Bristol Rovers – Dag & Red 3:1

(Belle 14’, Williams 53’, Disley pen 83’ – May 85’)

Dagenham and Redbridge fell to the bottom of the table after suffering an undeserved 3:1 defeat against Bristol Rovers, who made the most of their chances and took full advantage of the Daggers’ mistakes.

Dag & Red had a strong start to the game with Baidoo seeing his shot deflected by the Rovers keeper Tom Phillips only seconds after the first whistle, but the hosts responded quickly with a half-volley by right-winger David Pipe that went above the Daggers’ goal.

Baidoo had another chance in the 7^th minute, but again Phillips did well to turn the ball away for the corner. Crosses first from Parinello, headed for another corner, and later from Butcher did little harm to Rovers. On the other side of the pitch, the hosts made the most of a corner they won after a rather sluggish counterattack.

Much fault for the goal goes to Brezovan, who failed to collect a cross from left-back Joe Jacobson. Morley won the header and directed the ball to unmarked defender Cortez Belle, who had little problem with netting the ball into an empty goal. Brezovan got to his feet when all of Dag & Red’s defenders were already holding heads in their hands.

After the goal Baidoo continued to be the greatest threat to Bristol Rovers defence and had one well-placed strike from a free-kick deflected by Phillips. His another shot, after good passing from Burt and Strevens, went wide. The Daggers were heading off the pitch after the first half with a one-goal deficit.

For the second half Onoszko replaced the slightly injured Howell with May, but even the gladiator-like midfielder could do little in the air against the Rovers’ captain Steve Elliott in the 53^rd minute. The header won in midfield paved the way for Pipe, whose run was finished with a clever pass into the box to Andy Williams. The hosts’ no.9 easily struck the ball past Brezovan to make it 2:0.

The Daggers reacted fast. A nice dribble from Burt in the 56^th minute was stopped by another brilliant save from Phillips. The Rovers goalie also did well by catching a header by Strevens from Butcher’s pass. Onoszko then took inefficient Graham and Baidoo off the pitch and sent Carruthers and Dickinson on.

But before the substitutes had time to make impact, Rovers were three goals ahead. Krause fouled Lines in the box in a jostle for the ball drifting from Jacobson’s corner and attacking midfielder Disley converted the penalty, which was the hosts’ third shot on target that game.

All hope for at least a point for the Daggers was lost, nonetheless the team showed character in the last minutes of the game by scoring their second goal of the campaign. Butcher ran with the ball on the right side of the pitch over 30 metres before crossing the ball to Strevens. The tall striker lost the header against Jacobsen, but the clearance met May, who struck the ball with great force. It was a wonderful shot that went in just below the crossbar leaving Phillips with no chance.

Shortly afterwards the Daggers tried to construct an attack once more. Good passing between Butcher and Dickinson found Carruthers having enough time to provide Strevens with a cross. The header went wide though and the final score was 3:1 for Bristol Rovers. 

 Dag & Red’s next game was away at Luton. They appear to be a strong opponent with Richard Langley ruling in midfield and Noe Pamarot leading the team’s defence. Luton were impressive in a 2:0 away win at Morecambe, but later disappointed its fans with a 0:1 home defeat against Grimsby.

Onoszko disposed Strevens of the captain’s badge and handed it over to Howell. Goodwin returned to right defence after Comminges did little to impress against Bristol Rovers. The same concerned Graham on the left wing, who was replaced by Carruthers.

Midweek the Pole strengthened his squad with a £70k purchase of versatile midfielder Matthew Turner from Bradford. Turner got a place on the bench, which meant Onoszko decided to leave Graham outside the sixteen. Doherty, back from an injury, replaced McMahon as the substitute goalkeeper.

Dag & Red – Leeds 1:2

(47’ Baidoo – 3’ Kilkenny, 49’ Elkins)

In their debut in League One in front of a full Victoria Road stadium the Daggers lost against Leeds, but after the match managers of both sides agreed a draw would have been a fairer result.

“We had our chances and I am happy about that. What worries me is that too many of our shots went wide” – Onoszko said.

Collins praised the young manager and his team. “Dag & Red played well today and I believe they should be able to avoid relegation this season. I’m sure there are many teams they can beat at this level” – he said.

The Leeds manager set his team up for offensive play from the very start of the game and the tactics brought fruit shortly after the first whistle. A pass into the box by right-back Frazer Richardson was picked up by Beckford, who instantly turned and crossed the ball low. Left-back was Darren Kenton was close to slotting the ball into the net, yet a challenge by Burt saved the Daggers. Not for too long, however, as the ball bounced off to Neil Kilkenny, running at full speed from the midfield, who fired a low ball that spun past Bezovan without giving him a chance to react.

The goal paralysed the home team for some time, but they eventually reacted in the 19^th minute with a neat pass from Howell to Strevens, whose diving header put the ball ridiculously wide of the Leeds goal, but still earned applause from the local fans.

