After what seemed like an eternity, Daggers finally got back to winning ways, in the Fa cup against Morecambe.

Despite conceding twice in the first 7 minutes the Daggers managed to level by half time, before turning the game on its head by scoring twice more in the second half and securing a 4-2 win.

Daggers now face Whitehawk in the next round on Sunday 6th December. With the tie being at home it gives the Daggers a great opportunity to reach the third round and maybe pull a big Premier league team out of the hat.

Before all that though comes a very important league game against Oxford at home on Saturday.  Wayne Burnett will be hoping that Tuesday’s fantastic comeback will give the team confidence coming into this game. He will also be hoping the team play a lot better than they did the last time they played Oxford,only just over a week ago in the JPT.

As a league the team the Daggers have played the U’s on 8 occasions, drawing twice, winning twice and losing 4 times.

In the 2006/2007 season Daggers played the recently relegated Oxford United 3 times, when both teams were in the Conference.  Oxford beat the daggers twice that season, 1-0 in the very first game of the season at Victoria Road and then another 1-0 at Victoria Road in the first round of the Fa cup.  Glen Southam missed a penalty in that game to put us a goal up.  The third and last meeting between the two took place on the 26th of March.  The sky cameras were in attendance at the Kassam Stadium for a showdown between the top two teams in the division.

Coming into this game the Daggers held an eleven point lead at the top of the table with a game in hand over their nearest rivals.  Mark Arber made his first début for the Daggers on loan from Stevenage.

The Daggers took the lead in the 17th minute when a shot from Jake Leberl was parried by the U’s keeper Billy Turley, only for “Johnny on the spot” Paul Benson to convert the rebound.  The Daggers held onto their lead at half time.

In the second half Oxford began to press more and they got closer and closer to an equaliser.  Tony Roberts somehow managed to miraculously tip an Andrew Burgess effort round the post from close range.  The U’s did however get their equaliser in the 70th minute thanks to a good strike from striker Yemi Odubade.  Two minutes later Odubade struck again and gave the home team the lead.  It was a great effort from the Oxford front man, but it all came from a moment of madness from Daggers goalkeeper Tony Roberts.  Robbo raced out of his area to make a clearance , chested the ball down and went to boot the ball upfield, unfortunately for the Daggers number 1, he miss-kicked the ball straight to the grateful Odubade who made no mistake from about 35 yards out as he lobbed the ball back into the unguarded net.

It looked as though Oxford were going to take all the points and cut the Daggers lead at the top of the table to 8 points, which would have delighted the Sky studio guest, ex Oxford striker John Aldridge. Unfortunately for Aldo, the smile was wiped off his and the Oxford supporters faces as the away team got a last ditch equaliser.  In the 90th minute two Daggers substitutes, Sam Sloma and Sam Saunders combined to split the points.  A poor clearance wasn’t dealt with on the edge of the Oxford box and Sam Saunders dispossessed the defender before finding the onrushing Sloma, who made no mistake with the finish and earned his side a fantastic draw.  Sloma ran to the big away following to celebrate.

The draw meant that the Daggers only needed 8 points from their last 7 games to clinch the Conference title.  In the end they wrapped it up in their next two games, with two wins, away at Tamworth and at home to Aldershot.

That game against Oxford though basically confirmed what us fans didn’t want to admit until it was absolutely written in stone, and that was that we were on our way to the promised land of the football league for the very first time.Oxford United v Daggers 06/03/2007

Hopefully the Daggers can get as good a result this weekend, although a win would be amazing, I would take a draw on Saturday to keep our unbeaten run going.  We have some winnable games coming up in the next few weeks, so a draw against a very good Oxford side wouldn’t be the end of the world.  I would say this game is more of a dare not lose game as opposed to a must win game.

Up the Daggers!!