DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE winger Sam Saunders played down a scuffle he had on the pitch with team-mate Glen Southam as feelings ran high during the last-minute reverse against Bournemouth on Tuesday night, writes MIKE SIMMONDS. Both players remonstrated with e

DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE winger Sam Saunders played down a scuffle he had on the pitch with team-mate Glen Southam as feelings ran high during the last-minute reverse against Bournemouth on Tuesday night, writes MIKE SIMMONDS.

Both players remonstrated with each other after a free kick was awarded 20-yards from goal, and Southam opted to take it quickly, whereas Saunders was lining up a shot.

"I've been at Dagenham for four years now and I love the club, I want to win every game and sometimes you can get a little bit upset," admitted the midfielder.

"Glen is one of my best mates here, it was nothing personal and I'll go and have a chat with him.

"We're both massive winners and both want to do well for this club. Sometimes it can boil over, but we're good mates and it's just one of those things that can happen on a football pitch."

It wasn't for a lack of trying that Daggers failed to break down the Cherries, but after a promising first half display, they struggled in the second period and were eventually undone by Mark Molesley's stunning strike.

"I am gutted, absolutely gutted as we worked hard for 90 minutes, but in the second half, the quality wasn't the same as the first half," said Saunders.

"They couldn't really get out of their half, but for some reason we went a bit more direct in the second half and started scrapping for balls whereas we had been passing it a bit more.

"I can't put my finger on why that happened, and if I could, I'd be a manager.

"It was so annoying because we showed we are a very good team, but just didn't get that all-important goal."

Saunders is now desperate for his side to get back to winning ways when they travel to financially-threatened Chester City on Saturday.

John Still's side are also going through a mini goal-drought, as they haven't scored for three games, so a trip to a Chester side on the back of an 11-game winless run represents the ideal chance for Saunders and his team-mates.

"We beat them six-nil at the beginning of the season, but we'll take a one-nil right now," admitted the winger, who sees his side back at Victoria Road on Tuesday night to host Lincoln City.

"We want to get back up into the play-off places, so we'll be after any sort of victory at the moment.