Kyle Wootton’s winner sinks Dagenham & Redbridge as Notts County move up to fifth in the National League

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Goals from Frank Vincent and Kyle Wootton proved just enough for Notts County to earn all three points against Dagenham & Redbridge in what proved to be an end-to-end encounter at Meadow Lane.

Wootton’s winner with 15 minutes to go saw Ian Burchnall’s side shatter a three-game winless run as the Magpies’ solidified their play-off place.

County captain Kyle Cameron met Matt Palmer’s corner with a leaping header which was turned in by Frank Vincent to give the hosts the advantage after 35 minutes.

The equaliser for Daryl McMahon’s side was one Ian Burchnall certainly won’t be happy with as Angelo Balanta flicked his header home at the near post from Myles Weston’s delivery to level the score.

Ruben Rodrigues, a man in form after bagging the opener against Boreham Wood on Tuesday, had a surprising off-day as he left much to be desired in the final third after wasting multiple goalscoring opportunities.

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Connor Parsons, a new arrival at Meadow Lane on loan from Wycombe Wanderers, enjoyed a positive debut as he slotted in on the right flank and appeared to act as a wing-back for the majority of his hour-long display.

Changes were needed to the Magpies’ starting 11 as Dion Kelly-Evans and Aaron Nemane both missed the game and it was clear that a new setup needed the first half to begin to gel together and find the flow of the game.

In the end, a 2-1 win was ultimately a deserved result for the home side and one they desperately needed following a string of underwhelming results.

Notts County boss Burchnall spoke about his team’s hard-fought victory post-game, one which the 38-year-old described as ‘difficult’.

“I’m delighted. Difficult game, it’s been a tough week with two away games that were long trips. We’ve had a few injuries and illnesses, so to play at home on a Saturday night against a really good team, it was a great game for us.

“It was very windy, especially down on the pitch. You could see the ball holding up, and it did affect the game a little bit but in general we managed the conditions well. In the second half we were up and down, but we certainly created some big chances.

“Ruben had two big chances in there. We probably could’ve killed the game off earlier but they’re a dangerous team with some quality, but very happy that we managed to see the game out.”

Daggers boss Daryl McMahon was ‘disappointed to lose the game,’ feeling that his side did enough to get something out of it.

“It’s an error for the second goal in particular we’ve seen on Tuesday night, and one we need to eradicate out of our game. On the overall performance, I was pleased with the boys’ character and spirit.

“We played against a good side, and I can’t deny we’re missing some key players. I think we’re down to bare bones as we know, which makes it more difficult – you’re asking the same players to play week in week out without being able to replace them and give them a breather.”

The victory leaves Notts County in fifth place in the National League table, just four points behind league leaders Chesterfield who are closely followed by Boreham Wood.

A quiet December period for the Magpies is to follow with only three current games scheduled around the Christmas period against Southend United, Chesterfield and King’s Lynn Town.

The break should be vital for the Nottinghamshire outfit as they look to regroup and get back on track following a number of absences in the squad. Aaron Nemane is still yet to be officially diagnosed as the club wait for an answer on a suspected fractured hand.

Dagenham & Redbridge sit 10th in the league, just four points behind Wrexham in the final play-off spot proving how tight the fifth-tier is as it stands.