminster. Jamie Campbell, Bos, Lincoln

Perennial strugglers Exeter were satisfied with 15th last season, and should be again. striker Christian roberts will always score at this level, and a tough defence built around Chris Casper, Gethin Jones & Curtis Fleming will be difficult to break down.

Predicted Position : No change is a good thing for Exeter... 15th.

halifax town

02/03 Position : 6th

Players In : Paul Thirlwell, 200k, Sunderland. Mitch Ward, 45k, Hull.

Players Out : None

Another unfancied side who did well last year, Halifax have the squad to go one better and actually get promotion this year. mike Duff is developing into one of the Third Division's best players, while Cayman international striker Jamie Wood and ex Villa playmaker Mark Draper keep things moving up front.

Predicted Position : A playoff final beckons, and promotion is a possibility. 3rd.

Hartlepool United

02/03 Position : 16th

Player in : Lee Bullock, 110k, York

Player Out : Ritchie Humphreys, Bos, Oxford

A mediocre season last time out bodes badly for hartlepool, and in truth they offer little to suggest improvement. the midfield pairing of tommy Widdrington & Sebastian Favata have talent, but the rest of the squad is somewhat lacking. an improvement on last year is a must though.

Predicted Position : Mid Table Obscurity. 11th

Kidderminster Harriers

02/03 Position : 8th

Player In : darren Wright, 120k, Exeter.

Player Out : Sam Shilton, Bos, Huddersfield

Kidderminster have largely retained the talented young side who just missed out on the playoffs last season. peter Weatherston will be looking for a repeat of the form that got him 22 goals last season, whil highly rated teenage stopper Tony stevenson should do well behind a notoriously mean defence.

Predicted Position : Possible playOff finalists. 5th

Lincoln City

02/03 position : 11th

Players In : Peter Beagrie, Bos, Orient. Kerry Mayo, 40k, Brighton

Players Out : None

A satisfactory 11th last season failed to hide the weaknesses in the Lincoln line up. Beagrie and Mayo will go some way to bolstering a weak midfield but a forward line still missing the departed Lee Thorpe will struggle for goals.

Predicted Position : safe but unspectacular. 14th

Macclesfield Town

02/03 Position : 23rd

Players in : Vitalis Astafjevs, bos, Bristol Rovers. Ian Hendon, Bos, Sheff Wed. Richard Norris, 40k, Tranmere.

Players Out : Steve Watson, 55k, Colchester

Town have strengthened their squad somewhat after a catastrophic last season that saw them escape relaegation on goal difference. 17 year old winger Nathan Davisis a tremendous prospect but beyond that they have little to offer.

Predicted Position : A small improvement but still in the relegation dogfight. 17th

[Eldritch7]

Mansfield Town

02/03 Position : 20th

Players In : Brett Angell, Bos, Rochdale. Lee Jones, 150k, barnsley.

Players Out : Chris Greenacre, 325k, Northampton. Bobby Hassell, 35k, Carlisle. Allen Tankard, Bos, Carlisle.

Mansfield are a weak side made significantly weaker by the loss of star striker Greenacre. veteran forward Angell will try & fill the gap, but much will depend on the defence, especially young talent Alistair Asher.

Predicted Position : Another season of struggle. 22nd.

Reading

02/03 Position : 22nd, division 2

Players In : Eric Sabin, Bos, Swindon

Players Out : Danny Butterfield, 725k, Wigan. Jamie Cureton, Bos, Brighton. Robbie Ryan 150k, Walsall. Adrian Viveash, Bos, Cheltenham. Shaun Teale, bos, Rushden.

After their surprise relegation last season, and the subsequent loss of key players, reading will need to pick up the pieces in a division they are unfamiliar with. Nevertheless, with players like million pound striker Jason Bent and Darius henderson in the side, they remain a potent threat, and the threatening atmosphere of the Madejski should serve them well.

Predicted Finish : You cannot see them staying in the Third for long. 1st.

Rochdale

02/03 Position : 22nd

Players in : Lee Marshall, Bos, Leicester. Justin Edinburgh, 60k, Portsmouth.

Player Out : Brett Angell, Bos, Mansfield

A poor year last season is threatening to become a regular occurence for Rochdale, a side devoid of flair or inspiration. Veteran keeper

Alec Chamberlain can expect another extremely busy season.

