Cod Almighty | Match Report

by Mattias Jansson

19 January 2008

Dagenham & Redbridge 0 Grimsby Town 0

Now, this was stressful! Then again, I knew too well it would be. But not this stressful!

After a very late Friday night with Swedish rappers, comic book writers and free drinks, I ended up having to run constantly in order to catch the train to Vasteras. I'd missed the flight bus from Stockholm at 7:30, and my last chance to catch the flight to Stansted was the train, and then taking a taxi to the little dump that is "Stockholm"-Vasteras airport. Success.

Still slightly drunk when I landed in England, I managed to wait at the baggage reclaim for a flight from Gothenburg for nearly twenty minutes before realising there probably was a reason why no-one else was waiting there, why my bag wasn't there, why there were no bags there whatsoever. Well, I didn't fly from Gothenburg.

England welcomed me with a warm "ice cold" Coke, which nearly exploded in my face when I opened it. And a suggestion, on the can, to "find the next Rooney" for my club. I'm not too sure what you think, but to me, one Rooney is enough really.

I just have to drop off my bag at my friend's workplace, and then I'm off to Dagenham East. I'll have to ask for that. And I hope for better luck than when I asked a bloke working at Victoria station for "Borough". He didn't understand until my seventeenth attempt. I'm on the bus whilst writing this, and I'm really looking forward to my first League Two water polo clash. Laters!

Ah, now it's Monday evening, and I was supposed to send this in a bit earlier... well, things continued to not go as planned, one could say. First, there was a car accident in Kenton, leaving the bus to town standing for 40 minutes. Then my phone broke down. And finally, I'd underestimated the distance from Finchley Road to Dagenham.

I gave up the idea of getting rid of my gear, but still arrived at the stadium after 20 minutes of the first half. The personnel were kind though - a quick glance at me and my bags, and then "Grimsby fan?" Er, alright then. Today I was. A steward escorted me around the stadium to the Grimsby end, and another thing I'd underestimated this afternoon was the turnout of Mariners supporters. Impressive, but no chance of findingSam without a phone.

So I decided to just watch the rest of the first half, stood near the corner flag. The linesman was about the only thing I noticed of the game before half time. The Daggers and the boys in black and white kicked and ran, and then kicked and ran again, before the whistle for half time. I found it incredibly difficult to estimate the quality of what I saw. Obviously, the wet surface made it rather difficult, but I couldn't have gone back to the entrance wanting my 15 quid back because I didn't get English League Two football, I guess.

Right before the second half I finally found Sam, with some help from a chap who lent me his phone (thanks!). Stood right behind the Daggers keeper's left post, I saw a start of the second half that looked different than before. The Mariners moved the ball around, and proved themselves to be much more skilful and have a better organised offensive game than the home side. A couple of half-chances followed, but with a player each down with injuries disrupting the match, Town lost their grip and their rhythm and never got it back. Now it was the Daggers who created the chances, mostly from quick counterattacks down the flanks. And from some pretty strange goalkeeping from Phil Barnes (although in fairness, I should mention a couple of very good reflex saves from him).

Speaking of strange goalkeeping, the Daggers keeper kept applauding the Town players together with the supporters behind him as they were replaced with subs. Perhaps he was a bit afraid of us? Perhaps he is just a lovely man, as Sam suggested? I don't know. But I've never seen such a thing.

My company for the night seemed very unimpressed with the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham Stadium. I thought it was quite lovely. But then, for that level of football (er, sorry) in Sweden, you'd have a stadium for both track & field and football, with no intimacy at all. To me, this was a proper football stadium, and the size of it was quite perfect for the crowds that the Daggers attract.

I also got a bit nostalgic. In Sweden, the Hammarby supporters introduced singing to Sweden in the 1960s after watching English football on the telly. The last ten years or so, the atmosphere has been a bit less spontaneous. I was a tiny bit disappointed with the singing from the away supporters, but it was quite good to feel the excitement about getting a corner with just minutes to go, and to hear the unmistakable sound of it.

By the end of the game, the Daggers were pushed back and looked more like a handball team defending than a home side wanting to win the game. So, it was perhaps not the right man who got the clearest chances to score for the Mariners. James Hunt had two really good opportunities but the finishing wasn't the best.

To sum it up, I think what will stay on my mind is the strange behaviour of the Daggers keeper. After the game, he applauded the away supporters as well. Probably just a lovely man.