Please accept my apologies for the delay in publishing the following memories. They are from Rob who is a St. Albans supporter. He visits our forum under the guise of Rob(SACFC). He sent me his thoughts on the 5th of July but I have only just found them!!!
After much hype and encouraging results in the friendlies the season got off to a disappointing start with a defeat by Slough at home. New manager Bob 'ugly' Dowie had assembled a squad consisting of a large number of his successful team at Aylesbury and some old faithfuls and for a while it struggled to mould itself into a settled team, even though results were generally going our way. The highlight of this early period was probably the away win at Aldershot, where Wayne Andrews ran them ragged - no wonder George Borg signed him later in the season. The low points were the cup runs - losing to Thame United in the FA Trophy and Bamber Bridge in the FA Cup. The latter was notorious for the 89th minute mass-brawl which involved all the players, subs and coaches and was shown later on Match of the Day!
We were still in second in the league, however, and just about holding onto the gap between us and the leaders Dagenham and Redbridge. By the end of December we were five points behind with a game in hand. The New Year however, saw a change in fortune, Steve Clark incurring a hamstring injury that would keep him out for eight weeks and effectively ending our championship challenge. Results now were starting to slip away and we approached the crucial home game with D & R without much confidence. The gap now was something like 16 points even though we still had games in hand so a win was vital. Unfortunately, it was not to be. Despite a good all-round performance D & R were just too good for us and eventually won comfortably.
Our challenge was now over, and with general discontent arising within the club, Dowie resigned to concentrate on his 'business interests' and ex-player Kevin Mudd was promoted from the ranks to take over. Results were still not going our way and when Tony Roberts left to pursue a coaching career in America (allegedly) and Wayne Andrews joined Aldershot it was just a question of playing out the season and trying out new players and tactics. All in all then a very disappointing season after it promised so much early on. Hopefully Muddy will be given enough time this season to assemble the squad he wants and build another successful City side, then perhaps we can emulate your achievement and take on the Conference. Here's hoping for an enjoyable season for both teams. Who knows, we may meet in a Cup game sometime.
After coming so close for the last couple of seasons I was sure that this would be our season. Signing Garry Hill was a piece of managerial genius in itself let alone bringing in new faces such as the two Juniors, Ashley Vickers, and the Morrocan boy wonder ( Youssef CHIPPO ).
After a strong first half to the season and with St. Albans right up our backsides it was looking as though we would have a difficult finish to the season. That was to be the case in the end however, unlike the Daggers the opposition floundered somewhat, and just couldn't keep up the pace winning week in, week out. The absolute turning point was surely away at St Albans were it was a must not lose situation for the Saints. It was an absoloutley freezing night, however the atmosphere was so hot we might as well have been playing beach footballin Brazil. To go 2 nil up was a dream, however when they got one back and threw everything at us it looked like we was about to crumble. I remember Garry Hill making a couple of amazing substitutions towards the end of the match, and I honestly thought the rest of the Daggers were about to start booing. Need not worry though as in went the 3rd and after the final whistle and a few scuffles with the minority of idiot Saints supporters we all went home happy thinking that it was all over.
That was until Aldershot sneaked up from behind. After beating us 1-0, even with a massive gap between us and them having a huge number of games in hand we were all extermely nervous. We kept on winning and kept saying "Surely they cant catch us now" yet they refused to give up easily. The first time I actually believed we had done it was the midweek game against Farnborough. WHAT A MATCH !!!!!!
I was standing by the corner by the Bury road exit with a couple of mates. After going 2-0 down and with it probably being the coldest night in history my mates left showing that they are not true Daggers. Like most however I was willing to brave it out 'til the death just to see how many more we would concede. We were absoloutley dismal and even now I don't know how we did it but Farnborough let us get back in. It was because we had played so badly, and to come back to 2-2, I could sense everyones emotions' were electric. So when Keano somehow managed to blast in the equaliser I have never in my whole life of watching football seen anything like it. I like most people were running around like headless chickens kissing and hugging anyone in sight. It was quite amazing and I don't think that sort of atmosphere could ever be repeated at a premiership match where there is no real heart in the supporters.
