Morecambe 1  Craig Mawson 2  David McKearney 4  Jamie Murphy 6  Stewart Drummond 7  Adriano Rigoglioso 11  Gary Thompson 14  Iain Swan 16  David Perkins 21  Wayne Curtis 23  Lee Elam 29  Lee Collins Substitutes 9  Robbie Talbot 15  Alan Morgan 18  Michael Stringfellow 19  Ryan-Zico Black 20  Nick Ryan

Goals Rigoglioso Shipp Curtis   Stats 16 Goal Attempts 12 6 On Target 4 10 Off Target 8 0 Hit Woodwork 0 4 Corners 7 Cards Yellow Rigoglioso Broom   Shipp   Vickers Red None Vickers

Dag & Red Tony Roberts  1 Ashley Vickers  3 Lee Goodwin  4 Mark Smith  5 Steve Heffer  6 Mark Janney  7 Danny Shipp  9 Mark Stein  10 Junior  13 Lee Matthews  17 Jason Broom  23 Substitutes Tim Cole  2 Steve West  15 Paul Gothard  18 Tarkan Mustafa  19 John McGrath  26

As the stats probably show, this was a very open game with excitement at both ends of all kinds. The Daggers made changes to rest John McGrath who had been struggling of late, and Tim Cole. Steve Heffer made a welcome return at right back with Goodwin in midfield. Jason Broom made his first start since rejoining the club.

Roberts was called into action early on to stop Drummond's low drive which was a easy first save for the Daggers' keeper, but Rigoglioso amde sure he didn't forget it, coming in well late and studding Roberts up his back. Only a yellow card apparently. The Daggers tried to hit back with Matthews' looping header which Mawson stretched to pluck out of the air.

Minutes later, and the home side were awarded a penalty. Thompson ran at the defence and Broom tried to slide in with the toe-ender on the edge of the box. Despite great protest that it was outside, the referee gave the penalty and Drummond stepped up. He blazed the ball wide of Roberts' left upright. Broom was booked for the tackle in which he debateably was last man.

The Daggers took the lead after this scare through Shipp. A corner was cleared out, and Shipp smashed home a drive into the far top corner from about 30 yards past Mawson's dive. Minutes later, Vickers' header from another corner had looped over Mawson, but as a goal seemed likely, Swan headed off the line to keep the home side within sight. Broom tried a right foot curler as well but Mawson saw it early and made a save.

Curtis then had a great chance to get Morecambe back on level terms as he went through after a ball over the top. Smith was getting back well and managed to harass the striker enough for him to blaze the ball over the bar from inside the box. Curtis also had a chance when Roberts' poor kick fell to him but he pushed the ball too far with his first touch.

As Morecambe went for the equaliser, the Daggers had two great counter attacks which could have seen them further into the lead. Janney and Stein linked up on the right with some good passing before Stein's low shot was parried by Mawson and thumped away by a defender. Then Junior darted around his defender from a long punt up pitch, leaving the defender in two minds and ball going over his head. He beat the last man on the edge of the box after a 40 yard run, but this was just as Mawson came out to smother the shot wide.

All of the Daggers' hard work was undone within minutes of the second half though. Two quick goals left them reeling. A Drummond shot was pushed onto the bar by Roberts, but Rigoglioso got to the rebound first and headed into the empty net. Then 2 minutes later, a free kick on the edge of the box was smashed through the Daggers' lacklustre wall, deflected into the bottom corner of the goal leaving Roberts no chance.

The Daggers started to play a risky game of one-on-one at the back as they tried to get back into the game and left themselves exposed as numerous sweeping counter attacks ended with no finishing touch at the back post, which the Daggers can count themselves lucky for. There were more shots and some good saves as Drummond and Rigoglioso hit goalwards, and Talbot had a great chance that he stuck at Roberts. McKearney was the victim of the best save though as he cut inside and tried to beat Roberts at his near post, but he made a good stop to turn it round the post.

Shipp had the best Daggers efforts with a toe-poke wide, and then he raced onto Mustafa's cross as the static defence watched but he could only direct the ball wide of the upright. West also looped a header over the bar, after coming on for Junior, left in a heap after a shove from behind which left his with a slipped disc and a long lay-off. In addition, Vickers was lost as he committed his second bookable foul, taking down the winger on the break as Morecambe threatened to add to their tally.

With seconds left, Stein thought he'd done it as did the Daggers fans behind the goal and to the side. Mustafa's cross was scuffed at goal by Stein and it seemed to be over the line before it was hacked away, but the officials decided not and the Daggers left disappointed.