Daggers v Sutton - Match thread

[os]

I think sometimes you only need look at the stats, just 2 goals in 5 matches, and none from open play in 6 matches. Lots of good forward play in that time, but rarely forcing opposing keepers into action. Kearney looked the one player to actually be able to hit the target. There are mitigating circumstances with Deacon etc on defensive duties, but hitting the target when presented to a striker is No1 priority.

We are fine everywhere else apart from the sharp end..

[pinewalker]

Feb 23, 2019 18:29:09 GMT Del said:

Not one of our better performances. Too many misplaced passes and getting caught in possession with the ball. No real creativity and this has been happening for the last few games.
Don't think that Williams & Toure can play together up front as they are too similar. I don't profess to have any answers but something has to change for us to make the play offs.

Adding your comments, Delboy,  to what Dos says in his interview covers nearly all bases.

Williams and Touré do not look like a natural pairing - you cannot imagine one rolling a pass across the box to the other for a tap-in.  They are not looking for each other and will try and score themselves.  I can see from the stands when Williams is going up to head the ball, and flick it past the defender to someone running through. Touré never is running through and Eastmond is too busy in an undermanned midfield now to take the role.

The defence was undone for the goal by Kenny Davis ridiculously flicking the ball behind himself without looking - straight to an opponent. That left the Daggers with a man over - and the right winger for the first time unchallenged to measure his cross, which he did perfectly. Wilkinson's looping header cleared Ross's fingertips but not the bar.

As you say despite having nearly every forward we possess on the field, the man on the ball carried it one stride too far and was dispossessed, when a pass was needed.  Strange also that in prematch training they all fired a moving ball low inside the posts but in the match itself, it took until the 82nd minute for them to force a save from the keeper.

Just one tactical note.  Getting Worner to fire free kicks into the box from around half-way is useless.  A goalkeeper's punt travels high and straight then drops steeply.  Exactly the sort of ball the defending keeper can run out and claim high above his head with both hands. It happened on all 3 occasions.

PS to type an é hit the <alt ground key> and e simultaneously.

[baggiesansutton]

Feb 23, 2019 19:08:51 GMT backhome2016 said:

Truth is, we've over achieved over the past couple of seasons. Promotion into the National league has seen, in the first season, a highly credible finish, and then in the second a frankly incredible league high - the highest that the club has attained in its history. Up against 'full-time' teams, larger squads and sugar-Daddy funding it is remarkable that we are once again competing.

Yes it would be good to be better in front of goal and more creative at the moment but let's face it - the whole set-up is performing unbelievably well.

This league is in no way, shape or form a level playing field. We'd do well to remember that (myself included).

Yep it's incredible I haven't been to Sutton for a good while due to different factors but I thought at the start the money boys would be well clear by now. Shows what a sturdy league this is. I think the truth is I'd love to see Sutton fighting on the last home straight for promotion but there's teams with just way to much firepower at the top. Reminds me a wee bit of spurs in the prem you sometimes feel in touching distance of them points wise and when you play the contenders you can beat them but you also know you aren't real challengers,or something like that. We are one point of Salford in 6th place whatever way you look at that it is definitely an achievement to all at Sutton unless Salford have been pants but I don't watch all their games and I'm sure that's not the case.

[trev]

It's significant that the game's only goal yesterday came from Conor Wilkinson, a player who has scored 9 goals from just 16 appearances.

We've yet to find a striker capable of that kind of goalscoring ratio at this level. Arguably it could have been Tommy Wright but for his injury.

A prolific goalscorer is the only ingredient really missing from our current squad, which is competitive in all other areas. It's certainly not a case of failing to create goalscoring opportunities as I've seen plenty of them the last couple of games, but failing to convert those clear cut chances is our number one concern at present.

[backhome2016]

Feb 24, 2019 11:28:26 GMT trev said:

We've yet to find a striker capable of that kind of goalscoring ratio at this level. Arguably it could have been Tommy Wright but for his injury.

Being a 're-born' supporter, I was clearly spoilt for goal scorers in my earlier Sutton United years. Firstly there was Ricky Kidd (who still remains my favourite SUFC player), then Paul McKinnon, Mickey Joyce, the Golley brothers and Lennie Dennis. All regular, if not every one of them a prolific goal scorer. Since I've been back there has been Dan Fitchett and then the promise of Tommy Wright, although with due respect neither has really done it (although Tommy may well do.) Our last three seasons has seen no 'main man' and that, it might be argued, has been our Achilles heel.

[markf]

1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1; no not the answer to some fiendish maths binary question on University Challenge (yes, I do) but the results of U's last five matches (Sutton score first). Tight matches with good defending either end and not the best finishing.

Yesterday was the latest in that sequence. U's started well, taking the game to their hosts but the crosses either ended up in Justham's gloves or the head of our old adversary, Kenny Clark. One of those deliveries should have led to a penalty (more of which, later) Daggers took over for the last 20 of the half hit the woodwork and produced once superb save from Ross W.

