DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE 1 BRAINTREE TOWN 0

Vanarama National League

Of two sides looking for their first win of the season, it was Dagenham and Redbridge who broke their duck to leave Braintree Town bottom of the Vanarama National League table.

In a fast-paced game that was open and expansive from both teams throughout, the telling goal came from an 83rd minute penalty.

It went in Dagenham’s favour and Chike Kandi fired home the spot-kick as Iron were left still looking for a first win and bottom of the table as the Daggers, who started as the only side below Braintree, took the three points to jump above them.

Both teams came into the game on the back of encouraging results in their previous outings, with the Iron having drawn with a Boreham Wood side who were in the play-off final last year and the Daggers held Salford City, who are among the title favourites to a 0-0 draw.

After his team’s encouraging second-half performance in their 1-1 draw at Boreham Wood on Saturday, Iron manager Brad Quinton opted to start with the same side as in that previous game.

That saw second starts for all four of his new signings – Mohammed Sagaf, Justin Amaluzor, Cameron James and Dave Nieskens – with the only changes coming in the Iron’s list of substitutes.

It was an encouraging start from the Iron and they threatened from two early corners.

First, Nieskens got a head to a good delivery from Luke Allen and then Mohamed Bettamer flicked the ball on at the near post and it took a Dagenham foot on the line to deny an opening goal.

However, there was no breakthrough and they soon found themselves defending and Lamar Reynolds was given a sight of goal from a corner but curled his effort over the bar.

After the early rush, the game settled down a bit with both sides looking to play an expansive passing game, but neither were really able to threaten from open play in the final third of the pitch.

Of the two teams, though, it was Dagenham who had far more of the possession after the initial period had passed.

They were able to deal comfortably with Braintree balls forward as Amaluzor and Bettamer found themselves crowded out up top and play was regularly turned round towards the visitors’ goal.

It meant they had to be disciplined at the back but they were almost caught napping on 30 minutes when a long throw in was hurled into their area.

The ball bounced over everyone and was met at the back post by Dagenham’s Ben Goodliffe and it took a good save from Killip to tip the ball round the post and keep it goalless.

Braintree did come into the game more as the half work on, though, with more effective forward play and better possession in the Dagenham half of the pitch.

However, the closest either side came to breaking the impasse was on 39 minutes when Dagenham striker Elliott Romain worked the ball in to Tomi Adeloye in a central position.

With the Braintree defence stretched, he unleashed a fierce drive from 25 yards that skimmed off the top of the Iron woodwork when he probably should have at least tested Killip as it stayed goalless at the break.

The status quo was almost disrupted at both ends of the pitch in the opening minutes of the second half.

First it was the hosts who went close on 50 minutes when Adeloye headed powerfully towards goal from another long throw-in only to see Killip make a superb reaction save from close range.

With the home fans still on their feet from that one, though, the Iron gwent up the other end and after a block from Billy Crook's effort, Sagaf drilled a low shot in from the edge of the box that threaded its way through a scrum of bodies and hit the side netting.

It was clear that the second half was going to be every bit as open and expansive as the first and play switched from end to end as both sides pressed for an opening goal.

On 59 minutes, a flowing move from Dagenham saw them break out of defence with lovely run by Romain but it ended with Reynolds firing well over the bar.

And play was quickly up the other end as Amaluzor got clear of the home defence but his shot was blocked well by Daggers keeper Justham as the game remained on a knife-edge.

It seemed a case of when not if a goal came and the only question was which end of the pitch it would come.

As the game headed into the last ten minutes, though, it was still locked at 0-0 despite Romain and Ollie Harfield going close for the hosts and James drilling an effort into the arms of Justham.

In the end, after all the open play, the breakthrough came from the penalty spot and it was Dagenham who profited with 83 minutes on the clock.

The penalty was given when Noel Leighton just got the wrong side of Pat Webber and drew the foul, with Chike Kandi slamming the spot-kick into the roof of the net.

The Iron tried to hit back in the final few minutes of the game but fell just short as their search for a first win went on.

Braintree Town: Ben Killip, Pat Webber, Kodi Lyons-Foster (Daniel Rowe 85), Dave Nieskens, Cameron James, Ricky Gabriel, Luke Allen Billy Crook (Lyle Della-Verde 69), Mohamed Bettamer (Reece Grant 79), Mohammed Sagaf, Justin Amaluzor.

Substitutes not used: Christie Pattisson, Michael Clark.

Referee: Paul Howard.