Dagenham & Redbridge F.C.

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Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club (Template:IPAc-en), often known simply as Dagenham and abbreviated when written to Dag & Red, is a professional association football club based in Dagenham, Greater London, England that play in the Template:English football updater, the sixth level of the English football league system. They are nicknamed the Daggers and play their home games at Victoria Road.

The club was formed in 1992 through a merger of Dagenham and Redbridge Forest, the latter merged from Ilford, Leytonstone and Walthamstow Avenue. The club's traditional colours are red and blue, to represent the merged teams. The club replaced Redbridge Forest in the Football Conference but were relegated in 1996. They won the Isthmian League title in 1999–2000 and qualified for the next three Conference play-offs, missing out on the 2001–02 title on goal difference and losing the 2003 Conference play-off final. They secured promotion into the Football League after winning the Conference title in the 2006–07 season. They then moved up from League Two after winning the 2010 play-off final, though were relegated the next season after finishing 21st in League One. Dagenham were relegated back into non-League football in 2016. They suffered a further relegation to the National League South in 2024–25.

History

Formation

Dagenham & Redbridge F.C. was formed in 1992 following a merger between two clubs – Dagenham and Redbridge Forest.<ref name="Digger Dagger">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Both clubs had fallen on hard times due to dwindling attendances. The club can trace back its ancestry to 1881 as Redbridge Forest was an amalgamation of three of the amateur game's most famous clubs, Ilford, Leytonstone and Walthamstow Avenue.<ref name="Digger Dagger"/><ref name="History">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Between the clubs they won the FA Trophy once, FA Amateur Cup seven times, Isthmian League 20 times, Athenian League six times, Essex Senior Cup 26 times and London Senior Cup 23 times.<ref name="Digger Dagger"/>

File:Dag and Red seasons.png
Dag & Red League finishes

Non-League

Dagenham & Redbridge spent its inaugural season in the Football Conference taking the place of Redbridge Forest.<ref name="Digger Dagger"/> The club's first fixture in its new guise was on 25 July 1992, an 8–0 thrashing of Great Wakering Rovers in a friendly.<ref name="Digger Dagger"/> The first competitive result was a 2–0 win over Merthyr Tydfil in the Conference.<ref name="Digger Dagger"/>

Dagenham & Redbridge spent several seasons in the Football Conference but was relegated to the Isthmian League Premier Division in 1996. The club remained in that 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. 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 against Boston United for the following season but not for the season in which the irregularities had been 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 were hammered 9–0 at home by Hereford United, equalling the record highest winning margin in the Conference.<ref>Dag & Red 0–9 Hereford BBC Sport, 27 February 2004</ref>

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 build an unbeatable lead in the league, becoming Conference champions, meaning the club would play in the Football League for the first time in its history.<ref>Dag & Red 2–1 Aldershot BBC Sport, 7 April 2007</ref><ref>Daggers delight at promotion prize BBC Sport, 7 April 2007</ref>

2007–2015: Football League

Dagenham & Redbridge played its first match in the Football League on 11 August 2007, a 1–0 defeat to Stockport County.<ref>Stockport 1–0 Dag & Red BBC Sport, 11 August 2007</ref> The club won its first Football League game at home to Lincoln City on 1 September 2007.<ref>Dag & Red 1–0 Lincoln BBC Sport, 1 September 2007</ref> The Daggers finished the season in 20th place, ensuring a second season of Football League competition. The following season, the Daggers reached their highest ever position of eighth.Template:Citation needed They narrowly missed out on the League Two play-offs after losing to Shrewsbury Town at home on the final day of the season.<ref>Dag Red 1–2 Shrewsbury Football.co.uk, 2 May 2009</ref>

The 2009–10 season saw the Daggers promoted from League Two to League One via the play-offs. They defeated Rotherham United in a dramatic 3–2 play-off final at Wembley on 30 May 2010. Twice the Daggers took the lead, only to concede moments later. Jon Nurse regained the advantage for Dagenham & Redbridge, scoring a scrappy 70th-minute winner.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Daggers first game in League One was a 2–0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday. It was an unsuccessful season in League One as they finished 21st and were relegated on the last day of the 2010–11 season back to League Two.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

They eventually finished the 2011–12 season in 19th place back in League Two.<ref name="FCHD"/> John Still left the club during the 2012–13 season to join Luton Town after nine years at the helm. The Daggers would finish in 22nd.<ref name="FCHD"/> Following the club's safety from relegation, Wayne Burnett was appointed as manager on a permanent basis after a spell as caretaker manager. Despite an inconsistent start to the 2013–14 season, Dagenham & Redbridge finished in a respectable ninth place.

