ALDERSHOT TN 1

DAGENHAM & R 2

PERHAPS a three-nil stroll at Barnet was not the best preparation for a more demanding test against Dagenham & Redbridge two days later.

Despite looking the classier side for much of the time, Aldershot were off the pace against John Still's in-form Dagenham on Sunday and the result was a first home defeat in League Two. Indeed, it was Aldershot's first league loss at the EBB Stadium – formerly the Rec – in nearly a year.

The Daggers rarely threatened the home goal, concentrating on disciplined defence and combative midfield.

Yet the Essex outfit seized their chances when they came along and their 87th-minute winner was the classic counter-punch.

Manager Gary Waddock claimed with some justification that "the best team lost," but that was ignoring the fact that Aldershot played into the visitors' hands in the second half.

Contrary to their usual ethos, the Shots frequently launched the ball into the frosty air and that was food and drink to the Dagenham centre-backs who invariably headed it back half the length of the pitch.

Playing the ball to feet, as they had done in the first half-hour, was much more effective, no better demonstrated than when Aldershot took the lead after 16 minutes.

Marvin Morgan had already had the ball in the net – a linesman signalling that it had already strayed over the byeline cut short the celebrations – before Kirk Hudson scored a delightful goal.

Danny Hylton played him in on the right and Hudson, instinctively choosing the right option, executed a deft lob over keeper Tony Roberts who, scrambling back to save, could only join the ball in the back of the net.

Thereafter, much of Aldershot's first-half work promised more than it delivered – plenty of movement, plenty of pace, but nothing clear-cut in front of goal.

Dagenham were content to sit back and weather the storm, yet the first sniff of a goal brought them the equaliser.

Anthony Charles, excellent defender though he is, has a habit of conceding free-kicks in dangerous positions. On 27 minutes, he brought down Paul Benson and, from just outside the box, Solomon Taiwo made scoring look easy with a right-foot curler over the wall and just inside the upright, giving Nikki Bull no chance.

It changed the game and Dagenham were much more positive in the second half, with Benson and Ben Strevens, two proven goal-scorers, seeing much more of the ball.

Both sides had early chances to get their noses in front. Morgan's snap shot from a sharp angle was touched over by the alert Roberts, while Strevens, left unmarked for Danny Foster's raking cross, headed straight at Bull when he had the whole goal to aim at.

The home fans were becoming restive as the Shots kicked away their possession. Even Scott Davies, usually so assured on the ball, became error-prone as aimless punts replaced Aldershot's favoured passing game.

Even so, they had the better openings. Morgan shot narrowly wide on the turn and Hylton met Hudson's cross with a crisp first-timer that brought a vital flying parry from Roberts.

Ex-QPR keeper Roberts enjoyed playing to the crowd, responding to taunts with a grin and a swagger, while remaining a class act between the posts.

He looked to have been beaten when Morgan won a Davies corner with a crashing header. Most of the crowd thought so, but the ball had hit the back stanchion on the wrong side of the netting.

Minutes later, the ball did find the back of the net – at the other end. Dagenham broke away with pace and fluency, Peter Gain struck a superb cross from the right, and Jon Nurse arrived unchallenged to slide the ball home at the far post.

With three extra minutes signalled, Aldershot gave it everything, but their wily opponents calmly played out for a third successive win, catapulting them to fourth place in the table.

"They got a fantastic result today," said Gary Waddock. "We had a lot of possession and loads of chances, which we didn't take. It was bitterly disappointing."

Aldershot: Bull, Soares, Charles, Blackburn, Straker, Hylton, Davies, Harding, Sandell (Mendes 70), Morgan, Hudson. Subs (not used): Chalmers, Grant, Donnelly, Newman.

Dagenham: Roberts, Foster, Okuonghae, Arber, Griffiths, Nurse, Taiwo, Gain, Southam (Nwokeji 90), Strevens, Benson. Subs (not used): Huke, Graham, Uddin, Hogan. Booked: Griffiths, Gain.

Attendance: 3,697.

Referee: Gavin Ward (Surrey).

* Striker Junior Mendes, who came off the bench against Dagenham, will remain at the club until the end of the season. However, Gary Waddock has decided to release defender Junior Osborne.

Mendes was only contracted until the end of the year, but having recovered from injury, he is fast gaining match fitness and manager and player have agreed a new deal.

Osborne, whose contract is also up at the end of the month, will not be offered a new deal.

* Aldershot are home to Notts County this Saturday and hope to have defender Rhys Day back in the squad. The Shots skipper missed the Dagenham game with a 'dead leg'.