Match Preview: Aldershot Town v Dagenham & Redbridge – Tuesday 14 August 2018
Aldershot Town return to the EBB Stadium on Tuesday evening in search of their first National League victory of the 2018-19 season. On Saturday, The Shots succumbed to a second-half Danny Wright strike at the ATG Stadium, where Solihull Moors made it a hat-trick of wins to open their season.
Rob Worrall previews the action…
Shots Squad:
Gary Waddock made six changes to his starting line-up on Saturday and, after drawing another blank in the Midlands, a further shuffle of his pack is to be expected. Jake Gallagher and Shamir Fenelon were left out of Waddock’s squad at the weekend and could return. However, captain Karleigh Osborne limped off with a first-half injury and is unlikely to be available, whilst Luke Howell (ankle) and Marvin McCoy are yet to make their Shots debuts following pre-season injuries.
Opposition – Dagenham & Redbridge FC:
Nickname: The Daggers
Manager: Peter Taylor
Stadium: Victoria Road (Capacity: 6,078)
2017-18 National League position: 11th
Brief History:
Dagenham & Redbridge were formed 26 years ago and first reached the Football League in 2007 after six seasons in the Conference. Two seasons later, the Daggers overcame Rotherham in dramatic fashion at Wembley to clinch promotion to League One but were relegated straight back down to League Two after finishing 21st in the third tier of football. Another relegation followed four seasons later, this time to the National League, where they have now been for two seasons.
The Gaffer:
Peter Taylor had spells with Dartford, Enfield and Southend United early in his managerial career before taking charge of Premier League Leicester City. He famously named David Beckham as captain in his one game in-charge of the England national team. The experienced manager has overseen five promotions with four different clubs, Brighton & Hove Albion, Gillingham, Wycombe Wanderers and Hull City. Taylor was appointed manager at Victoria Road earlier this summer, naming Terry Harris as his Assistant Manager.
Outgoings:
Daggers lost eight players in the close season and released six more. Key departures included England C international Fejiri Okenabirhie, who moved up to the EFL with Shrewsbury Town, and Michael Cheek, who completed pre-season at Victoria Road only to sign for Ebbsfleet United just days before the National League kicked off. Outgoing manager John Still also took skipper Craig Robson, Charlee Adams, Andre Boucaud and Dan Sparkes with him to his new club Barnet.
Incomings:
The Daggers may have their financial issues, but Taylor has been allowed to bring in 17 additional players to join the 10 that remain at the club from last season. Key signings (some on loan) include: Harry Donovan (Millwall), Lamar Reynolds (Newport County), Ollie Harfield (AFC Bournemouth) and Will Wright (Colchester United).
Referee:
Tuesday’s referee is Daniel Middleton, who will be taking charge of his fourth National League match of the season. Last term, he took the middle in 19 National League matches, showing 52 yellow cards and one red card.
Commentary:
BBC Surrey Sport’s Rob Worrall and ex-Shots striker Tim Sills will be covering the game live on Tuesday evening. Tune in to the BBC Sport website or BBC Sport App from 7:35pm for full match commentary. To interact with them, tweet @RobShot66 & @Sillsmeister.
