Town boss George Burley has told unhappy keeper Matteo Sereni that he must be prepared to be patient and that his time will come. Sereni has been frustrated in recent weeks after losing his place in the first team to Andy Marshall.

George Burley said: "Matteo's chance will come, I am sure of that. He did very well for us but now he must spend some time out of the team. This happens to all professionals at some stage. Matteo did not find the intensity of the English game in Italy and after we lost 3-2 at Charlton on New Year's Day it was decided to leave him out."

Sereni recently said he would seek to leave Town at the end of the season if he hadn't got his chance in the first team. The decision to rest him was a mutual one according to the Town manager: "It was a decision agreed between myself and Matteo to rest him at Dagenham. Andy has since done extremely well and deserves to hold his place. He is an exceptional goalkeeper. You never know what is around the corner in football and I am sure Matteo's chance will come again. He must show the same patience that Andy did for 20-plus games."

Marshall showed similar frustrations when he was out of the side in the first half of the season. At the end of December he suggested he may need to leave the club to get first team football: "I am willing to fight for my place but I have to be shown that I will be given a chance. If I am not going to get that chance there is no point fighting a losing battle."

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