A pulsating seven-goal thriller at the Chigwell Construction Stadium saw Barnet snatch a dramatic 4-3 victory against Dagenham & Redbridge, completing a remarkable comeback after trailing by two goals. The match was a whirlwind of attacking football from the first whistle, with both sides exchanging early blows.
Barely a minute had elapsed when Josh Umerah, assisted by Ryan Hill, gave the Daggers the lead. Barnet’s response, however, was swift and decisive. Just three minutes later, Idris Kanu levelled the scores, restoring parity almost as quickly as it had been lost. The frenetic pace continued, with both sides probing for an opening, but it wasn’t until the 34th minute that the deadlock was broken again. Romoney Crichlow headed home from a Umerah assist to restore Dagenham’s advantage.
Shortly after the restart, Dagenham looked to have taken a firm grip on the match when Hill, this time turning goalscorer, made it 3-1. The home side appeared comfortable, dictating the tempo and seemingly cruising towards victory. However, Barnet were far from finished and mounted a stunning comeback. A quickfire double penalty from Nicke Kabamba in the 65th and 68th minutes dramatically levelled the scores, injecting renewed belief and energy into the away side. The turnaround was complete in the 77th minute when substitute Rhys Browne, introduced just after the hour mark, latched onto a pass from Kanu and fired Barnet into the lead.
Dagenham, stung by the reversal, pushed hard for an equaliser in the closing stages, making several substitutions in a desperate attempt to regain momentum. However, Barnet’s defence held firm, repelling the Daggers’ attacks and clinging on to secure a vital three points.
The victory sees Barnet climb to third in the National League table, while Dagenham & Redbridge remain in 13th. The result also reverses a recent trend in this fixture: coming into the match, Barnet had won just one of their previous four encounters with the Daggers, who had outscored them nine goals to six in those games.