by Dan Howell
Yeovil Town fought back from an early setback to claim a point at Victoria Road, drawing 1-1 with Dagenham & Redbridge in an evenly contested National League clash.
Following their loss to Rochdale, Yeovil made several changes, with new signings James Plant and Aidan Stone going straight into the starting XI. Morgan Williams also returned to the side, marking his 150th appearance for the club, alongside Michael Smith and Frank Nouble.
The hosts made a rapid start, taking the lead inside five minutes. A long throw from Trent Rendall was flicked on, falling perfectly for Josh Rees, who volleyed beyond Aidan Stone to put Dagenham in front.
Yeovil looked for an immediate response, with Kofi Shaw delivering a cross for James Plant, whose header was comfortably saved by Nathan Harvey. Dagenham continued to threaten and thought they had doubled their lead on 13 minutes when Aaron Loupalo-Bi turned in a rebound after Stone had denied Paul Kalambayi, but the flag was up for offside.
The Glovers slowly grew into the game, with Kyrell Wilson forcing a smart save from Harvey before a low Brett McGavin free-kick was almost turned into the net by Dagenham forward Josh Umerah. As half time approached, Yeovil were handed a golden opportunity to equalise when Wilson was brought down in the box, earning the Glovers their first penalty of the season. McGavin stepped up but saw his effort saved by Harvey, only for the ball to rebound back to him, allowing him to fire home at the second attempt and level the score just before the break.
Dagenham started the second half brightly, with Tom Eastman’s header forcing a fine stop from Stone. Yeovil made their first change of the afternoon when Finn Cousin-Dawson replaced the injured Jacob Maddox in midfield.
The visitors looked lively going forward, with Wilson proving a constant menace to the Daggers’ defence. His low strike was deflected into the hands of Harvey, while at the other end, Shiloh Remy saw his powerful effort cannon off the post before ricocheting off Stone and rolling behind for a corner.
In the closing stages, Yeovil made further attacking changes, introducing Ciaran McGuckin and Sean McGurk in search of a winner. However, it was Morgan Williams who made the crucial intervention at the other end, racing back to block Rafiq Khaleel’s goal bound effort after the Dagenham man had rounded Stone.
Both sides pushed for a late winner, but neither could find the decisive touch. The point leaves Yeovil 13th in the table ahead of their upcoming home fixture against Wealdstone.
