DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE managing director Steve Thompson is predicting a bumper crowd for this weekend s home encounter with Macclesfield.

by MIKE SIMMONDS

DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE managing director Steve Thompson is predicting a bumper crowd for this weekend's home encounter with Macclesfield.

The club are hosting a special community day dedicated to the fight against racism at football, which includes terracing tickets for as little as 99p for adults and 25p for concessions.

Daggers supporters can also use the new Marcus James Stand, which usually houses visiting fans, and although tickets have to be booked before the game via the internet or telephone, Thompson is expecting a huge turnout.

Excess

"On Monday, we had taken five times as many bookings as we usually do and there is still plenty of time left. I am expecting a crowd of in excess of 3,000," he said.

"We have been involved in kick racism out of football for a while, but I was looking at a way to do something on the lines of a community day with really cheap prices.

"It's a chance to showcase the football club and showcase how far we have come, as we have a multi-cultural society and a multi-cultural following.

"We chose Macclesfield for the game as their away support is not the biggest and at the time Keith Alexander was the manager, which will make this especially poignant as he is not with us anymore."

With Daggers' average attendance for the season just 1,997, boss John Still was delighted with the club's initiative to attract potential new followers to the club.

"We always try and entertain and hopefully we can do that on Saturday for the fans," said the boss, who admitted it would be an emotional day for all involved after the recent death of Silkmen manager Alexander.

"It's going to be an occasion, but we have got to separate the occasion and the football, and do our best. I'm sure that everyone both on and off the pitch at Macclesfield has given that little bit extra recently and they deserve every credit for that. I really admire them."

Those words were echoed by Daggers in-form winger Danny Green.

Support

"We need lots of support, the crowd were great for us against Rotherham, but we need lots of people to come and show their support," he said.

"It was such a shame about Keith as I have heard a lot from the lads that he was a great man, manager and a great loss to football.

"Hopefully they will come here and we will put on a great game to show our respect for him and get the three points, to show the crowd that we're back on it."

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