The second half started with Gime T making the space but hitting his shot just wide before Daggers pressed again. Much of their joy was down their right flank as they targeted stand in full back Roarie D. Their delivery throughout caused U's problems and after having one header chalked off for offside the decisive goal came from that flank. How it got there was a series of errors from U's. Poor clearance, poor decision and then failure to close down the deliverer for Wilkinson to loop his head over Ross W just under the bar so that it rolled down the inside of the roof of the net.

U's responded with changes. Tom B had a good 25 mins making a lot of good moves down the right and U's had their best moments towards the end forcing Justham into real action for the first time but couldn't force an equaliser. I would say over the 90 mins the home side edged it producing more quality in the final third.

The squad needs some relief from its current crisis as with the bench still boasting academy players, substitutions are limited with the matches being so tight. As ever the back line coped pretty well while up front Gime T caused a lot of problems for Daggers but couldn't find the finish. U's main problem yesterday was looking after the ball but then Daggers were guilty of that too.

The goals appear to have dried up but at least the chances are still coming.

So to the officials. A change of ref and this guy is never that good and he was consistent in that fact yesterday. He made some baffling decisions. Not giving the obvious while seeing stuff that didn't happen. He wasn't helped by the lino who got merciless heckling from the U's fans behind him. None more so than that first half handball that was spotted by the majority of those stood behind him but not him. There was other stuff to. Might as well have recruited a penguin to run it for him. Same attire and going on that performance, probably would have had a better understanding of what was happening in front of him.

The Daggers players let themselves down somewhat after scoring the goal with their celebrations and gestures towards the U's fans. Not sure what that was all about but enough to say that said lino ignored it while the ref was on the other side of the pitch - doing what I haven't a clue. Still, reading some of the twitter stuff from the Daggers fans, class isn't something you would readily associate with the Victoria Road club. Graceless in victory.

I assume the NLP reporter (often a club press sec) gives out the player markings. His observations of the two 'keepers was well out and if Justham was the best 'keeper performance across the NL yesterday afternoon as their team of the week suggest it must have been a bad day for them indeed.

One guy who certainly had a worse afternoon than anyone connected with U's was the fellow who ended up getting knocked to Dagenham East platform bleeding profusely and then kicked in the head for good measure. Not sure what he had done to attract such attention but a level of violence that appeared completely over the top. Nice place, Dagenham.

Hartlepool next and I know not what to expect either from them or us but at least a week to recharge the batteries.

[trev]

A comprehensive write-up from markf as always, but the promised observations on the penalty incident appear to be absent...

[markf]

Look at the para about the linesman. Says all that is needed. It was handball

[trev]

Ah. So you missed the shove on Toure then. I certainly look foward to seeing the highlights because it looked pretty blatant from my vantage point.

[markf]

If you're talking about the second half incident I thought Gime may have fouled first.

I was referring to the handball in the first half and thought I made that clear

[trev]

You may be right on that, the ref certainly seemed to think so. I'll reserve judgment 'til I've seen the highlights. I didnt have a decent view of the handball incident so I cant comment on that, and what you later witnessed on the platform sounds horrendous!

[Andy K]

It's worth remembering that Dagenham have beaten Fylde, Harrogate and Leyton Orient at home in the league this season, so coming away with a slim defeat isn't exactly shameful.

It's pretty clear where the issue lies, and to be honest it isn't a new one this season. Dos has tried to mix it up a bit but nothing seems to be working quite right. Doesn't mean it won't click soon however, but barring a couple of game, and especially recently, one thing that is going right is the defence. As Dos said a few years ago, it's hard to expect a defence to have a clean sheet week in week out, and maybe you should expect a slight lack in concentration at times, but it is up to us to rectify that at the other end. We didn't do that on Saturday, but you could argue that Ebbsfleet didn't do that at our place a couple of weeks ago.

There was a video going round regarding a Palace "goal of the month" back in Sept 2017 (you can see it here . Someone could well do the same for us this month (although Dobson's free kick is worth watching a few times for sure!). We've now got matches against sides middling in the table, but all who have seen a upturn in form (especially Maidenhead). By the time we play another play-off candidate on 16th March, we need to get wins rather than draws. Who knows how easy or tough that will be and who will even be fit to play.

Just a final thought - when that Dagenham idiot thought it was really clever to do an elongated antagonistic goal celebration with his mates, I was watching the ref. Not only was somewhere else on the pitch, he was slowly walking away with his back to it all, and his linesman did nothing too. For me that was worse than all of their crimes on the pitch.

[jr]

" By the time we play another play-off candidate on 16th March, we need to get wins rather than draws. Who knows how easy or tough that will be and who will even be fit to play."

We do have Salford on 5 March (although the way they're playing they might be out of the playoffs after Saturday).

[Andy K]

Feb 25, 2019 14:59:29 GMT jr said:

" By the time we play another play-off candidate on 16th March, we need to get wins rather than draws. Who knows how easy or tough that will be and who will even be fit to play."

We do have Salford on 5 March (although the way they're playing they might be out of the playoffs after Saturday).

Good call, I'd forgotten that! Salford's form is shocking at the moment too! Of course means nothing if we can't get the ball in the onion bag!