Source: Bournemouth_Echo
Cherries comment: As much right to be here as the big guns
ALL eyes will be fixed on Victoria Road tomorrow when Cherries are involved in another top-of-the-table clash.[LNB] Although the Dorset outfit probably trails Dagenham & Redbridge by some considerable margin, the gulf between the two is not insignificant.[LNB] While 20 places may separate them in the current standings, these two financial minnows are among the frontrunners in the paupers' league table.[LNB] Conference champions in 2007, Daggers can lay claim to the title of undisputed poor relations in the third flight, while Cherries are very much in the chasing pack.[LNB] But while many, if not all, pundits may have predicted this being a relegation six-pointer when the fixtures were published, Cherries have proved otherwise.[LNB] In terms of punching above their respective weights, comparing Cherries and Daggers with the likes of Southampton and Sheffield Wednesday is like pitting Henry Cooper against Alice Cooper.[LNB] The two clubs have experienced differing fortunes since coming up from League Two, with promotion earning them a chance to rub shoulders with some of the so-called big guns.[LNB] Daggers are still pinching themselves after their epic play-off final victory over Rotherham at Wembley and have been in the bottom four since early October. They also draw the lowest average home attendance.[LNB] Cherries, on the other hand, are flying high one place off the summit and bidding to clinch back-to-back promotions for the first time in the club's history.[LNB] While Cherries would appear to have sold their way out of financial trouble, Daggers have always steadfastly refused to compromise and have continued to live within their means.[LNB] They arrived from the same place but their respective fortunes could see them heading in different directions come May. However, whether or not Cherries go on to reach the Championship, this will go down as another season to remember at Dean Court.[LNB] The irony of meeting Dagenham & Redbridge on the back of hosting cash-rich Huddersfield and fallen Premier League giants Sheffield Wednesday has not been lost on the majority of Cherries supporters. A minority, however, have sadly lost sight of their achievements.[LNB] Both former FA Cup winners and Football League champions, the Yorkshire rivals were laced with players with Premier League and Championship experience, their respective squads costing a small fortune to assemble.[LNB] Daggers' record signing was Damien McCrory from Plymouth for £10,000, while Cherries had a transfer tribunal to thank for instructing them to cough up £100,000 for Marc Pugh. Their squads are littered with free transfers and non-league gems, while higher-level experience is sparse in both camps.[LNB] But as Cherries' ex-Weymouth midfielder Anton Robinson knows only too well, reputations count for nothing once the playing field has levelled out.[LNB] Everyone is playing in League One for a reason, said the 24-year-old. Dagenham and us have got as much right to be here as Huddersfield and Sheffield Wednesday.[LNB] We don't look at players who have come down from the Premier League any differently to those at Dagenham.[LNB] The reason we are second is because we have shown every team the respect they deserve but we haven't given the bigger teams too much respect.[LNB]
