Benson gunning for 20 goals to put 'nightmare' year behind him

10:32am Wednesday 27th August 2008

PAUL Benson is hoping to put last season’s ‘nightmare’ behind him by helping himself to 20 goals for Dagenham this season.

The striker suffered a series of injuries last term, including a knee problem, losing two teeth in a game and sustaining a cracked bone in his leg which restricted him to just 19 league starts and six goals.

It was a tough time in the 28-year-old’s career as he watched helplessly from the stands while his Daggers team mates battled to cope with the unfamiliarity of league football.

Benson said: “Last season was a bit of a nightmare for me. I only played a handful of league games and being our first season in the league that was really disappointing and frustrating.

“I’m not a good watcher of football. I don’t like sitting in the stands and watching the team.

“But you have to accept that as a footballer there are times when you’re injured and won’t be playing.”

Benson - signed from Essex Intermediate side White Ensign in July 2005 - has certainly gone some way to putting that all behind him though, by scoring in each of the Daggers three League Two games so far this season.

It is the kind of form which saw him bang in 28 goals, and finish golden boot winner, when the east Londoners won promotion from the Conference in 2006.

And he has set his personal sights on similar targets to help out his side in this campaign.

“All forwards look for the 20 goals as their bench mark for a successful season and I’m no different,” claimed the sharp shooter.

“The year we won the Conference the goals were spread out enormously all through the team. I think if you are successful in any league you need to score goals all over the pitch and not to rely on just your front two.

“Last year we relied heavily on Ben Strevens and he delivered to a certain extent but if you've only got one player getting double figures you're not going to be very successful.”

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