Wayne rides back into town and he's bringing his Daggers with him. Preseason kicksoff tonight as Dulwich take on Dagenham & Redbridge - kick off 7.45

First on an exciting agenda that will culminate with the visit of a full first team from Crystal Palace, newly returned to the premiership after their emotional triumph in the Play Off Final back in May, is Dagenham & Redbridge, themselves put through the mill at the end of last season. After finishing 22nd in League Two and watching legendary manager John Still leave the club, a lot of the club’s fans won’t looking back to last season in a much of a hurry when only goal difference saw the Daggers survive at the expense of Barnet.

A rough start to the season meant the club failed to pick up a league win in the first eight games, despite good football coming out of Victoria Road, the team were missing a natural goal scorer.

Out of the shadows came an unlikely hero as striker Dwight Gayle, late of Stansted in the Essex Senior league, bagged seven goals in eighteen games, promptly exciting the interest of a number of Football League and Premiership clubs. In November 2012, Gayle made the move to Championship side Peterborough on loan with the Posh eventually making his move permanent later in the season. Such would be his impact that his stay at London Road that be a short one as Crystal Palace moved to snap up the young prodigy, released by Arsenal as a youngster, with a fee mooted to be around £6 million brining a welcome windfall to the Victoria Road coffers in its wake.

However before his departure, Gayle’s partnership with Jake Reed played a big part in the club moving up to 12th spot by mid-December, a mere three points outside the playoffs. Yet the tide would soon turn and a run of just three wins in fourteen games saw the Daggers slip away from the top half of the table.

The tail end to the season proved a testing time for the club, as the club’s legendary long serving manager Still left to take over Conference side Luton Town after the departure of John Buckle, handing the rein to former Dulwich Hamlet supremo, Wayne Burnett.

It was a testing time as the Daggers struggled, managing just a pair of wins in their final twelve games, but it was just enough as they kept Barnet at bay, despite a final day defeat on an afternoon when seven clubs were still in danger of the drop. As Chris Smith of York City was condemning the Daggers to a single goal defeat at Victoria Road, Barnet’s Great Escape was foiled at Northampton Town as goals by Roy O'Donovan and Luke Guttridge for the Cobblers doomed the Bees.

Since the season finished, Wayne Burnett has been appointed on a full-time basis, ready to lead the Daggers into the future. That mission began in earnest back on Saturday 29th June when they overwhelmed Whitstable Town 4-0 thanks to goals from Louis Dennis, a Medy Elito penalty, Bradley Goldberg (son of former Crystal Palace owner Mark) and Ian Gale. They were back in Kent 7 days later paying a visit to the Crabble, proving just as destructive with a Jake Reed header and Elito’s deflected shot taking some of the pressure off after a promising start from hosts Dover Athletic. Within ten minutes of the second half the Daggers were galloping off over the horizon as trialist Afolabi Obafemi and Josh Scott made it 4-0, leaving the final coup-de-grace to be applied by Goldberg late on.

After the departure of Daniel Carr in the summer, Gavin Rose has been swift to augment his attack with the signing of a brace of exciting strikers, the experienced Paul Vines who eats goals for breakfast and Gabriel Odunaike, pacy forward who can move with the speed of an express train when the moment demands. Also new to the fold is Karl Beckford, the experienced midfield maestro a welcome addition to the engine room along with more than with supplying more than his fair share of goals. Should be a chance to see the new lads in action this evening along with plenty of familiar faces from last season’s Champions.

This evening’s game kicks off at 7.45 pm at Champion Hill Stadium, Edgar Kail Way, East Dulwich, London SE22 8BD.

Before the game why not enjoy a drink or snack in our cosy clubhouse with live sport on the big screens, conveniently situated just a short walk from the turnstiles?

ADMISSION PRICES

• £10 for Adults
• £4 for Concessions (Seniors - 60+, 12-18 Year Olds, Unemployed (UB40) & Full Time Students with valid ID. Please have this on you as turnstile operators may ask for proof of age / concession at any time.)
• Under 12s FREE accompanied by a paying adult.

Correct change would be appreciated in order to speed admission. Many thanks!

Programmes: £1.00