Back-To-Back Home Ties
The Daggers welcomed Eastleigh to Victoria Road with manager Daryl McMahon looking for a reaction after his side were played off the park in a 1-0 home defeat to Yeovil last Saturday. Dagenham went into the game seventh in the National League Table and occupied the last playoff spot.
However they were missing key players such as Scott Wilson and Josh Walker due to injuries, as well as having to play without Elliott Johnson as he serves a suspension after his dismissal in the game against Yeovil. The visitors Eastleigh approached the game off the back of a 2-0 home win against another top half side in Notts County, but had been on a poor run of away form, having lost their last three on their travels and were sat 14th in the table.
Plenty Of Chances
Dagenham & Redbridge started off the better of the two sides, creating a great chance to open the scoring inside five minutes as an Angelo Balanta header fell just wide of the post. Soon after, the opponents had their first real opportunity of the game as striker Danny Whitehall raced onto a ball over the top, but Daggers keeper Elliott Justham did well to get to the ball first.
Dagenham then hit the woodwork from a Will Wright cross, with the ball falling to an Eastleigh defender rather than one of Wright’s teammates in the box. Just before the break, the home side looked to be in trouble as Eastleigh were awarded a penalty after Sam Ling was seen to have brought down Ryan Hill inside the box. However the Spitfires midfielder Tom Whelan scuffed his effort just wide of the post. Despite an end to end first half with plenty of chances, the game was goalless at the break.
Much like in the first half, the second half started very lively with striker Paul McCallum forcing two good saves from Eastleigh keeper Joe McDonnell. Despite the Daggers early onslaught, it was the Spitfires who eventually broke the deadlock, finding the breakthrough as Whitehall smashed the ball into the roof of the net after his initial header from a Whelan cross was saved well by Justham, but the keeper could do nothing about the follow-up.
Image from official Eastleigh site: https://www.eastleighfc.com/dagenham-redbridge-0-1-spitfires/
Daryl McMahon’s side continued to be put under pressure towards the end of the second half, with Whelan having another chance to get on the scoresheet following a counter-attack. Justham had to make another terrific save to keep him out, and Whelan must have felt it wasn’t his day. Dagenham had one last chance as a late corner was swung in with plenty of numbers in the box but caught the ball well and with that the final whistle blew. As a result of the defeat, the Daggers drop to 10th in the National League table, three points off the playoff places.
The Gaffer’s Verdict
Speaking to the club’s media after the game, Dagenham & Redbridge manager Daryl McMahon described his side as having “lacked cutting edge in the final third”. The Daggers boss admitted his side are going through a “tough time” but urged his side to keep their belief. “We need to keep believing in what we do, keep playing and keep working hard”, he explained.
Dagenham travel to Meadow Lane on Saturday as they face Notts County in the National League, with the game being shown live on BT Sport and kicking off at 5.20pm.
