Blogging for a Website

Blogging for a Website

Despite setting this blog up a couple of years ago I've not has the time to consistently update this hobby of mine. Instead I've been writing for Archant London - a news company responsible for Romford Recorder's and Barking and Dagenham Post's websites.

Once every week I'm delivering a blog to a journalist about Dagenham & Redbridge FC from a supporter's point of view, something that has been very interesting to do so far, especially when in my first season as the blogger I had to suffer with Dagenham's appalling campaign in which they managed the pathetic two wins at home in a season that concluded in relegation from the Football League - talk about bad luck!

I'm now into the second season of this journalistic experience, something that I was asked to do again which was very pleasing! Something I've noticed since writing these articles is just how focused you have to be when watching a match as to how you remember the key moments of the game to then jot them down when I get back from the match that evening.

Whilst also preparing my drafts for the next article I sometimes look back at a previous piece of mine to see how Daggers did against a specific opponent or tactical system. As well as this I have noticed how my memories of previous season and matches has improved as I need to occasionally write about Dagenham's history against an opponent but generally I need to refer back as I need to look at the form of the team going into the next match in order to make a match prediction.

Going into the upcoming season it will be a very interesting National League campaign for me as two of my sides - Barrow and Dagenham & Redbridge, will both be in the same league and therefore I'll be looking to see who will prevail come the end of the season in the league standings. But most importantly I'm looking forward to when both my sides face each other, one thing's for certain I'll at least be happy with any score that day!

Should be an interesting season, can't wait!

Dutch Double Defeats Daggers

Dutch Double Defeats Daggers

When you think of a European game you usually picture the Champions League or teams at the top of the sport. However, Dagenham and Redbridge of Football League 2 travelled abroad to Holland to face Eerste Divisie side Helmond Sport, a team on the outskirts of Eindhoven, for a friendly match.

Lavans Stadion
©Daniel Law

Dagenham flags
©Daniel Law

The Daggers would barely have been heard of by many at Helmond prior to the game, the exact same feeling by many at the Daggers about their Dutch counterparts also. However, many Daggers fans saw that the rare opportunity to watch their team abroad was one that they had to take up with 82 'die hard' supporters travelling out on a flight to Eindhoven from Stansted Airport at 9AM Saturday morning with the rest being made up of people travelling by the supporters coach at 4:30AM. 

Upon arrival at the Lavans Stadion their were bouncy castles for kids and a beer hut for those who prefer alcohol rather than inflatables prior to a match. This was the opportunity for Daggers fans to take the opportunity to purchase some Helmond Sport memorabilia prior to kick off, with many choosing to purchase scarves and replica kit, disappointingly there wasn't a match day programme for the supporters for the rare occasion, but this didn't seem to bother many of the fans, many pre-occupied with the beer that was very cheep, hence creating the song "Your beer is quite cheap, I wanna stay here".

Teams line up
©Helmond Sport

Once inside the Stadium the game was played in a very fast tempo with the Dutch hosts dominating the whole game from start to front, however, the Daggers did have the occasional chance with Jack Connors scoring the opening goal of the match in a rare Dagenham attack after veteran striker Jamie Cureton raced clear of the defence, squaring the ball to makeshift midfielder Connors who beat one Helmond player before powering the ball low and hard giving the Helmond 'keeper Van der Steen no chance.

Daggers fans celebrating Dagenham's goal
©Dave Simpson/TGS Photo

Eventually the Dutch side levelled the match just six minutes later after winger Stanley Elbers raced against full back Matt Partridge down the left hand side beating the slower Partridge before cutting back onto his stronger right foot before curling the ball past the diving Liam O'Brien. Helmond then went into the lead with what turned out to be the winning goal when Charlton Vicento was set free by Roel van der Sande with the striker finishing with a shot a the near post past the Daggers keeper Mark Cousins who couldn't shop the shot.

The final score ended 2-1 to Helmond Sport, however, the score didn't matter with many of the Daggers fans as the beer tent opened again and the Dagenham and Helmond fans sung each other's chants. Just before the Dagenham supporters left the whole Dagenham team came outside to see the fans, singing songs with the supporters and posing for a team/fan photo.

Dagenham & Redbridge players and fans
©Dagenham & Redbridge Twitter

Overall, a fantastic experience that all people associated with the Daggers will remember for years to come.

Barrow - Conference North Champions 2015!

Barrow - Conference North Champions 2015!

Players and management of Barrow celebrate winning the league
©Barrow AFC

Barrow have won the Vanarama Conference North after defeating a very competitive Lowestoft Town.

The day was always going to be an emotional one and not just for Barrow as Lowestoft's joint manager Micky Chapman was ending his affiliation with the club after 35 years.

