2013 Prediction League; Game 39 v Dagenham and Redbridge (away)

Div3North · 24-03-2014, 00:05

Dagenham and Redbridge

V

Accrington Stanley

2013/14 Prediction League – Game 39; v Dagenham and Redbridge (away)

This week’s starter for ten; Dagger’s manager Wayne Burnett (appointed caretaker - after a sterling career managing Fisher Athletic, Dulwich Hamlet and Grays Athletic

- when John Still left for Luton, and full-time in May 13) had a long career as a MF, playing for Leyton Orient and Plymouth, and for two other teams, for each of which he appeared over 100 times ………Can you name them? No, nor could I – but it’s Huddersfield (103) and Grimsby (102) ………Educational, this, innit?

The Daggers have been “bottom of the top half” much of the season, and currently lie 10th, with a record of 12 wins, 12 defeats and 14 draws, 47 scored and the exact same conceded, and 50 points

. They haven’t lost in 6

, their last 10 games have returned 14 points (W3 D5 L2)

but – most interesting of all, perhaps – despite all that their home record since Jan 1st has been 4 draws

(Scunthorpe 3-3, Southend 1-1, Mansfield 0-0 and Morecambe 1-1), three losses

(Fleetwood 1-0, Hartlepool 2-0 and Plymouth 2-1) and just one win

(the Wombles 1-0, way back on New Year’s Day) ……..Equally, they aren’t scoring by the hat-full – again, since the turn of the year, they’ve scored 3 goals once, 2 goals three times – all away from home

, one goal eight times and no goals three times – all of those at home

! Mmmmmmmm – gets more interesting!

They went out of the Capital One Cup 3-2 at Brentford, and the FA Cup 3-0 at Bristol City; in the PaintPot they beat Colchester 4-1 at home and Southend 5-2 away before Posh did them away 1-0 ………….47 goals in 38 in the League, 11 more in five games in the Cups ……..

They released strikers Josh Scott (28), Brian Woodall (26, ex Gresley) and Jake Reed, whom they signed from Great Yarmouth Town, “by mutual consent”; they’ve “proper signed” 23 year-old winger Anthony Edgar on non-contract terms after he was released last April by Barnet, and Chris Dickson, a striker aged 28 who started at Charlton, went to Cyprus to play for NEA Salamis Famagusta and then AEL Limassol (who qualified for the Champions’ League while he was there

) and whose most recent club was Shanghai East Asia (so even if he can’t score goals he’s probably fairly handy with a wok

) ……….On loan they’ve added Lawson D’Ath (MF, 20) who’s a product of Reading’s Youth team, has been on loan at Yeovil, Cheltenham and Exeter (scoring once at each place), and is staying to the end of the season ‘cos – according to Wayne (who should know) – Reading are paying his wages

; Luke Norris (20, striker) from Brentford, he having already been on loan this season at the Cobblers; Adebayo Azeez, Charlton’s 20 year old striker (lot of strikers coming and going, n’est-ce pas?) who’s tasted Life at Wycombe, Leyton Orient and Torquay; and Cambridge Utd’s Ashley Chambers (24, a winger, for a change). Chambers signed for Cambridge from York in January, having made his League debut in 2005 for Leicester at the age of 15 – then, the youngest ever player at that level ……….They also signed Domenic Samuel (19), again from Reading’s Youth squad, but his loan sadly lasted half a game, when the injury to his knee that he got playing Fleetwood resulted in him going back to the Royals for treatment.

Leading scorers for the Daggers are Rhys Murphy (22), once of the Wombles, Arsenal, Brentford and PNE on loan, and SC Telstar of Holland

, with 13; Club captain Abu Ogogo (24) – an ex-Arsenal trainee – has 8 from MF; Zavon Hines (24) – West Ham, Burnley and Bradford City – does too; and former Colchester MF Medy Elito (21) has 7 …….

The deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 7.45pm on Tuesday 25th March ………..Our head-to-head favours them; we’ve won 3, drawn 2 and lost six, including the Friday Night outing on 4th October, when James Gray’s consolation was no consolation

, since we lost 2-1; that, may I remind you, was Game 10, at the end of which we had a magnificent two points and were being rapidly left behind at the foot of the table …………..

Some of us, may I remind you, Kept The Faith

…..and look at us now! While we ain’t safe, we look in better nick than Torquay – surely down and out

– Wycombe and Pompey (who might well fight out the other relegation place, way things are going

) and a few others – Northampton (but they’re coming good (well, better) just at the right time

), Exeter, Bury, and Brizzle R

Good luck to everybody ……..Remember, passion overcomes logic …………..Keep the Faith! ……………… And thanks for playing!