Dagenham & Redbridge were left empty handed in Somerset after falling to a last-minute defeat at Huish Park.

The visitors had one effort cleared off the line in the first half and struck the woodwork in the second, but after being reduced to 10 men late on conceded a 90th-minute free-kick to Tom Knowles.

Yeovil went into the match having won three and lost three of their matches in February, sitting in 16th place with 29 points from 23 games.

Daggers, meanwhile, were two places and three points further back, with a game in hand, having won one, drawn one and two of four fixtures this month.

Tom Smith was named on the Daggers substitutes bench, having completed a loan move from Bath City, with the visitors – having suffered a last-gasp loss to Sutton in midweek – winning the first corner of the match on seven minutes.

Paul McCallum was denied by Adam Smith at the far post and Elliot Johnson’s header from a subsequent second Daggers corner was comfortably saved by Smith, before Liam Gordon flashed a shot into the roof of the net from a George Saunders pass on nine minutes, only for an offside flag to rule it out.

Matt Worthington had a shot saved by Elliot Justham on 13 minutes, after being teed up by Albie Skendi, but Daggers went close when McCallum helped on a corner from the right and Matt Robinson stabbed wide at the far post.

And the visitors went even closer seconds later as Myles Weston crossed from the right and Robinson saw his header nodded off the line by Worthington.

Yeovil rallied and former Dagger Rhys Murphy saw a shot on the turn saved by Justham, before Worthington’s follow-up was also blocked and Reuben Reid lifted the rebound over the crossbar midway through the half.

And Murphy sent another attempt beyond the far post from the left side of the box, as he looked to add to a hat-trick scored against Weymouth in midweek.

Justham got down to push away a shot from Josh Neufville on 28 minutes, but Saunders forced Smith into action at the other end soon after.

Johnson did well to block Murphy inside the box after a strong run and cross from the left by Neufville, with Kenny Clark receiving the first yellow card of the afternoon for a body check on Murphy some 35 yards from goal in the 37th minute.

The hosts finished the first half well, but the Daggers defence held firm as the scoreline remained blank.

The Glovers picked up from where they had left off as the second half got underway, with Neufville doing well on the right to win a corner, which was played too deep.

But they saw Worthington forced off with injury, to be replaced by Knowles in the 54th minute, and Neufville’s dangerous cross from the left went to waste.

Saunders made way for Angelo Balanta as Dagger boss Daryl McMahon made his first change of the afternoon and the visitors were inches away from breaking the deadlock just before the hour as Weston crossed from the right and found a stretching McCallum, whose close-range volley came back off the crossbar.

Dean Rance blazed over from a corner before Weston raced away on the right and found McCallum at the far post, but his effort was saved by Smith and Balanta could not pounce on the rebound as a defender cleared the danger.

And Callum Reynolds headed wide from Weston’s inswinging free-kick with 13 minutes remaining, before Murphy made way for another former Daggers striker in Joe Quigley in the closing stages.

Rance had a shot deflected behind with seven minutes to play, but Justham saved well from Reid’s volley before Gordon cleared acrobatically.

The visitors were reduced to 10 men late on when Reynolds was dismissed for a second bookable offence in quick succession, after fouling Reid just outside the box.

And Knowles made Daggers pay as he curled the free kick around the wall and inside Justham’s left-hand post with less than half a minute of normal time remaining.

Dagenham: Justham, Johnson, Reynolds, Clark, Gordon, Rance, Robinson, Adams (Wright 90), Weston, Saunders (Balanta 57), McCallum (Wilson 85). Unused subs: Sagaf, Smith.