National League

DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE 0 WREXHAM 4

JOHN CHUBB at the Chigwell Construction Stadium

@JohnCphoenixfm

Big spending EFL hopefuls Wrexham illustrated why they are currently top of the National League this evening, as they brushed aside hosts Dagenham & Redbridge with a dominant footballing display which delighted their sizeable travelling fan base.

With a permanent manager yet to be appointed at Victoria Road following Daryl McMahon’s recent departure, interim bosses Steve Gritt and Dave Jupp were once again in charge of the home side, and were set to name an unchanged starting line-up from the one that beat York City 2-1 at the Chigwell Construction Stadium on Saturday, but due to Junior Morias taking a knock in the warm-up he was replaced by Jay Bird.

Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson made four changes from the side that started for them on Saturday, when they were held to a 2-2 draw at Maidenhead United. Former Southend United striker Sam Dalby was dropped to the bench.

The match kicked off around seven minutes late due to an issue with one of the goal nets. Once this had been sorted out and the action finally got underway, it was first blood to the Welsh side when Ollie Palmer fired them in front in only the sixth minute, with an excellent strike from the near post.

Elliot Lee attempted to double Wrexham’s lead three minutes later, with a powerful strike but it sailed over the bar.

With 12 minutes gone, after winning a couple of corners Dagenham & Redbridge weren’t far from equalising when an excellent Inih Effiong cross found Bird, whose short range effort was narrowly wide.

In the 20th minute an excellent in-swinging free kick from Effiong found the head of Angelo Balanta, who went close but his effort was safely caught by Robins goalkeeper Rob Lainton.

It was nearly 2-0 as the half-hour mark approached, when a great strike by Wrexham’s James Jones was nearly fumbled by Daggers keeper Eliot Justham but he managed to stop it from entering the net, before Andy Cannon went close.following some clever interplay with Paul Mullin.

But the visitors” second arrived six minutes before half-time, when a well placed corner found the head of Jordan Tunnicliffe, who nodded the ball last the helpless Justham, and it was 2-0.

And it was nearly three a few minutes afterwards, when Palmer headed just over from a free kick and the Welsh side had assumed full command going into the break.

With the second half only a few minutes old, a low cross from Wrexham’s Ryan Barnett found Palmer in the penalty area, and he fired past Justham to make it 3-0 with his second goal of the evening.

Palmer – now on a hat-trick – wasn’t far away from claiming the match ball just before the hour, but Justham managed to knock his shot behind the goal on this occasion.

In the 68th minute though, it was Jacob Mendy who used his pace down the left to speed towards the area and finish perfectly, and it was now 4-0.

Jones nearly made it five and was very unlucky not to, when his close range effort with 16 minutes to go bounced off both posts and back into the field of play, and later substitute Callum McFadzean also went close.

The win put Wrexham four points clear at the top of the table ahead of Notts County, their only rivals for the title.

Meanwhile, temporary Daggers bosses Gritt and Jupp saw their side drop to 11th place – six points adrift of the play-off spots – and they will have been disappointed with their team’s performance, as despite some promise in the early stages – even after going a goal down – their side were ultimately completely outclassed.

DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE (Interim Managers: Steve Gritt and Dave Jupp): Elliot Justham, Josh Hare, Dean Rance (George Saunders 16), Manny Onariase, Inih Effiong, Mo Sagaf, Angelo Balanta (c) (Omar Mussa 60), Myles Weston (Sydney Ibie 72), Matt Robinson, Sam Ling, Jay Bird.

WREXHAM (Manager: Phil Parkinson): Rob Lainton, Ben Tozer, Jordan Tunnicliffe, Ollie Palmer, Paul Mullin (Sam Dalby 70), Eoghan O’Connell, Jacob Mendy (Callum McFadzean 78), Andy Cannon, Ryan Barnett, James Jones, Eliot Lee (Jordan Davies 88).

Referee: Matthew Russell

Attendance: 2772 (including 854 from Wrexham)