Curtley Williams pleased Dagenham & Redbridge defence is performing well

Curtley Williams of Dagenham & Redbridge and Sean Raggett of Lincoln City (pic: David Simpson/TGS Photo) ©TGS Photo tgsphoto.co.uk +44 1376 553468

Daggers defender happy to be part of back four that has recorded three clean sheets so far

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Dagenham & Redbridge right-back Curtley Williams says the team’s new-look defence is starting to hit top form after recording three clean sheets in their first four games of the season.

The same back four and keeper have started the first four games of the National League for Daggers, and of that quintet only Joe Widdowson was at the Essex club last season.

Williams and stopper Elliot Justham both arrived in the summer from Luton Town while skipper Scott Doe returned from Boreham Wood and Craig Robson made the switch from Bognor Regis Town.

And having spent pre-season developing an understanding, the 26-year-old Williams believes the defence are now showing how important they can be this season.

“Clean sheets are what we’re paid for (as defenders),” said the right-back.

“I read something in pre-season that the defence had conceded quite a few goals, which I thought was a bit harsh.

“The first four games, we’ve kept three clean sheets, maybe we’ve changed a few opinions there.”

Williams, though, has also been impressed by the defensive effort from the whole time so far this season.

In their 1-0 win over Lincoln City, wingers Chris Assombalonga and Fejiri Okenabirhie produced tireless efforts to help out in defence before offering themselves for the counter attack.

And Williams is pleased veryone is chipping in to help out defensively.

“It’s only four games, so we have to keep it up. It’s not just the back four and the keeper, it’s coming from the whole team,” added the former Lowestoft Town man.

“We had Chrissy (Assombalonga) coming back and helping me out, Fey (Okenabirhie) coming back and helping Joe (Widdowson) out, the midfielders were battling and even Hawks (Oliver Hawkins) and Gutts (Luke Gutrridge, they’ve got a job to do defensively. It’s a team effort.”

With just four games gone, Daggers look to have a solid back four, and Williams knows it can only get better and better as the weeks progress.

“We do a lot of back four work in training and every game builds it a little more,” he added.

“There’s a bit more communication and it’s little things like you’ll give someone information, but it might be slightly different to what they’ve heard before.

“You go away, you talk about it a bit more and then you start clicking. It’s all building in the right direction.

“We’ve been pretty solid and as a foundation, we’re going to have to stay solid all season.

“It’s going to be hard, we have Torquay away on a Tuesday night which is not going to be easy. We have to be big in those games, individually we all have to talk and be leaders to get the points and do the job.”