Dagenham & Redbridge 2 York City 0: Minstermen must now find a finishing touch
NIGEL Worthington called on his York City team to improve their play in the opposition’s penalty area following defeat at unfancied Dagenham.
The Minstermen have now netted just once in their opening three fixtures and were second best in front of goal at Victoria Road, where home strikers Rhys Murphy and Brian Woodall wrapped up the points.
Victory represented the Daggers’ first home triumph in seven matches, while manager Worthington missed out on the opportunity to register a fifth straight league win in charge of the Minstermen.
Afterwards, the former Northern Ireland chief said: “We’ve just got to keep the ball in the opposition’s box a bit more because it was coming out too easily.
“It was the same against Burnley last Tuesday and, if you keep the ball in the penalty area, you will have a chance of scoring and making things happen.”
After Lanre Oyebanjo had seen a header cleared off the line for the Minstermen by Brian Saah, Dagenham went ahead on 36 minutes when Murphy sprung the offside trap and rounded Michael Ingham expertly before finding an empty net.
Richard Cresswell saw another header blocked on the line by home captain Abu Ogogo on the stroke of half-time, which enabled Woodall to put the outcome beyond doubt on 79 minutes.
Gathering a cross from the left by Oluwafemi Ilesanmi on his chest, Woodall then poked the ball in off Ingham’s right-hand post from eight yards.
Dagenham then wasted a gilt-edged, stoppage-time chance to with unmarked substitute Afolabi Obafemi firing over from eight yards.
On Saturday, York face a Hartlepool United side, who lost at home to Southend, who won courtesy of a fifth-minute strike from Freddy Eastwood and despite having Barry Corr dismissed for violent conduct in first-half stoppage time.
Dagenham and Redbridge: Lewington; Hoyte, Doe, Saah, Ilesanmi; Howell (Bingham, 78), Ogogo, Elito; Scott (Dennis, 82), Murphy (Obafemi, 84), Woodall. Unused substitutes: Seabright, Reed, Shields, Connors.
York City: Ingham; Oyebanjo, McGurk, Smith, Davies; Coulson, Montrose (Clay, 60), Platt, Chambers (Fletcher, 63,), Cresswell (Bowman, 75), Jarvis. Unused substitutes: Kettings, Parslow, Fyfield, Allan.
Referee: A Davies (Hampshire).
Man of the match: Lanre Oyebanjo.