Barnet 2 Dagenham 4

Last updated : 17 January 2004 By Footymad Previewer

Barnet's hopes of strengthening their place among the play-off contenders were dented at the hands of local-rivals Dagenham & Redbridge who maintained their recent fine form.

The Daggers had beaten Shrewsbury Town 5-0 in their last Nationwide Conference clash and they made the best possible start as they took the lead in the 20th minute.

The visitors took the lead through a Chris Plummer own goal after 19 minutes, but then Barnet hit back with top scorer Giuliano Grazioli drilling home a shot five minutes later after great play by Ismail Yakubu.

The teams were equal for less than two minutes, with Tim Cole scoring for the Daggers, after which Barnet's luck was again out when Ian Hendon had a 28th minute penalty saved.

Dagenham continued the pressure up to the break, winning no fewer than five corners in the space of a few minutes just before half-time.

Then Mark Janney put Garry Hill's side 3-1 up with a cracking long-range shot after the break, only for Grazioli to pull another goal back for the home side.

After a competitive and entertaining second half, Danny Hill stroked home the visitors' fourth on 90 minutes as the Daggers moved to within nine points of the play-off zone.