GOAL ACE JOSH CAN WALK TALL

DARYL McMahon accepts Dagenham & Redbridge couldn’t stand in the way of Josh Walker fulfilling his Football League dream.

The 25-year-old striker joined League One Burton Albion for an undisclosed fee on deadline day after scoring 12 times for the Daggers this season.

Walker departs after two successful seasons at Victoria Road in which he made 60 appearances for the club, scoring 23 goals.

Prior to that, he spent three years at London rivals Barnet, helping the Bees into the National League Play-Offs in the 2019/20 season.

“Although we are gutted to a player of Josh’s quality we couldn’t stand in the way of a great move for him in his career,” McMahon told the Daggers website

Character

“The club has always had a proud history of picking up players and developing them and Josh is another one that falls into that bracket.

“Both my staff and myself have loved working with him as he is a fantastic character as well as a top talent and we wish him the best in the future and hope he continues to develop and flourish.”

Walker began his career in the youth set up at Tottenham Hotspur before making the switch to Fulham, where he progressed through to the Under-23 side, making an impressive 28 appearances inthe Premier League 2 over the course of two seasons.

Progress

Following his release from the Cottagers, he went on to join Hendon in 2017 where he made 42 appearances for the Greens, scoring 17 goals.

“He is an exciting talent,” agreed Burton boss Dino Maamria. “We’ve done really well to get the deal done and he has had a lot of interest from Football League clubs..

“He’s come to us as we belose lieve we can offer him the right platform to develop and progress his career.

“He has pace, power and goals, and is a very exciting signing for this football club.”

Walker was full of praise for everyone at Dagenham for helping him progress.

His social media message read: “Thank you to my teammates, the staff at everyone at Dagenham & Redbridge for making is such a memorable 18 months for me. I’ve loved every minute of it.

“However, the time has come for me to move on and it’s an opportunity I couldn’t turn down. I wish my teammates and the club all the best for the future.”