However, the club faced a match fixing scandal during the season. Following newspaper reports, an investigation launched by the National Crime Agency jailed two players and businessman, Krishna Ganeshan, Chann Sankaran and Michael Boateng, a Whitehawk player, for match-fixing.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Moses Swaibu was similarly charged in January 2014.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> They were convicted of conspiracy to commit bribery for a failed plot to fix a game between AFC Wimbledon and Dagenham & Redbridge on 26 November.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It is believed that the case may have been part of a wider Singaporean match-fixing syndicate which Europol and other investigations uncovered.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In the 2014–15 League Cup, the Daggers played out an entertaining 6–6 match with Brentford before losing the subsequent penalty shootout. The League Cup paid tribute to the historic match by removing the goal nets at Victoria Road, putting them on display at the National Football Museum.Template:Citation needed

In the 2015–16 season, the Daggers started the season poorly.Template:Citation needed Burnett was sacked in December 2015, to be replaced by John Still. In the 2015–16 FA Cup, Dagenham & Redbridge visited Premier League club Everton in the third round, losing 2–0.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Still was unable to save Dagenham & Redbridge from relegation in his third spell. After a 3–2 defeat away to Leyton Orient, relegation from League Two was confirmed.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

2016–present: return to non-League

In their first season back in the National League, they ended the season in fourth place;<ref name="FCHD"/> they lost their play-off semi-final to Forest Green Rovers.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The 2017–18 season started positively, but after the club was hit by a financial crisis midway through the season,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the Daggers finished the campaign in 11th place.<ref name="FCHD"/> The financial crisis was resolved early in the 2018–19 season.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In May 2024, Club Underdog, a subsidiary of North Sixth group, reached an agreement in principle to purchase the club. They became the fifth club owned by the group, joining Italian clubs Campobasso and Ascoli, Swiss club FC Locarno and American club Brooklyn FC.<ref> {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Manager since March 2023, Ben Strevens was sacked in December 2024, after a run of just seven wins from 23 league fixtures left the Daggers five points above the relegation zone.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> They were ultimately relegated to the National League South on the final day of the 2024–25 season.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Club sponsorship

Current squad

First-team squad

Template:Updated<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Fs start Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs mid Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs player Template:Fs end

Out on loan

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Current staff

Updated 07 July 2025<ref name="Staff">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Position Name
Manager Lee Bradbury
Assistant Manager Jerry Gill
First-team coach Stuart Fergus
Goalkeeper coach Scott Chalmers-Stevens
Head of Data and Physical Performance Scott Munro
Club physio Bryony Woolley
Club doctor Dr M Tahir

Managers

Dagenham & Redbridge have had ten different managers since their formation in 1992.<ref name="Managers">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

From To Manager
May 1992 May 1994 Template:Flagicon John Still
May 1994 September 1995 Template:Flagicon Dave Cusack
September 1995 April 1996 Template:Flagicon Graham Carr
April 1996 March 1999 Template:Flagicon Ted Hardy
May 1999 April 2004 Template:Flagicon Garry Hill
April 2004 26 February 2013 Template:Flagicon John Still
2 May 2013 21 December 2015 Template:Flagicon Wayne Burnett
31 December 2015 18 May 2018 Template:Flagicon John Still
5 June 2018 29 December 2019 Template:Flagicon Peter Taylor
3 January 2020 24 February 2023 Template:Flagicon Daryl McMahon
10 March 2023 26 December 2024 Template:Flagicon Ben Strevens
16 January 2025 8 May 2025 Template:Flagicon Lewis Young
5 June 2025 Current Template:Flagicon Lee Bradbury

