Dagenham & Redbridge 1 Port Vale 1

JOSH SCOTT went from zero to hero for Dagenham & Redbridge as his late goal handed his side a deserved draw against Port Vale, just minutes after fluffing a contender for miss of the season.

The result takes the Daggers closer to the summit after Rochdale thrashed leaders Bournemouth 4-0.

Louis Dodds had put Vale ahead at Victoria Road, but after a full-scale siege on the visitors' goal John Still's men finally got their reward.

Dagenham's play during the opening 15 minutes mirrored how they must have been feeling before kick-off. They were quick to get the ball up to the front pairing of Paul Benson and Wesley Thomas, moving the ball around at a high pace and causing Vale's back five all sorts of problems.

Their dominance began to turn into chances, Benson's header deflected wide from Danny Green's wicked free-kick.

From the resulting corner Green's cross was missed by everybody and Will Antwi, charging in at the back post, was inches away from giving the hosts a deserved lead.

The Daggers then should have made their opponents pay for their sloppy start, as Green's cross-cum-shot was met by Thomas, only for the ball to fly just wide of the far post.

It was to prove to be a costly miss, as seven minutes before the break Dagenham found themselves behind for the first time at Victoria Road this season.

After their initial promising start, Vale began to get a foothold in the game, perhaps taking heart from the fact they had come through a torrid opening 15 minutes unscathed.

Lewis Haldane fired a warning shot to the home defence when his fierce shot rattled the bar. But it went unheeded as he found space down the right and played a hopeful ball into the box. Daggers players were static and watched as Dodds picked up the ball, shimmied to the right and blasted a shot in off the crossbar, leaving Tony Roberts with no chance.

Peter Gain twice found himself in good positions down the left, but he wrongly elected to shoot, and then couldn't find an opponent next time around.

In truth, Vale were comfortable for the second quarter of the game, their burly three central defenders coping easily with the threat posed by Thomas and Benson.

After the interval there was a profound sense of urgency from the hosts. And they could have been level inside five minutes. Jon Nurse shifted the ball cleverly into the path of Thomas, and after carrying the ball to the byline, inexplicably skewed the ball into the stands with several team-mates well-placed in the centre.

Benson then showed his class on the hour mark, collecting a high ball from Mark Arber with a deft touch and firing the ball on the turn towards goal, only for Chris Martin to dive across to his near post and make the save.

Gain was then pushed in the back as he made his way towards the penalty area, but Matt Lockwood, making his first start for the Daggers after completing his loan move from Colchester United, couldn't direct his free-kick on target.

Still threw on Scott in place of Thomas in an attempt to add to their physical presence in attack, while Nurse was advanced from his position on the left to make it a front three.

Port Vale, sensing an upset, seemed content to defend in numbers for the remainder of the game.

Dagenham monopolised the ball, but they were met by stubborn resistance. Ball after ball was rained in to the visitors' box, as the hosts discarded their carpet football.

One such aerial raid should have yielded the equaliser, however. Roberts thumping ball upfield was knocked on by Benson. Scott then managed to outmuscle his marker and with time and space bore down on goal, only to suffer a rush of blood to the head and smash his volley miles over the crossbar. It was a horrendous miss, and one that would prove decisive in this encounter.

Harlee Dean was also hoisted into the melee, and he should have scored with his first touch, Lockwood's excellent cross landing perfectly on to his head, but he too could only find the fans in the stand.

He almost scored with his second touch, but he could only steer Green's centre wide.

Graeme Montgomery, another substitute, also went close, his fizzing volley narrowly missing the far post.

The game now resembled a siege as the final whistle approached. And finally, the Vale dam caved in.

Another ball hoofed upfield by Roberts found makeshift striker Arber's head, who was able to flick the ball into the path of Scott. The striker more than made amends for his earlier miss, coolly lifting the ball over the advancing Martin for the all-important equaliser.

Roberts, who had been copping plenty of stick from the travelling fans, celebrated with a Peter Crouch-style dance.

The Daggers piled forward in droves, and Benson almost grabbed a last-gasp winner but his header from Green's free-kick sailed inches over the bar.