Dagenham and Redbridge 2 York City 0: Minstermen ‘accept defeat far too readily’

Chambers, now a Dagger, scored York’s equaliser in the 2-1 Conference play-off victory over Luton in 2012 that saw the Bootham Crescent club reclaim Football League status after an eight-year absence.

But he was released by current Minstermen chief Nigel Worthington midway through last season and responded by setting up midfielder Joss Labadie for both his goals in a 2-0 home win.

Struggling York have won just one of their 12 matches this term and a disappointed Worthington said: “Up to an hour, at 1-0, we were in the game. We had three or four half-chances and got some good balls into their box but, when the second goal went in, it was game over really and we accepted defeat far too readily.”

After Michael Coulson and Jake Hyde had failed to take early opportunities for the visitors, Dagenham forged in front on 35 minutes following Chambers’s sprint down the left. He then pulled the ball back to Labadie who, from the edge of the area, side-stepped Luke Summerfield’s challenge and found Michael Ingham’s bottom right-hand corner with a low drive.

Centre-back Dave Winfield went on to head wide with a great chance to equalise from Summerfield’s corner just before the hour mark before Dagenham wrapped up the points on 62 minutes.

This time, Chambers swung in a free-kick from the left and Labadie headed in from five yards.

Dagenham & Redbridge: Cousins; Batt, Partridge, Saah, Connors; Howell (Hemmings, 78), Boucaud, Ogogo, Labadie, Chambers (Porter, 86), Cureton (Yusuff, 90). Unused substitutes: O’Brien, Doe, Green, Goldberg.

York City: Ingham; McCoy, Lowe, Winfield, Ilesanmi; Penn, Summerfield (Platt, 68); Jarvis, Coulson, Hyde (Meikle, 63); Fletcher. Unused substitutes: Mooney, McCombe, Montrose, Straker, Hirst.

Referee: P Gibb (West Midlands).

Man of the match: Joss Labadie.