A frustrating afternoon saw Dagenham & Redbridge defeated 2-0 by Gateshead at the Chigwell Construction Stadium.
Heed striker Steven Rigg struck twice for the visitors as Conor Wilkinson missed a second-half penalty.
Reynolds Misses Prove Crucial
The first opportunity of the match fell the to the Daggers inside the first minute when a well-worked move found Liam Gordon in space on the left wing. The wing-back’s cross found the lively Lamar Reynolds at the back post, but the forward could not make meaningful contact.
A disjointed opening quarter of an hour saw neither team create any clear-cut chances, with Jack Munns stinging the palms of Aynsley Pears from a long-range effort in the 15th minute.
The Daggers started to assert their dominance from set-pieces, again going close through Kenny Clark, his powerful header from an Alex McQueen corner striking the crossbar in the 24th minute.
The Daggers somehow didn’t take the lead just inside the half-hour mark when a pair of chances fell to Reynolds.
After chasing down a long ball, Reynolds ran through on goal and saw his first effort saved by Pears. Munns then picked up the pieces and found Reynolds inside the six-yard box, but with Pears out of position, the forward’s effort was cleared off the line.
Despite controlling much of the first half, the Daggers inability to take their chances was punished five minutes from half-time.
Gateshead were awarded a dubious penalty after Manny Onariase was adjudged to have held Mike Williamson at a corner and Rigg made no mistake from the spot, sending Elliot Justham the wrong way to open the scoring for the away side.
Already seething from the penalty decision, the Daggers again felt aggrieved in the 43rd minute when only a yellow card was awarded to former Newcastle defender Williamson after the defender brought down Reynolds as he charged through on goal.
A strong first half from the Daggers was cancelled out by the Rigg penalty, leaving plenty of work for the home side in the second period.
Double Delight, Penalty Heartbreak
Gateshead doubled their lead in the 55th minute with Rigg again the goal-scorer. A smart move from the visitors saw Scott Barrow and Jon Mellish exchange passes with the latter able to drive into the box and find Rigg for the simplest of finishes into the empty net.
The Daggers nearly halved the deficit in the 66th minute, with set-pieces again looking the most likely route back into the match. McQueen whipped in a delightful free-kick which found Clark at the back-post, but the defender couldn’t steer his header on target.
With 20 minutes to go the Daggers were handed a lifeline after Reynolds was fouled in the box, but the score remained 2-0 as Pears dove to his left to save Wilkinson’s effort.
Some neat passing on the edge of the box saw the ball fall to Wilkinson, but his effort on the turn was deflected wide.
Ollie Harfield, on as a second half substitute, was next to try his luck, shooting wide from 25 yards out.
The Daggers missed two more chances late in the match, Clark and then Gordon seeing headers saved from advanced positions as the match entered four minutes of stoppage time.
Reynolds saw another attempt saved as the full-time whistle confirmed a 2-0 defeat for Dagenham & Redbridge, despite controlling much of the match and creating a number of excellent opportunities.
Daggers: Justham; Gordon, Clark, Goodlife (Harfield 67’), Onariase, McQueen; Loft, Robinson, Munns (Kandi 62’); Reynolds, Wilkinson
Gateshead: Pears, Tinkler, Barrow, Kerr, Willamson, Thompson (Salkeld 77’), Olley, Rigg, Mellish, White, Forbes
Attendance: 1,209 (56 away)
