Dagenham & Redbridge Club Profile

Dagenham and Redbridge have had their fair shares of high and lows despite only being in existence for 17 years, the biggest high coming in 2007 – winning the Conference title and with it promotion to the Football League.

The club came about following a series of mergers which saw Leytonstone, Ilford, Walthamstow Avenue and Redbridge Forest, who then merged with Dagenham FC in 1992 to form the current club.

All four teams had proud histories at amateur level but due to dwindling attendances had fallen on hard times.

After four seasons in the Conference, Dagenham and Redbridge were relegated to the Isthmian Premier Division in 1996, a year that also saw them runners-up in the FA Trophy.

Four years later though, under the guidance of then manager Garry Hill, the club were back in the Conference after winning the Isthmian League title with 101 points and setting a record of 20 wins from 21 home matches.

They soon set about establishing themselves as one of the top sides in non-league football, finishing third in their first season and reaching the third-round of the FA Cup.

The club narrowly missed out on promotion after finishing second behind Boston the following year but that was all forgotten when they won the Conference title by 14 points two years ago, with star striker Paul Benson scoring 28 goals.

Their first season in the Football League ended in a 20th place finish, but there was a dramatic improvement last term, with John Still’s men narrowly missing out on the play-offs after finishing in eighth place.

Still has a great record with his non-league signings and his attack-minded approach saw the Daggers score more home goals than any other side in division last season.