Our regular look back at the connections between the two clubs.

We've met Before
The Silkmen and the Daggers have met just four times in the Football League, but have met both of Dagenham and Redbridge's previous incarnations as well as the merged club in Non-League football.

The Silkmen played Conference matches against both Dagenham in the 1987/88 season with both games finishing 0-0, and Redbridge Forest, in 1991/1992, with another 0-0 away draw followed by a 3-1 home win thanks to goals from Burr, Mountford and Askey.

It was the following season that the two sides merged to become Dagenham and Redbridge and the first season since the merge, 1992/3 saw the Silkmen winning the away game and drawing at the Moss Rose. Macc took four points from the Daggers again in the 1993/4 campaign, thanks to a 3-0 home win (Alford, Sorvel and Sharratt) and a 1-1 away draw (McDonald)

The Silkmen emphatically took all six points on their way to the Conference title in 1994/5. A 6-0 aggregate score coming from a 4-0 away win (Wood, Midwood (2) Howarth) and a 2-0 victory at the Moss Rose. The following year saw the first win for the new club over the Silkmen as they were 3-0 winners at Victoria Road after the Silkmen had been 3-1 winners at home (Bradshaw (2), McDonald).

Dagenham were relegated that season so the next meeting would not be for more than a decade when the Daggers were promoted into the Football League in 2007.

Nick Blackman was the hero for the Silkmen with a late equaliser in a 1-1 home draw, but Franny Green and Jon Brain made the difference away from home, as the former notched the winner, but not until the latter had saved a penalty in a vital match in the fight against relegation and Keith Alexander's first win for the Silkmen and to date the Silkmen's only League win over D&R.

The Silkmen were stunned at the Moss Rose in December 2008 as Benson and Taiwo had the visitors two goals ahead after only seven minutes. The third came from Benson before the 20th minute. The second half was only three minutes old when Saunders hit the fourth and final goal.

And away from home the Daggers won again, this time coming from behind to do so. John Rooney hit his first senior goal for the Silkmen to take the lead, but the appearance from the subs bench of talismanic striker Benson lifted the home side and he scored within five minutes to set the home side on course for a 2-1 win. 

2009/10 was the last time the two clubs met and the Silkmen had a two goal lead thanks to goals in either half from Matty Tipton and Ricky Sappleton. There would be a penalty and a red card each as Ogogo was given his marching orders for a late foul on Hamza Bencherif, which saw the player taken off injured, after only 10 minutes.

The Silkmen opened the scoring from the spot when Tipton was pulled back in the box and dusted himself off to put it away.

The Silkmen hit the woodwork on an incredible five occasions in the match but doubled the score when Tipton and Sappleton combined well to give the latter a great chance to score.

But Dagenham pulled a goal back with 11 minutes to play and as the game was winding down into injury time, Matthew Tipton was sent off for the slightest of kicks of the ball after the whistle had gone.

The arguments that he was playing it back to the 'keeper for the free kick fell on deaf ears and with the game in its 93rd minute when Dagenham won a penalty and made it 2-2.

Later that season the Silkmen again took the lead through a stunning Lee Bell strike, but three second half goals saw the home side winning 3-1.

Played for Both
As far as we can tell, only two players have represented both clubs during their career. Steve Clark, is the only one in League football, a player who began his career at West Ham before moving to Southend, the Silkmen had him on loan for a short spell in 2004 when he played four matches for the club.

Later that year he joined Hornchurch and following their 'folding' joined Dagenham where he played on 12 occasions, scoring once in a 5-0 win over Ebbsfleet.

Paul Cavell, one of the Silkmen's Wembley heroes in 1996 after coming off the bench for Tony Hemmings also featured Dagenham and Redbridge amongst his former clubs, signing for them in the first season after their merger. He was with the Silkmen for the 1995/6 season, scoring 10 times.