Dagenham & Redbridge boss John Still admits having to play top scorer Oliver Hawkins at centre-back is a blow ahead of visit of Barrow

Dan Sweeney of Maidstone United and Oliver Hawkins of Dagenham & Redbridge (pic: David Simpson/TGS Photo) ©TGS Photo tgsphoto.co.uk +44 1376 553468

Daggers striker set to fill in at the back with Scott Doe injured

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Dagenham & Redbridge may have to work out a different plan of attack for the visit of Barrow on Saturday, with top scorer Oliver Hawkins set to play in defence.

Skipper Scott Doe was forced off at half-time during Tuesday’s 1-0 win at Maidstone United with a hamstring injury, with Hawkins dropping into defence.

Doe is a massive doubt to face the Bluebirds – and Torquay on Tuesday – and is set to watch on from the stands, with fellow defenders Curtley Williams, Craig Robson and Luke Pennell also out.

It means that Hawkins, who impressed in defence at the Stones, is likely to be used at centre-back again, and though boss John Still is happy with the job he perfoms there, he would much rather have the six foot four inch striker leading the line.

“We miss Oliver up front, he’s the best from League One down at what he does, without a shadow of a doubt,” said Still.

“When he has to go to centre-back, he does a good job for us, but he’s a massive miss up front.”

Should Hawkins drop into the back four, it is likely that Daggers legend Paul Benson will make his first start at Victoria Road since rejoining the club in the summer.

Benson is still trying to find full fitness after a side injury kept him out for six weeks, with the attacker coming off the bench several times in recent weeks.

It is a contrast to the return of Luke Guttridge, who came back from a hamstring injury around the same time Benson recovered from his niggle.

Guttridge has started the last six games in all competitions, and Still admits he would have liked to have done something similar with Benson, but the form of Hawkins prevented him from doing so.

“Paul’s not played a lot and that’s not his fault because of ‘Hawks’’ form and he’s still getting fit,” added Still.

“We were able to push Luke to get him fit, but we haven’t been able to do that with Paul.”

Still will want Guttridge to continue his good goalscoring form should Hawkins drop into defence, with the playmaker netting in the last two games.

Guttridge scored the second in a 2-0 success at York City at the weekend, after Hawkins opened the scoring, and netted the winner at Maidstone in midweek.

And after coming in for some criticism from the fans in the early weeks of his return, Still is pleased Guttridge is proving his doubters wrong, adding: “Luke is very influential, but he needs a bit of a rest so we’ll give him a few days off.

“We decided just before kick-off to play Luke after we came out and had a look, which was a positive for us.”

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