Dagenham & Redbridge deserved much more claims boss

Tom Eastman put Daggers in front at Victoria Road when heading home from Josh Hare’s cross, but Jay Benn levelled in first-half stoppage time.

And Josh Kelly edged the visitors in front early in the second half, with Daggers hitting the woodwork three times on the night in front of the live TV cameras.

“It’s a game we certainly shouldn’t have lost,” Strevens told the club website.

“We was pretty dominant for 44 minutes, got the goal, we had some chances before that we should’ve taken.

“Got punished right on the stroke of half-time, probably could’ve defended a bit better ourselves but to be fair to the boy he has hit it with the outside of his boot, on the rise into the far top corner.

“Spoke at half-time about staying calm, playing the way we had, chances will come for us and pretty early in the second half we got rolled and the boy bent one from outside the box into the far top corner.

“After that we hit the crossbar, I don’t know how many times, we had chances we probably should’ve done better with, so frustrated we haven’t at least taken a point.

“But I would’ve still been frustrated if we’d taken one point, because I think we should’ve won that game.”

Inih Effiong had two good chances before Freddie Sears hit the crossbar in the first half, with Sears also hitting a post as Daggers looked to get back on terms late on, before Hare struck an upright.

But Strevens dismissed talk of his side being unlucky in such moments.

“We’ve had three games at home this season, the Hartlepool game, the York game and tonight, we should’ve taken more chances to take away from that feeling of being unlucky,” he added.

“You play those moments back, the one Inih had early doors, I think nine times out of 10 he scores that.

“And both Freddie’s chances in and around that area he takes more often than not as well.

“But I think we’ve got to take that luck element out of it, be clinical in those moments.

“We had numerous chances in and around the final third entries and only led to us getting one goal and we certainly should’ve got more than that today.”

A fourth win in five outings would’ve lifted Daggers into the top 10, but they dropped to 15th and are only four points above the relegation zone.

Strevens has seen enough from his players in recent weeks to believe they can climb the table, though.

“If we perform like we did today, I have to believe we will get more points that we deserve,” he said.

“If we play that way again tomorrow I think we win, that’s what we’ve got to keep fighting for.

“There’s been an upturn with the results and I really wanted to make that four wins from five, which would’ve put us up to ninth today.

“And we’re standing here frustrated we haven’t got those three points that would’ve got us to where I believe we should be.

“We’ve got to get back to work Monday morning, work extremely hard. The boys are disappointed and so am I.

“But keeping them right on track on what they’re doing, they’re training so well, pushing each other harder and harder each week.

“I can see the quality getting better and that’s got to hopefully get us moving up the table which I think we deserve.”