IT’S HAPPY HALI-DAYS!
FC HALIFAX Town continue to keep up with the early-season pacesetters after rallying to a fourth win of the season against a Dagenham side yet to secure a victory under former England manager Peter Taylor.
Jonathan Edwards’ secondhalf winner earned all three points for the Shaymen after Matty Kosylo’s 29th-minute opener had been cancelled out by Dagenham’s Tomi Adeloye.
The Shaymen lost their 100 per cent start to the season at Salford City on Tuesday night but still started the day hot on the heels of leaders Wrexham in second.
And Jamie Fullarton’s men were in no mood to relinquish their fast start to the season, putting the Daggers under pressure from the start.
Fullarton risked the wrath of the home fans by handing a home debut to new midfielder Simon Lenighan just 24 hours after the club were forced to issue a club statement defending his signing having been sentenced to a 12-month community order for assaulting three women on a night out in Harrogate in 2015.
But the Shaymen soon had the fans on side after a fast start saw them take the game to Dagenham. Within five minutes, Dayle Southwell drove a shot straight at Daggers goalkeeper Elliot Justham with defender Matty Brown going close with the subsequent corner – rising highest to win the header but nodding straight into the arms of Justham.
Winger Alex McQueen went close for the Daggers only to have his shot parried over the bar by Town keeper Sam Johnson.
But on 29 minutes, it was the home side who edged into the lead – a great cut back by Kosylo giving him the space to power a shot past Justham and into the net for his third goal of the campaign.
The response, however, was swift for Dagenham. Just four minutes later, a mix-up in the Halifax defence was seized upon by Adeloye, who was in the right place at the time to poke the ball past Johnson.
This sparked an entertaining, end-to-end affair with both sides showing intent to go on and win the game.
Adeloye might have notched his and Dagenham’s second but for the heroics of goalkeeper Johnson, who somehow clawed away his header.
And that miss was to prove costly as Halifax reclaimed the lead on 59 minutes – Ben Tomlinson’s corner finding the unmarked Nathan Clarke who headed goalbounds and Edwards was there to turn the ball into the net.
Halifax then looked to kill the game off with a third, but it was Dagenham who felt aggrieved in their search for an equaliser when referee Leigh Doughty waved away strong claims for a penalty amidst a crowded area.