York City forced to settle for a point against Dagenham

Mo Sagaf’s first-half opener was cancelled out by a Sam Sanders finish late in the second half.

York had the better start to the game, establishing their intentions in attack early on when a shot from Maziar Kouhyar forced Dagenham goalkeeper Elliot Justham into a save just minutes into the match.

The Minstermen maintained their pressure and unbelievably did not score from a Kouhyar corner, with two shots being met by two strong saves from Justham and another denied by the crossbar.

Despite York having a better start, it was Dagenham’s Mo Sagaf that opened the scoring, reacting the quickest to a parry from Ethan Ross.

City battled back in the second half, coming close particularly through John-Lewis and a couple of headers from Ryan Fallowfield.

They would eventually find their equaliser through Sanders, who profited from a brilliant run by Nathan Thomas, who was brought on for his City debut.

York ascended to a play-off position on Saturday when Alex Hurst’s goal ensured a 1-0 win over Torquay United at home.

It was a strong showing in both attack and defence and a display that City were, rightly, hoping to build on.

Manager John Askey named an unchanged starting side against Dagenham, such was his faith in the team that overcame United.

Though defender Fraser Kerr remained absent from the team through injury, forward Manny Duku came back into the fold, replacing AJ Greaves on the bench.

York started the game well, earning a corner within the opening five minutes. Played short, the ball was soon passed to Kouhyar.

The winger drove forward and unleashed a curling shot from the edge of the box, forcing Justham into a save.

City pressed their visitors well to begin with, forcing them backwards and ensuring that they struggled to clear any danger that emerged.

Such efforts saw the Minstermen win another corner, which Kouhyar delivered towards the box.

It found John-Lewis, whose header was well saved by Justham. The chance still alive, Sanders looked to scramble the ball over the line but saw it cleared.

The clearance came out as far as Kouhyar who saw his effort ricochet off the bar. John-Lewis headed the rebound towards goal, but it was claimed by Justham as City, somehow, didn’t open the scoring.

The Minstermen slowed slightly after their flurry of chances. Dyson did well to break through the defence of the Daggers to find Kouhyar, but the attacker’s cross was blocked.

From there, Dagenham ranged forward. The ball came to Walker on the left, but his effort was parried away by Ross.

The ball, however, fell directly into the path of Sagaf who placed his shot into the bottom-left corner to give the away side the lead with their first proper chance of the match.

York had a couple of free-kicks throughout the remainder of the first half, but their deliveries were often too deep or too short.

Though much of City’s build-up play remained strong, it was their actions in the final third that were letting them down.

On the brink of half-time, some phenomenal footwork from Dyson saw him break through the Dagenham backline, but his ball forward was too heavy and went out of play.

City started the second half well, continuing their attacking efforts as Kouhyar and Dyson linked up on the left, though the latter’s cross was cleared before reaching John-Lewis.

Fallowfield had two headed chances in as many minutes, thundering into the box from right-back, but both went over the bar.

Dagenham resorted to trying to catch York on the break and almost succeeded in getting a second goal through Walker.

His shot was well saved by Ross and City went on the offensive. Hurst broke forward and found John-Lewis in the box but he headed inches wide.

With 15 minutes remaining, Thomas was brought on for his first York appearance. The attacker made an immediate impact, sending a driven cross into the box that, unfortunately for City, was cleared.

He soon found himself with the ball at his feet once more on the right wing and charged past his marker before forcing Dagenham to turn the ball behind for a corner.

From the set piece, the ball once more came to Thomas who, after a stellar individual run, fired a cross in.

Dagenham could not clear the danger and the ball came to Sanders, who thrashed an effort beyond Justham.

City kept pushing, looking now for a goal to take the lead rather than restore the deficit. Kouhyar had a go from range, but his effort was tipped over the bar.

Thomas and Dyson would both have chances on goal in the dying embers of the game, but neither could get their attempts on target.

York City: Ross, 7, Fallowfield, 7, Kouogun, 7, Sanders, 7, Whittle, 6, Pybus, 8, Mafuta, 6, (Thomas 75’, 7), Dyson, 7, Kouhyar, 7, John-Lewis (C), 7, Hurst, 8

Unused subs: Whitley, Hancox, Duku, James

Goals: Sanders (84’)

York City’s star man: Dan Pybus. The midfielder had an incredible game in the middle, winning every ball and looking to play it forward. Ryan Fallowfield, Nathan Thomas and Alex Hurst all also had a great match, to name a few.

Dagenham: Justham, Hare, Phipps, Onariase, Ling, Rance, Robinson (C), Sagaf (Morias 86’), Walker (Mussa 65’), McCallum, Weston

Unused subs: Johnson, Zouma, Blair

Goals: Sagaf (26’)

Yellow cards: Robinson (22’)

Stats for York City v Dagenham

Shots (on target): 17 (6) | 6 (3)

Corners: 5 | 0

Offsides: 2 | 1

Fouls committed: 3 | 9

Attendance: 3,971 (61 away fans)

Referee: Aaron Jackson