Then a few days later when Billericay smashed Aldershot it was game, set and match. A nice easy, uneventful match at Hampton proved the day when we were officially crowned champions. We like doing things the hard way eh Dagenham? What's that? I hear you ask, would I would prefer it any different??? NO, NOT A CHANCE !!!!!!
Good luck Dagenham and Redbridge. More of the same next season please.
As is perfectly usual for me, I was eagerly anticipating the start of last season, and hoping that finally, the Daggers would achieve their potential and actually win the league. My usual optimism has led me to become somewhat of a cynic as the team had often in the past flattered to deceive, just failing at the final hurdle.
The change of manager worried me to be honest. I thought that John Bennett's managerial skills had worked wonders at the end of the 1998/9 season and felt that maybe he should have been given a crack at managing the team on a permanent basis for a whole season. After all, the team's performance after he had taken over had been very impressive and we had finished very strongly, despite the expected defeats at Purfleet.
During the pre-season friendlies, it is always difficult to get a feel for the state of the side and with so many changes to the team, I was more than a little concerned that the players might not gel well. I was, however, optimistic about the new goalkeeper, but this optimism was shattered when Perry Suckling was injured by an appalling challenge in the Margate friendly. By this stage, I had resigned myself to yet another season of nearly being good enough to win the league.
Despite this, I turned up to the Harrow game hoping that the team would be able to get the league season off to a good start. It didn't happen. The Daggers got off to a great start, running the game in the first half. Martin St.Hillaire was particularly impressive - fast and nimble, he was causing chaos in Boro's defence. The second half, however, made me think that my worst fears would be realised - sloppy defending and a lack of communication let Harrow get back level and we had to be content with only one point where we obviously had the skill and ability to have taken all three. There were a number of positive points about the way that we had played, but I was still concerned. (See, I told you I was a cynic!)
The first home game was better - A solid 3-1 victory against Carshalton, followed by the excellent 4-1 defeat of Aylesbury.
Then came the Farnborough game. After the previous two results, my mood had been lifted and I had a good feeling about the team's chances. There was a definite buzz about the club. I went to Farnborough, hoping (well, actually, more like expecting) the three points, but the side totally failed to get going and sqandered numerous chances - we came away from the game on the wrong end of a 2-1 result. My mood plummeted again and I was back to thinking we were going to come between 2nd and 5th. Oh well, I thought, there's always the cups! (I am fickle as well as cynical by the way!)
I was, however, pleasantly surprised by the wins over Hendon (1-0), Heybridge (2-0) and Billericay (2-1). We were well placed in the table and looking stronger. The team was starting to show the grit and determination it would need if it were to mount a serious title challenge. The defending was good, the midfield strong and able and up-front, we seemed to be playing well.
Next was the short trip (I was living in Northwest Kent at the time) to Dulwich. Champion Hill is not my favourite of grounds in the league (at least, it isn't since they pulled the magnificent old stadium down), but I was looking forward to us coming away on the end of an easy victory. It wasn't to be. In an echo of the Farnborough game, we failed to take our chances and the game ended 0-0. However, the game was marred by an incident behind the Dulwich goal involving one of the Dagenham & Redbridge supporters and Hamlet's 'keeper, Les Cleevley. Les is infamous in non-league circles for being somewhat unstable and having a fierce temper.
For some reason known only to himself, the Daggers' supporter behind the goal (who was standing next to me) spat at the 'keeper's face. Quite rightly, he was "rather upset" by this. However, what followed amazed me and many of the other people in the ground. Cleevley ran up to the lad and, with his nose and forehead touching him, spouted a torrent of foul-mouthed abuse at him, threatening to kill and maim him after the game. The Ref, still with threats and abuse pouring from him dragged him off. According to a number of other clubs, this was not the only time Cleevley had lost it this season. He has, according to these people, on a number of occasions, physically and verbally assaulted people. I appreciate that some of these were provoked, but some were totally without justification. Without wishing to drag up old news too much, I find his behaviour disgusting and astounding. Why his club, the league and the FA have let him get away with this for so long I don't know.