Shortly afterwards Leeds came close to teaching Dag & Red a quick lesson of football in League One. Jonathan Douglas headed the ball onto the foot of Beckford, but his shot from 12 yards was superbly caught by Bezovan. The save was top class and created another proof that Onoszko will face a huge dilemma once Doherty returns from injury.

Dag & Red knew they had to score if they wanted to pull out at least a point from the game and in the 23^rd minute Parinello’s cross from the left met the head of Strevens, but the ball went just wide.

The most controversial decision of the match came in the 37^th minute. A pass into the box from Burt found Strevens, who was brought down in the penalty box by Richardson, but the referee did not react.

In the 40^th minute Dag & Red had a free kick struck into the wall by Baidoo. The ball took a deflection towards Butcher, who instead of firing straight at the goal noticed a much better positioned Albertsson. The Swede turned and from close range sent a strong low shot that went past the Leeds keeper Casper Ankergren. Unfortunately for the Daggers’ fans, only to hit the post. At half-time the score was still 0:1.

The Daggers got on the pitch for the second half highly motivated and the crowd of over 6,000 supporters did not have to wait too long for results. In the 47^th minute Strevens ran with the ball and a defender on his back for over 40 yards and managed a precise pass into the box to Howell. The midfielder flicked the ball to Baidoo, who had little problem with hitting the ball into the net with his left foot, making the local fans go crazy.

The cheering has hardly started to wane, when the score changed to 1:2. A great cross from the right by Andy Hughes was met by the head of Rob Elvins who climbed above Goodwin and put Leeds in the lead again. This is how you do it in League One, you could say.

Dag & Red responded with a volley from Strevens that went way over the bar, but it was Leeds that took control of the game in the following minutes, during which Elvins, Beckford and Filipe De Costa sent shots wide.

Onoszko tried to turn things around in the middle of the field in the 62^nd minute with May coming on for Butcher and Graham for the rather bleak Carruthers, but it still was Leeds that attacked. In the 66^th minute Beckford’s half-volley was saved by Brezovan.

The Leeds defence and midfield worked hard to limit the number of chances for the Daggers to zero and they were nearly 100 percent successful except for one last attempt by Strevens in the 76^th minute that again went wide. Dag & Red could not afford more and three points went to Leeds.

The Daggers’ next game was away at Bristol Rovers, who lost their first match of the season 0:2 against Southend. The Rovers squad lacks stars, but forward David Morley could pose some threat to Dag & Red’s defence.

Onoszko made two changes to his starting line-up. Commiges replaced Goodwin as right-back, while Graham was manned instead of former Rover Carruthers on the left wing. McMahon, Scragg, May, Carruthers and Dickinson sat on the bench.

The real challenge

The big question was: how strong Dagenham & Redbridge really were? Would they be able to repeat their fantastic displays from League Two on a higher level? League One was packed with teams that have much more to offer than most League Two sides. It would also be unwise to miss out on the fact that only a year ago the Daggers’ goal was to avoid relegation to the Conference. 

However, the team has changed a lot since then and Onoszko did a lot to strengthen his squad even more ahead of the first official match in League One. For the front Dag & Red signed pacey striker Michael Dickinson from Chesterfield, dynamic right forward Chris Burt from Brentford, left midfielder Chris Carruthers from Bristol Rovers and centre-right midfielder Mark Shaw from Walsall. The back four was boosted by the arrival of promising central defender James Krause from Bradford, powerful centre-back and midfielder Kyle May from Workington and right-back Chris Domingues from Swindon.   

Furthermore, Doherty’s knee injury caught a fortnight before the season’s opening game forced Onoszko to find a decent replacement for League Two’s best goalkeeper last season and the Pole paid Swindon £70k for Slovakian goalkeeper Peter Brezovac.

Onoszko was modest in arranging pre-season friendlies. His players faced non-league Belper and Alfreton in home games, which they both comfortably won 2:1 and 3:0, respectively. Brezovac made several reassuring saves in his debut against Alfreton, while Baidoo shone in the front in both matches. The team looked ready for their first match in League One, a home game against Leeds United.

Leeds, managed by Scotsman John Collins, certainly had a point to prove after they finished only 14^th last season. The Daggers had to watch out for striker Jermaine Beckford, who hit the net 54 times in his last two seasons.

 Dag & Red’s classic 4-4-2 saw Brezovac in the goal, Parinello, Albertsson, Krause and Goodwin in the back, Carruthers, Howells, Butcher and Burt in midfield and captain Strevens with Baidoo in the attack. Young goalie McMahon, Scragg, May, Graham and Dickinson sat on the bench.

From rags to riches

But the situation has changed from a year earlier as cash from TV rights gave Onoszko some space for manoeuvre on the transfer market. Before the start of the season Dag & Red signed left-back Tom Parinello from Bristol Rovers, left-winger Sonny Farr from Wimbledon, midfielder Richard Butcher from Notts County and two central defenders: Ben Clark from Hartlepool and Jakob Albertsson from Sweden’s Oskarshamn. Onoszko also managed to auction off Southam to Carlisle for an unexpectedly high fee of £100k.

