Encouraging performance sees Shaymen beat Dagenham and Redbridge

Town are now on their best run of the season, three wins and a draw, form which will be severely tested at Wrexham on Tuesday.

They produced an encouraging performance here, not perfect, but with plenty of positives and some strong individual displays.

A lot of work still lies ahead, but if they continue to play like this, more wins will be on their way.

Town had three clear chances inside the first ten minutes to take the lead, but wasted them all.

Kian Spence could only produce a tame shot from Tylor Golden's cut back, and then found Jack Senior's cross from the left just out of reach on the stretch.

Jordan Slew then probably should have passed to Jamie Cooke rather than waiting and then seeing his shot blocked after a quick counter-attack.

Three times the Dagenham defence had been exposed, but three times they'd been let off the hook.

The visitors were shaky in defence and struggling to play out from the back; Town were finding it fairly easy to play through them, helped by Cooke finding space drifting in off the right.

Dagenham were failing to impose themselves on the game, conceding possession far too often and too easily. It didn't help that they lost top scorer Paul McCallum to injury.

Josh Walker was their biggest threat but was wasteful when in decent positions.

Mo Sagaf's shot was well blocked in the Halifax box during a panicky passage of play, but there were more of those at the other end of the pitch.

Halifax needed to turn their superiority into a lead, but just when the hosts should have kept their foot to the floor, they came off the gas.

An opener looked less likely as the first 45 progressed, with Cooke's impact waning and Halifax going more direct, bypassing the midfield, who had looked productive.

Spence had been hit and miss but couldn't be faulted for effort, while Luke Summerfield, who came into the side along with Dierseruvwe, was trying to exert his influence.

The half ended how it began as Spence squandered a couple of chances, first by hesitating before shooting, and then when he did shoot, it was blocked for a corner.

For all The Shaymen's control and greater attacking threat, Elliot Justham in the visitors' goal had barely been tested.

No team in the National League had conceded more than Dagenham coming into the game, while no team had scored fewer at home than Halifax, and those stats were telling the story: a lack of ruthlessness in-front of goal failing to punish a frail defence.

The away side were more proactive after the restart, keeping the ball better, moving it quicker and bringing a first save of the day from Sam Johnson through Myles Weston's bobbling shot.

Halifax were regressing alarmingly, their composure deserting them, needing a response.

It so nearly came when Spence brought a save from Justham before Dierseruvwe's shot was cleared off the line.

There was no stopping the Town striker shortly afterwards though when he met Cooke's terrific cross with a superb diving header at the far post.

As it did against York here, the game evolved into Town soaking up more pressure and playing on the break.

Cooke could have added the cushion of a second goal but his shot was straight at Justham, while Festus Arthur hit the post from a corner.

The latter stages saw Dagenham in the ascendancy, but make hard work of creating any meaningful chances.

And the points were made safe when Debrah met Jack Senior's excellent cross from the left with a diving header at the far post.

Halifax: Johnson, Golden, Debrah, Arthur, Senior, Summerfield, Hunter, Spence, Cooke, Slew (Alli 59), Dierseruvwe (Harker 81). Subs not used: Capello, Clarke, Gilmour.

Scorers: Dierseruvwe (60), Debrah (90)

Shots on target: 5

Shots off target: 5

Corners: 7

Dag and Red: Justham, Hare, Phipps, Onariase, Ling (Zouma 28, Johnson 67)), Rance, Robinson, Sagaf, Walker, Weston, McCallum (Morias 16). Subs not used: Mussa, Franz.

Shots on target: 1

Shots off target: 10

Corners: 3

Attendance: 1,628

Referee: Steven Copeland

Town man of the match: Kian Spence and Jack Senior the two stand-out players for me, both played with commitment, energy and spirit. Spence just gets the nod, despite not being perfect, for some excellent moments of quality and skill that no-one else on the pitch could have produced.