In a battle between two sides keen to get their first victory on the board after an underwhelming curtain-raiser against promoted opposition from the National League North the previous weekend, it was Woking who did so through goals from Reece Grego-Cox and Rohan Ince inside three first-half minutes either side of the half-hour mark.

On the surface, that mini-spell appeared to be the difference on a scintillating afternoon in Surrey, but the polarities between themselves and visitors Dagenham & Redbridge extended far beyond that. While Darren Sarll's side had several clear-cut opportunities to score more, the Daggers couldn't even muster a single shot on target throughout.

The game's turning point came when Pádraig Amond missed a glaring opening at close range, after which the undeterred Cards smelt blood and quickly raced into a comfortable lead that they never seemed remotely in danger of relinquishing.

  • Story of the match

Woking had won their prior three home games against Dagenham without conceding, but were unable to wield that psychological edge during a fairly even opening twenty-five minutes or so, during which there weren't many chances at either end.

The visitors had the first one of any definition, when Junior Morias benefited from Paul McCallum's flick-on to get in behind, before a poor touch instead took the ball out of play. A nonetheless promising moment, it would ultimately be the only time Dagenham penetrated the hosts' backline all afternoon.

Woking soon had their first letoff, as James Daly latched onto a long throw marginally before goalkeeper Elliot Justham, who had committed himself but recovered to make a smart stop. The defence infront were also caught napping, and wouldn't heed the warning.

A sustained period of monotony ensued, eventually broken by a massive chance for Amond virtually out of nowhere that really ought to have culminated in the game's opening goal.

Jim Kellerman threaded a clever pass to Daly in the area. His subsequent centre was quite routine but still found the Irish veteran completely unmarked from point-blank range, but the effort was too close to Justham, who tipped wide to keep his side in the contest.

That didn't last very long, though, as the very next attack produced a corner kick routine from which the opener arrived. Dan Moss played a one-two with Daly before delivering into the area, where Amond flicked on for Grego-Cox to rifle home at the near post.

As is so often the case with Dagenham, their characteristic fragility led to the deficit being increased barely 100 seconds later, the second time in as many fixtures that they've completely imploded in a short timeframe. It was another corner, too, as more evidence of them repeatedly failing to learn from mistakes.

Dagenham duo Mo Sagaf and David Longe-King jostle for possession with the day's main difference-maker, Rohan Ince. (Image: Woking FC)

This time it was delivered straight into the box and cannoned into the top-left corner by Ince after the towering midfielder had powerfully out-jumped David Longe-King, who stands at a similar height but couldn't get anywhere near his adversary in this duel. 2-0 to Woking, a long way back for their opponents.

There were no shots of potential recovery spouting before the interval, but two substitutions for the second half clearly encapsulated Daryl McMahon's discontent. Nikola Tavares replaced Dean Rance in a like-for-like midfield alteration, while an attack-minded change saw Elliott Johnson make way for Mauro Vilhete.

It was ineffective, however, as the damage was already done and Woking were far too streetwise under Darren Sarll to give anything away. Embodying this were centre halves Scott Cuthbert and Luke Wilkinson; boasting 700 appearances between them, the pairing maintained a robust rearguard with relative ease.

The latter nearly contributed in the opposite box, as well, but could only thump the crossbar on 57 minutes after being found unmarked from the predictable source of a corner kick. The rebound fell to Amond, who lashed wildly over.

Dagenham had a couple of dangerous breakaways but they were invariably derailed by poor end product, exemplified when Myles Weston did superbly to beat his man then delivered straight into Craig Ross' midriff.

Chances remained few and far between, just two more of note before the final whistle reverberated around the stadium. Substitute Josh Walker was denied by crucial blocks on both occasions, typifying the home side's ferocious spirit, which saw them comfortably over the line in the end.

Joe McNerney entered the fray, as did Ricky Korboa and Jermaine Anderson, to give them the additional legs to do so. After a surprisingly long stoppage time spanning eight minutes, in addition to the similarly disproportionate four at the end of the first half, it was game over.

  • Player of the Match

Rohan Ince (Woking) | A domineering performance of masterful authority from the man who ironically was linked with Dagenham during the summer. He ran the show, bagging a rare goal in the process.

  • Lineups

WOKING: Craig Ross; Josh Casey, Luke Wilkinson, Scott Cuthbert, Dan Moss, Kyran Lofthouse 🟨 (Ricky Korboa 78'); Rohan Ince ⚽, Jim Kellerman (Jermaine Anderson 72'); Reece Grego-Cox ⚽, Pádraig Amond (Joe McNerney 87'), James Daly

DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE: Elliot Justham; Myles Weston, Elliott Johnson (Nikola Tavares 🟨 46'), David Longe-King, Manny Onariase, Josh Hare; Dean Rance 🟨 (Mauro Vilhete 46'), Mo Sagaf (Josh Walker 64'), Matt Robinson; Paul McCallum, Junior Morias