Hines: Dagenham deserve credit

Long-term injury victim Zavon Hines has praised his Dagenham team-mates for pulling clear of the League Two relegation battle.

The 26-year-old, who came through the West Ham youth system, has been out for over a year with an anterior cruciate ligament injury and suffered a setback when he was due to return to action earlier this term. Hines admitted it has not been an ideal campaign for him and suggested that he will return to action during pre-season, but said he was pleased with the progress of the Daggers in his absence. The forward told London 24: "It has been frustrating for me because last season I was doing alright and this year I haven't been able to do anything but the team have been doing well. "You have 'Curo' (Jamie Cureton) who has stepped in and kept on scoring and Ashley Hemmings has stepped in and been playing well. Billy (Bingham) has been playing well and we have got Joe Widdowson, he has been solid at left-back. "Right now we don't have any worries. Every game we go into everyone expects us to lose. "Even at the start of the season everyone expected us to go down but it is no surprise to me that we are starting to win and win easily." On his own troubles, Hines added: "There are never any dark moments for me and I don't believe in thinking what if I did this or what if I did that, I just learn from the past and move on. "Not being able to help around December was probably one of the hardest things this season because obviously we were lingering around the bottom of the league, but now I think we are more or less safe. "It has been a bit frustrating, but I am looking forward to the time I am back playing. It will be a good moment."