In front of the third lowest home gate of the league season, Altrincham, winless in four outings in the league, added another point to their tally in a game which improved in entertainment value as it progressed.

In the 41st minute, Dagenham took the lead from the penalty spot, their first shot on target in the game. The spot-kick was awarded when Weston, their liveliest player in the first half, got past Eddy Jones. The Alty left=back dragged him down to concede a clear penalty.

Matt Gould, making his first league start since August in place of an injured Ollie Byrne, found his first meaningful action was picking the ball out of his net from Effiong's penalty.

Alty levelled straight after the interval when Harry Perritt's cross from the left evaded Hugill's attempt at a scissor-kick in the centre of the box but ran on to Hulme who netted smartly to make it 1-1 (46 mins).

The Robins then took the lead in a strange fashion. Good build-up play led to Linney turning smartly in the box and being felled for what looked a clear penalty. But in the confusion created by this foul, the ball somehow found its way into the net and was credited to Phipps as an own goal (65 mins).

If that was an unusual goal, Dagenham's equaliser was in a similar vein. Following the award of a Daggers corner which Alty disputed, substitute Saunders hoisted an intended cross from the left touchline some 40 yards from goal but it curled over Gould and into the far corner of his net to make it 2-2 (78 mins).

Both sides did not settle for a draw but there were to be no more goals as the sides shared the points. Results elsewhere ensured that Altrincham would enjoy a fourth successive season in the top flight of non-League football in 2023-24.

SCORERS:

• 41 mins: Inih EFFIONG (penalty) (ALTRINCHAM 0 Dagenham & Redbridge 1)
• 46 mins: Jordan HULME (ALTRINCHAM 1 Dagenham & Redbridge 1)
• 65 mins: Harry PHIPPS (own goal) (ALTRINCHAM 2 Dagenham & Redbridge 1)
• 78 mins: George SAUNDERS (ALTRINCHAM 2 Dagenham & Redbridge 2)

After 36 consecutve starts in the National League, goalkeeper Ollie Byrne missed his first game with a minor knock, with Matt Gould replacing him for his first league appearance since August. That was Alty's only change to the starting eleven.

LINE-UPS:

ALTRINCHAM (Red and white striped shirts, black shorts and red socks): 21. Matt Gould, 34. Miles Welch-Hayes, 30. Harry Perritt, 6. Lewis Baines, 28. Maxi Oyedele, 2. Eddy Jones, 8. Josh Lundstram , 4. Isaac Marriott, 9. Jordan Hulme (c), 29. Regan Linney, 39. Joe Hugill. Subs: 10. Elliot Osborne, 11, Luke Burgess, 18. Ben Pringle, 27. Aaron Bennett, 33. Egli Kaja.

DAGENHAM & REDBRIGE (All blue): 1. Elliot Justham, 2. Josh Hare, 5. Emmanuel Onariase, 16. Harry Phipps, 8. Mohammed Sagaf, 19. Sam Ling, 10. Angelo Balanta (c) , 11. Myles Weston, 39. Sydney Ibie, 21. David Longe-King, 7. Inih Effiong. Subs: 6. Omar Mussa, 13. Joshua Strizovic, 14. George Saunders, 18. Ryley Scott, 36. Jay Bird

Originally scheduled for Saturday 11 March, the game was postponed owing to a clash with the FA Trophy fixtures that day.

Dagenham had had a mixed campaign and had fallen away after flirting with the play-off places. They had won two but lost four of their last six league games.

They lay tenth, eight points off the play-offs but five points ahead of Altrincham.

In the reverse fixture Alty had lost 4-1 at Dagenham. Last season Altrincham had won the game at the JDS 3-0.

For the first time in a while Altrincham found themselves kicking off towards the Golf Road end after the teams had changed ends. One reason why the Daggers had chosen ends soon became apparent when Matt Gould began the game having to shield his eyes from a setting sun.

After the sides had traded a couple of throw-ins, Welch-Hayes won Altrincham an early corner from a deflection (2 mins). From the recycled ball, the Alty loanee right-back headed the ball into the arms of Justham (3 mins).