Apart from introducing new players, the reconstruction of the team’s first eleven included a change in the goal with veteran Tony Roberts seen replaced by 25-year-old Gerard Doherty, signed back in November from Derry City in a non-cash swap for defender Magnus Okuonghae.

The changes turned out to be painful for the club and the first signs of problems surfaced in pre-season friendlies. Dag & Red lost all three matches in a tournament they hosted, even though their non-league rivals were far from demanding.  

The management’s fears have become dangerously real after the Daggers ended their first three league games with disappointing defeats and without hitting the net even once. The first win away at Chesterfield was far from inspiring and the side continued to struggle for points. After an embarrassing 1:6 loss against Accrington at Victoria Road it seemed things just could get no worse.

A desperately needed turnaround came halfway through September after Dag & Red successfully closed lengthy negotiations with Basingstoke over the purchase of Gidieon Howell, a talented 20-year-old midfielder. By providing both the necessary spark upfront and cement to fill holes in the back, the Jamaican-born midfielder has quickly become an inspiration for the rest of the team.

In his first appearance on the pitch Howell led the Daggers to revenge for the humiliating FA Cup defeat least season by beating Mansfield 2:1 in front of their crowd. The win was followed by a convincing 4:0 victory at home against Crewe, in which three of Parinello’s passes were converted into goals.  

Howell’s absences due to short injuries in October and November translated into poorer results for the Daggers, but his return to full fitness just before Christmas inspired his teammates to the best performances under Onoszko’s rule. Italian forward Daniele de Vita, signed for free in October, also helped the team catch points. Dag & Red dominated Portvale at Valley Park and steamrolled through further league matches to win five in a row at the turn of 2007 and 2008. 

A 1:3 defeat against Notts County at home and a loss away at Bradford were a cold shower Onoszko’s team certainly needed. But in February a great 5:1 home victory against Shrewsbury followed by an away win against strong Lincoln gave rise to comments the Daggers could actually be able to secure a play-off spot at the end of the season. 

By then Dagenham & Redbridge have become a well-organised, neatly-playing side that many teams from League Two had to respect. Their strongest eleven saw Strevens playing alongside Baidoo in the attack with the two frontmen supported by wingers Farr and Graham. Howell and Butcher provided the four with balls from the midfield. Central defence was held strong by Albertsson and Clark, while Parinello and Goodwin did good jobs on the sides. Goalie Doherty enjoyed a great season as well.

Dagenham & Redbridge did not lose steam through March and April and found themselves only several points behind third-placed Rotherham with seven games left to play. And in those last seven games Onoszko’s players grasped 17 points, which was just enough to jump into third place and win automatic promotion to League One.

A tough start

Pitiful looks and sneers welcomed the public declaration of Dagenham & Redbridge’s new manager Mac Onoszko that he would finish the 2006/2007 season in the upper part of the table, reach the playoffs in the second and win promotion to League One in his third season at the club’s helm. With no cash to spend on signings that could fill the gaps in its line-up, the just-promoted Daggers looked like poor cousins of established teams such as Bradford or Notts County and staying clear of relegation seemed to have been enough of a challenge. 

Nonetheless even critics of the ambitious Pole had to admit his initial steps were promising as out of the first eight league matches the team won six that included valuable away victories at Peterborough and Chester. In the League Cup, however, Queens Park Rangers were too strong and the Daggers lost 0:2 at home, but not without a fight.

Dag & Red played a slightly converted 4-4-2 formation. Upfront Onoszko built the strength of his eleven on classy striker Ben Strevens and promising youngster Shabazz Baidoo, supported from right midfield by versatile forward Richard Graham. The first games of the season showed the team lacked proper wingers, which made it hard for the Daggers to make the most of their 4-4-2 line-up, though some impact at the sidelines was provided by Sylvain Meslien, left-back loaned out from Swansea, and right-back Shaun Goodwin. Central midfield was the domain of skilled Peter Gain and rather lacklustre Glen Southam. Jonathan Uddin, whom Onoszko had viewed as a leader for Dag & Reds’ defence, failed to provide what was expected from him, but support came from 18-year old Jonathan Scragg, signed pre-season for free, and his peer Danny Foster. The goal was guarded by 37-year-old Welshman Tony Roberts, who was also selected as the team’s captain.

The initial euphoria could not last forever though. In November Dag & Red suffered two consecutive defeats at Victoria Road with one being a painful 0:4 thrashing from Mansfield in the first round of the FA Cup. In December Onoszko’s team was defeated four times in a row after injuries brutally exposed lack of depth in defence and midfield. 

Some signs of recovery started to appear in January, but the Daggers never got near the quality they had showed in the early stages of the season and eventually finished 14th, below Onoszko’s target for his first year as manager. The failure to deliver on the promise did not rattle faith in the Pole among supporters, but management has started to fear relegation during the team’s second season above Conference level.