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Dagenham and Redbridge’s triumphant tenure in the Football League will end on 7th May 2016. Their 3-2 defeat away to closest rivals Leyton Orient with five games of the season remaining signalled the death knell on the current campaign. Their first league win of the season came in the sixth game – ironically over current League 2 leaders Northampton – and led to a brief flirtation with 20th in the table, which was to be the highest position The Daggers would reach. They have sat in; or just above, the bottom two for most of the season and no amount of statistical analysis will fog the simple fact they have struggled for a while. However, this is not a piece to read about the whys and wherefores of a side whose season will end in such a manner – that wouldn’t be fair. I believe the relegation of Dagenham and Redbridge from the Football League is a sad day for fans of football.
Sometimes, it’s advisable to look up on a clear night. To take in the splendour of a wider perspective and realise we are but a mere blue dot amongst billions of white ones. This may seem like a grandiose notion, but to give focus to where we are and what we have become allows for the chance of an altogether different frame of reference. With that in mind, when considering the existence of football fans – especially those in the rarefied atmosphere of the upper echelons – the requirement to look down once in a while is just as important. For every one of us that hopes for a tilt at the title, Cup success or the chance of promotion, we are tempered by the fans who wish for something far more moderate.
Dagenham and Redbridge came into being through the confluence of two non-league teams sharing one ground. Dagenham FC plied their trade in the sixth tier of English football – the Isthmian League Premier Division as it’s known now – while Redbridge Forest competed in the National Conference, one tier above. The ground share had come about as Redbridge’s Green Pond Road ground was not to Conference standard, so promotion would be denied unless a suitable alternative was found. An initial move of around 12 miles to Dagenham’s Victoria Road ground in East London allowed Redbridge’s move up the football pyramid to take place, with every intention that a new stadium would be constructed to allow Redbridge to play in their native area of North London; unfortunately, this never came to pass. The following season saw attendances fall for both clubs and a merger seemed a viable option to maintain the playing of football in that particular area of East London.
“What is the relevance of this?” you may ask. Well, it is the very nature of Dagenham and Redbridge’s existence which is important. This team; formed in 1992 and permitted to take Redbridge Forest’s place to compete in the National Conference division, has a rich footballing history that traces the route between Green Pond Road, Walthamstow and Victoria Road, Dagenham. While there are many teams competing within the English Football structure who can point to a formation date around the turn of the 20th Century, there are very few whose DNA incorporates a staggering six different clubs representing a 12-mile-wide area of a city.
Ilford FC were formed in 1881 and competed at non-league level, until their merger with Leytonstone FC in 1979; while Leytonstone themselves had been competing since 1886. This newly formed team competed for ten years before embarking upon another merger with Walthamstow Avenue FC, who had been founded in 1900. After playing one season as Leytonstone/ Ilford, a name change was undertaken to express more effectively the incorporation of these three teams and so Redbridge Forest was agreed upon. This convergence of Walthamstow, Leytonstone and Ilford provide stepping stones from North London eastwards towards Dagenham, giving credence to the ground move that was to come just three years later.
The history doesn’t stop there. While Dagenham and Redbridge’s genealogy spans a geographic path from north to east, its heritage is built on the foundation of regional success. To that end, no fewer than 82 Regional Divisional titles and cup competitions had been won by their forebears as well as a National cup competition, the FA Trophy. We are not just dealing with a group of teams who; in coming together, forges links across a section of a city, but teams who are held in high esteem by the people they represent. Community-based teams establishing strong links with their neighbourhood through success.
That success was to continue under the stewardship of John Still. Still’s playing career ended through injury and at the tender age of 26, he became manager of Leytonstone, for whom he had played two years previously. His seven-year tenure included the merger with Ilford, before leaving for pastures new. His return to the region of his playing career saw him take over at the newly dubbed Redbridge Forest and continue into their merger with Dagenham, establishing them as a National Conference side.
When the opportunity of Football League management came calling in the form of Peterborough United, no one would blame Still for moving on. He clearly had a finger on the pulse of what was required at The Daggers, as subsequent years saw them fall back into the Isthmian Premier division. Another sojourn in the National Conference commenced in 2000 before John Still found himself drawn back in 2004 to where it all began. Three years later, after a period of prudent squad improvement, Dagenham and Redbridge were promoted to the Football League for the first time in their history. Once again Mr Still established them as a League Two side before gaining promotion to League One through the play-offs.
With average crowds of around 2,000 and little in the way of significant financial backing, this team with a rich and varied background had forged a path to earn the right to compete against the likes of Southampton and Sheffield Wednesday in the 2010/11 season. Defeat to Peterborough away on the final day that season consigned The Daggers to relegation and their first campaign competing at the highest level in the club’s history ended so heartbreakingly close to survival – one point adrift of Walsall and with a superior goal-difference. Football can be so cruel. It was an attestation of the quality of John Still’s management skills – as well as his coaching staff – that Dagenham and Redbridge were able to punch above their weight in a league which seemed all too distant a horizon just four years previously.
Despite actively leaving Dagenham & Redbridge on both his previous stints as their manager, John Still seems to find his way back to a club he says are His appointment on 31st December 2015 was not enough to see an upturn in the team’s fortunes, but he is renowned for his ability to rebuild squads on a shoestring and create competitive teams, which is just the shot in the arm Dagenham and Redbridge need. , in the hope he can of encouraging young talent from the lower levels to compete and improve – themselves and the team.
Some fans may have seen Dagenham and Redbridge as just another opportunity for their team to gain three points; but for a team averaging a home attendance of around 2,000, a nine year stay in the Football League speaks volumes for the work undertaken and dedication shown by their staff and the players. 23 fans of football attended their away game at Morecombe FC on a Tuesday night in December. That’s hardcore support and utter dedication too. From Exeter and Plymouth to Carlisle and Hartlepool, fans at this level of the game truly are fans of football and not just football fans. That connection with a team representing their geographic region transcends all thoughts of whether it’s actually “worth it”. It’s always “worth it” when they’re playing in your colours and representing you.
Dagenham and Redbridge were relegated from the Football League this season. For what they represent in the footballing history of the region and the ethos of the club through the fans and John Still, the Football League will be a little worse off next season.
Featured Image: All rights reserved by Dan Westwell