Cobblers boss Wilder wary of Still-inspired Dagenham

The Cobblers boss takes his on-fire team to Victoria Road on Saturday afternoon in search of another three points in the quest for promotion.

The Daggers have endured a difficult season to date, and have yet to win a match at home this season.

Their poor form resulted in the sacking of manager Wayne Burnett in December, with the east London club deciding to back to the future by hiring Still, freshly sacked by Luton Town - after a 4-3 home defeat at the hands of the Cobblers.

So Still is now in his third stint as Dagenham manager, and he has produced instant results with Daggers winning their past two league two games at Stevenage and Exeter City.

Wilder is backing Still to reverse the club’s fortunes and save them from the drop - but is hoping they will still be waiting for that first home win after this weekend’s clash with the Cobblers.

“They have given John the job and they will want a reaction,” said Wilder, who saw his team lose 2-1 to Dagenham in the reverse fixture at Sixfields in September.

“I think they have won their last two away games in the league, and then went to Everton in the FA Cup and were in the game until right near the end, when Everton scored a penalty, and that shows you what John is all about.

“They are going to be competitive, they are going to be hard to beat, they will be resolute and tough and they are going to compete all over the pitch, and we have to make sure we match that straight away.

“I have to say, if I was in charge of a club around near the bottom of the division, I would be wary that Dagenham are going to get out of it.

“The appointment of John is one that will lift everybody down there and I wouldn’t be surprised if they climbed out of those positions - hopefully after the weekend’s game!”

The Cobblers travel to London boosted by a superb win at leaders Plymouth Argyle on Tuesday night, which came off the back of an excellent performance in last Saturday’s 2-2 FA Cup draw against Milton Keynes Dons.

Wilder was delighted with how his team performed in those games, and he is demanding the same again this weekend.

“We have to always be at our best, whether we are playing a team at the top, or whether we are playing a team that is looking to get out of relegation trouble, as John Still’s Dagenham are,” said the Cobblers boss.

“They will see this as an opportunity of going and getting three points.

“We have had a tough cup game on Saturday and a long journey on Tuesday, so we will be drilling into the players what they have to do to get a result.

“We know we have to produce everything we produced against Milton Keynes, against Plymouth, against all the teams we have played all season if we are going to get a result at Dagenham, but we are confident we can do that.”