Dagenham and Redbridge and Hartlepool United played out a 1-1 draw at the Chigwell Construction Stadium, a match heavily influenced by a first-half dismissal and a late equaliser. The result leaves Hartlepool in 11th place, while Dagenham remain in 21st.
The opening exchanges saw both sides testing each other, but it was Hartlepool who broke the deadlock in the 17th minute through an own goal. Paul Mbiya-Kalambayi unfortunately directed the ball into his own net, giving the visitors the advantage.
Louis Stephenson of Hartlepool was shown a yellow card in the 21st minute for a foul, and Tom Parkes joined him in the referee’s notebook just two minutes later. Stephenson’s match took a turn for the worse in the 25th minute when he received a second yellow card, reducing Hartlepool to ten men.
In the second half, Dagenham sought to exploit their numerical advantage. Manager Lewis Young made a double substitution in the 55th minute, introducing Dion Pereira and Trent Mahorn for Christian N’Guessan and Kayden Harrack, respectively, aiming to add impetus to their attack. Hartlepool responded in the 59th minute with Nicky Featherstone replacing Gary Madine.
Hartlepool manager Darren Sarll made two further changes in the 70th minute, bringing on Luke Charman and Sam Folarin. Dagenham followed suit in the 71st minute with a double substitution of their own, introducing Regan Clayton and Marcus Wyllie.
As the match neared its conclusion, tensions rose. Trent Mahorn received a yellow card in the 82nd minute, quickly followed by Luke Charman and Dagenham’s Dion Pereira.
Dagenham’s pressure finally told in the 87th minute when Harry Phipps scored, assisted by Josh Rees. The goal ignited celebrations amongst the home fans.
Despite a late surge from both teams, neither could find a winning goal. The draw extends Hartlepool’s unbeaten streak to five games, while Dagenham will be glad to have salvaged a point after a difficult spell.