Dagenham & Redbridge 5 Torquay United 3

Match Gallery

It has been said many times before but following Torquay United is nothing if not interesting! A goal down at half-time in their first ever meeting with Dagenham & Redbridge, United put in a typically battling performance to grab three of the seven second half goals but ultimately lost out 5-3. If the remaining 22 away games in league 2 for the Gulls this season are as full of incident as this one then the BBC will probably embed a camera crew with the team to film every minute.

Skipper Chris Hargreaves returned to the starting line-up at the expense of Tyrone Thompson who has a double fracture of his left cheek and will be out for a couple of weeks. That was the only change to the starting XI and on the bench Steve Adams got the nod in place of Ben Joyce.

United started brightly enough and the first shot of the game came from Wayne Carlisle but his effort was blocked on the edge of the Dagenham area while Scott Rendell pounced on a madcap piece of defending by the Dagenham 'keeper and won a free-kick but the Gulls couldn't take advantage of the positive set-piece situation.

As the early stages passed the home side gradually began to exert pressure on the United defence and it was no surprise when they took the lead. A corner to Dagenham was part cleared and fell to Gain on the edge of the area who shot through a crowd of players and beat Scott Bevan. Moments later and they nearly doubled their lead shortly after but Griffiths shot wide from 20 yards with Bevan beaten.

Goal: Dagenham 1 (Gain 18) United 0

Dagenham were picking up most of the loose ball and the Gulls were creaking at the back during the first period. Taiwo fired a free-kick just over Bevan's goal from 25 yards and even after Wayne Carlisle and Danny Stevens swapped wings the home side were pounding the Gulls defence who were struggling to supply their wingers with some decent possession.

United should have equalized ten minutes from the break when Scott Rendell chased down a ball over the top and crossed low for Tim Sills but United's top scorer of the last two seasons side-footed wide from ten yards and will be disappointed not to have scored.

Taiwo was at it again with some set-piece trickery and this time hit United's crossbar with a free-kick from 30 yards and Benson side footed wide just before the break as the home side did everything but double their lead. United hadn't played well but with finding themselves only a goal down the second half gave them an opportunity to claw their way back into the match.

Half-Time: Dagenham 1 United 0

One change at the break for United with Elliot Benyon replacing Danny Stevens which also brought a formation change to 4-3-3.

Sub: Benyon for Stevens 46 min.

Good pressure from United after the re-start but it was the home side who scored the game's second goal; Kevin Nicholson won a defensive header but the ball fell to Green who continued a forward run before lashing a diagonal shot across Bevan and inside the far post.

Goal: Dagenham 2 (Green 55) United 0

Worse was to come. A minute later and it was Green again cutting inside Kevin Nicholson before getting a deflection on his shot which sent the ball looping over Scott Bevan and into the net. Three goals down and a mountain to climb for the Gulls.

Goal: Dagenham 3 (Green 56) United 0

United got a lifeline just after the hour mark when Elliot Benyon was fouled by Antwi inside the Dagenham area and a penalty was awarded. Nicky Wroe placed the ball on the spot and calmly beat Roberts low to his left. Could United produce an unlikely comeback?

Goal: Dagenham 3 United 1 (Wroe 63 pen)

A poor piece of defending from United handed the home side their fourth goal with 25 minutes remaining; Scott managed to get himself in front of the United defence at the near post and flicked the ball toward goal where Bevan got a hand to it but couldn't keep the ball out and the three goal cushion for Dagenham was restored.

Goal: Dagenham 4 (Scott 66) United 1

Sub: Carayol for Rendell 68 min.

Back to 4-4-2 for United after the introduction of Mustapha Carayol and both teams were looking likely to score again as the match opened up completely, United pushing for a scrap of hope and Dagenham smelling the blood of a big home win.

Sub: Brough for Wroe 74 min.

It was the Gulls who notched the next goal with Elliot Benyon neatly flicking a Charnock header passed Roberts from two yards out. It wasn't pretty but United were hauling their way back into the match.

Goal: Dagenham 4 United 2 (Benyon 81)

Substitute Mustapha Carayol was doing his best to make inroads in the home defence and produced a wonder strike with nine minutes left for play to bring United to within a goal of their hosts. Moments before Gain had struck the post for Dagenham but Carayol was far more accurate with a 35 yard effort that left Roberts as a spectator as the ball swerved its way into the top right corner giving United a totally unexpected chance of grabbing something from the game.

Goal: Dagenham 4 United 3 (Carayol 87)

On ninety minutes Carayol found himself clear and bearing down on goal but Roberts produced a smart save to deny the Gulls' winger and basically win the game for the home team. There was still time for Dagenham to break with United stretched at the back and Thomas finished the match off from 18 yards with Dagenham's fifth goal and the eighth of the afternoon.

Goal: Dagenham 5 (Thomas 90 + 1) United 3

This was a match that United didn't deserve to win and nor did they. The one plus was that even not playing at their best they scored three times and had a glimpse of a point at one stage staring them in the face. Burton away on Tuesday evening is nothing to be afraid of but some tighter defending of their goal is a must for the Gulls.

Final Score: Dagenham 5 United 3

United: Bevan; Robertson, Todd, Charnock, Nicholson, Carlisle, Hargreaves, Wroe (Brough 74), Stevens (Benyon 46), Sills, Rendell (Carayol 68). Subs not used: Ellis, Rice (gk), Adams, Hodges.