This Tuesday night there are two fixtures in the Sky Bet League 2, involving a side sitting in the relegation zone and a team pushing up and currently sitting in the playoffs.
I begin with the side in the drop zone. Dagenham and Redbridge sit in 23rd, 8 points clear of bottom club Hartlepool, and travel to Abbey Stadium to face a Cambridge United side high on confidence following their draw in the F.A Cup fourth round against Manchester United. The Daggers are aware that they are only one point behind Carlisle who sit in 22nd. A win could see them climb to 19th, as the bottom eight clubs are separated by just four points. Their previous result was a 1-0 defeat away to a resurging Northampton side on 17th January. It won’t be easy however for Wayne Burnett’s side, having won only once in their last six games, scoring just once in that time. Top scorer and talismanic striker Jamie Cureton has seven goals in the league, and the Daggers will be relying on the experienced forward to help score some goals. As for Cambridge, they are a side high on confidence. Winning their previous three fixtures in the league and holding Manchester United to a goalless draw, Richard Money is aware that they can move up the table with a decent result. Needless to say, they will have one eye on the replay against the Premier League side, but they’ll be aware that they need to pick up three points here at the Abbey Stadium.
The other fixture was postponed back on the 9th January when Bury were due to visit the Crown Ground to face Accrington Stanley. The pitch was waterlogged, much to the annoyance of Stanley manager John Coleman. Accrington have won two from their previous six fixtures, losing twice. Their most recent victory was a 2-1 return away to Exeter, with their most recent home game taking place on 20th December, a 1-1 draw against league leaders Wycombe. This is the first of two tough home games for Stanley, with Bury sitting in the playoffs, followed by a fixture against a resurging Northampton side who have won their last three games. As for Bury, they sit in the playoffs following their victory against Carlisle on Saturday. Top scorer Daniel Nardiello scored twice, missing the chance to complete a hattrick having seen his second half penalty saved. They boast some players whom have all scored goals. Nardiello sits on nine, closely followed by Danny Rose and David Mayor, eight, then journeyman striker Ryan Lowe, who has netted six. They’ll certainly be looking for all three points, as they occupy the final play-off place only on goal difference, with the two teams behind also on 41 points, then Plymouth in 10th on 40. Their next fixture is a trip to the Pirelli Stadium to face Burton Albion who currently sit third in the Sky Bet League Two table.
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