Luke Garrard’s side will aim to continue their unbeaten start to pre-season as they make the trip to Dagenham & Redbridge.
Following relegation from the Enterprise National League for the first time since 2000, the Daggers endured a mixed campaign as they settled for a 13th-place finish.
Lee Bradbury was tasked with guiding Dagenham straight back at the first time of asking, but he was dismissed in March with the club six points adrift of the play-off places. The news came just weeks after the arrival of social media influencer KSI, with Andy Carroll swapping the pitch for the dugout, but the former Liverpool striker was unable to mastermind a late play-off push.
The Daggers have made wholesale changes to their squad this summer, with 15 new arrivals.
One of those signings is Archie Tamplin, who was Chelmsford City’s midfield linchpin last term, making 38 league appearances, and has impressed in Essex over the past few seasons. He made a name for himself at Lewes during the 2023/24 campaign, but it was with the Clarets that his career really took off, culminating in him winning the club’s Young Player of the Season award last term.
The man responsible for leading Dagenham back to the National League, Lee Allinson, has enjoyed success wherever he has managed.
He began his managerial career as assistant manager at St Albans City before successful spells at Biggleswade Town and Hendon in the hot seat. After five seasons with Hendon, during which he established the Dons as a competitive Isthmian League Premier Division outfit, Allinson took charge of Hemel Hempstead Town in December 2024.
It proved to be an inspired appointment as he guided them to a 12th-place finish following a troubled start to the season.
In his first full campaign in charge, Allinson defied expectations by leading the Tudors to the play-offs. However, it ended in heartbreak as they lost on penalties to Weston-super-Mare in the eliminator before making the switch to divisional rivals Dagenham.
We locked horns with the Daggers on two occasions when they last plied their trade in the National League during the 2023/24 campaign.
The first clash came at the Chigwell Construction Stadium, where the Wood ran out 3-1 winners. Inih Effiong broke the deadlock after 21 minutes, but we took control of the contest from then on, with goals from Billy Sass-Davies, Lee Ndlovu and Erico Sousa sealing the three points.
The return fixture at Meadow Park towards the end of the season told a different story as the Daggers secured a 4-1 victory. They made a fast start through Josh Rees, who opened the scoring after six minutes, and the damage was done before half-time with another from the former Wood midfielder before Ryan Hill and Effiong got on the scoresheet.
Kabongo Tshimanga’s strike in added time proved to be no more than a consolation.
This fixture kicks off at 19:30. Find all you need to know in our match day guide by clicking here.
Adults – £14
Concessions – £8
Next Gen (15–21) – £8
Juniors – Free
Tickets can be purchased in advance by clicking here.
