Another game that seemed to simply pass the Daggers by, after they got themselves ahead in the 8th minute they just stopped playing. However disinterested they looked, the reality is the play-off ambition is looking more farcical by the game – that hope is fading away now at pace – five points adrift.
The Summary
77 of the Daggers faithful made the 380-mile round trip to Glanford Park as a relegation-battling Scunthorpe side – revitalised with new ownership and signings off the pitch, looked to make a statement on it.
The Daggers on the other hand, battling with their own inconsistency, knew that only a win would suffice to remain firmly in the frame for play-off football.
The Visitors started the better of the two sides and quickly found themselves in front through a Harry Phipps header off of a delightful Omar Mussa corner.
However, you are most vulnerable after you’ve just scored and that’s no more true than with this Dagenham side. Just six minutes later, Ben Richards-Everton’s bullet header on his home debut levelled the scoring.
The Daggers then gradually began to drop off and were unable to find any creativity that could get them back in front. Whereas the hosts, buoyed by that equaliser, looked to find a second.
Elliot Justham was called upon to deny them that second 22 minutes as he was forced into a double save to keep the scores level.
Justham’s heroics were unable to inspire Dagenham back into life – far from it – they soaked up the pressure and offered nothing but a wayward Omar Mussa shot.
Inevitably, on the stroke of half time the home side did find the net as Wilson was afforded all the time in the world to get it out of his feet and curl the ball into the bottom corner.
It was a half that summed up this recent spell, plenty of false hope built up in the first 10 minutes, all extinguished around 30 minutes later.
The second half came and went in a similar fashion, Daryl sent his players out almost ten minutes early and it certainly didn’t have a positive effect.
As soon as the hosts grabbed a third that was it and some away supporters had seen enough – into six minutes of additional time.
There were half-chances for Dagenham throughout the second half but that’s all they were. All until it was too late and Dean Rance got a consolation goal with the last attack of the game.
The travelling fans voiced their dissent at the final whistle as the players stood there – defeated, deflated, desperate. The supporters staring back in anger.
The Final Word
A few players came over apologising to- and thanking the supporters but I think everyone could do with less of the talking off the pitch and more delivering on it.
One man at the centre of that talking, but who was notable by his absence from the full-time frustrations is Daryl McMahon – he headed straight down the tunnel without acknowledging the away support.
Another man notable by his absence on the pitch was Myles Weston – out for a month – there are few signs of encouragement at present.
So… I don’t know what much will change between now and Tuesday night – if anything – but we’ll have to wait and see what Dagenham and Redbridge decides to turn up.
Come On You Daggers!
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Full Time Daggers 
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