Ten weeks on from the pain of play-off defeat at Edgeley Park, County are back in National League action this Saturday, as our bid for promotion to the Football League begins with the visit of Dagenham & Redbridge.
In what promises to be one of the most competitive National League campaigns in many a year, a Summer of strengthening in the transfer market has again seen County installed as one of the bookmakers favourites for the title.
We face a tough test on opening day though, against a Dagenham side that finished last season as the in-form team in the division, and who will be hopeful of continuing that form and mounting a play-off challenge this time round.
County finished the season on a club record 18-game unbeaten run before that play-off defeat, and will be looking to lay down a marker and hit the ground running from the start this time round, having lost our season opener 1-0 in both of the last two seasons.
To purchase a ticket for Saturday’s game, and book your place at Edgeley Park on opening day, click here.
Our Opponents:
Hopes were high at the start of last season for Dagenham ahead of manager Daryl McMahon’s first full season in charge at Victoria Road, after an impressive Summer transfer window that saw them recruit the likes of Barnet defender Elliott Johnson, and lethal front-man Paul McCallum to their ranks.
It wasn’t to be for the Daggers however, who stumbled out of the blocks with just two wins from their opening ten games, played out to a backdrop of injury problems and Covid outbreaks that severely disrupted their season.
By the time County went down to Victoria Road and won 2-0 in January, McMahon’s men were struggling down in 18th place, with any hope of a play-off place all but over.
As the injuries began to clear up however, and a three game losing streak was brought to an end with a 2-0 win against Eastleigh, something began to click for the East London side, who embarked on a remarkable six-game winning run to rocket themselves into the top half of the table – five points from the play-offs with four games remaining.
It was at this point that we met the Daggers at Edgeley Park, a meeting between the league’s two form teams, and there proved to be nothing between the two sides on the day as a Paddy Madden strike was cancelled out by Paul McCallum, who nodded home his eight goal in seven games. He finished the campaign with ten in his last ten games, and 17 National League goals for the season.
Ultimately that result proved not enough for either side, as those dropped points finished off any faint hopes of an unlikely play-off place for the visitors. They still had a big part to play in the play-off picture however, as their final three games saw them beat Halifax, lose at Chesterfield and draw at Wrexham – a run of results that saw Chesterfield finish in the play-offs at Halifax and Wrexham’s expense.
They ended the campaign with seven wins from their final ten games, putting them top of the National League form table, and ultimately finished the season in 12th place – nine points shy of the top seven.
It’s been a relatively quite Summer in the transfer market for the Daggers, who have focused on retaining the core of the squad that finished last season so strongly.
There have been no major departures from the squad, and just two incomings so far. Right-back Sam Ling has joined from Leyton Orient, where the former England C international won the National League title in 2019, whilst striker Josh Walker has made the move to Victoria Road from Barnet. The 23-year-old has scored 12 goals in 50 National League appearances to date.
There’s no doubting who will be the dangermen for County on Saturday afternoon, however. McCallum has scored in each of the last two seasons at Edgeley Park, for Solihull Moors and Dagenham, and he will be looking to pick up where he left off last season.
He has formed an impressive partnership up front with Colombian Angelo Balanta, and the two will provide a real physical test for County on opening day.
Team news:
Sam Minihan misses out this weekend with a knee injury, joining Connor Jennings and Mark Kitching on the absentee list.
Match Stats:
- County are unbeaten in all six previous meetings with Dagenham, winning four, drawing two and conceding just twice.
- The last time we met the Daggers on opening day came back in 2007, where a Liam Dickinson strike earned us a 1-0 win in a season that ended with promotion to League One.
- County have lost the last two opening day fixtures, whilst Dagenham have lost their last three, all without scoring a goal.
The match sponsor for Saturday’s game is Together Finance. We’d like to thank them for their fantastic support, and hope they enjoy the game.
