After an absolute trek to get there (our sat nav decided to send us through London rather than along the M25!), we finally got to Dagenham to find plenty of on-street parking very close to the ground. I've genuinely never seen so much parking space so close to a stadium - you could even park on the road leading up to the stadium gates!

As we were there a bit early, we popped into the stadium social club for a drink. 50p per person entry for non-members, and prices were very reasonable indeed (just over £6 for 2 pints of lager & 2 packets of crisps), and it was a good pint too. There didn't seem to be much else in the general vicinity of the ground in terms of pubs/eateries, but I would recommend the social club. 

The stadium itself is a bit of a mis-mash of old and new. The home end appeared to be mainly terracing, with one slightly more modern stand along the side of the pitch where the dugouts are. The away end is the newest stand at the ground, with an excellent view across the pitch, plenty of legroom in the seats, and good facilities as well. Toilets are clean with plenty of space for anyone who needs to use them; there is a fully-stocked bar open pre-match and at half-time, plus the usual hot food outlets. I got a double bacon & cheese burger, chips and a Bovril at half-time, again for a little over £6, and the quality was excellent - if you're hungry, there's certainly worse stadiums to be hungry at!

The atmosphere was sadly lacking at the ground. I can genuinely say I barely heard the Dagenham fans for the full 90 minutes, apart from a quiet cheer when they scored, and the same at the full time whistle. Whether this is due to poor acoustics or they really were that quiet, I don't know, but it did mean the atmosphere was a bit flat and there was no banter between the two sets of fans.

The ticket price in advance was £19, rising to £22 on the day, which again seems a bit steep for League 2, especially given the quality of football on show. It was a poor, poor game overall - lots of long balls and very little quality on show. And the result didn't help either!