Sam Sheridan scores Barrow's opener
©Barrow AFC

Barrow knew that a win in East Anglia would confirm the Conference North title having been two points clear of second placed AFC Fylde at the start of the day. And Barrow took the incentive to win the title early on as Sam Sheridan pounced upon a defensive error to put the Bluebirds in the lead with a right foot finish into the top left corner of the net, sending the strong Barrow contingent (about 700 of them) wild.

Niall Cowperthwaite is congratulated by his team-mates
©Rob Howarth/Focus Images

Barrow continued to dominate the match and doubled their lead before the break. Goalscorer Sheridan was then involved in the second Bluebirds goal as he passed the ball down the left hand side past the onlooking Lowestoft wall to find winger Andy Haworth who drilled the ball into the box for defender Niall Cowperthwaite to tap-in from close range.

The half time whistle came and went but Lowestoft once again switched off and Andy Cook was brought down inside the area by defender Curtis Haynes-Brown.

Jason Walker scores Barrow's third goal from the spot
©Rob Howarth/Focus Images

Barrow's regular penalty taker was Jason Walker and the local boy who returned to Barrow this season after a couple of years in the Conference and League 2 kept his cool as he usually does to smash the ball straight down the middle of the net past the Lowestoft keeper Ashlee Jones. Walker is used to scoring important goals for Barrow having won the FA Trophy at Wembley in 2010 for the Bluebirds against Stevenage.

As Barrow looked like they were sailing to victory Lowestoft got back into the game after 72 minutes when Cowperthwaite was adjudged to have tripped Shaun Bammant in the box. Jack Ainsley stepped up and scored to create a nervous end to the game for Barrow.

Barrow supporters rush onto the pitch at the final whistle
©Barrow AFC

And despite Barrow continuing to dominant every aspect of the match Lowestoft doubled their lead as Sam Gaughran chipped the ball across goal for Haynes-Brown to head in at the back post with three minutes of time to go.

Barrow fans celebrate
©Barrow AFC

But Barrow weren't to be denied the title which they had long fought with AFC Fylde to win and hundreds of Barrow fans rushed onto the pitch to congratulate and celebrate with the Barrow players and staff.

Barrow will join the elite of non-league next season with the continued ambition that the club will be back in the football league within five years.

Captain Simon Grand lifts the title
©Barrow AFC

Barrow favourite Jason Walker carries the trophy through the crowd of supporters
©Daniel Law

Bluebirds fly to victory

Bluebirds fly to victory

Andy Haworth of Barrow being congratulated by his team mates
© Jon Granger

With Barrow playing Stockport County on Good Friday and AFC Fylde not in action until Saturday it meant that Darren Edmondson's side could stretch the lead at the top to five points.

Andy Haworth's shot that won Barrow the match
© Matthew Dodd

Barrow lacked the finishing product against Bradford Park Avenue last week at Holker Street but could certainly not be mentioned in this tight encounter between the two sides on Friday. On-loan Cheltenham Town winger Andy Haworth listened to shouts of "Take him (Stockport player) on" and with that he cut inside onto his right foot and struck the ball cleanly as it flew into the top right-hand corner of former Bluebirds' 'keeper Danny Hurst's net.

Barrow looked nervous at the back throughout the rest of the match but held on for a vital three points.

Barrow's main Conference North title rivals AFC Fylde are in action on Saturday away at Bradford Park Avenue whilst the Bluebird's next game is away at play-off hopefuls Chorley on Monday.

Barrow: McMillan, Burns, Cowperthwaite, Sheridan, Livesey, Grand, Pilkington, Harvey, Wilson, Cook, Reid. 

Substitutes: Walker, Guy, Ledsham, Haworth, Gorman.

Referee: Kevin Mulrain

Attendance: 1,657

Daggers down the Robins

Daggers down the Robins

An in-form Ashley Hemmings helped struggling Dagenham and Redbridge to leapfrog another out of form side in Paul Buckle’s Cheltenham town on Saturday at Victoria Road. The win for Wayne Burnett’s side has seen the Daggers climb to 19^th in the League Two table, the highest they’ve been since mid-October.

Veteran striker Jamie Cureton scored in this fixture last season in which the former Cheltenham front-man scored his 250^th career goal in the Robins’ 2-1 victory over the Daggers.

Cureton looked the main threat straight from the off and had the chance to open the scoring in the 13^th minute. Cureton finding himself one-on-one with keeper Carson on the left side of the box, only for Cureton to curl the ball wide of the far-post.

Cureton scores after his penalty was originally saved

However Cureton was not to be denied a goal against his former team. After a stalemate in the first half it took until the 55^th minute before midfielder Andre Boucaud was tripped by Craig Braham-Barrett. Jamie Cureton stepped-up to take the spot-kick, however Robins’ keeper Trevor Carson dived to his right to parry the shot only for Carson to be picking the ball out of his net moments later as Cureton was quickest off the mark with the follow up with a shot from the left-hand side of the box into the bottom corner.