Anyway, enough of the all-in-wrestling and back to the football...
The 1-0 defeat of Boreham Wood (Is that one word or two? - Even the signs in the ground are inconsistent!) was a good confidence booster, but the defeat in the Isthmian League Cup at the hands of Croydon was surprising to say the least. I'm just glad I didn't go.
The FA Cup is always fun in the early rounds, especially when you get to go to a ground you've not previously visited. The unknown quantity this time was Sudbury. Well, apart from not having any idea which ground to go to and, of course, first going to the wrong one, the team muddled through the game on one of the worst pitches I've ever seen. The 2-1 result flattered the opposition, and the real highlight of the day was when I ended up standing on a barstool to change the channel of the TV in the bar after the game!
The team really caught fire in the next home game, demolishing Enfield 4-0. We were then geared up for the home FA Cup-tie against Burton Albion. Ah. Well, what can I say. We were outplayed and out fought by Albion who thoroughly deserved their 2-0 win.
The Trophy game against Purfleet went exactly as expected and we lost 2-0. Only the Essex Senior and Full-Members to worry about now.
Still, at least we could concentrate on the league! Yes, by now, I really did think we could do it. My confidence was high, the team was playing well and Burton were not in it.
A reasonable 2-0 victory over Walton was followed by our defeat by Braintree in the Essex Senior Cup. By now we had worked out Garry's tactics of going out of the cups when you can to concentrate on winning the league, so it was no real surprise when we ripped apart Basingstoke 4-0. The defeat of Hitchin 2-0 (which I missed) was followed by a superb 5-0 win over a very lacklustre Hampton.
The 2-0 defeat of Romford in the Full Members Cup was good (if surprising), and when we beat Slough 3-2 (ending a good run of clean sheets), I really thought the Championship was ours. We had been up against it for much of the game and still taken the points where, really, Slough deserved at least a point.
The Chesham game was always going to be tough - both teams had very similar records and came into the game on the back of a good run. The result was a predictable draw (1-1) and was probably just about fair on the day.
Then came the first Aldershot game - A disappointing (but still large) number of supporters made the journey from Hampshire to see their team outplayed by the Daggers. The 3-1 result was fair. I had expected the game to be much harder than it was.
We followed this with two excellent results - 4-0 over Hendon and 4-1 over Hitchin. This meant that we came to Christmas sitting pretty at the top of the table with St Albans our nearest rivals and Aldershot creeping up behind.
Boxing Day brought the short trip to Canvey (my first visit). Whilst I was expecting a difficult game, I did not expect the result that followed. My impressions of the ground are well known amongst the on-line non-league community, so I won't drag them up again here, but suffice to say that 2002 in the ground made seeing anything of the play difficult to say the least. This was no bad thing for the Daggers fans as we came away having lost 3-1. The only other thing to note is that Canvey's trumpet player only knows one tune - and he can't play that!
In what was one of the toughest home league games of the season, we sneaked a 2-1 victory over Gravesend and followed this with one of the best away wins of the season. The Billericay game showed the team at their deadly best. The 4-0 victory flattered Billericay (who were, admittedly, saving themselves for their big Cup game). The atmosphere was great and I came away sure that we would be crowned Champions.
Beating Leyton Pennant 5-1 in the Full Members Cup was a nice little aside, and then we were back to the league with wins over an improved Aylesbury (2-0) and Harrow Borough (4-1).
Next up was the crunch top-of-the-table clash at St Albans. This looked to be the most difficult game so far and, I felt, could easily be the first league defeat since Farnborough. I was wrong, we played superbly well and came away with a relatively comfortable 3-1 victory. The gap at the top was widening, and St Albans looked to be falling away as challengers. The title was ours for the taking if we could maintain our form.
