Slough edged out by league leaders Dagenham

Slough Town were beaten 1-0 by National League South leaders Dagenham & Redbridge at Victoria Road on Bank Holiday Monday, despite a much-improved performance from the Rebels.

Tim Dieng's 16th-minute header proved decisive after the home side made a strong start, but Slough created several good opportunities of their own and finished the match on the front foot after Dagenham were reduced to ten men.

The result means the Rebels remain without a point from their opening five league matches, with Braintree Town next up at Arbour Park on Saturday.

There were five changes to the starting XI following Saturday's defeat to Folkestone Invicta, with Chris Regis, Latrell Humphrey-Ewers, Johnny Goddard, Jaiden Drakes-Thomas and Louis Walsh coming into the side.

Dagenham, meanwhile, went into the match as league leaders having won four of their opening five matches, although they had suffered their first defeat of the campaign at Truro City on Saturday.

The hosts began strongly and put Slough under significant pressure during the opening stages. Kayden Harrack tested Edegbe from range before Harry Beautyman followed up, but the Slough goalkeeper was equal to both efforts.

The Rebels gradually began to settle and almost caught the hosts out from distance when Jaiden Drakes-Thomas tried his luck from around 45 yards, with the effort floating just over Nathan Ashmore's crossbar.

Drakes-Thomas then tested Ashmore again in the 13th minute, this time with a low effort inside the penalty area which the Dagenham goalkeeper held comfortably.

The hosts responded immediately, with former Newcastle United, Liverpool and England striker Andy Carroll forcing another good stop from Edegbe with a powerful strike from outside the box.

Dagenham's pressure finally told in the 16th minute.

A long throw from Josh Addae was delivered into the Slough penalty area and Tim Dieng met it with a well-directed header which found the corner of the net, giving Edegbe no chance.

Slough looked for an immediate response and Walsh tested Ashmore a minute later, before the Rebels began to enjoy more sustained possession.

Carroll narrowly missed with an ambitious acrobatic attempt at the other end, but the visitors were increasingly finding their way into the match.

The best opportunity of the half came in the 40th minute.

A neat Slough move opened up the Dagenham defence and Johnny Goddard found himself one-on-one with Ashmore. The Rebels midfielder attempted to squeeze his effort underneath the goalkeeper, but Ashmore made an excellent save to keep his side in front.

It was a significant moment, particularly given the quality of the opportunity Slough had created.

Dagenham threatened again immediately afterwards when Kymani Thomas went down inside the area, but the referee waved away the home side's appeals for a penalty.

Joe Morrison was booked in the 43rd minute, before Kyle Brooks and Harrack were also cautioned during stoppage time at the end of a well-contested first half.

Dagenham led 1-0 at the interval, but Slough had grown into the contest considerably after the difficult opening quarter of an hour.

The second half followed a similar pattern, with Dagenham still carrying a threat but Slough increasingly taking control of possession and territory.

Harrack had an early opportunity for the hosts after Charles Clayden created an opening, but his effort was straight at Edegbe.

Slough continued to work the ball around patiently, although they initially struggled to turn their possession into clear chances.

Francis was booked in the 58th minute before Dagenham made a double change, introducing Antony Papadopoulos and Noah Coppin for Clayden and Kymani Thomas.

Drakes-Thomas remained a threat from distance and went close again in the 64th minute, forcing Ashmore into another save as the goalkeeper palmed his long-range effort away.

Dagenham then had one of their better second-half opportunities when Addae found Coppin in behind down the right. The substitute squared the ball towards Beautyman, but the Dagenham captain could not turn his effort goalwards.

Slough made their first change in the 69th minute as Joshua Adepoju replaced Walsh, who had suffered an Achilles injury.

The home side responded with another dangerous attack moments later. Addae delivered an excellent cross towards Carroll, who met it with the outside of his boot, only for Edegbe to produce another fine save to deny the former Premier League striker.

Arthur Gregory was introduced for Regis in the 72nd minute, while Dagenham replaced Harrack with George Marsh.

As the match entered its final stages, the momentum was firmly with the Rebels.

Slough continued to push for an equaliser and were able to keep Dagenham pinned back for increasingly long periods.

Alan Julian’s side made another attacking change in the 86th minute, with Luke Holness replacing Humphrey-Ewers.

A minute later, Adepoju was booked for stopping an Addae breakaway before Dagenham were reduced to ten men when Liam Vincent was shown a straight red card for a challenge on Drakes-Thomas.

With a numerical advantage and five minutes of minimum stoppage time to play, Slough had an opportunity to rescue a deserved point, and introduced another striker in Godlove Oppong.

Drakes-Thomas had another opportunity from distance during stoppage time, but his effort went wide as Dagenham held on.

Despite the defeat, Chislett felt there were plenty of positives to take from the performance, particularly after Slough had weathered the hosts' early pressure.

"We were weathering the storm. They came at us really strong," he said. "But after that first 10-15 minutes, I thought we controlled the game really, really well."

The assistant manager was particularly pleased with the way Slough continued to play with purpose rather than simply retaining possession, pointing to the opportunities created for Goddard and Walsh in the first half.

"I thought we had two really good opportunities to score in the first half," he said. "There was an element of penetration there too. It wasn't just possession in front of them."

Chislett also highlighted the Rebels' movement and work without the ball, adding: "The movements, the rotations were excellent. The spirit in the group was really, really good. Our ability to try and recover the ball after having it for long spells was fantastic."

The remaining frustration was Slough's inability to turn their periods of dominance into goals.

"I think today in particular, it's that final movement in, whether it's a bended run or a run from deep, and it's just getting the timing of that with good combination play and synchronising everything," Chislett explained.

The result leaves Slough still searching for their first points of the campaign, but the Rebels now have four clear days before Saturday's home fixture against Braintree Town.

Chislett insisted the focus would remain on Slough's own performance rather than the identity of the opposition.

"Ultimately it's about us showing our identity," he said. "We need to come out on the right side of results. We just need to stay positive, keep working hard and it'll come soon. I'm absolutely 100% sure of that."

The Rebels will return to Arbour Park on Saturday looking to turn the encouraging elements of their performance at the league leaders into their first points of the season.