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.