DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE manager John Still accepted his side were second best as they were well beaten by Cheltenham Town on Monday.

by MIKE SIMMONDS

DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE manager John Still accepted his side were second best as they were well beaten by Cheltenham Town on Monday.

Goals from Justin Richards and Josh Low gave the Robins a deserved three points, as Daggers lost at home for the third time in four games.

"The best team won without any shadow of a doubt," he admitted honestly.

Quality

"We haven't attacked with any guile with any real quality and I thought we were second best for large parts of the game.

"In the second half, our effort levels raised considerably, without causing them too many problems though.

"I think that's been something that has happened over the last couple of games."

A 1-0 win at Accrington Stanley back in November saw Daggers top the League Two table, but since then, they have picked up a solitary win in seven matches.

"Sometimes it's just football, sometimes you lose a bit of form and I think we've lost a bit of form," continued the boss.

"We lost a bit of form last year, and the year before that, so what we need to do is go back to work, work hard and keep doing the things that we believe are right."

After such a tremendous start to the season, when Daggers were beating all and sundry, the fans' expectations of a second season challenging for promotion naturally rose.

But Still was always conscious that he had a fledgling team under his control after losing so many of the side that just missed out on the play-offs last year.

Appearance

"I'm also mindful because I think people expected Josh Scott to come back and tear it up after a 20-minute appearance as a sub a few weeks ago," he said.

"Well, he's not going to because he has been out and needs to get himself fit.

"Danny Green has been fantastic for us, but he was going to have a dip in form, it was just a matter of when.

"He's having one at the moment, but a year ago he was playing for Bishop's Stortford.

"I look back at a lot of the players who have come to us from non-league and they all went the same way.

"Some didn't quite do it straight away, well Danny did, and now he's having a little dip.

"I'm knowledgeable enough to know that's going to happen and I'm knowledgeable enough to know if we keep working them right, it will come back."

Daggers now find themselves twiddling their thumbs for a fortnight as they are next in action on January 9 when they travel to Torquay United.

Despite their lack of action, Still believes it will work in their favour and let the management team work on the fitness of a number of returning players.

Fitness

"We're still lacking a bit of fitness as there are a few who aren't up to full speed, so the next 10 days where we're not playing, we can get some workrate in and try to push players on a little bit further.

"Danny Spiller played his first game and I thought he did alright, but perhaps he's a bit short of fitness, and it's the same for Darren Currie who came on and did very, very well.

"We're not the biggest squad of players in terms of experience either and to be without the likes of Will Antwi and Stuart Thurgood are big misses for us."

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