AFC Fylde 3-0 Dagenham & Redbridge
Yeates 16’, Williams 42’, Rowe 44’
AFC Fylde recorded their first league win under Jim Bentley, as a superb first half saw the Coasters blow Dagenham & Redbridge away at Mill Farm.
The opening goal came as Dan Bradley received the ball on the right flank and whipped it in- finding Mark Yeates, waiting unmarked to volley into the top corner.
Looking for a response, Dagenham had a great chance – but on-loan Bradford City keeper Sam Hornby was there to deny Joan Luque from close range.
Trying to grab a second, the Coasters had several key chances.
Mark Yeates’ corner was whipped in to the back post where Neil Byrne headed just wide, before Jordan Williams turned his man and looked to play in Ryan Croasdale, but his shot was blocked by the Dagenham defence.
Danny Philliskirk almost notched his first goal of the season after Danny Rowe brought a cross down well, and laid the ball to the edge of the area for Philliskirk – but he dragged his goal just wide.
With the wind in their sails, however, the Coasters could sense more goals would follow – and they soon did.
Jordan Williams added the second after receiving a pass on the front foot, taking one touch and slotting the ball past Justham in the Dagenham goal.
The quick fire double came as a hammer blow to the Daggers, who came off of a fantastic 6-1 win against Aldershot Town last weekend.
Half-Time: AFC Fylde 3 – 0 Dag & Red
“We created numerous chances, and could probably have had three or four more on another day,” said AFC Fylde Manager Jim Bentley.
“We said to them, we’ve shown how good we can be in that first half – let’s show them how professional we can be in the second half.”
After the break, the Daggers looked to get things back on a positive track, with Brundle firing over from distance.
The game sprung to life as Danny Rowe’s free-kick hit the wall, with the ball sitting up nicely for him to unleash a volley towards goal, with the ball stinging the palms of Justham.
Dagenham improved with the introduction of Bagasan Graham at half-time, with the pace winger proving to be a thorn in the Fylde defence’s side.
One fantastic run saw him beat Byrne for pace, and looked as if he’d find the back of the net – but for a fantastic slide tackle from Alex Whitmore to keep the clean sheet intact.
Beyond that, the second half proved to be much less eventful than the first – with the three quick goals effectively ending it as a contest, and Fylde ran out comfortable winners.
“We were disappointed last week at Solihull, but there’s plenty to be proud of today,” summarised Jim Bentley.
Click here to watch Jim Bentley’s full post-match interview.
