Reinvigorated on and off the pitch, Scunthorpe United harnessed the feelgood factor from their blossoming new era by earning a first victory under its first appointed manager Jimmy Dean, to take crucial steps towards survival.
It came at the expense of a dreadful Dagenham & Redbridge outfit whose catastrophic fifth defeat in six was supplemented by the additional ignominy of them being the only top half side to lose against the Iron all season, prompting impassioned scenes between their travelling supporters and players at the end.
Things had started well for them when Harry Phipps headed home after eight minutes, but Scunthorpe had turned things around by half time through goals from Ben Richards-Everton then Cameron Wilson, the latter in stoppage time.
That was how it stayed until the same stage of the second half, during which Liam Feeney seemingly put the game beyond doubt. Dean Rance cut the deficit back to one almost straight away but it wasn't enough to prevent defeat.
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Story of the Match
Scunthorpe United had the preparation-based benefit of an entire fortnight to focus solely on this fixture while Dagenham played three games throughout that time frame. However, that didn't appear to count for much in the early stages, as the visitors took the lead.
Manager Daryl McMahon had questioned the character of certain individuals following a turgid loss against Eastleigh in midweek, under the narrative that some treat playing for the club as merely a job rather than devoted craft, and they couldn't have made a better start towards proving him wrong.
Omar Mussa delivered a corner from the left-hand side to the near post, where Harry Phipps peeled off his marker to send a glancing header beyond debutant keeper Aaron Chapman. Phipps' third goal of the season following his last in the reverse fixture, which also gave Dagenham an early lead.
Like that day, Scunthorpe responded exceptionally well, to such an extent that they were level shortly afterwards. A very similar scenario saw Jacob Butterfield whip a corner into the box, and Ben Richards-Everton towered above everybody to plant it into the ground, then rippling against the roof of the net.
Dagenham's tendency to crumble completely after a setback would have reared its head but for the brilliance of Elliot Justham with twenty minutes gone. He pushed Danny Elliott's flick away from goal before blocking the rebound at point-blank range then tipping over a subsequent strike from Tom Pugh.
Daggers stabilised somewhat around the half-hour mark but, besides a dipping effort from distance by Omar Mussa, all the opportunities were still taking place in their box. Even more worryingly from their perspective, they were increasing in danger each time.
The most presentable saw Elliott Johnson concede a free-kick at dangerous range on the edge of the box, bringing down Cameron Wilson after he had been allowed to drive unchallenged. Danny Elliott went for power but far too much so as it proved, blasting into the away end.
A second home goal seemed inevitable yet the visitors appeared to have survived that fate to go into the interval for some much-needed respite. Until, that was, Cameron Wilson proved too sharp for Johnson again. Chopping inside with just the goalkeeper to beat, the youngster hooked a superb strike into the far corner.
After bizarrely spending most of the half time break still on the pitch, Dagenham started the second period well with a sustained possession passage, though they struggled to convert it into tangible opportunities.
The introduction of Ángelo Balanta helped with this, as immediately he came tantalisingly close to connecting with an inswinging free kick, however adopting an enhanced attacking shape incurred the detrimental byproduct of making them more vulnerable to counter attacks.
That being said, there were only a couple of times where Dagenham looked weak. As the final minutes loomed, the hosts retreated deeper and suddenly began hacking balls out of play to concede territory. There was every chance of an equaliser if something could stick.
With stoppage time looming, Daryl McMahon's side had nothing to lose, throwing everything forward but consequentially conceding a killer third. Tom Pugh's strike was poorly spilled by Justham to Elliott, who bundled it across for veteran substitute Liam Feeney to head into an empty net.
Daylight for Scunthorpe, except no sooner had they extended the advantage when it was immediately cut back to one. Sydney Ibie shaped inside in a packed box before unleashing a fierce effort that was guided home by the head of Dean Rance.
There was very little celebration, though, for Dagenham fans knew that there was no time left, and sure enough came the whistle reverberating around a jubilant Glanford Park.
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Ben Richards-Everton levelled the scores for Scunthorpe. (Image: Scunthorpe United FC)
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Player of the Match
Ben Richards-Everton (Scunthorpe United) | Netting the equaliser while also performing superbly in his overriding role at centre half constitutes a near-perfect debut from the man who arrived on loan from fellow strugglers Yeovil Town just this week. On this evidence, it is incomprehensible why the Glovers would willingly let Richards-Everton go, for he was tremendous.
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Match Details
SCUNTHORPE UNITED: Aaron Chapman; Jake Leake, Ben Richards-Everton ⚽, Andrew Boyce 🟨, Reagan Ogle; Jacob Butterfield (Elliott Whitehouse 83'), Harvey Bunker, Tom Pugh 🟨; Alfie Beestin (Liam Feeney ⚽ 79'), Danny Elliott, Cameron Wilson ⚽ (Dion Semble-Ferris 60')
DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE: Elliot Justham; Elliott Johnson 🟨 (George Saunders 74'), Harry Phipps ⚽, David Longe-King, Sam Ling 🟨; Dean Rance ⚽; Mo Sagaf (Sydney Ibie 84'), Omar Mussa (Ángelo Balanta 68'), Matt Robinson, Mo Sagaf; Inih Effiong
Referee: Jamie O'Connor | Attendance: 3782 (77 Away)
