All about the players for new Torquay United boss Jimmy Ball

As Jimmy Ball was at pains to stress at his first press conference in charge of Torquay United, it’s players who win football matches, not managers, and all eyes will be on the line-up he’s able to put together at Dagenham & Redbridge on Saturday.

For a meeting of two new bosses – Dagenham’s owners this week sacked Ball’s good friend Lee Bradbury and installed their former England star Andy Carroll in his place – Ball has been wheeling and dealing inside the camp and outside it.

Left-back Matt Carson is back from loan at Weymouth but teenage forward Kieran Wilson has returned to Exeter City.

United’s not-available list is still a long one, not helped by suspensions for Matt Worthington and loanee Will Tizzard.

But Ball hinted that one or two injuries might have cleared up to boost his options, among them centre-back Sam Dreyer, whom he described as ‘very close’.

He’s also been trying to add at least one new signing, with some speculative eyes inevitably cast back to his old club Totton.

Ball fully expects ‘a bit of razzamatazz’ for Carroll’s debut as Dagenham’s ‘interim’ manager’, but he’s seen all that stuff before.

The aim this season is still promotion, via whichever route it might be earned – leaders Dorking Wanderers come to Plainmoor next Tuesday night.

The Gulls (5th) are sure to have their usual big support in the capital, especially on this occasion, and Ball says: “I’m a football fan too, and I just want to see my men running and fighting.”

Dagenham’s season has always had an air of uncertainty about it.

They threw money at the job last summer, not only signing Carroll but also buying experienced striker Ashley Hemmings from Kidderminster plus several others.

They were duly installed as title favourites, with Torquay right behind.

Carroll then did his hamstring and missed the first couple of months – he’d only just returned for a 0-0 draw at Plainmoor in October.

Bradbury’s assistant Jerry Gill soon left and Hemmings was back at Kidderminster well before Christmas.

Results have been predictably erratic.

They won only one of their first eleven games, but have hinted on occasions what they might be capable of.

They lost at home to Ball’s Totton (0-2), but beat them 5-0 away with a Carroll hat-trick, and they’ve have also downed local rivals Chelmsford away and Worthing.

So tight is the top half of the table that, currently six points adrift of the Play-Offs, the Daggers (12th) still might squeeze in, especially with Torquay, Chelmsford, Worthing and Weston-super-Mare all on their fixture list over the next few weeks.

Leading scorer Joe Haigh (9gls) is a threat to any defence at this level, and among their experienced men are defender Christian Maghoma and Conor Lawless.

There’s no shortage of intriguing match-ups elsewhere.

As well as Totton v Worthing on Saturday, Ebbsfleet (4th) host Weston-super-Mare (9th), Hornchurch (2nd) entertain Hemel Hempstead (6th), Dorking travel to Maidenhead (7th) and Chelmsford (10th) – like Weston, they have a couple of games in hand – meet Dover at the Melbourne Stadium.

On Tuesday night, when Dorking come to Plainmoor, Hornchurch also go to Chesham and Worthing are away to Weston.

Saturday’s referee at Dagenham is Joe Woolmer (Northants).