"Daggers Drawn"

A visit in the late October sunshine to see the Daggers draw one-all at home to Hartlepool. Not much quality on show. The first half was goalless and forgettable. The second half was memorable for a Monkey Hanger nodding a Daggers cross into his own within five minutes, then Dagenham hitting their own woodwork twice before Hartlepool finally, and scarcely deservedly, equalised with a scrambled effort in the fifth of four minutes stoppage time. The crowd was occasionally angry but generally remained in good spirits as they never allowed expectation to get the better of them.

Location

Right next to Dagenham East tube station. It's a bit more of a route march to Dagenham Dock, on the Fenchurch Street mainline.

View

Seats are comfortable but squeezed in quite close together. The view from the Carling Stand is not obstructed by upright supports, but neck-craning is required to see what's going on when play reaches the near-side corner at the other end of the pitch.

Facilities

About seven or eight bowl urinals behind Carling Stand. Barely enough room to have a newspaper tucked underarm.

Food & Drink

Everyone who went for food seemed to come back with a trays of chips and styrofoam cups of super-heated tea. True bon viveurs had burgers too. The smell of ketchup was all pervasive.

Police & Stewards

Zero police presence. One bewildered old steward was about as much use as an ashtray on a motorbike; a nearby colleague was altogether more helpful when needed.

Atmosphere

Seemed to be a lot of thirty- or forty-something fathers with their young kids, all of whom would probably have much preferred to be following West Ham but found themselves priced out the market. The atmosphere was quite sedate.

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