A bit about you:
Name: Mike Wainwright
Current home town: Basildon, Essex Birthplace: Chelsea, London
How long have you supported your team? I saw my first Dagenham FC game in 1973. I have followed the current Daggers since the merger in 1992.
Overview of your club:
Dagenham & Redbridge FC were formed in 1992 as a merger between Dagenham and Redbridge Forest Football Clubs. Redbridge Forest itself was the amalgamation of three of the amateur game's most famous clubs, Ilford, Leytonstone and Walthamstow Avenue, so despite having a brief history in its present form, the Daggers can trace their ancestry to prestigious roots going all the way back to 1881.
Between them Dagenham & Redbridge's forebears won the FA Trophy once, the Amateur Cup seven times, the Isthmian League twenty times, the Athenian League six times, the Essex Senior Cup twenty-six times and the London Senior Cup twenty-three times. That is a lot of history for a club that is officially very young.
Since the merger the current Daggers had a slow start and fell out of the top level of Non-league football in 1996. The rebuilding under Daggers legend Ted Hardy was very successful and after an appearance in the FA Trophy final at Wembley in 1997 the club won the Ryman League in 2000 to get back into the Conference under Garry Hill. That first season back saw the Daggers finish 3rd and take Charlton Athletic, then a Premiership club, to a replay in the FA Cup having been 4 minutes from beating them at The Valley. The following season the Daggers finished 2nd in the Conference on goal difference to the still hated cheats, Boston United who were then convicted of cooking their books. Another good FA Cup run saw the club bow out to Premiership Ipswich Town in the third round…..
In 2002/03 the club reached the Conference play off final, losing to Doncaster Rovers 3-2 on a golden goal and again had a great cup run, beating Plymouth Argyle before losing 1-0 to Norwich City at Carrow Road.
After a couple of mid table finishes which saw Garry Hill move on and John Still return to manage the club the Daggers rebuilt again and then almost from nowhere took the 2006/07 Conference title by 14 points to finally earn a Football League place, ironically just as Boston were finally relegated and demoted two levels due to further financial mismanagement.
The first season in the Football League was a big learning process but after flirting with relegation straight back down the club rallied in March to win 5 games in a row and ended up safe in 20th place. This season started brilliantly and saw the Daggers top the table early on and they are currently just outside the play off places in League Two.
Favourite thing about your home ground: Victoria Road is hardly Wembley but it is home. It is great that most of the accommodation remains terracing and the North Stand, or "Sieve" (yes, the roof leaks) but it can generate a great atmosphere for big games, especially at night. Look forward to it at the replay!
Favourite match played by your team & why: The Conference Play Off semi final at Morecambe in 2003. Having won the first leg 2-1 the Daggers needed a draw to reach the final. Morecambe chucked the kitchen sink at us and but it was still 0-0 at half time. They took the lead with an own goal after 50 minutes and then it was end to end for the rest of the half with Morecambe finally grabbing what had to be a winning goal in the 86th minute only for Paul Terry (yes the "brother of" England skipper John) to score a screamer in front of the Daggers fans in the 89th minute to make it 3-3 on aggregate. Extra time was still end to end with any goal being a golden goal before penalties which saw Tony Roberts make the vital save at take us to the final. To have had such a roller coaster in such a vital game left the travelling support unable to speak for most of the long journey home.
Favourite player of all time who played for your club: Ashley Vickers. Not the most cultured or skilled player but never ever less than 100% in anything he did for the club and despite a "hard man" image on the field was a thoroughly nice guy to boot.
About our forthcoming match against you:
It is an interesting one to be honest, probably the worst draw we could have got in the second round, the top team in League One away from home. The Daggers have absolutely nothing to lose though and will no doubt go for it on Saturday. If your team don't fancy a scrap they could be in trouble.
Your favourite current player in your squad and why? Tony Roberts. Now coming to the end of a long career which has included full international caps for Wales Robbo is a true football character. He will love a big atmosphere and the big stage at the Crisp bowl.
Player in your squad we should most fear and why? Sam Saunders. After a season when he struggled with injury he has come back with a bang this season and is supplying the bullets for the front two which have made us top scorers to date as well as chipping in with 6 himself.
Player in our squad you most fear and why? It has to be Matt Fryatt of course. Anyone with 15 goals by mid November has to be playing well. It will be interesting to compare him to our own Paul Benson who has 13 now.
Up and coming prospect in your squad? Scott Griffiths. Scotty has come through the ranks and is reportedly scout ed every week by a bunch of Championship clubs. He chose to stay in the summer despite a reported offer from Reading.
Where do you think you’ll finish this season? I expect we will be safe mid table, around 10th but we have a shot at the play offs which would be huge progress for the "Pub team from Essex."
How do you think you’ll do against us? Funnily enough, nothing to lose against a team that has to be thinking more about getting back up to its rightful level, I expect us to do well. Draw on Saturday and win a replay.
Any other comments? Really looking forward to it now. Bring it on!
NB Mark also pointed out that the stadium is called the "London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Stadium" as the Glyn Hopkin sponsorship ended a couple of seasons back.