Maidenhead United's unbeaten run grinds to a halt

Dan Gyollai, pictured against King's Lynn Town on Saturday, was beaten three times in the first half against Dagenham & Redbridge.

Photo: Alan Palmer.

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Dagenham & Redbridge 3, Maidenhead United 0

Just like this week's TFL tube strike Maidenhead United’s five-match unbeaten National League run came grinding to a halt at Dagenham & Redbridge on Tuesday evening, writes Neil Maskell.

With tube trains not running several Magpies players arrived late to the ground, while fans also had all sorts of bother trying to get to East London to follow their side. While the disruption was no excuse for the visitors’ sluggish first half showing, it certainly didn’t help.

The play-off chasing Daggers have seen their league form derailed by their FA Trophy run in recent weeks, but they swept Maidenhead aside in the first half, with the visitors failing to get to grips with the hosts’ ‘little and large’ front pairing of Junior Morias and Paul McCallum.

On a wet and miserable night at the other end of the District Line, United ultimately suffered a points failure despite an encouraging opening to the match which saw top-scorer Josh Kelly twist and turn and get away a shot that was deflected wide.

That opening was as good as it got for a Maidenhead side who soon hit the buffers. Only eleven minutes had elapsed before the Daggers Dean Rance was allowed to travel with the ball and hit a powerful effort from range which skidded on the wet turf.

Goalkeeper Dan Gyollai got down well to parry the shot, but Morias was stationed ideally for the rebound as the Magpies defence dithered. McCallum gave a signal of what was to come when he missed a gilt-edged opportunity, firing over the top following some desperate United blocks and Will De Havilland was cautioned as Dagenham built up a real head of steam.

The visitors had a let off as captain Alan Massey looked to have blatantly derailed Morias in the box. Referee Mr Lamport was disinterested but any hopes that this escape would be a ‘sliding doors’ moment for the away side disappeared in the dying embers of the half following a double strike for McCallum.

The big number nine was chuffed to join his goal-scoring union partner Morias on the scoresheet with a free header from a corner. Into stoppage time he was allowed to tap into an empty net to ensure that there would be no light at the end of the tunnel for the Magpies after a well struck free-kick by Daggers ‘skipper Will Wright had initially been saved by the busy Gyollai.

Damage done, there was no platform for a second half recovery as the rain continued to fall. Gyollai did well to put the brakes on in firstly turning a Josh Hare shot away and he was called into action again when denying Morias with his feet.

The only time that the man in guard of the Daggers goal, Elliot Justham, got his gloves dirty in that second period was when Ryan Upward glanced a header from a Shaun Donnellan cross into the ‘keepers palms with time ticking down.

A hugely disappointing way for an unbeaten run to end and Maidenhead will be looking to get back on track against Altrincham at York Road on Saturday.