Accrington Stanley would seem to be the ideal sort of side you would want to meet at home at this stage of the season with maximum points needed to propel forward a push for the play-offs.
The famous name from Lancashire are in a midtable berth, too far away to launch an assault on the play-off places themselves, but a long way clear of trouble at the bottom of the table as well.
It's a testimony to the work done by the division's longest serving manager Stanley's John Coleman, the only man to outstrip Daggers' own boss John Still in length of service, that the homely, famous-named East Lancashire club find themselves so comfortably placed at this stage of the season, given their frugal facilities and small support.
But Stanley, who returned to League football after an absence of 44 years the season after Daggers made it to the League, look to have come through a difficult season, which nearly ended for them just before their previous meeting with Daggers in November last year.
They were served with a winding-up order by HM Customs & Revenue, but locally-born millionaire Illyas Khan saved the day, paying off the debts and taking control of the club. That meeting at the Crown Ground, on a filthy day, on a pitch barely playable, ended with a 1-0 victory for Daggers, when the side were at the top of their form.
Daggers have recovered that kind of form in recent weeks and meet a Stanley side who had a mixed March, losing four and drawing one of their seven games last month.
There should have been an eighth game, but torrential rain made the midweek fixture at the notoriously heavy Crown Ground, with Barnet, scheduled for last Tuesday night unplayable. It has to be said that three of the four Stanley defeats in March came at the hands of the division's current top trio of clubs. Notts County, in second, inflicted a 3-0 defeat early in the month, champions elect Rochdale won 4-2 in a mid-month meeting and last Saturday, Bournemouth inflicted a 2-0 loss on Coleman's side at Dean Court.
Stanley were missing their 17 goal striker Michael Symes, contemporary and strike partner of England's Wayne Rooney in their days in the Everton youth team, banned for three games following a sending off the previous weekend in a game in which Accrington led Rochdale 2-0 before a goal deluge from the league leaders.
Symes is also missing from tomorrow's game as he serves his third and final game of a three match suspension.
It places a lot of responsibility on free-scoring midfielder Roberts Grant, who has scored 12 times from midfield in 32 games and on-loan frontman Billy Kee, who has notched five times in 12 matches.
Midfielder Andrew Procter also has eight to his credit from midfield, while dead-ball expert Peter Edwards has the same number, but does take the penalties!
Daggers will be without Yoann Folly, who went back to parent club Plymouth Argyle at the start of the week, when the Pilgrims picked up two injuries to central midfielders in their goalless clash at home to Barnsley. Folly's initial month was just complete and with the deadline passed for loans, he won't be returning to Victoria Road before the end of this campaign.
That looks like a starting place for last weekend's major impact substitute Jon Nurse, who came on to devastating affect, scoring once and forcing Bradford City own goals twice in his final half-hour performance. Peter Gain will likely move inside as he did for the final half-hour at Valley Parade.
The Easter programme and its two games - Saturday's game and Monday's trip to Port Vale will also see the end of Marlon Pack's stay with Daggers.
His loan twice extended to the maximum three month stay finishes after the Port Vale game and he returns to his parent club, Portsmouth.
"After Easter we will have to address our central midfield issue with Yoann and Marlon gone. But we will go with our present staff, as we have to now and it isn't a problem causing me undue concern, considering the group of players we have at the club,'' says John Still.
Likely teams: Accrington Stanley: Dunbavin, Kempson, Edwards, Winnard, Lees, Joyce, Proctor, Grant, Ryan, Kee, King, Turner.
Dagenham & R: Roberts, Ogogo, Doe, Arber, McCrory; Green, Pack, Gain, Nurse; Benson, Scott.
Referee: Gavin Ward (Surrey).
