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On This Day

In 1996,The Daggers beat Oxford City 4-3 at Home in the ICIS League Premier  In 2002,The Daggers drew 3-3 with Doncaster Rovers at Home in the Nationwide Conference  Report In 2013,The Daggers lost 1-2 to Oxford United Away in the Sky Bet League Two

Har Har So what has changed? by Hardy on 04/04/2007 Hardy asks, after a pretty uninspiring 2005/06, why has 2006/07 been such a great year to be a Dagger? So what has changed? Last season we finished 10th in what was a pretty uninspiring season really. This season we are in Teletubbie Land (which is "Over the hills and far away" for those that don't have children). So what made the difference? Why has 2006/07 been such a great year to be a Dagger? Below are my eight reasons. If you have any comments or views please send them to me via email and I'll add them. 1. Consistency John Still had said last season that his young team was growing up and that in time they would get there and the key was to become consistent. This has most definitely been the case this season. To date the club has not lost twice in a row in the League all season. Every bad result has been followed by a win with the exception of the defeat at Exeter which was followed by a draw with Grays. Before the TV game at Stafford John was quizzed about the "poor result" at Gravesend, a 0-0 draw. He looked puzzled and replied that a draw at Stonebridge Road (right) was a great result. How right he was as ever. Those six odd points won when we could easily have lost away from home this season make up the comfort zone right now. When you compare this to our rivals, picking up points on a regular basis has slowly worn them down and seen them off. 2. Midfield The Daggers midfield this season has had added bite when compared to last season. The first choice four for most of the season has been (left to right) Sloma, Rainford, Southam, Saunders. Sam Sloma (left) and Dave Rainford were John Still's only real signings in the summer and have really made a difference, contributing goals, width and bite. Last season Sam Saunders was also injured for much of it and this season has been great in dead ball situations. The extra support has meant that Glen Southam has been able to show much more to the Daggers fans than he did last season in particular. 3. Goals, goals, goals The Daggers are Conference top scorers by an absolute mile this season. Goals have come from all over the place with Anwar Uddin and Jon Boardman popping up with a cluster each as well as lots spread across midfield, Dave Rainford, Sam Sloma and Glen Southam in particular all chipping in consistently. The obvious difference has been Paul Benson (right) and, while he was here, Craig Mackail-Smith. Last season Benno scored just once in the league, in the final game at Cambridge, and Macca managed 11 while the club's top scorer was Chris Moore with 15. The club scored 63 league goals in last seasons 42 matches compared to 82 this season in just 40 games completed to date. When Macca moved on eventually, far from being the disaster that some predicted, Ben Strevens and Chris Moore have managed to chip in enough to bridge the gap.  4. Defensive strength The back four has been a model of consistency. The club leaked 59 league goals in last seasons 42 matches compared to 38 this season in the 40 games completed to date. Marshalled by captain and leader Anwar Uddin and with Scott Griffiths and possible player of the year Danny Foster (left), the Daggers have shipped an average of less than a goal a game while scoring at over 2 a game. That will win you Leagues! With Shane Blackett having been missing in early games and then moving on at the end of January, the various replacements at centre half, Jake Leberl, Jon Boardman and Mark Arber, have filled in superbly. Behind the back four has been the legendary Tony Roberts. Tony has made some unbelievable saves this season and can be forgiven his odd blooper and poor kicking. 5. Management John Still and his team, Terry Harris and Robbie Garvey in particular, have been simply magnificent this season. Every time John has been interviewed the message has been the same, one game at a time, never too excited by a good result or too depressed by a bad one. Tactics have generally been spot on, if a little direct, but we have played to our strengths which was blinding pace particularly with Macca in the side. Fitness levels have been excellent with many teams worn down by the constant pressure they have been put under.  6. Team spirit Unlike some you see, the team huddle before every half looks to be a genuine rallying point for the Daggers. Anni as skipper constantly rouses the boys and anyone who has listened to the banter during warm ups knows that others, particularly Dave Rainford, are never shy about getting the mood right for the battle. The Daggers have the best record in the conference for points won when the opposition score first, and sit 4th on points won from losing positions. That "never say die" attitude has been a real differentiator from the teams around us, particularly Oxford United. 7. Injuries The Daggers have been pretty lucky this season with injuries. A few fringe players have struggled on and off (Paul Bruce, Paolo Vernazza for instance) and Lee Goodwin (right) has missed the whole season, but at no point have there been a spate of key players going missing. The worst example is probably the ankle ligament damage suffered by Jon Boardman. The squad, particularly in the early part of the season, was wafer thin to the point where the bench were almost in nappies a couple of times, but luckily we survived that and built up the squad with good use of the income from the January sales so that things have been much more comfortable in the second half of 2006/07. 8. Discipline A couple of seasons back the Daggers were plagued with dopey cards, Tony Roberts, Tim Cole and Ashley Vickers in particular seeming to be guilty of a series of very rash challenges and silly incidents. This season the Daggers sit second in the disciplinary table with just one red card all season. Only Dave Rainford has a poor record and that seems to be a result of how he plays as much as any other reason. The red at Crawley was regrettable but an isolated incident.