The Carshalton game appeared to be a case of "After The Lord Mayor's Show" and a below-par performance against a poor side resulted in a 1-1 draw. Interestingly, the same Carshalton player scored both goals.
Another expected defeat at the hands of Purfleet and then the silly 5-4 reverse at Heybridge looked like title jitters, but the Heybridge game was more notable for three clear penalties turned down than for anything else. Back to winning ways against Dulwich (3-1) and the second St Albans game (2-1) which practically ended their challenge. We then made the trip to Aldershot for the return game against the only team now with a realistic chance of catching us. By this time, I didn't think that the game really mattered as we were too far in front to be caught - not mathematically maybe, but the chances of the results all going their way were very small. We lost 1-0 without really creating too much.
The away game against Enfield was played at Boreham Wood's ground and a poor display left us with only one point from the game (1-1).
The wins over Boreham Wood (2-0), Basingstoke (1-0) and Walton (2-0) left us counting the points needed for safety, but Aldershot kept winning and keeping the pressure on. When we managed somehow to go 2-0 down at home to Farnborough, our unbeaten home run looked as good as over, but we managed to not only pull back level, but to take all three points, winning 3-2, in one of the most memorable matches I've ever seen. Our performance in the last 18 minutes was exceptional and Keen was treated like a hero having scored two and set up the other. The only worry was Newell's antics, rushing out like an idiot and nearly getting himself sent-off.
He did it again at Gravesend in a game of many incidents, denied and saved penalties, but we scraped home 2-1.
The expected defeat at the hands of Purfleet didn't happen. Instead, the Daggers managed to win relatively comfortably. 3-1 and the title was as good as ours. We only needed a point to claim the title.
The trip to Hampton (now nice and short for me as I had, by now, moved to Slough) was as uneventful as the match wasn't! When after only five minutes, Jason Broom slotted home from close range, it looked as if it was all over. I thought we would go on to score a hatful and claim the Championship in true style, but it wasn't going to be as easy on the nerves as that! A rare attack from Hampton resulted in yet another rush of blood from Paul Newell and he stupidly charged out and brought down the attacker. Having ridden his luck in the previous few games, it had run out and he was rightfully dismissed. Mark Keen, the hero of the Farnborough game, came on in place of Mark Janney and went in goal. He never looked very comfortable in goal and soon let in the equaliser, just before half time. The balance of the game now looked more in Hampton's favour and, sure enough, just after the break, we went behind. At this stage, I thought all was lost, but somehow we managed to lift our game and got back on level terms.
Then, whilst Lee Matthews was receiving treatment after another bat tackle from one of the Hampton players (who should have been sent off at the start of the game), Naylor said something inappropriate and was dismissed. Playing against 11 men, the Daggers' 9 looked like they would go behind again. However, just as news was coming through that Aldershot had lost 4-0 at home to Enfield, and well into injury time (about 10 minues!), Junior McDougald scored the winner in one of the most amazing and emotional games I've ever seen. The fans went wild, invaded the pitch and celebrated. The Daggers had finally done it - and done it in style!
The Canvey game was somewhat of an anti-climax, but the 2-0 win followed by the 3-0 defeat of Chesham meant that we had beaten all 21 teams in the league at least once and needed a win and to score five goals against Slough to have reached 100 points and 100 goals for the season. In the end, it didn't quite happen, we got the win (2-1), scored all three goals and celebrated hard into the night. The Slough game was particularly emotional, and the full realisation of what Garry and the team have achieved only really sank in when I held the shield at the end of season party. All in all, it was an incredible season. The team was outstanding throughout, Garry's tactics were spot-on and the support has been brilliant. On top of this, I have made some very good friends through this and other forums, not least of all, my partner Louise - Known to all as Lou (STFC). Who knows what next season holds for us, but I think we can all look back on the season just gone with pride and admiration. Let's just hope that in a couple of season's time, I can be writing another review of our Conference winning season! Up The Daggers
Brian Smailes
There is only one word to describe it....BRILLIANT.