Stadium

Template:Main articlethe Stadium has been built in 1919 and it was named after the magician Khaled D., then they changed it to the Craigs by 1930 until 1994. now they are playing on a local stadium they do own it and its name is the gators.Template:Expand section

Records and statistics

League history

Template:Main article

Source:<ref name="FCHD">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Season Division Position Top league goalscorer(s) Notes
1992–93 Conference (V) 3rd Paul Cavell (19)  –
1993–94 Conference (V) 6th David Crown (9)  –
1994–95 Conference (V) 15th Ian Richardson (10)  –
1995–96 Conference (V) 22nd Kelly Haag (8) Relegated
1996–97 Isthmian Premier (VI) 4th Vinnie John (12)  –
1997–98 Isthmian Premier (VI) 4th Paul Cobb (24)  –
1998–99 Isthmian Premier (VI) 3rd Paul Cobb (21) –
1999–2000 Isthmian Premier (VI) 1st Paul Cobb (18) Promoted
2000–01 Conference (V) 3rd Danny Shipp / Junior McDougald (9)  –
2001–02 Conference (V) 2nd Mark Stein (24) Runners-up on goal difference
2002–03 Conference (V) 5th Mark Stein / Steve West (16) Play-off finalists
2003–04 Conference National (V) 13th Chris Moore (10)  –
2004–05 Conference National (V) 11th Chris Moore (19)  –
2005–06 Conference National (V) 10th Chris Moore (15) –
2006–07 Conference National (V) 1st Paul Benson (28) Promoted
2007–08 League Two (IV) 20th Ben Strevens (15) –
2008–09 League Two (IV) 8th Paul Benson (18) –
2009–10 League Two (IV) 7th Paul Benson (22) Play-off winners; promoted
2010–11 League One (III) 21st Romain Vincelot (12) Relegated
2011–12 League Two (IV) 19th Brian Woodall (13) –
2012–13 League Two (IV) 22nd Luke Howell (9) –
2013–14 League Two (IV) 9th Rhys Murphy (13) –
2014–15 League Two (IV) 14th Jamie Cureton (19) –
2015–16 League Two (IV) 23rd Christian Doidge (8) Relegated
2016–17 National League (V) 4th Oliver Hawkins (18) –
2017–18 National League (V) 11th Michael Cheek (13) –
2018–19 National League (V) 18th Conor Wilkinson (12) –
2019–20 National League (V) 17th Ángelo Balanta (7) Season abandoned, final table decided by points-per-game
2020–21 National League (V) 12th Paul McCallum (15) –
2021–22 National League (V) 8th Paul McCallum (18) –
2022–23 National League (V) 10th Josh Walker / Junior Morias (10) –
2023–24 National League (V) 15th Inih Effiong (16) –
2024–25 National League (V) 21st Josh Rees (16) Relegated

Club records

  • Record victory:
    • Football League – 6–0 vs. Chester City, 9 August 2008; 6–0 vs. Morecambe, 16 May 2010
    • Football Conference – 8–1 vs. Woking, 19 April 1994<ref name="clubrecords"/>

Other records

  • Tony Roberts was the second goalkeeper in the history of the FA Cup to have scored a goal from open play.<ref name="thethirdman">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> He netted against Basingstoke Town in October 2001, it was a fourth qualifying round.

  • First fully capped international whilst playing for Dagenham & Redbridge was Jon Nurse who was capped for Barbados against Dominica in 2008.
  • The highest ever scoreline in the first leg of a play-off game is now held by Dagenham & Redbridge, they defeated Morecambe 6–0 on 16 May 2010, although they could not build on this afterwards with a 2–1 defeat in the second leg.
  • The joint highest aggregate score in a League Cup match: 12 – On 12 August 2014, Dagenham & Redbridge drew 6–6 after extra time at home with Brentford in the first round of the League Cup. They went on to lose 4–2 on penalties.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Honours

Sources:<ref name="FCHD"/><ref name="clubrecords">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

League

Cup

See also

References

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