Cheltenham Town came from behind to earn a creditable point against high-flying Dagenham and Redbridge at the Abbey Business Stadium this afternoon.
The home side looked set to slip to their fourth consecutive home defeat before Michael Townsend (pictured) popped up nine minutes from time to head his side a share of the spoils.
It was Cheltenham's stiffest test to date with the Essex side arriving at the Abbey Business Stadium in good form after winning five of the their opening six matches this season.
They began well enough, more than matching the side placed second at the start of the day until Paul Benson struck four minutes after the restart to leave Martin Allen's side chasing the game.
Tony Roberts was the busier of the two goalkeepers on the day, producing a string of impressive stops to prevent his side slipping to only their second reverse of the campaign although in fairness, his strikers had the chances to put this game away before the equaliser arrived.
But Allen will take a lot of heart from this display after his side's poor showing in midweek.
TEAM NEWS: Julian Alsop made his first start for the club six years since the 1-1 draw with Oldham Athletic back in 2003, effectively replacing Tom Denton in a side which displayed four changes after the 3-1 defeat on Tuesday night. There was no Josh Low, Marley Watkins, Jordan Tabor or Denton after the disappointing Johnstone's Paint Trophy display against Torquay United in midweek. In came Alsop and Barry Hayles in the revamped forward line, with Kyle Haynes taking up a role at right back. Meanwhile Lee Ridley returned at left back. Sam Cox, who arrived on a month's loan from Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday, took his place on the bench.
Fifth minute: Drissa Diallo went close to claiming the first goal of the day with five minutes on the clock. Frankie Artus whipped in a free-kick from the right and the French-born centre half called the Daggers goalkeeper Tony Roberts into a diving stop with a flicked header.
8: Jon Nurse could have handed his side the lead after eight minutes when he turned a Peter Gain shot in on goal, but the effort flew over the bar with Cheltenham struggling to clear their lines after a corner from the Dagenham right.
13: Artus should have put the home side in front after a well-crafted Cheltenham move handed the Bristol City loanee a shooting chance from 18 yards. Alsop cushioned Scott Brown's downfield ball into the midfielder's path , who swapped passes with Richards before draw another diving stop from Roberts, again to his right.
19: Dagenham frontman Paul Benson headed wide after some good work by Danny Green down the right.
30: Cheltenham created their next chance on the half hour after Ridley had sent in a long throw from the right, with Alsop beating Roberts to the ball at the near post. It arrived to Diallo on the edge of the box, who hooked it back in but Richards couldn't apply the telling touch.
36: Benson should have done better when he was presented with a chance six yards from goal. Danny Green drilled in a low cross from the right but the striker lifted it over when it was perhaps easier to find the target.
41: Danny Green almost caught out Brown with four minutes remaining of the first half with a clever free-kick which grazed the Cheltenham number one's near post.
HT: 0-0
49 GOAL: Cheltenham Town 0-1 Dagenham & Redbridge
Despite the bright performance In the first half, Cheltenham found themselves behind to Benson's 49th minute goal, his sixth of the campaign. Dagenham broke down the left before it arrived to Green 25 yards from goal, and the right winger took aim for goal but it went straight to the Daggers striker who killed it, swivelled and delivered a perfect strike into the stantion of the top right-hand corner of Brown's goal.
52: Cheltenham responded well to the goal and created a couple of chances of their own. First Alsop's header was turned over by skipper Dagenham Mark Arber after Artus had picked the big man out from the left. Then a moment later Diallo met Bird's corner with a thumping header but it narrowly missed the target.
60 SUBSTITUTION: Joint top goalscorer Justin Richards made way for David Hutton with half an hour to play.
62: Benson wasted a fine chance to extend his side's lead after he steered Josh Scott's low centre from the left high and wide of Brown's goal.
62 SUBSTITUTION: Andy Gallinagh made way for Marley Watkins in the 62nd minute. Artus therefore moved inside to join Bird, with both substitutions providing the service from the wide areas.
64: Cheltenham's best chance in the game came in the 64th minute, created in the mainpart by some determined work by Hayles on the edge of the Essex side's box. The veteran striker shrugged off Arber and looked set to square the game only to be denied by another great stop by the 40-year-old goalkeeper. Bird followed it up but his effort came back off the bar.
78: Ridley sent in a 78th minute long throw which was initially cleared by the Dagenham defence, but Diallo hooked it back in and Townsend headed it over from close-range.
78 SUBSTITUTION: Josh Low replaced Kyle Haynes at right back in the closing stages.
79 SUBSTITUTION: Graeme Montgomery became Dagenham's first change of the afternoon when he replaced Green.
81 GOAL: Cheltenham Town 1-1 Dagenham & Redbridge
Cheltenham looked revitalised after the substitutions, putting Dagenham on the back foot for large periods of the second half and got their reward with nine minutes left. Townsend grabbed it after substitute Hutton had swung in a corner from the Cheltenham right. Alsop's header was partially cleared, but Diallo dinked it back in and the big centre half headed home from close-range to register his second of the campaign.
84: Low drew another decent save from Roberts with six minutes remaining, shooting low from 18 yards after a promising passage of play by Cheltenham.
87: Low tested Roberts with a neat turn and shot but the goalkeeper smothered the effort.
88: Alsop had a good shout for a penalty with only two minutes left when Arber looked to prevent the big man meeting a delivery from the left. The referee though was unimpressed in what turned out to be a chaotic close to the game.
90+2: The 167 Dagenham fans thought Peter Gain had snatched all the points at the death after Scott had teed up the midfielder from the left, however he smashed his shot into the side netting in what turned out to be the last opportunity of the game.
FULL TIME: 1-1
CHELTENHAM TOWN: (4-4-2): Brown; Haynes (Low 78), Diallo, Townsend, Ridley; Richards (Hutton 60), Bird, Gallinagh (Watkins 62), Artus; Hayles, Alsop. Subs not used: Durrant, Lewis, Cox, Richardson (Gk).
DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE (4-4-2): Roberts, Doe, Antwi, Arber (c), Griffiths; Green (Montgomery 79), Thurgood, Gain, Nurse; Scott, Benson. Subs not used: Bentley, Thomas, Ogogo, Kilbey, Bingham, Lewington (Gk).
REFEREE: G.J. Sutton (Lincolnshire)
ATTENDANCE: 2,969 (167 from Dagenham and Redbridge)
Murry Toms at the Abbey Business Stadium
