Dagenham 4 - 2 United

First half turnaround stuns United ...

Three first half goals, and one after the break, left Carlisle with too much to do despite a wonderful free kick from Danny Grainger which had the away section on its feet.

Carlisle went with the intention of making life difficult for the hosts and Danny Grainger took advantage of an early loose ball to let one go from distance. A deflection left Cousins wrong footed and he was relieved to see it spin past his upright.

The game tightened up in midfield and Daggers were next to go close when Hemmings skipped clear on the left. His cross bent away from Hanford but Yusuff couldn't quite find the height to finish it off. 

That sparked a better spell for the Daggers and Chambers went close when he found himself unmarked as Cureton cut back inside. Hanford dived to make the save but it was always heading just past the post.

United weathered the mini-spell and grabbed the lead when Asamoah sparked a lightning quick break from inside the centre circle. Kearns beat his man and brought a fine save from Cousins, but Robson was there to make a claim for the rebound. He kept his cool and made it simple for Asamoah who gratefully toe-poked goal number five for the season into the bottom corner.

Hanford had to block as Saah found the ball at his feet when it bounced around dangerously inside the box as Dagenham came in search of a reply. The defender was off balance but his stinging snapshot still had to be beaten away.

The Daggers took just 60 seconds to turn the game on its head as they grabbed an equaliser from a well placed Bingham free kick when Yusuff was chopped to the floor by Dempsey. The well hit set piece flew past the wall and underneath the unsighted Dan Hanford.

And the home side edged in front with their next attack when Yusuff went on the overlap and into the box. Hanford moved to close him down and the referee was ready to point to the spot as the pair came together and the ball broke free. Chambers removed any need for a decision when he gobbled up the spinning ball and smashed it into the empty net.

Dagenham opened up a gap ahead of the break when a long ball forward was flicked on by Yusuff. Experienced striker Jamie Cureton did the rest as he crunched an unstoppable shot past Hanford from 17 yards.

It was suddenly all about the home side and Yusuff combined with Cureton once more in time added on as they wound their way through the challenges. The wily striker spun his man and was disappointed as he dragged his shot wide.

The afternoon became a nightmare for the travelling contigent with less than a minute on the second half clock when Yusuff ripped his way to the byline. His cut back invited Chambers to shoot and he hit it first time, on the run, to double his tally for the day.

Cureton had the chance to make things really uncomfortable when he dusted himself down from an Anderson challenge to take a spot kick, but he wheeled away in frustration as he blazed it onto the bar. Captain Danny Grainger made him pay for his miss when he set himself up for a 28 yard free kick at the other end. The United fans roared their appreciation as it dipped over the wall to register itself as an early contender for goal of the season.

Carlisle had to work hard for their openings and a low cross from the right almost paid off when Obileye dropped low to scoop it away. Cousins was beaten but it dropped onto the roof of the net. The corner was a good one but Rigg could only direct his header at the well positioned keeper.

Hanford had to be alert as Dagenham fought back with a string of high balls into the box and both Rigg and Beck went close as United started to press on. And Beck was a whisker away with a neat flicked header when he bullied his way onto a piece of neat work from Grainger when he cut inside from the left wing.

Dempsey connected well with a late chance when Grainger picked him out, but Cousins dropped low to gather as he helped to smother the game and tick the clock down. 

A huge ball forward gave Cureton a late chance to completely kill it off when he held Anderson at arms length, but the defender did well to make a block just as the trigger was pulled.

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Goals

Dagenham - Bingham (23), Chambers (24, 46), Cureton (40)

United - Asamoah (16), Grainger (53)

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Bookings

Dagenham - Obileye (69)

United - Robson (47), Hanford (52)

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Teams 

Dagenham - Cousins, Batt, Doe, Saah, Bingham (Boucaud 90), Cureton (Doidge 90), Chambers, Labadie, Hemmings, Obileye, Yusuff (Porter 83). Subs - O'Brien, Connors, Murphy, Green.

Carlisle United - Hanford, Brown, Anderson, Meppen-Walter, Grainger, Kearns (Sweeney 46), Dicker, Dempsey, Robson (Rigg 59), Paynter (Beck 46), Asamoah. Subs - Eccles, Amoo, Thirlwell, Brough.

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Referee - Mr Kevin Johnson

Attendance - 2,097 (364 away fans)
Read Time: 5 mins