Predicted Finish : Free of relegation...just barely. 23rd.

Rotherham United

02/03 Position : 21st in Division 2.

Player In : Danny Webber, Free, Man United.

Players Out : Chris Beech, Bos, Oxford. Vidar Fagerheim, 150k, Oldham. Simon Bryant, 190k, Portsmouth.

Like Reading, Rotherham will be expected by many to bounce straight back up. A solid first team built around veterans Neil Redfearn, Mark Robins & Simon Charlton should be strong enough to achieve this, although they lack strength in depth.

Predicted Finish : Promoted through he playoffs after an average season. 7th.

[Eldritch7]

Rushden & Diamonds

02/03 position : 9th

Players In : Shaun Teale, Bos, Reading. Mick Stockwell, Bos, Colchester

Players Out : Joca, 220k, Stoke. Billy turley, 28k, Oldham. Nick Culkin 95k, Walsall

Living proof that money cannot buy success, the Diamonds continue to plod along in the middle reaches of the Third Division. This season could be different, however; having sold all three first team goalkeepers in the close season they could be leaking goals at an alarming rate. A solid forward line featuring Angola international Arthur Correia and Iceland forward Heigi Danielsson aside they have few stars, and with young defender Gavin Bassinder coveted by many higher division clubs, this could b a tough season for the Diamonds.

Predicted Position : A mediocre effort. 13th

Scunthorpe United

02/03 Position : 10th

Players In : Mo Harkin, 30k, Carlisle. Justin Whittle, free

Players Out : Martin Carruthers, released. Mark Jackson, bos, Portsmouth

That a team with the fearsome attacking triumvirate of Andy Burgess, Courtney Naylor & Johnny Dixon can struggle in Division 3 is testimony to the ineptitude of the Scunthorpe defence. Finishing 10th last season despite shipping 86 goals, a repeat this season looks unlikely without reinforcement.

Predicted Finish : They'll score plenty, and concede far more...18th.

Torquay United

02/03 Position : 19th

Players In : Greg Berry, Bos, Purfleet. Eddie Youds, 110k, QPR

Players Out : None

Torquay fans are more than familiar with relegation battles, and this season looks like being another. Their saving grace could be their defence; veterans Youds & Berry will line up in front of Kevin Pilkington and should prove a solid back line. Few striking options will cost them, however.

Predicted Finish : Safe, but not by much. 21st

York City

02/03 Position : 21st

Players In : Mike Milligan, Bos, Isernia. Adrian Williams, 120k, WBA

Players Out : Alex Gildea, 85k, Tranmere. Lee Bullock, 110k, Hartlepool

Perennial strugglers York no longer have Carlisle to serve as a buffer between them and the conference; combine this with the loss of their two most creative players and you can't help but fear for their league status. The ageless steve Claridge will do his best for them but there looks to be no service.

Predicted Finish : It'll take a miracle to save them. 24th.

[Eldritch7]

www.daggersonline.net. 5/08/03

Dagenham & Redbridge Squad Profiles 2003/2004

With the new season around the corner, we've taken the opportunity to look at the squad and assess our chances in the heady heights of Division 3.

Goalkeepers

Willy Gueret. Age 30. French. Last Season (games/goals) 26/0. Daggers Career (games/goals) 26/0.AR (Last Season) 7.57

Fully established as the side's number 1, the experienced Frenchman settled in well last season with a couple of man of the match performances & great consistency. Big, quick & an excellent shot stopper, he should be with us for some time.

Paul Rachubka. age 22. American (Under 21 caps). Last Season 7/0. Career 7/0. AR 7.13

Paul has adjusted well to the drop from the heady atmosphere of Old Trafford to the less dramatic climes of Dagenham. Although he is far from the finished article, he filled in well when called upon and should feature more this season, especially in the cup competitions.

Greg Bass. Age 16. English. Last Season 0(2)/0. Career 0(2)/0. AR 6.50

For all his tender years Greg shows a great deal of promise. He made a couple of substitute appearances in the lesser competitions and looked comfortable enough, but is some way from first team football. another season in the reserves should help him develop.

More tomorrow if i find time...