National League: Dagenham & Redbridge 1 Dover Athletic 0
Dagenham & Redbridge made it two consecutive wins as they brushed aside the league leaders Dover Athetic with a 1-0 victory.
A first-half goal from Morgan Ferrier was enough to seal the three points and move his side up to fifth place in the National League table at Victoria Road.
Daggers named an unchanged starting eleven from Saturday’s 3-2 victory against Guiseley and only made one change to the bench with striker Joe White coming in for defender Bondz N’Gala.
It was a special match for goalkeeper Mark Cousins who started his 100th appearance for the club after being an ever-present so far this season.
The hosts got off to a strong start as Sam Ling raced the down the right flank and looked to pick out one of his team-mates in the box but his ball ended up on top of the Dover goal.
A minute later it was attacker Corey Whitely who whipped in a corner that was thumbled out after play resumed and his cross found Ling at the back post whose header went wide.
The visitors soon hit back with a few chances of their own and it was keeper Cousins who came up trumps as he turned a close range header a side for a corner in the fifth minute.
They kept pushing and it was on-loan winger James Alabi who found himself in the box but his shot flew just inches over the bar.
Daggers Craig Robson almost broke the deadlock when his header from the edge of the box caught Mitch Walker off guard, but the keeper managed to tip it over for a corner in the 10th minute.
The play was end-to-end for the next ten minutes with the hosts creating the better of the chances.
In the 23rd minute striker Morgan Ferrier finally got his side off the mark as he headed home a cross from Ling who bombed down the wing and picked him out after keeper Cousins launched the ball out wide to right-back from his box to make it 1-0.
Ten minutes later Ling tried doubled his side’s lead as he struck a powerful low strike goal bound from just outside the box and it was parried wide by Walker.
Dover then started to press back in search of an equaliser and Cousins came to rescue as he punched clear a header from Alabi who was found in the box by Mitch Pinnock two minutes before half-time.
Dover got straight on the attack in the second-half and after just a minute Cousins was called into action and he made a huge save as he flew across the net to push Pinnock’s strike wide for a corner after he broke clear.
The former Maidstone United man then fired a shot well over the bar a minute later.
John Still’s men then returned the favour with a chance of their own in the 50th minute as Luke Howell has his shot saved with the rebound falling to Cheek whose shot is deflected out for a corner.
Five minutes later Cousins continued his tremendous display in goal as he raced out of his net to steer the ball away from Pinnock as he was put through on goal by Nortei Nortey.
Daggers top goal scorer Whitley struck the crossbar in the 75th minute and then went close again two minutes later as he forced Walker to push his shot out for a corner.
They then held firm and sat back to defend the lead for the final ten minutes of the match.
Substitute Dan Sparkes almost doubled their lead in added time as he raced through on goal beat the keeper with his shot but it went just wide of the goal.
Dagenham & Redbridge: Cousins, Ling, Doe, Lokko, Howells, Robson, Boucaud, Howell, Whitely, Ferrier (Sparkes 87), Cheek (Bloomfield 67).
Unused subs: Moore, Adams, Sparkes, White.
Dover Athletic: Walker, Essam, Parry, Gallifuoco, Fazakerley, Ilesanmi, Nortey (Daniel 72), Brundle, Alabi (Jeffrey 65), Pinnock, Bird
Unused subs: Richards, Okosieme, Deen-Conteh.
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