Cheltenham have been struggling to gather results since the appointment of Paul Buckle looked down and out of the game, that was until the referee, Graham Horwood, awarded a controversial penalty after Daggers goalkeeper Mark Cousins was adjudged to have  brought down Jack Dunn in the six-yard box, even though the goalkeeper appeared to have reached the ball first. Dunn picked himself up to send the keeper the wrong way, putting his spot-kick into the right-side of the goal.

Hemmings finishes off a fantastic solo move

Like Dagenham’s penalty, Cheltenham seemed to gain confidence from their equaliser only for Wayne Burnett’s side to go back in-front with Ashley Hemmings beating two Robins defenders and finishing off the move by blasting the ball home past the trailing Carson.

And with Paul Buckle’s side pushing for a later equaliser the Daggers gave a killer blow to the away side with on-loan Watford striker Alex Jakubiak running through the Robins defenders before finishing at the near left post from a tight angle to secure an important three points for the Daggers, their first home win since a 1-0 victory over Bury earlier in the month.

Dagenham & Redbridge: Mark Cousins, Damian Batt, Scott Doe, Ayo Obileye, Joe Widdowson, Billy Bingham, Andre Boucaud, Luke Howell, Ashley Hemmings, Rhys Murphy (Alex Jakubiak, 36’), Cureton (Abu Ogogo, 91’).

Unused substitutes: Liam O’Brien, Brian Saah, Ashley Chambers, Joss Labadie, Jodi Jones.

Cheltenham Town: Trevor Carson, Lloyd Jones, Matt Taylor, Troy Brown, Craig Braham-Barrett, Kane Ferdinand, Matt Richards (Omari Sterling-James, 78’), Joe Hanks, Jake Gray, Jack Dunn (Harry Williams, 84’), Zack Kotwica.

Unused substitutes: Harry Reynolds, Lee Vaughan, Terry Gornell, Jack Deaman, Durrell Berry.

Two In, One Out At The Daggers

Two In, One Out At The Daggers

Dagenham and Redbridge were involved in the busy and stressful day that most managers dread that is transfer deadline day. Daggers manager Wayne Burnett gave no prior indications of any movement of any players prior to to deadline day, however his side were to be involved at very late notice in the window.

Alex Jakubiak scoring on his debut vs Bury

The first of the two signings that the Daggers made was that of Watford's Alex Jakubiak. Young striker come winger Jakubiak has impressed the Dagenham faithful so far since scoring on his debut against Bury in November and agreed on deadline day to extend his loan until the end of the season. With Wayne Burnett's side having gone on a recent goal drought Jakubiak may well have persuaded the Daggers manager to act fast to snap him up quickly after scoring an impressive goal in Dagenham's 3-1 victory over fellow strugglers Cheltenham at Victoria Road on Saturday.

The second signing that the Daggers managed to secure the services of was that of another young striker in Huddersfield Town's Daniel Carr. Carr started his career at Dulwich Hamlet in the Isthmian League where he scored 23 goals which prompted Huddersfield to sign him in 2013. Since being at the Terriers Carr has had spells with Fleetwood and most recently with Mansfield where he scored one goal in four appearances.

However, the Daggers weren't finished there. With just a short space of time left of the window there were various reports that the Daggers had accepted an undisclosed bid from League One side Oldham for the Daggers' top scorer last season in Rhys Murphy. Since joining the Daggers from Dutch side Telstar in 2013 Murphy has been under bids from higher Football League clubs with the likes of Peterborough and Barnsley being rejected by Murphy personally after the Daggers had accepted the offers. 

Moyes Sent Packing As United Take Off

Moyes Sent Packing As United Take Off

Moyes spotted at Florida airport for first time since his sacking.

Former Manchester United manager David Moyes was pictured for the first time since his dismissal as manager of Manchester United.

Moyes, 51, was sacked just 10 months in to his 6 year contract with the Red Devils, however with United's worst season for many years and the club not being in the Champions League places his future with the club had been under scrutiny.

Moyes, who was personally chosen by United's legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson to take over from him after 26 years at the Manchester club could not keep United in the top four in the Premier League and has seen United have their worst home record in the Premier League, with West Brom, Everton and Tottenham some of the teams to take all three points from Old Trafford.

Moyes' sacking meant that a current United legend in Ryan Giggs took over as United boss on a player/Interim basis with former team mates and United legends Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt assisting him, and it was the perfect start for Giggs' United side as they looked liked the 'old style' way that we're used to seeing from the Red Devils as they came out as 4-0 winners over relegation-threatened Norwich.

Rooney scored two for United as they thrashed Norwich.

Wayne Rooney and substitute Juan Mata both scored a couple of goals for United in the win as well. Mata's two goals mean that he has scored five goals in his last four appearances since joining from Chelsea.

A young fan holds up a sign in favour of Ryan Giggs.

Next up for United and Giggs is another home game, this time against another relegation-threatened team in Sunderland at the Theatre of Dreams as Sunderland aim to avoid the drop and United aim to clinch a Europa League spot.