DAGENHAM and Redbridge skipper Mark Arber has warned his team-mates not to take their eye off the ball as they close in on a League Two play-off place.
The Daggers put league leaders Brentford to the sword at Victoria Road on Tuesday, with a scintillating collective display, earning three valuable points that sees them usurp Shrewsbury into seventh place.
A trip to Notts County on Saturday in the team’s penultimate game of the season will merely serve as the warm-up act for what promises to be an enthralling encounter next week, when Dagenham play host to Shrewsbury in a game that is likely to decide either side’s play-off fate.
However, Arber has ordered his troops to keep their foot firmly on the accelerator, as a victory in Nottingham, combined with a defeat for Shrewsbury at home to Lincoln, will guarantee the Daggers a play-off spot.
“We can’t get complacent off the back of these two big wins (against Bradford and Brentford),” he warned.
“We’ve set ourselves up nicely, having got ourselves into a play-off position with a very good goal difference. But we need to stay focused on the next game. The big philosophy at this club is to take one game at a time.”
Arber insisted it was a ‘pleasure’ to captain the team during their demolition job on Brentford in midweek.
The defender scored the Daggers’ third goal in their 3-1 win, nodding in at the back post from Sam Saunders’ corner.
The diminutive winger notched his 13th goal of the season with a snap shot from the edge of the box to put his side in front, before Solomon Taiwo scored a contender for goal of the season with a terrific 25 yard volley.
“To be fair no-one in the ground can deny us victory tonight, I thought we were magnificent. It was a fantastic atmosphere and a pleasure to be here and to captain a side that really looked top drawer,” said Arber.
The lights went out on this game last month, scaring away the Sky TV cameras and costing the club an estimated £50,000. But this game sparkled from the first minute to the last.
The 1300 fans who made the trip from Brentford arrived hoping to see the win that would confirm their promotion to League One.
But the frustrations grew as Dagenham gained a stranglehold on the match. So much so, that one visiting fan threw a CD case towards a linesman.
It was the home side who were playing some Sweet Chin Music, however, as an exhibition in pass-and-move football saw them run rings around their opponents.
All the signs suggest the free-falling Notts County will provide more fodder for the Daggers on Saturday, setting up a mouthwatering climax next week.
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