Wrexham’s hopes of securing a play-off berth took yet major blow after the Dragons slumped to a third defeat in four games.
A smattering of boos echoed down from the stands at the final whistle as Dagenham & Redbridge came from behind to deliver another nail in the Dragons end of season dreams.
It would have surely been a louder reaction from the Racecourse faithful but for the effort and desire shown by the players during a pulsating encounter.
This was a game Wrexham could ill-afford to lose, but with results yet again inexplicably going in their favour, they are still somehow the occupants of that all important seventh place and the final play-off berth.
But their hopes are dwindling and the statistics are there for all to see, one point from their last four and one win now from their last seven, coincidentally a run of games that has seen Andy Davies as manager since the departure of Dean Keates to Walsall.
Blame is being dished out in equal measure by fans on social media to Davies and assistant Carl Darlington, as well as the board for taking the ‘cheap option’ as some see it rather than installing a new supremo immediately.
Continuity was perhaps the best order following Keates’ defection to the League One midlanders, most fans at the time applauding the decision to keep Davies in charge.
Whether a new man placed in charge would have seen an up surge in fortunes we will never know. But one thing is for sure is that the majority of the blame should be aimed mainly at the players following some inept performances of late.
Yet Saturday’s defeat was anything but inept, in fact it served as the perfect analogy of a team not getting just reward for their effort and endeavour.
A reaction was called for following Tuesday’s capitulation at fellow play-off hopefuls Ebbsfleet United, something the players certainly delivered.
But as has been their Achilles heel for the vast majority of the season, an inability to kill sides off yet again came back to haunt them.
It took only a sprawling last gasp save from Chris Dunn, coupled with a poor finish and indecision from Michael Cheek ensured a little more gloss wasn’t heaped on the Daggers’ victory.
This though was a game in which, despite starting a little slow, Wrexham should have had wrapped up long before Cheek did steal in to slot home the winner for the visitors, albeit the final touch looking to have come off the unfortunate David Raven.
Davies made three changes for the must win game against the Daggers, Sam Wedgbury returning from a neck injury to replace Akil Wright who dropped to the bench alongside Nicky Deverdics and Simon Ainge, both of whom were replaced by Scott Boden and the excellent Jack Mackreth.
Dunn was called into action early to push away an effort from Fejiri Okenabirhie as he latched onto a bouncing ball, and it took until the 10th minute for Wrexham to fashion any kind of pressure, a Paul Rutherford free kick, after Scott Quigley was hauled down, just evading James Jennings, Mark Cousins gathering gratefully.
Cousins was to have a stunning 90 minutes against the Dragons, but was picking the ball out of the back of the net soon after his first save, Mackreth and Rutherford combining for the latter to score his second goal of the season.
Both wingers were finding joy out wide, Mackreth going close with an effort on 20 minutes, before Rutherford found the back of the net three minutes later. Wedgbury sent Mackreth clear with a raking cross-field pass for the right winger to beat Jake Howells, who was being put under all kinds of pressure in the opening stages, to pull the ball back for Rutherford to hammer home.
Dagenham, who still harbour an outside chance of the play-offs following victory in North Wales, almost found a leveller little after the half hour mark, Wexham failing to clear their lines from a corner, the ball falling kindly to Mason Bloomfield who fired wide.
Wrexham needed to weather a late first half onslaught from the visitors before the interval, but it was the Dragons who went closest before the break, Kelly playing the ball square to Quigley, his shot from the edge of the box beating Cousins but not the far post.
The home side should have doubled their lead within two minutes of the restart, Mackreth causing problems and Boden’s cross being met by Quigley at the back post, his header being saved on the line by Cousins.
And it was a costly miss, Dagenham immediately finding an equaliser as Okenabirhie was given way too much space on the edge of the box to pick his spot and fire into the far corner.
Quigley then wanted too much time on the ball as he was sent clean through, Craig Robson making a stunning last gasp tackle to deny the on loan striker.
Boden glanced a header just wide while Luke Howell sent a lob over a stranded Dunn after being sent clear, but it was the home side who went closest next to finding the lead, Wedgbury’s tackle in the middle of the park sending Quigley free, and with Boden calling for the square ball, the striker unleashed a curling shot that came back off the outside of the angle of the bar and post.
Cousins was forced to claw away a deep Rutherford cross from underneath his bar as Wrexham enjoyed a spell of sustained pressure.
A Rutherford corner as met by Shaun Pearson at the back post, his header cannoning off an unknowing defender and away off the top of the bar. Quigley couldn’t keep a Mackreth cross down as Wrexham again poured forward, and Jennings forced Cousins into another smart stop after more good work by Mackreth, while Cousins was equal to another Quigley effort.
And for all their bluster Wrexham failed to find the break through and paid a price, substitute Michael Cheek finding himself unmarked in the box to flick a Dan Sparkes free kick home, albeit the final touch coming off David Raven.
Simon Ainge, on in place of Rutherford as a late replacement, should have at least found the target as he reached Quigley’s cut back, the on loan Harrogate striker managing to hit the side netting.
Manny Smith was narrowly off target with a long range header, Wrexham throwing everything at the visitors in the hope of a last gasp leveller.
Cheek should have put some gloss on the win for the Daggers, running clean through on Dunn, only to be denied by a sprawling Dragons keeper, but it was not to prove a costly error as the home side failed to find a leveller, Jennings wasting a free kick deep in stoppage time.
WREXHAM (4-4-2): Dunn; Raven, M Smith, Pearson, Jennings; Mackreth, Wedgbury, Kelly, Rutherford (Ainge 80); Boden, Quigley.
SUBS: Dibble, Carrington, Wright, Deverdics.
DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE (4-4-2): Cousins; Nunn, Robson, Pennell, Howells; Howell, Adams, Boucaud (Cheek 71), Sparkes; Bloomfield (Robinson 80), Okenabirhie (Bonds 88).
SUBS: Moore, N’Gala.
REFEREE: Joe Johnson.
ATT: 4,193 (73 - away).
MAN OF THE MATCH: Jack Mackreth - Worked hard and was lively on the right hand side.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Scott Quigley’s run and shot that was so close to putting Wrexham back in the lead only to come back off the angle of post and bar.