We did have our usual shaky bits but the strength of the squad shone through in the end.
There were several highlights for me, the two best being the 4-0 away win at Billy Licky and the magnificent 3-1 win at home to the Scum. Several players caught my eye this season and one of them was Paul Newell. He has taken a lot of stick, but over the season he has made a series of brilliant saves, Gary keep him.
The defence as usual was fantastically solid all season, even though we had to cope with some very pacy forwards and some niggling injuries to key players. The midfield (again) did not perform as I would have liked, but in general they performed quite well, but I think Degsy is past it now, but would make a good coach. Steve Heffer got on with the job quietly without being outstanding. Now the much debated front 3. Cobby-Brilliant goal in the very first game, faded for a few games but came back and scored some vital goals for us. Shippy--Worked his socks off as usual with lots of good goals. Junior---Wow!, how quick is he? Works hard for the team holding the ball and distributing well but maybe could have scored a few more goals. And finally GARY HILL- I dont need to say much. Brilliant tactics, astute signings(Apart from Matt Rush!) and a superb motivator.
I hope we continue the form in to the Conference and I thank all at Dagenham & Redbridge for producing the best overall season that the club has ever had. Also I would like to thank Dave (Simmo) Simpson for his honesty and his quick response to e-mails and queries.
UP THE DAGGERS.......CHAMPIONS AGAIN NEXT SEASON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jamie Clark
Well what a season!! How Gary Hill didn't win the manager of the month for every month of the season is beyond me - the bloke is brilliant. I started the season expecting us to be one of the major players in the championship race but no one could have dreamed how comfortable it was in the end. The players he brought in throughout the season were spot on - the only bad apple was Mathew Rush. He was definitely a talented player but his attitude was disgusting and Gary Hill quickly showed him the door. I thought Gary had lost the plot when we had our shaky patch loosing to P*?F**?T and Heybridge then signing Keano!! What on earth was he brought in for. But we can see now, he might look a bit clumsy and out of place but he had something that was evident throughout our team - 110% commitment.
It would be easy to say the best game of the season was the St.Albans but there were just so many - Aldershot at home (3-1) Billericay home and away absoloutely brilliant Gravesend (home) the list is endless and of course the championship winning match at Hampton. My player of the season was a tough choice from any of three Tim Cole, Steve Heffer and Danny Shipp. I will use this bit to vent my feelings of frustration at the stick Shippy gets from some sections of the crowd - totally unjustified. He might not be the fastest of players or the prettiest but he opens things up for others in ways Cobby can't (although I am a massive fan of all three front men) and never stops running. The only dissapointing player was Mark Janney - I'm not saying he didnt play well as he did, but I think he can play a lot better and don't think he shone enough. I will moan about one thing though and this is aimed at the fans not the players. Yes we might take alot of people away and the home crowds have been good as well but why turn up and make absoloutely no noise or when they do just slag people off. If people were moaning for the season just gone, god knows what they are going to be like when we have a battle on our hands next season. I've supported Dagenham for 12 years and I was so proud when we won the championship but the last game of the season should have been a celebration but we were out sung by Slough!!!. On a few occassions we were very noisy, St.Albans the obvious one - why can't we be like that - if Slough fans can find something to sing about surely we can.
Anyway, time to finish, what an absoloutely brilliant season under a brilliant manager helped by great players and backed up by a brilliant team all round (Dave Andrews and all the boardroom boys are included in that). I know the following season is going to be tough but under Gary Hill, I think we are just on the verge of something really good. The club seem to be going in the right direction - a really good cup run would be brilliant - a day out at Old Trafford or St.James Park would be nice!!
Anyway UP THE DAGGERS!! See you next season.
Jimbo Dagger!!