After a busy week of player movements, Andy Peaks took his squad into Greater London to face a struggling Daggers side who were celebrating Diversity Day and had only been beaten by The Lambs twice in 11 meetings. Prior to the current season’s Tamworth victory in the league at The Lamb, all those games came between 2003 and 2007 and back in the current season they had not recorded a victory in the league for a dozen games and sat a point above the relegation zone ahead of kick off.
For The Lambs, in a very healthy 11th place, Nathan Tshikuna had made the permanent move to Eastleigh in midweek (only to be sent off on debut) and Alex Fletcher had gone on loan to former club Rushall Olympic. Meanwhile Walsall midfielder Ronan Maher’s loan had been extended further ahead of a call up to the Northern Ireland U21 side in a week’s time and new loan signing Danny Waldron, coming in from Southend United, took a place on the bench.
With the Victoria Road ground bathed in chilly sunshine, the pitch had received a fair amount of pre-match watering from the sprinkler system ahead of the home side kicking off towards the large seating stand behind Singh’s goal.
A Tonks throw on the right on 5 was kept in play by Creaney and Crompton but the home side cleared their lines and a cross from Maher from the left skipped past the boot of McGlinchey for a throw on 11 as neither side managed to take any control or forge any clear early openings.
A Cockerill-Mollett cross was headed behind for a corner by Clayton on 13 and it was flicked on by a defender past the far post but Creaney was unable to react quick enough and put his snapshot into the side netting.
On 16 N’Guessan got the better of The Lambs at the back on his right, and pulled it back hoping for a teammate to get on the end of it but The Lambs defence got in the way and the offside flag halted play anyway.
Rutherford then attacked the Lambs left back area and forced a corner on the right but it was wasted and a goalkick was the result.
Singh had to leave his area on 18 and knocked the ball away from two incoming Daggers players but only as far as Hill, on the right of midfield ad he tried an audacious lob from distance but failed to drop the ball anywhere near the goal.
Maher’s ball from the right was met by the head of Sundire on 20 and the follow up drilled against the home defence by McGlinchey for a corner which fell invitingly for Cockerill-Mollett but his cushioned strike rose over the bar.
But when The Lambs failed to deal with a Daggers corner on 21 and it came back out to Hill on the left of the area he drilled the ball into the goal through the Lambs defence and past Singh (1-0, 22 mins)
The home side now had the bit between their teeth and Tamworth were made to fight for scraps so a Tonks throw offered hope but
A sliding challenge on Morrison by Francis on 32 left The Lambs midfielder prostrate on the floor and the referee with a decision to make, and after calming the melee of players down he made no hesitation in showing the Dagger’s man a straight red card.
As Maher tried to make headway down the left on 39 he was pulled back by Rutherford and so set himself up with the deadball and although it was planted onto Creaney’s head 6 yards out, he couldn’t keep his effort down and it ballooned over the crossbar.
At the other end, Khaleel and Hill combined to try and feed Loupalo-Bi on 41 but he was unable to get around Hollis to get a strike on goal.
However, when Tonks pushed the ball through the back of the Daggers defence on 42 Creaney followed in and forced a corner on the right with his low strike, and Maher played it short to McGlinchey who received it back from the former’s shot and forced another flag kick on the same side.
This time it was cleared, but N’Guessan was booked for kicking the ball away, and when it came back in Crompton went down under a challenge by Clayton for a penalty.
Creaney stepped up to take it with the possibility of striking his 100th goal for Tamworth and he did just that with a low strike sending the keeper the other way. (1-1, 45+1 mins)
Three minutes added time has been shown during the wait for the penalty, and a high through ball fell invitingly for the striker on 49, but the flag would have denied him a second goal of the afternoon, as the whistle blew.

HT: 1-1

The Lambs restarted the game playing into the sunshine with the shadows getting longer by the minute, and the shadow cast by the stand covered half of the Daggers half at kick off.
And a blinding effort from Maher on 48 put Tamworth into the driving seat with a perfectly executed powerstrike from the left of the area which keeper Jones was unable to prevent heading for the top corner (1-2, 48 mins)
Dagenham responded though with Hill taking pace into the left of the box before forcing Singh to protect his near post for a corner and although it was cleared, a foul on the right midfield gave hi a freekick which Crompton had to deal with on 54. He was then booked for protesting against a decision when the Lambs defender went down under a challenge.
Rutherford and Loupalo-Bi combined twice in quick succession around the hour mark to threaten The Lambs lead. The first time Hollis was able to dig the ball out and the second time, the latter turned but struck into the side netting from the right of the area.
But Tamworth responded with a third goal of the game which came via Tonks throw on the right which came back out to Hollis at the near post, 6 yards out and he sent his low trickling shot into the far corner, unhindered. (1-3, 65 mins)
Both sides made two changes as the final 20 minutes ticked round and Waldron made his debut, replacing Creaney with 15 remaining in a straight swap at the top.
After Ponticelli came on the Lambs had another good chance after good work from Maher, with Enoru turning his man on the edge of the area and forcing Jones to punch the ball away from danger and Finn replaced the former in the final Lambs change.
Finn the forced a corner off his cross from the left on 85 but Digie’s header from a jump above the covering Daggers defender went well wide of the mark.
Enoru had another quick chance on 87, receiving the ball back from Waldron he smashed his right footed shot from the right but found defenders in his way, and then Raikhy tried his luck from 20 yards but it was easy for Jones to smother.
As the vociferous home fans in the seating stand made their thoughts known and applauded the banter between themselves and the 123 travelling faithful.
Five minutes added time was shown as minutes ticked down as Lewis Young’s Daggers side continued push on but there was no way Tamworth were going to allow them a late-late show with some last ditch defending preventing Umerah and Phipps half a sight on goal in the dying seconds.
Ponticelli thought he spotted a chance on 95 but his shot curled away from Jones to safety, and the final whistle blew on a first ever Lambs win at Victoria Road.

Dagenham & Redbridge:
Jones, Francis, Hessenthaler (c.), Hill, N’Guessan, Loupalo-Bi (Wyllie 68), Rutherford, Clayton, Khaleel (Umerah 83), Kalambayi (Phipps 69), Hector
Subs: Harvey, Remy, Rendall, Harrack
YC: N’Guessan 44, Hill 54, Hessenthaler 90
RC: Francis 33

Tamworth:
Singh (c.), Crompton, Digie, Hollis, Cockerill-Mollett, Sundire (Raikhy 69), Tonks (Ponticelli 81), Morrison, McGlinchey (Enoru 70), Maher (Finn 83), Creaney (Waldron 75)
Subs: Curley, Cullinane-Liburd
YC: (none)
RC: (none)

Referee: Mr. Harry Wager
Assistants: Mr. Adrian Tranter, Mr. Marcus Carmichael
4th Official: Mr. Charles Maitland
Attendance: 2435 (123)