I was a season-ticket holder from the early 90s until I left for University in Portsmouth in 1998, and soon after graduating I moved to the other end of the UK to be with my girlfriend, Vicky, in Edinburgh.

My distant location and the tendancy of train companies to run 'bus replacement' services on a Saturday means I'm normally limited to about five games a season. Usually,

I have to put up with the inane warblings of Garth Crooks and co. on the BBC's Score programme!

PRE MATCH: Having some old university friends in London, I circled this week as soon as the fixtures came out.

A new ground to visit in Dagenham, coupled with the great away day that is Brentford seemed like the perfect excuse to arrange an extra-long weekend in the capital!

I caught the 8am train from Edinburgh Waverley which took around four-and-a-half hours, and then the tedious tube ride out to Dagenham.

I arrived at about 2pm and made my way to The Eastbrook pub to meet friends and pick up my match ticket. The place was packed with jovial Posh fans, most of whom were bouyed even more by Manchester United's demise in the FA Cup!

FIRST HALF: Do I really have to waste a whole paragraph describing the non-event that was the first half?

Dagenham did their best to emulate John Beck's Cambridge side with a succession of high balls – they just weren't very good at it. And Posh tried some neatand incisive passing – they weren't very good at that either.

To be fair, a strong swirling wind and a very bobbly pitch probably had something to do with the lack of quality. Having said that, only a wonder save from Roberts (of whom more later) denied Mackail-Smith – the best player on the pitch by some distance – a much needed goal.

SECOND HALF: What a difference a cup of tea can make! Whether it was drunk or thrown (I suspect both) doesn't really matter because Posh dominated the second half and our firepower proved far too much for Dagenham to handle. Boyd's goal was sublime, Mackail-Smith's was thoroughly deserved and McLean's was an excellent finish.

The ref decided to spice things up a bit in between by awarding a soft looking penalty (though we can't complain too much because the linesman certainly seemed generous with regard to Mclean and the offside rule) and Daggers grabbed a flattering second right at the death.

A special mention must go to the Dagenham goalie, Roberts, who is a credit to his profession, sharing jokes with the Posh fans throughout the second half in a way not often seen in football these days.

ATMOSPHERE: A strange one this. Obviously the sheer number of Posh fans was great, but the lack of a roof meant that much of the singing was disjointed. And I was quite disappointed with the Daggers fans, I expected them to be a little more 'up for it' but they were very subdued throughout.

AFTER THE GAME: What seemed like the entire Posh support gathered on the platform at Dagenham East underground station and many songs were sung. It's great to be top of the league!

After a quick change at my friend's place in Streatham, we headed for the bright lights of the West End where I had the pleasure of meeting a few other Poshies who were a little more worse for wear than I! I now have to find something interesting to do in this sleepy little town until Tuesday's trip to Brentford!

Read the full match report: Fergie team talk works wonders - Dagenham 2 Posh 3

Match rating: 8 out of 10.

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