Still believes in Dagenham survival

By Pete Oliver

Still has been heartened by his team's revival

Dagenham and Redbridge manager John Still believes winning last season's Blue Square Premier title will help his side avoid an instant return to non-league football.

Twelve months ago the Daggers held their nerve to clinch promotion to the Football League for the first time.

Now they are battling to avoid relegation but Still sees similarities in the pressure and hopes the experience will ensure that Dagenham can prolong their foray into League Two.

He told BBC Sport: "Everybody has loved it. It's been a shock for a few, particularly off the pitch where we are a long way behind with facilities.

What happened last year might be helping us Dagenham boss John Still

"But the lads have all enjoyed what they have done and they want more of it next season. We have to make sure we stay in there.

"What happened last year might be helping us. This time last year we had to win games to go up. Now we have to win games for another reason."

Dagenham's position looked precarious in early February when they slipped into the bottom two.

But Still, who has stuck with the core of the squad which earned promotion, insists that the belief that they would stay up has never wavered.

He said: "There has always been that feeling amongst the players. If we had been playing poorly it would have been hard to see a way out.

"But every game we have gone into there has not been a huge difference between us and who we have been playing.

"I think we have coped very well. But it's no good coping if you are not winning.

"If you look at our games we have played and performed well but you have to score goals and win games."

That is now happening, with four straight victories easing relegation fears and lifting the Essex club five places above the drop-zone.

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Dagenham's winning burst has yielded 13 goals and Still admits that has tipped his side over the fine line separating success and failure.

"We have not played any differently in the last few games when results have gone for us than we have previously," said Still, who has also added some extra League experience in recent weeks with the signings of defender Mark Arber and midfielder Peter Gain.

"The difference has been that we have taken our chances.

"We beat Grimsby 4-1 at their place, which was a fantastic result for us, when a few weeks earlier we drew 0-0 with them at Dagenham and we played better that day.

"But it was up at Grimsby when the goals went in and that makes the difference."

Dagenham had not been helped by the injury-enforced absence of Paul Benson, whose 28 league goals last season helped sweep Still's side to the Blue Square Premier title but who has since been limited to just 14 League Two appearances, scoring four times.

"It doesn't matter who you are. If you take away 30 goals you are going to miss that," added the Daggers boss.

"It's not just us. Even in this division we are a small club but if you went to Arsenal and took out Emmanuel Adebayor and all the goals he has scored they would miss him."

To help fill the void top-scorer Ben Strevens has come good with five goals in as many games, while defender Danny Foster registered only his second goal in 131 league games for the club to see off in-form Hereford United to bring Dagenham their latest success.

That result reversed a 4-1 defeat at Edgar Street on 9 February, since when the Daggers have not looked back.

"We are going in the right direction and long may it continue," said Still.