A week is a long time in football. In that small yet hugely meaningful window, Chesterfield have gone from amassing their greatest ever league start through a tenth game unbeaten, to now suffering a second consecutive home defeat at the hands of a Dagenham & Redbridge side that continue to fluctuate between extremes.
It fuelled extreme discontent in Derbyshire, which peaked during a disastrous first half in which they deservedly trailed 3-0 courtesy of an early Junior Morias strike followed by two predatory finishes from Paul McCallum, substantiating a surprisingly authoritative first half by the visiting Daggers.
Despite succumbing to two goals thereafter including a nerve-inducing one in stoppage time through Tyrone Williams, they nonetheless clung on for a vital and thoroughly deserved three points that signified the perfect redemptive response after their humiliation three days prior.
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Story of the Match
Both teams convened at the Technique Stadium in search of retribution from disappointing results at the weekend. Chesterfield lost the division's final remaining unbeaten start to slip off top spot, Maidenhead winning 2-1, while Dagenham's away woes worsened with a brutal battering inflicted by Dorking Wanderers.
The general consensus was that Paul Cook's troops would bounce back from that minor setback to reaffirm their title credentials, especially facing struggling opposition who were conceding at an alarming rate, but it took just four minutes for that script to be torn to shreds.
Myles Weston, unburdened from his more demanding wing-back role by being deployed in a front three this time, dug out a magnificent cross after turning from a throw-in. As would become a recurring theme on the night, home shot-stopper Lucas Covolan left plenty to be desired in both his reading and management of the situation.
The Brazilian keeper calamitously failed to make the catch, instead flapping it back into the air. Paul McCallum won the duel, knocking the ball behind him perfectly for the arriving Junior Morias to blast a low thunderbolt into the net before anybody could react.
Dagenham had succeeded in silencing the sizeable home crowd and would puppeteer it to their advantage intermittently. Crucial to this was surviving the inevitable response, which they managed through warrior-like defending to prevent any balls penetrating their robust backline, typified by the imperious Harry Phipps.
Indeed, they never looked in significant danger of being carved open for a clear-cut opportunity, with an insipid Chesterfield struggling to conjure up the killer pass to upgrade regulation sequences to a real dangerous phase.
Epitomising their impotence was a moment in the twelfth minute when a close-range free kick yielded a good delivery, but nobody was there to convert, then Ollie Banks sliced wide after the play was recycled back to the edge of the box.
Content to let their hosts have possession in safe areas, Daggers were biding their time for another counter attack. While they had far less possession overall, they were incredibly productive with it, frequently transitioning from one end of the pitch to another in mere seconds.
The Spireites soon witnessed this in devastating motion, commencing with a brilliant pass from Mo Sagaf to supply Morias out wide. The forward motored down the line with an assertive touch, setting him up perfectly for an inch-perfect inswinger that McCallum tidily swept home. Devastating speed, devastating efficiency.
Groans intensified in ferocity, especially in the aftermath as Chesterfield interchanged sideways without breaking the lines. This eventually cultivated something of a self-fulfilling prophecy whereby the team went more hurriedly direct to appease supporters, but in doing so playing into Dagenham's hands.
Joe Quigley was absorbing much of the frustration, failing to assert himself up front while revered marksman Kabongo Tshimanga inexplicably continued on the bench. The clamour for his introduction grew stronger when Quigley missed a huge opening just after the hour mark, planting a free header wide when hitting the target was a minimum requirement.
(Image: Dagenham & Redbridge FC)
The home contingent were thrust into a state of despair again as their maverick goalkeeper abandoned his line to cut out a pass to Matt Robinson, then did a retreating u-turn once it became evident, if it wasn't already, that he was never getting there first. Daggers' captain therefore had a sighter from forty yards, which just drifted astray.
Covolan's nightmare period continued into stoppage time, except his misdemeanours would now be punished again. A similar scenario to the second goal saw Morias maraud down the wing again, cutting inside and shooting low at the Brazilian, who could only tamely spill it out for McCallum to convert the rebound.
Half time and, in the bizarre world of the Vanarama National League, a turmoil-stricken Dagenham side without an away victory beforehand were 3-0 up at second placed Chesterfield. Yet the immediate stages following the restart indicated it was far from game over.
A sign of intent straightaway, Banks' long-distance piledriver was deflected out for a corner, prompting a roar of belief, which remained in the air even after the set-piece was cleared.
It could have been punctured altogether, though, as the visitors came close to putting the result beyond all lingering doubt through a free-flowing team move that resulted in McCallum intelligently laying the ball off for Robinson to frustratingly shoot right down the keeper's throat.
At the other end, Brendan Horton cut inside before anti-climactically lashing waywardly over. There was understandably little anticipation when he lined up an opportunistic strike from distance shortly afterwards, therefore, but it flew past Justham - a real lifeline for Chesterfield.
They certainly tried their best to use it to hoist themselves up from the abyss, swiftly introducing two of the big guns off the bench in Asante and Tshimanga, to further catalyse the rapid shift in momentum. Dagenham were forced into a change of their own, defender Johnson replacing Morias, which prompted a worrying reversion to a back five.
Yet the expected kitchen-sink bombardment simply didn't materialise. A tenuous penalty shout, coupled with regulation efforts from afar by Banks and Asante, were all Chesterfield offered before the ninety was up. As such, it looked like the away team had done enough.
Until, that was, they switched off in the latter stages and failed to perform simple marking from a deep cross, allowing Tyrone Williams to glance a header into the far corner, thus engineering that above-mentioned nervy finale.
History suggested Dagenham would buckle, their ingrained fragility coming to the fore but, thanks in no small part to only four minutes being indicated by the fourth official, they limped over the line for a vital win that was thoroughly merited on overall balance.
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Player of the Match
Junior Morias (Dagenham & Redbridge) | Back with a bang after being absent for the past fortnight, the powerful Jamaican frontman's boundless energy transformed the attacking capabilities of his side as he was a constant outlet on the right-hand flank whom the hosts simply couldn't contain. A ruthlessly-dispatched opener after just four minutes established the tone of the night both from a personal and team perspective. He then fashioned the subsequent two goals through magnificent industry, producing an inch-perfect cross for McCallum to steer home before seeing a solo effort parried into the grateful path of his strike partner just before the interval. Forced off with roughly 20 minutes left, having made quite the impression.
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Match Details
CHESTERFIELD: Lucas Covolan; Brendan Horton ⚽, Jamie Grimes 🟨, Tyrone Williams ⚽, Jeff King; Darren Oldaker 🟨, Ollie Banks; Jez Uchegbulam (Akwasi Asante 64'), Jack Clarke (Calvin Miller 75'), Liam Mandeville; Joe Quigley (Kabongo Tshimanga 64')
DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE: Elliot Justham; Sam Ling, Harry Phipps, Manny Onariase 🟨, Josh Hare; Dean Rance, Mo Sagaf, Matt Robinson; Myles Weston, Paul McCallum ⚽⚽, Junior Morias ⚽ (Elliott Johnson 🟨 75')
Referee: Matthew Corlett | Attendance: 5643 (25 Away)