Youcef Dahmani reports on the Daggers quest for a home victory against an Oxford side with their sights firmly set on promotion.
A spectacular Kemar Roofe free kick prevented Dagenham from gaining their first points at home since late September.
The Daggers came into the game with an unchanged line-up from their mid-week victory away at Morecambe in their FA Cup replay.
The first chance came in the 9th minute as Joss Labadie fired a powerful volley which the Oxford keeper parried over his crossbar.
Veteran striker Jamie Cureton was also threat for the home side in the opening stages after heading just wide of Benjamin Bucel’s goal.
The Daggers could’ve gone into half time with a one goal lead as Cureton missed a another easy chance. Josh Passley was open down the right wing and managed to put a great ball in for the Cureton, who put the ball over the bar from two yards out.
In the second half Cureton had a similar chance, however his effort was tame and Buchel had no difficulty picking it up.
Unlucky again
Just before the hour Oxford striker Danny Hylton went down in the area and thought he had won a penalty. However, referee Kevin Johnson booked Hylton for simulation.
The yellows then started to pile the pressure onto the home side. Roofe forced a smart save out of Liam O’Brien, before hitting the crossbar.
The home side managed nearly managed to snatch a goal. Cureton had a near post header cleared off the line followed by an Ashley Hemmings effort which just went past the post.
It was in the 85th minute when Roofe gave the visitors the lead and the eventual winner after a wonderful free kick. Roofe struck the ball with his right foot and bent the ball away from O’Brien into the far corner of the goal.
Wayne Burnett was forced into introducing two attacking players; taking off the fatigued Cureton for Matt McClure and youngster Jodi Jones replaced Hemmings.
The substitutions came to nothing as the game ended with another defeat at home for the Daggers. The East London outfit see themselves remaining in the bottom of League two and still searching for their first home win.