FEMI ILESANMI has insisted he has nothing to prove to Dagenham & Redbridge manager Wayne Burnett when he returns to his old club with York City tomorrow.

After making 133 appearances for the Essex club, the 23-year-old defender left Victoria Road in the summer having been deemed surplus to requirements by Burnett.

Ilesanmi was restricted to just ten outings between New Year's Day and the end of the 2013/14 campaign but, since signing for City, he has established himself as one of only two ever-presents this term, along with fellow full-back Marvin McCoy.

On his return to Dagenham, the Southwark-born left back said: "I was there for four years, so I did have a look at when we would be playing them and I'm looking forward to the game, but it's just another match to me.

"I just want to go there and do a job for York City. The gaffer here is happy with me and I just want to keep pleasing everyone at York City now."

Ilesanmi also added that he takes no personal satisfaction from Dagenham's defensive struggles since his departure.

Burnett's men have shipped 23 goals in their opening ten matches but Ilesanmi, instead, sympathises with the likes of former team-mates Brian Saah, Scott Doe and Jack Connors.

"They are a good bunch of lads and it's not nice to see your old team conceding so many goals, especially the lads in the back four who I played with," he explained. "Hopefully, they can bounce back, but after we have got a result, because that's the most important thing."

Fourth-bottom Dagenham's cause this season has not been helped, either, by the twin losses of key attacking pair Rhys Murphy and Zavon Hines, with Ilesanmi suggesting both players are being sorely missed.

He reasoned: "They both scored lots of goals last season. Zavon is a good friend of mine and he got quite a few assists as well, so they have missed out on that aspect.

"Hopefully, they can bounce back and do well when they are back."

While new recruits means the Daggers' squad now contains several unfamiliar faces to Ilesanmi, the former AFC Wimbledon trainee believes City must be wary of the midfield goal threat posed by one-time Arsenal youngster Abu Ogogo from midfield.

Ogogo has already netted three times this season with Ilesanmi saying: "I've been focussed more on York City, so I wouldn't know how Dagenham have played and what's going on this season.

"They've signed quite a few players, but my best friend Abu has scored a few goals so we will have to look out for him."

Ilesanmi is expected, meanwhile, to be pitted against former City winger Ashley Chambers tomorrow.

The pair shared a dressing room last term when Chambers went on loan to Dagenham but, despite first-hand knowledge of the ex-Leicester attacker's game, Ilesanmi will approach tomorrow's challenge the same as any other.

"I face all the wingers with the same attitude," he pointed out. "I don't look too deeply into what they can do.

"It won't make any difference to me whether I'm playing against Ashley Chambers or anybody else. I just concentrate on what I do best."

Ilesanmi is also unfazed by his new club's record of one win from 11 matches this season and is confident the team will begin to climb up the League Two standings imminently.

"We started the season well and were just unfortunate," he suggested. "If we hadn't conceded those late goals then, the topic of conversation at the moment would be very different, but we know what we are capable of and what's around the corner.

"We just have to keep doing what we're doing and, hopefully, pick up results soon."

 

Boucaud back for Bootham business

FORMER Bootham Crescent favourite Andre Boucaud is expected to earn an instant recall to the Dagenham & Redbridge side that hosts York City tomorrow.

Boucaud, who will turn 30 next month, was suspended for Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Cheltenham after being sent off for two bookable offences in the previous game – a 3-0 defeat against Portsmouth.

But the Trinidad & Tobago international, who starred for the Minstermen during the first half of the 2011/12 double-winning Wembley campaign before leaving for Luton, is poised to return in place of former Torquay and Tranmere midfielder Joss Labadie. Boucaud is set to be joined in the hosts’ starting line-up by another ex-City player Ashley Chambers.

Like Boucaud, Chambers has only failed to start one Daggers match this season, having made the first XI in all nine of the Essex club’s other fixtures.

Both have one goal to their name this season, having got on the scoresheet in the sensational 6-6 Capital One Cup draw against Brentford – a tie that Wayne Burnett’s men eventually lost on penalties.

Winger Chambers has yet to score in 16 league outings, however, for Dagenham including an initial loan stint from Cambridge last season.

While Boucaud is available, Dagenham will continue to be without their two star performers from last term – striker Rhys Murphy and flank ace Zavon Hines.

Murphy and Hines both missed the final two months of last season and have not yet returned from their respective hip and cruciate ligament injuries.

Former Arsenal forward Murphy was the Daggers’ 13-goal top scorer in 2013/14, while ex-West Ham and Bradford attacker Hines was also a revelation out wide, where he contributed eight goals.

Veteran 39-year-old marksman Jamie Cureton was drafted in over the summer to fill that scoring void and has responded by netting four times, including Saturday’s opener at Cheltenham, where he plied his trade last season.

That took Cureton’s tally to 262 in 760 matches for 13 different clubs.

Fourth-bottom Dagenham’s main problems have come at the other end of the pitch where 23 goals have been shipped in the first ten games, with three or more having been conceded in exactly half of those matches.

Burnett’s team have also only won two of their last 17 home games and taken just two points from a possible 15 since back-to-back wins over Mansfield and Hartlepool in mid-August.

Dagenham (probable): Cousins, Batt, Saah, Partridge, Green, Ogogo, Boucaud, Howell, Chambers, Cureton, Hemmings.