We suffered at 1-0 defeat at their place in December, and despite the narrow margin rarely did anything other than a home win look to be on the cards.
It’s not true that the Daggers have relied solely on brawn; they have deployed brain too in the form of midfielders like Peter Gain and Matt Ritchie, both of whom were able to lead us on a right merry dance.
It’s not always been the same at Underhill though, who can forget the Jason Puncheon hat-trick against the Daggers that really was a portent of what was to come from the left-footed wing wizard.
I’m unsure of the relevance of this stroll down nostalgia alley when it comes to tomorrow’s match. Those incidents may be relatively fresh in the memories of both sets of supporters, but in terms of the playing personnel for both teams so much has changed.
We will no longer even have the comforting sight of John Still in the opponents’ technical area. If you played a John Still team you knew largely what to expect. You might not, as it often turned out, be able to do anything about it, but you knew it was essential that you went out there and won more than you fair share or headers and tackles if you were to stand a chance of getting anything out of the game.
The Daggers have slipped a little in recent weeks after looking safe in mid-table and tomorrow’s game is vital for the prospects of both teams.
Personally I have always enjoyed our clashes with the Daggers, they are an exceptionally friendly club and with a sizeable following from the “away side” in the fixture, the matches have always had a keen edge to them.
As ever I’m rooting for the Bees tomorrow; but I hope we are both slugging it out next season in League 2.
