Abu inspires sharp Daggers!!

Two great wins against Tranmere away and Plymouth at home last night sandwiched a slightly disappointing defeat at Victoria Road  to Southend on Saturday.

Not that I was expecting the Daggers to really get anything against their high flying Essex rivals, but it was just the manner in which we lost the game that left a bad taste in the mouth.

The truth is we were always in the game on Saturday until that fateful moment in the second half when Damien Batt decided he would forget everything he learned and was taught as a kid and blatantly handle the ball in the area and give away a stupid spot kick.  The penalty was converted and the game was basically dead and gone from that moment.

Handball!!

It's so true what people say in the game about thin margins and big decisions changing games, well Saturday's game was certainly proof of that fact.  Even though we conceded on the verge of half time to trail 2-1, I still believed we could get back into the game second half, mainly because the last thing that Southend needed was the break after scoring so late in the half.  If we had come out and scored in the second half,  Batt hadn't decided to to become a cross between a kung fu fighter and a fucking ballerina and if Wayne had decided to put Jodi Jones on about 15 minutes earlier, we may have salvaged something from this game.

Don't mess with Damien Batt's Tutu!!

At the end of the day there is a lot of if's and but's in that last paragraph but as I stated at the start I wasn't expecting anything from this game anyway but the disappointment stems from seeing how it all could have been so much different.  Oh well Southend were good value for their win and did what teams at the top of the league have to do to give themselves a chance of automatic promotion and that is to come to places like ours and get a win.

Last night however we were up against a team just outside the play-off places who came to our gaff hoping to not get beaten, Plymouth although they are in good form at the moment were always coming to Victoria Road to get a point or try and knick a 1-0 win but unfortunately for the Pilgrims they came up against a Daggers side who were hungry for victory.

Last night the Daggers did themselves justice and put in a dominant performance in a game they controlled for the majority of the 90+ minutes against a team who it had to be said didn't offer much of a threat in the attacking third, and any danger they did pose was dealt with professionally by our boys in red.  It was a very pleasing performance all round, it was also very pleasing to see captain Abu Ogogo back and showing everyone what a fantastic right back he is, I have said it so many times not only is he the best right back this club has ever had, he is without doubt the best right sided full back in the league, in that position he is good enough to play in the championship.  Abs was rightly given man of the match last night and he showed fantastic awareness and desire to get on the end of the chance in the first half to claim his 4th goal of the season.

Abs, best right back in the league

I would also like to give a mention to Luke Howell who I think after a shakey start has started to get used to his role in the team, he put in a good shift last night and even started taking up wide positions to support his team mates.  Whilst I am given players credit I must mention the legend that is Jamie Cureton, you just knew last night after he missed that chance when he took the ball down so well, that if he was to get another chance he was going to bury it.  Absolute class from this years player of the season elect, I really hope he has a contract extension clause that will keep him here for another year, the fact he has scored 15 goals this term at the age of 39 is incredible, long may it continue and hopefully he will reach 20 goals mark.

 Dr Monkatron and I were discussing Cureton last night at the  game and we likened his capture in the summer to that of the signing of Mark Stein, in a way though the signing of Jamie may have been a better signing as Steino was slightly younger and scored his goals in the conference, JC is still doing it in the league.

The only downside to last night in my opinion was the performance of Ashley Chambers, don't get me wrong I am not one to pick on our players but really, what was he doing last night.  If he only he had the impact that he did at the start of the season in the number 10 role I wouldn't mind, but too many times last night he was hiding.  When I was a kid and playing football with the school or whatever I remember there were games where I was just not up for it and would literally go hiding behind the opposition, Chambers was never showing for the ball and never supporting his team mates, the only time he looked threatening was when he somehow managed to pick the ball up and run at people, if he could have only made a decision instead of holding the ball for far too long and then losing  it or playing a pass to nobody we may have won last nights game by a lot more.  Even for Abu's goal he should have scored himself but he decided to come over all Forrest Gump and keep running, as for his attempt (and I use that term loosely) at goal in the second half it was so poor, but maybe we shouldn't be too surprised given his appalling miss against Stevenage on Boxing Day I think it was.  I hope Ashley can turn it round and re-learn and recapture the way he played in the role of number 10 in the early part of the season, he does have pace and he does have control of the ball when he is running with it, I just wish he would do fucking something with it, we would be such a better team if he could.

It was also nice to see Jodi Jones sign his first professional contract on Saturday and I really hope we confirm our safety soon so that boy can get a proper go at it, he is gonna scare the life out of defenders in the future.

Last night also so the return of the alternative stadium announcer, although his claims of liquid football may have been a bit far fetched it was a breathe of fresh air to have someone who is positive about things and really gets into the whole thing, fair play to you mate and I hope you are more of a regular fixture over Viccy Road in the future.  And whilst we are on the subject I wonder if the Daggers player commentator at the weekend is the Northern one who always seems to put a positive spin on the game and how we are playing and paints a picture so you don't have to think too hard about what is happening.  No offence to Stuart Smith who is a well respected commentator in his own right but I just find his commentary so negative and it seems that he always just wants to offer his opinion, don't get me wrong I know he is a fan of the club but sometimes I wish he would just give me the details of the game so I can just make my own mind up about things instead of being told we are shit all the time.

Anyway on to the next one and it is Stevenage away it is obviously going to be another toughy but hopefully it will be back to back wins and another step toward safety, although I would take a draw right now.

Come on you Daggers!!

Up the Daggers!!