National League: Dagenham & Redbridge 1 Wealdstone 0
Dagenham & Redbridge nicked a 1-0 victory over newly-promoted Wealdstone thanks to a second-half strike from Angelo Balanta in a cagey affair.
Dagenham sealed two new signings ahead of kick-off in the form of midfielder Charlee Adams and young winger Jaden Brisett.
Adams, who was previously at the club, went in straight into the starting line-up while former Woodford Town and Brentford B winger Brisett was left out of the matchday squad.
It was the new signing Adams with the first chance of the match as he drilled a shot wide of the left post from just outside the box.
Stones hit back with a chance of their own shortly after as left-back Jacob Mendy drove a shot from distance over the crossbar.
The visitors then forced a corner as Dennon Lewis put pressure on Kenny Clark who had no choice but to clear the ball behind.
Midfielder Charlie Wakefield played the corner short to Daniel Green with the latter whipping a cross into the box where captain Jerome Okimo managed to get on the end of it but the experienced defender volleyed it wide of the target.
In the seventh minute Angelo Balanta had a golden chance to give the hosts an early lead as he tried to lob the goalkeeper Harry Isted and it landed on top of the goal.
The former QPR youngster then had another good chance, but this time he fired at Isted from a tight angle, before Daggers right-back Andrew Eleftheriou tried his luck from distance but Isted claimed it.
Stones Wakefield tried to clear the ball in the 20th minute but instead accidentally played it into thw path of Balanta inside the box.
The attacker shot but it was comfortably saved yet again by Isted before the game became a bit cagey.
In the 31st minute Daggers Charlee Adams played a free-kick to the back post but no one was able to get on the end of Mitch Brundle’s header back across the goal.
Dagenham have a string of corner that amounted to nothing but they did have another chance on the stroke of half-time as they worked the ball across the pitch and eventually Kai Brown laid it off to Brundle who hit it wide.
The visitors Wealdstone started the brighter in the second-half, stringing some lovely passages together, but not creating a real good chance to take the lead.
Dagenham pressed forward in the 63th minute with Weston sending a dangerous cross in that was cleared back out where it fell into the path of left-back Johnson.
The former Barnet defender sent in a deep cross for striker Paul McCallum where he rose above the defence but headed over the crossbar.
The hosts finally broke the deadlock just moments later in the 65th minute thanks to Balanta after he linked up well with McCallum before his left-footed effort found a way past Isted.
In the dying stages Stones winger Dennon Lewis made a cracking individual run down the right flank before putting the ball into the box where it just evaded the head of substitute Ross Lafayette.
Wealdstone could have levelled the score with the last kick of the match as Lafayette headed goalbound but Elliot Justham pulled off a fantastic save.
Dagenham & Redbridge: Justham, Eleftheriou, Reynolds (Wright 46), Clark, Johnson, Adams, Brundle, Weston (Deering 79), Brown, Balanta, McCallum (Clifton 86)
Unused subs: Strizovic and McQueen.
Wealdstone: Isted, Efete, Phillips, Okimo, Mendy, Smith, Green, Benyu (Dyer 68), Wakefield (Slew 65), Lewis, Emmanuel (Lafayette 71)
Unused subs: Stevens and Parish.
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