WELCOME DAYLIGHT FOR BEN’S DAGGERS

RAMPANT Dagenham & Redbridge boosted their survival hopes with a resounding victory over Maidenhead United at the Chigwell Construction Stadium.

Harry Phipps and Josh Rees put Ben Strevens’ men in control by half-time and after Tristan Abrahams had pulled a goal back for the visitors, Ryan Hill’s spot-kick and Lewis Page’s injury-time fourth sealed a second successive home win.

“The early part of the game was quite intense because Maidenhead play in a similar formation which involves a lot of individual battles,” said Strevens who acknowledged his side’s response to recent defeats.

“We were desperate to keep a clean sheet as we defended pretty well and got punished for every little mistake we made.

“We have turned our home form around because getting points away from home has always been difficult. Any team that is missing Inih Effiong whose goalscoring record is good as anyone in the league, a huge loss.”

Dagenham began on the front foot and they almost took the lead when David Longe-King launched a sublime header that was superbly saved by goalkeeper Craig Ross.

At the other end, Maidenhead also went close when Ashley Nathaniel-George won the ball from Keenan Appiah-Forson on the byline and cut past the defence before firing a deflected shot that was cleared off the line by Daggers’ defender Tom Eastman.

Two minutes later, though, the Daggers’ broke the deadlock when Sam Ling battled well to retain possession to find Rees, who in turn squared the ball to makeshift striker Phipps, who slotted the ball into the net.

Four minutes later, the Daggers doubled their lead – Page and Phipps playing a quick one-two to get behind the Maidenhead defence and teeing up Rees who placed his first-time shot into the bottom corner. Maidenhead, however, came out strongly for the second half and Casey Pettit almost halved the deficit with an ambitious shot which rattled the woodwork.

By now, Alan Devonshire’s side were on top and went close again through Sam Barratt’s whipped freekick towards the back post, which forced Daggers’ shot stopper Elliot Justham to produce a fingertip save.

And on 66 minutes, they found a way through when Abrahams cut past the Daggers’ defence and rifled a low-driving shot in off the post to set up a nervy finale.

But the Daggers found another gear and on 84 minutes they were awarded a penalty after Eastman’s strike hit the arm of a defender and Hill stepped up tio send Ross the wrong way from the spot.

Page completed the rout when he reacted instinctively to a loose ball inside the box and notched a smart strike past Ross to seal a crucial win.

STAR MAN: Harry Phipps (Dagenham) ATT: 1,413 ENTERTAINMENT: ★★★★★ REFEREE: Sam Mulhall