Dagenham & Redbridge v West Ham United
Pre-season Match, The Chigwell Construction Stadium, Saturday 22 July 2023, 3pm BST
West Ham United continue their pre-season preparations back in east London with the fourth fixture of the schedule, as the Irons take on Dagenham & Redbridge at The Chigwell Construction Stadium.
The Hammers, having spent the last week in Western Australia, 9,000 miles from London, will make the significantly shorter trip across east London to face the Vanarama National League side as preparations ahead of the new Premier League campaign continue.
David Moyes’ Irons will take on a Daggers side managed by Ben Strevens, who took charge at Victoria Road back in March and guided the team to a tenth-placed finish in the fifth tier of English football.
West Ham are three for three in pre-season so far, having secured a 3-2 win at Optus Stadium in Perth on Tuesday against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Strikers Danny Ings, Divin Mubama and Gianluca Scamacca got the goals that evening, while the latter duo were also on the score-sheet in a 6-2 win over Perth Glory on Saturday.
The pre-season schedule began with a 4-1 victory at another National League side, Boreham Wood, with further trips to Rennes in France and Leverkusen in Germany to come ahead of the new Premier League season.
Tickets…
Tickets for this pre-season match have now sold out.
Travel…
The easiest way to reach the Chigwell Construction Stadium is by London Underground. The nearest Tube station is Dagenham East (Zone 5) on the District Line. After exiting the station, turn left and the ground is the fifth turning on the left about 400 metres from the station.
However, planned industrial action on Saturday may affect your journey and it is advised your check your route before departure. Most London commuter operators will be hit, including C2C, Greater Anglia, GTR (Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Southern, Thameslink), Southeastern and South Western Railway.
Supporters wishing to drive should note that there is no parking available at the stadium but there is some street parking in the local area. Fans should take care to note local enforcement notices.
The postcode for The Chigwell Construction Stadium is RM10 7XL.
If you are driving from the North or West, follow the M25 Clockwise until junction 27 and take the M11 towards London. Proceed along the M11 and as the road splits at the end of the motorway follow the signs for A406 South & A13. Take the slip road on the left signposted A13 Dagenham, Tilbury and Southend.
Go under the underpass and over the flyover and with the leisure complex on your left bear left onto the A1306 signposted Dagenham East. At the fifth set of lights with McDonalds in front of you, turn left onto the A1112, Ballards Road. At the Bull Roundabout bear left and go past Dagenham East Tube Station. Victoria Road is the fifth turning on the left.
If driving from the South, or the East via the Dartford crossing, then follow signs for A13 to Dagenham/ Central London. Proceed along this road and take the turn off signposted Elm Park & Dagenham East and turn right at the roundabout at the bottom of the slip road. Proceed to the set of lights and turn left onto a dual carriageway.
After about half a mile there will be a McDonalds on your right. Get into the right hand filter lane and turn right onto the A1112 Ballards Road. At the Bull roundabout bear left and go past Dagenham East Tube Station. Victoria Road is the fifth turning on the left.
How To Follow…
All the action from our pre-season match at Dagenham & Redbridge can be followed in our live blog on whufc.com on Saturday, which will commence 90 minutes before kick-off.
Match action will also be available on our social media channels, with highlights and exclusive reaction after the final whistle.
Team News…
While David Moyes and the first returning crop of Hammers have spent the last week or so out in Australia for the ‘Unmissable Football’ pre-season tour, most of West Ham United’s internationals returned to pre-season training this week.
The likes of Alphonse Areola, Thilo Kehrer, Nayef Aguerd, Czech pair Vladimír Coufal and Tomáš Souček and Saïd Benrahma were back at Rush Green this week and will be looking to play their first minutes of the pre-season campaign at Victoria Road.
The squad will also likely contain members of the Academy of Football who are looking to impress in the first-team environment. The likes of Divin Mubama, Levi Laing, Kamarai Swyer, Freddie Potts and Dan Chesters have all shown their qualities already in pre-season and could get further opportunities this Saturday.
Opposition…
Formed in 1992 through a merger of Dagenham and Redbridge Forest, the latter merged from Ilford, Leytonstone and Walthamstow Avenue, Dagenham & Redbrdge celebrated their 30th birthday last year.
The Daggers currently play in the Vanarama National League, having been in the fifth tier of the English football system since the 2016/17 campagn, and finished tenth in the division last campagn. Prior to that, the team had spent nine seasons in the English Football League, the height of which saw Dagenham & Redbridge in League One for the 2010/11 season.
Overall, the club has experienced three promotions and two relegations in its history.
The team, since March, has been under the management of Ben Strevens, a former forward who played for the team across two spells and previously managed Eastleigh.
It has been a period of consolidation for the Daggers in the fifth tier of English football but, with just a few points separating them from the play-offs last campaign, there will be optimism in the camp that a return to the EFL is not far away.
Previous Meetings…
The Hammers last met with Dagenham Redbridge in a #SaveTheDaggers fundraising match in March 2018, which was held in order to help our local neighbours through financial difficulties.
That evening saw David Moyes’ side edge a competitive friendly fixture in front of a 4,515-strong crowd at The Chigwell Construction Stadium, with Michail Antonio scoring a goal in each half.
Mason Bloomfield got Dagenham back into the contest on the hour mark before Jordan Hugill netted late on.
As neighbours, the Daggers and Hammers have met several times in pre-season competition over the years. West Ham’s development team have frequently faced the National League side, drawing a hotly contest pre-season outing 1-1 at Victoria Road last season.
The two clubs have been linked over recent campaigns also, with The Chigwell Construction Stadium playing host to West Ham United Women’s home matches since 2020.
