Magpies survival hopes blunted by the Daggers

Dagenham & Redbridge 4,

Maidenhead United 1

Maidenhead United once again failed to make the most of their chances in a disappointing 4-1 defeat at Dagenham & Redbridge on Saturday.

The Daggers form at the Chigwell Construction Stadium has been mixed of late, meaning they, like Maidenhead, were in the mix for relegation heading into this clash.

However, the Magpies couldn’t build on last weekend’s 4-2 win over

Dorking Wanderers as they hit the post and saw other attempts cleared off the line on another desperately disappointing away day.

They’ve now lost their last two away games 4-1, to AFC Fylde and the Daggers, results that mean United are still only a couple of points and places above the drop zone.

The Magpies are on the road again next weekend when they visit Rochdale before they return to York Road for the Good Friday clash against Aldershot Town.

With four of Maidenhead’s remaining seven games against sides in the top seven – including games against the top two Chesterfield and Barnet – Magpies fans will be concerned that this was a missed opportunity against the Daggers.

The Daggers took the game away from Maidenhead just after the halfhour mark, scoring twice within four minutes to take a stranglehold on the contest. First, in the 32nd minute,

Josh Rees pulled the ball back for Harry Phipps to smash the ball past Ross. The goal provider then turned goal getter as Rees planted the ball into the bottom corner in the 36th minute after good work from Page and Phipps to set him up.

United gave themselves a lifeline in the 65th minute when Tristan Abrahams scored his second goal in as many games with a low effort that bounced in off the post. However, the tide never fully turned and any hopes of a positive result were taken away when Eastman’s strike was adjudged to have been blocked by a Maidenhead arm in the box and the referee pointed to the spot in the 84th minute. Ryan Hill stepped forward to send Ross the wrong way to confirm the points for the Daggers. The hosts then grabbed another in the closing minutes when Lewis Page reacted quickest in the area to smash a loose ball into the bottom corner.