Dagenham & Redbridge boss Strevens seeks hungry players

Dagenham & Redbridge boss Ben Strevens has a clear idea of the type of player he wants to bring to the club this summer.

Strevens led the side in the last 10 games of the 2022-23 National League season, as the permanent successor to Daryl McMahon, and saw them collect 12 points from a possible 30 to finish in 10th place.

But the former Daggers striker, who celebrated his 43rd birthday this week, has just nine players under contract at Victoria Road, with options exercised on two more and new deals offered to three others.

Another seven players – including long-serving captain Matt Robinson – are leaving, giving Strevens with plenty to do this summer.

“Whoever is coming in this summer, they’ve got to be hungry to do well for the club,” Strevens told the club website.

“Hopefully that will then transmit onto the training ground and the performances when the fans start seeing us play again.

“We lost some really good players. Josh Walker going to Burton Albion is amazing for Josh and the club, going to League One, he completely deserved it.

“Macca [Paul McCallum] going off to Chesterfield and then when I joined, Rancey [Dean Rance] leaving quite quickly, Junior [Morias] leaving quite quickly. We lost some good players there.

“With this retained list, different reasons for players leaving and me making decisions, someone like Robbo who has been at this club for a number of years, has got great respect from the players, a proper Dagger. Good players have left the building.

“You have to bring in good players to replace them, that doesn’t mean they have to be established, it just has to be the right people. 

“It might be some younger ones, some experienced ones, it has to be the right type of people and that’s really important moving forward now.”

McMahon left by mutual consent in late February, with Daggers five points off the play-off places in 10th on the eve of a trip to then leaders Notts County, who were on a 25-match unbeaten run.

But coaches Dave Jupp and Steve Gritt led the team to a shock 2-1 victory at Meadow Lane and a home win over York City by the same margin after a midweek loss at Maidenhead.

And Strevens was appointed after a 4-0 home defeat against new leaders Wrexham, overseeing wins at Torquay, Boreham Wood and Barnet.

Four home matches produced just two draws, though, and Strevens wants more for the club’s supporters.

“The biggest thing I want from any of the boys coming in is they want to play for Dagenham & Redbridge, they want to become part of this,” he added.

“When I’m talking to them about what they’re going to represent, how they’re going to have to play to get the fans behind them, that’s what they can do.

“That’s my job as a manager, to identify them characters. As a staff, it’s not just me, anything I’m doing this summer is with help of other people, working as a team behind the scenes.”