Dagenham then enjoyed the better of the next few minutes with Weston the main threat on the Daggers' right. From his cross into the box Altrincham managed to scramble the ball away (8 mins). At the other end, a Jones cross led to a blocked effort from Marriott (12 mins). Soon afterwards another effort from the midfielder deflected to Linney but his effort was comfortably saved, though the offside flag had been raised (14 mins).

As the game neared the twenty-minute mark Altrincham put together the game's best move so far, which was started by a Linney run and culminated in the striker's well-struck effort across the face of goal, from the right.

Overall, the first quarter of the game had been fairly even and without too much in the way of goalmouth excitement, though some light relief was provided when, from the directors' box, the injured Ross Barrows headed an errant ball back onto the pitch.

The sides were largely cancelling out each other as the half-hour passed with Matt Gould having not been troubled at all. A Josh Lundstram shot at the other end went wide (37 mins) before Altrincham conceded a penalty. The lively Weston had got past Eddy Jones and into the far right of the box where the retreating left-back hauled the Dagenham winger down for a clear spot-kick decision.

Effiong's spot-kick was firm enough to beat Gould, though it was not as near to the keeper's right upright as it might have been (41 mins). It was arguably the visitors' first shot on target. Soon afterwards there was a stoppage as Oyedele was fouled and needed treatment (42 mins). He did resume though, but he had not fully recovered.

Two minutes of added time saw Effiong get past Perritt but from a promising position Sagaf spooned his shot well over the bar. There was still time for Lundstram to lay a ball across the Daggers' box but it went unconverted.

Despite the visitors kicking off, the second half started well for Altrincham. Harry Perritt got forward on the right and though his cross was missed by Hugill as he attempted a bicycle kick, the ball's trajectory took it on to Hulme, left of centre. The Alty skipper skilfully drove it into the net to level the score (46 mins).

However, Oyedele was now unable to continue following his first-half injury, and Osborne came on in his place (47 mins).

Play soon stopped again when Marriott was accidentally caught on the head but the referee had allowed Alty to play on with Hulme putting the ball across the face of goal before play halted for the stricken midfielder (50 mins).

Dagenham survived a goalmouth scramble (54 mins) as Altrincham continued on top towards the hour mark.

A fine run by Welch-Hayes now led to a cross to Linney, who forced a fine reaction save from Justham at the cost of an Alty corner (60 mins).

Next Saunders replaced the tall Ibie for the Daggers (62 mins) before Alty put together an excellent move which led to Linney getting into the box and making space before being brought down for what seemed a clear penalty. However, the ball had somehow got diverted into the net by Phipps and Alty found themselves 2-1 ahead in slightly strange circumstances (65 mins).

Alty immediately brought on Kaja for Hugill (65 mins).

Following a Dagenham feekick, the visitors prompted a fine save by Gould, low to his right (69 mins).

Next, Bird replaced Balanta for the Daggers (72 mins).

The pass of the night was played by Osborne, some 70 yards diagonally from his own half on the right to Hulme on the left. The Alty number nine controlled it well before advancing diagonally and smashing a fine shot which went across the face of goal (74 mins).

Linney then won a corner (75 mins) before Dagenham were awarded a dubious corner after a shot seemed to have been skied over the bar. It was to prove a fateful decision by the referee as the corner came out to Saunders near the left touchline. From a good forty yards, his curling cross looped above Gould and into the far corner of the net to level the score at 2-2 (78 mins).

Another fine ball from Osborne found Linney but Hulme then miskicked and the chance was gone (81 mins). Next, a fine run by Lundstram led to a series of passes which yielded a freekick for a foul on Hulme but nothing came of that (83 mins).

To their credit Dagenham had not settled for a draw and it took a fine block tackle by Welch-Hayes to halt an incursion on the Dagenham left. But the defender had done himself some damage and had to go off, to be replaced by Burgess, with Lundstram having to continue at right-back (87 mins).

In the last minute of normal time Longe-King became the only booking of the night, for a foul. Five added minutes were unable to produce a winner as Alty's winless run extended to five league games. However, Torquay's defeat at Chesterfield meant that mathematics now confirmed that the Robins had secured their place in the National League for next season.