There was a real feel-good factor around the club this week following a convincing 3-0 victory on the road last Saturday at play-off rivals Solihull Moors. 

It was the fact that the Daggers were in control of the game from the first to the last minute which was so pleasing, against a side in the top seven.

Back-to-back clean sheets and the impressive defensive performances continue, no wonder Harry Phipps has been offered a new contract. 

The news pleased many fans yesterday but he wasn’t the first to sign on the dotted line this week. Just before kick-off, Joel Taylor joined on a two month loan last Saturday, the wing back is an exciting prospect who I’m eager to see thrive in a Daggers shirt. 

Taylor was unable to steal the limelight on his debut however, as that was mainly occupied by birthday boy Matt Robinson and his brace - the possible spark of his resurgence? There were certainly a lot of positives to take, the best performance of the season so far it can be argued. 

If you look at the absentees as well and Paul McCallum is still sidelined, though Daryl McMahon hinted about a few players returning to action soon to Daggers TV, some suggest this has benefitted the Daggers in recent weeks. I would say that McCallum adds a different dimension to the team and when he is on it he is a real asset, but when he isn’t he can hinder the attacking flow.

Last Saturday saw a good footballing display from McMahon’s men. Without the outlet of McCallum up front rarely did they attempt to go too direct which seemed to work in their favour. So, as the injury list shortens and players are ready to work their way back into the team, it won’t be easy for them, especially if these performances continue. 

The last performance was no doubt pleasing, but equally that win will mean very little if not followed up by a similar display against supposedly lesser opposition in Scunthorpe today. However, McMahon urged caution this week in refusing to ‘take anyone for granted’ and warned that the Iron have every capability of putting up a good fight. 

If the hosts can pull through then it will be three league wins on the bounce, just the sort of run that is needed at this stage of the season to remind play-off rivals that they are indeed still in the race.

The prospect of that run continuing has also been a source of great discussion as, barring the FA Cup tie with Gillingham next week, the next three games are against the current bottom three.

This should bring a wave of optimism that will only breed confidence, but this is still Dagenham & Redbridge and rarely have things gone quite so straightforwardly. But if the team can string together a series of expected results it puts them in a mightily competitive position going into Christmas.

Attention may be elsewhere for the next few weeks in the hope of a special story in Qatar, but one could be written in Dagenham and the creation of their own Winter Wonderland. 

Hopefully this optimism is justified on the pitch and McMahon’s men can deliver some real consistency. Until next week, Come On You Daggers!