BIG GUNS MARCH ON QUIETLY...
Title hopefuls love being ignored
SOMETIMES it’s actually quite nice when nobody wants to know you. There’s an argument to suggest Dagenham, their attacker Corey Whitely and Eastleigh could all be feeling a little ignored so far this summer.
John Still’s team were nowhere to be seen in the close season forecasts, while the attention of transfer focus fell on Daggers’ striker Oliver Hawkins – and not the equally talented 25-year-old Corey Whitely.
Neglect them no more. Dagenham have taken a very good seven points from a demanding first three games, while Whitley has starred in all of them. His two goals here made all the difference.
For a change, Eastleigh haven’t been talked about either. The chequebook has been put away and they now have a squad playing for a manager who drains every bead of sweat from them.
Richard Hill refused to discuss why his team didn’t take all three points after a contentious second-half penalty allowed Whitely to level things up.
“I’m not going to speak about the referee,” said Hill. “I won’t give my opinion on his performance because I have got myself in too much trouble in the past. I said to the lads at half-time ‘just be careful’ and I was right but we still should have dealt with it before the incident.
“I think if we win this game it’s a great start, seven points from three games. We’ve drawn, so it’s a good start.
“We’ve still not lost and I tell you what, our first eight fixtures are horrendous! Unbeaten against three sides who will be up there challenging, I’m alright with that.”
Still accepts a point was about right and their two wins and a draw from an equally testing first trio of games, two away from home, makes for good reading.
“We’re little Dagenham, we’re not a big club,” the manager said. “We get 1,400 people to a game so that’s probably why we weren’t being spoken about too much in the summer but we’re fine with all that. We’re a hard working club, not a big spender.
“I actually think we were in control in the first half even though we let in two goals. I would like to see Eastleigh’s second goal because all our lot are saying offside. I’m not saying it was, but I would like to see it.”
Whitely knows how to hit free-kicks, he hit a beauty in midweek to win it against Boreham Wood and he nearly opening the scoring. This one would have been lucky, a huge deflection off the wall and Daggers fan Graham Stack did well to turn it over.
Fortune favoured him when he did beat Stack, the forward ball skimmed an Eastleigh head and the attacker seemed offside. No flag came, and baring down on goal Whitely rounded the 2015 Conference champion and rolled it home.
Eastleigh were at times sloppy but were never second best. You do wonder what the outcome would have been had Still not lost central defensive captain Scott Doe to injury in the first half.
First, Danny Hollands’ neat through ball would surely have been snuffed out by the skipper. Instead, striker Williamson raced clear and stroked it under Mark Cousins to level.
Within the blink of an eye the game was turned on its head. Doe’s replacement Kevin Lokko was clumsy and the substitute tugged Ayo Obileye and Williamson had a second chance he didn’t miss from the penalty for his third goal in two games.
Andrew Boyce almost had a howler himself, throwing his head at a loose ball with back to goal, making Stack – and the home fans – very nervous.
It wasn’t the electric second half the end to the first hinted at. Andre Boucaud went from range though Stack was comfortable.
But there was drama ahead. Lokko went down and earned his new side a penalty after going down among a field of Eastleigh feet. Whitely kept his cool to level from the spot.