Ebbsfleet happy with Cheeky signing

Daryl McMahon has found the missing piece to his summer jigsaw as Dagenham & Redbridge striker Michael Cheek has signed for an undisclosed fee.

The 26-year-old has been a major force in the National League over the past four years, firing both Braintree Town and Dagenham & Redbridge to top-five finishes and play-off qualification.

Cheek began his career in the lower leagues with Stanway Rovers and Heybridge Swifts, getting his move into the National League South with Chelmsford City in 2013. He scored 35 goals for the Clarets across 55 starts in two seasons before making a step into the National League with Braintree Town in 2015.

He scored 17 goals in helping the Iron to the play-offs in his first season and hit a further 25 and eight assists in 2016/17, prompting Dagenham to fight off Football League interest to land him on a two-year contract last summer.

The goals continued to flow, with Cheek getting 15 in 29 starts last term.

In total, he has almost 160 goals to his name since 2011, an average of 22 per season, and he’s scored 92 goals in the top two tiers of non-league football.

They’re the sort of stats that have had Daryl McMahon waiting patiently to make a move, with Cheek having been on the Fleet’s radar since the signing of his former Daggers teammate Corey Whitely.

Cheek has played a full part in Dagenham’s pre-season programme, with three goals to his name, so McMahon has zero concerns about his fitness going into the opening match of the season.

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