| Full name | Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | The Daggers | ||
| Founded | 1992 | ||
| Ground | Victoria Road (Capacity: 6,078[1]) |
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| Chairman | David Andrews | ||
| Manager | John Still | ||
| League | League Two | ||
| 2010–11 | League One, 21st (relegated) |
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| Website | Club home page | ||
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| Current season | |||
Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club ( /ˈdæɡənəm ˈrɛdbrɪdʒ/), informally known as Daggers, is an English association football club based in Dagenham, in the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham, East London. It was formed in 1992 after a merger between Redbridge Forest and Dagenham. The team plays in Football League Two for the 2011-12 season having been relegated after only one season in Football League One.
The club's traditional colours are red and blue, to represent the merger teams' colours. In the early days the club used red for the home shirt and blue for the away shirts, normally red and white vertical stripes for the home and blue and white vertical stripes for the away. In recent times the kit has gone under a large transformation. The stripes have been replaced with solid colours. The home kit is currently red with blue trim, whilst the away kit has become green with black trim.
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The club can trace its origins back to four amateur clubs Ilford (formed in 1881), Leytonstone (1886), Walthamstow Avenue (1900) and Dagenham (1949). All had some success, particularly Leytonstone, who won the FA Amateur Cup three times and the Isthmian League title nine times. A new Ilford F.C. was formed in 1987 and lays claim to the pre-merger history of the previous Ilford club.
In 1979, Ilford and Leytonstone merged to become Leytonstone/Ilford, and in 1988 they absorbed the struggling Walthamstow Avenue to become Redbridge Forest (although the name change was made only in the summer of 1989). Redbridge Forest achieved promotion to the Football Conference in 1991 before merging with Dagenham in 1992 to become Dagenham & Redbridge.
Dagenham & Redbridge spent several seasons in the Football Conference but was relegated to the Isthmian League Premier Division in 1996. The club remained in the division until winning promotion in 1999–2000, going on to establish itself as one of the strongest clubs in the Conference, finishing third, second and fifth in its first three seasons back following promotion.
The club was narrowly beaten to the Conference title by Boston United in 2002 on goal difference. Boston United was subsequently found guilty of inappropriately making illegal payments to its players in its title-winning season. Following which Dagenham & Redbridge attempted unsuccessfully to have itself declared Conference Champions, and therefore take Boston's contentious place in The Football League. A four-point deduction was put in place for the following season but not for the season the irregularities were committed.
The Daggers then declined somewhat, finishing the 2003–04, 2004–05 and 2005–06 seasons in mid-table. On 27 February 2004 the club was beaten 9-0 at home by Hereford United, equalling the record highest winning margin in the Conference.[2]
The 2006–07 season saw Dagenham & Redbridge battle it out with Oxford United for the top of the league spot. Despite Oxford quickly racing to the top, a collapse in Oxford's form combined with an excellent run for the Daggers saw them overtake Oxford in the league. On 7 April, Dagenham & Redbridge beat Aldershot Town 2–1 to be declared Conference Champions, meaning the club would play in the Football League for the first time in its history.[3][4]
Dagenham & Redbridge played its first match in The Football League on 11 August 2007, a 1–0 defeat to Stockport County.[5] The club won its first Football League game at home to Lincoln City on 1 September 2007.[6] The Daggers finished the season in 20th place, ensuring a second season of Football League competition. Promotion to the Football League meant that Dagenham & Redbridge could compete in the League Cup for the first time. The club lost in the First Round to Luton Town.
The following season, the Daggers reached their highest ever position of eighth. They just failed to make the League Two play-offs after losing to Shropshire side Shrewsbury Town at home on the last day of the season.[7]
The 2009–10 season saw The Daggers promoted for the first time in their history from League Two to League One. They achieved this by beating Rotherham United 3-2 at Wembley on 30 May 2010 with Jon Nurse scoring a 70th minute winner.[8] They played only one season in League One finishing 21st and were relegated on the last day of the 2010–11 season back to League Two.[9]
Dagenham & Redbridge has a number of local rivalries. One of the fiercest is with A.F.C. Hornchurch, although the team is currently several leagues below. Its closest geographical Football League rivals are Leyton Orient, a club associated with the Daggers' own history.
Other rivalries include Boston United[10] a hangover from Boston breaking the Football Association's rules over the registration of players and making illegal payments to its players in their 2002 title-winning season, in which Dagenham finished second on goal difference. this has since continued onto a rivaly wirh Crawley Town over their hiring of then Boston United manager Steve Evans in the managerial role.
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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A list of players with more than 100 league appearances for Dagenham & Redbridge.
| Season | Division | Position | Top league goalscorer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993–94 | Conference | 6 | David Crown 9 | – |
| 1994–95 | Conference | 15 | Ian Richardson 10 | – |
| 1995–96 | Conference | 22 | Kelly Haag 8 | Relegated |
| 1996–97 | Isthmian Premier | 4 | Vinnie John 12 | – |
| 1997–98 | Isthmian Premier | 4 | Paul Cobb 24 | – |
| 1998–99 | Isthmian Premier | 3 | Paul Cobb 21 | – |
| 1999–2000 | Isthmian Premier | 1 | Paul Cobb 18 | Champions |
| 2000–01 | Conference | 3 | Danny Shipp & Junior McDougald 9 | – |
| 2001–02 | Conference | 2 | Mark Stein 24 | Runners up on goal difference |
| 2002–03 | Conference | 5 | Mark Stein & Steve West 16 | First Conference play-off finalists |
| 2003–04 | Conference | 13 | Chris Moore 10 | – |
| 2004–05 | Conference National | 11 | Chris Moore 19 | – |
| 2005–06 | Conference National | 10 | Chris Moore 15 | – |
| 2006–07 | Conference National | 1 | Paul Benson 28 | Champions |
| 2007–08 | League Two | 20 | Ben Strevens 15 | – |
| 2008–09 | League Two | 8 | Paul Benson 18 | – |
| 2009–10 | League Two | 7 | Paul Benson 22 | Play-off winners - promoted |
| 2010–11 | League One | 21 | Romain Vincelot 12 | Relegated |
Isthmian League Premier Division
One-to-One Shield (Isthmian League)
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