DAGENHAM doyen John Still might have been handed the freedom of the London borough, but his team got out of jail a little in this latest contest with York City.

Still remains somewhat of a nemesis for the Minstermen.

He has now inspired five victories from the last six games he has been in the Daggers dugout against different City sides, but sub Frankie Raymond’s 82nd-minute strike was one of the few moments of quality the play-off chasing hosts mustered on an underwhelming afternoon.

On a bobbly playing surface and in swirling conditions, Gary Mills’ men were little better, but had hit the frame of the home goal twice through Amari Morgan-Smith and Dan Parslow.

The introduction of long-throw specialist Sam Muggleton’s on a narrow pitch in the 78th minute also seemed timely as Asa Hall called Dagenham keeper Elliot Justham into action moments later from one of the former Eastleigh defender’s missiles.

Instead, though, Raymond snatched the points with a curling shot past the visitors’ on-loan debutant Scott Loach, who had pulled off an impressive reflex save on the only other previous occasion he was fully extended.

Earlier, a Dagenham team, missing the play-making ability of former Bootham Crescent magician Andre Boucaud and the potency of fatigued top-scorer Oliver Hawkins, attacked with little conviction.

After Corey Whitely’s long-range drive flashed wide, Paul Benson’s header, following Joe Widdowson’s left-wing raid, was too tame to trouble Loach.

Alex Whittle was, however, needed to clear Benson’s next effort off the line after the veteran forward had climbed high to meet Luke Guttridge’s corner at the far post.

The fit-again Whittle also made an excellent covering block after Luke Howell had charged down Sean Newton’s clearance and unleashed a goal-bound shot.

Whitely, meanwhile, dragged an edge-of-the-box effort wide before City, feeling their way into the game, saw Vadaine Oliver head over the bar with his team’s first opportunity of the game from Newton’s right-wing, 28th-minute corner to the near post.

Next, Jon Parkin prodded over from ten yards, but Morgan-Smith came closest to breaking the first-half deadlock in the second minute of stoppage time.

His looping header from Newton’s left-wing cross struck the bar and Hamza Bencherif booted out of the ground from the rebound.

After the break, Howell and Craig Robson missed the target with poor 20-yard efforts whilst, in between, Justham bizarrely left a long ball, played into his box by Parslow, to bounce off his right-hand post and back into his arms.

Whitely went on to tread on the ball with the away goal at his mercy from two yards out, but the Minstermen might have forged ahead when Parslow picked out an unmarked Whittle from the right, only for the ex-Southport full back to head over.

Oliver then scuffed a weak, diagonal shot straight at Justham, before Loach made a brilliant instinctive stop to keep out Elliott Romain’s downward header after Curtley Williams’ cross from the right.

In response, Newton curled a disappointing, 30-yard free kick over, before Muggleton was hailed off the bench and, within two minutes, found the penalty box with his hands from close to the halfway line.

After Scott Doe headed clear, Hall then smacked a low edge-of-the-box volley at the home goal with Justham parrying to safety.

Dagenham countered, though, as their replacement Raymond made his presence felt by bending a 15-yard shot beyond Loach’s dive to his right.

Shortly afterwards, Hall headed straight at Justham from a Newton free kick but, despite Mills ending the match with a five-pronged attack after sending on Scott Fenwick and Aidan Connolly, it was the East London outfit who almost added to their lead in injury time with Whitely’s rising shot pushed around his near post by Loach.

City: Scott Loach; Dan Parslow, Hamza Bencherif, Sean Newton; Simon Heslop, Asa Hall (Aidan Connolly, 88), Adriano Moke (Scott Fenwick, 88), Alex Whittle; Vadaine Oliver, Jon Parkin, Amari Morgan-Smith (Sam Muggleton, 78) Subs not used: Danny Holmes, Shaun Rooney.

Dagenham: Elliot Justham, Curtley Williams, Josh Staunton, Scott Doe, Joe Widdowson, Craig Robson, Luke Guttridge (Frankie Raymond, 78), Luke Howell, Corey Whitely, Paul Benson, Elliott Romain. Subs not used: Mark Cousins, Matt Robinson, Jordan Maguire-Drew, Sam Ling.

Dagenham star man: Doe – solid at the back

Referee: Carl Brook rating: 7/10 – competent despite being the target of City fans’ frustrations at the end

Booked: Morgan-Smith 56, Doe 77, Parkin 86, Oliver after game

Attendance: 1,659 (288 from City)

Shots on target: Dagenham 6, City 6

Shots off target: Dagenham 5, City 5

Corners: Dagenham 8, City 4

Fouls conceded: Dagenham 12, City 13

Offside: Dagenham 4, City 4