Cureton’s 250th league goal just a consolation as Daggers concede late on to lose at Mansfield

Jamie Cureton’s milestone moment was ruined after Dagenham & Redbridge conceded seven minutes from time to lose at Mansfield Town.

After a goalless first half, Wayne Burnett’s side conceded inside the opening minute of the half.

But Cureton level the scores on the hour mark to net for the 250th time in league football and give the 122 away supporters something to cheer about.

Stag were the team that looked more like scoring afterwards, though, and they did in the 83rd minute and it was enough to consign the Victoria Road outfit to a second consecutive defeat.

This result sees Daggers drop to 19th in the table and four points above the relegation places.

Burnett was back in the dugout for Daggers after missing last weekend’s match at Burton Albion and it was his 100th game in charge of the club.

He kept faith with the starting team for the fifth consecutive match, but once again made changes to the substitutes bench.

New Brighton & Hove Albion loan signing Shamir Fenelon was handed a place on the bench and youngster Ian Gayle and Frankie Raymond also came in.

Gayle and Raymond had just completed loan spells at Conference South teams St Albans City and Eastbourne Borough respectively.

Ashley Chambers, Jodi Jones and Jack Connors all missed out at Mill Field as Burnett showed the strength in depth he has at his disposal.

Daggers made an impressive start with Scott Doe having a shot on target inside the opening minute from Andre Boucaud’s corner, although it was a tame effort and didn’t cause Stags keeper Lenny Pidgeley much discomfort.

Both teams won numerous corners in the opening 10 minutes, but neither was able to make the most of their promising positions.

The Field Mill pitch wasn’t in the greatest condition either and made controlling the ball difficult.

That could have contributed to Ayo Obileye scuffing his shot in the ninth minute after Billy Bingham had picked him out brilliant from a corner.

Cureton did put a dangerous ball across the box for the visitors before Ricky Ravenhill flicked Junior Thomas’s excellent ball into the box wide.

Midway through the half Burnett’s side were unlucky not to be awarded a penalty when Ashley Hemmings would fouled outside the box.

Boucaud curled a free kick towards goal and Ravenhill definitely blocked his effort with his arm, but referee Brandan Malone was unmoved despite appeals.

Tempers were raised seven minutes before the break when Cureton and Ravenhill fell to the ground inside the Mansfield box.

Bingham and Vadaine Oliver also came together with the Stags forward sticking his head towards the Daggers midfielder.

But referee Malone once again choose to keep his cards in his pocket and just spoke to the four players involved.

When play was resumed Daggers should have taken the lead in the 42nd minute when Alex Jakubiak fired over in space.

Luke Howell flicked the ball over a defender and into the path of Abu Ogogo, who cut back for Jakubiak in space.

The youngster leant back and smashed over the bar from eight-yards-out as the chance was wasted.

Mansfield responded with a great chance of their own two minutes into three minutes of stoppage time.

Callum Elder’s throw into the area was flicked on by Ayo Obileye and Jack Thomas stabbed over at the far post from close range as it remained goalless at the break.

However 52 seconds into the second period and the hosts opened the scoring as Daggers were slow out the blocks.

Lambe came inside and passed out to Junior Brown on the right, he got a shot off which Mark Cousins saved. But it didn’t go far and Lambe was able to fire into the net from close range to give Mansfield the lead.

The home side pushed for a second soon after, but the visitors were able to survive despite a barrage of pressure from the Stags.

Burnett’s team slowly worked their way back into the contest and were just lacking that cutting edge in the final third.

However on the hour mark they showed they could be clinical in front of goal and it was no surprise that Cureton was the man to get them level.

Boucaud brilliantly picked out the Daggers hitman and he took the ball in his stride before firing past Pidgeley and into the net off the post.

The goal was the 250th he had scored in the league and 271st of his career and brought the visitors back level.

Mansfield introduced Billy Kee in the 66th minute and less than a minute after his introduction he left his mark on Ogogo.

Daggers skipper overran the ball, but Kee went in two-footed and high on Ogogo, but Malone failed to give even a foul, let alone a card.

It easily could have been a red and staggeringly the Mansfield supporters shouted cheat at Ogogo after he got to his feet.

Four minutes later and Stags were somehow stopped by Cousins when they should have taken the lead.

The ball rolled to Kee inside the box and his shot was deflected out to Oliver, who from a couple of yards out seemed destined to smash into the back of the net.

Cousins made himself big and pushed the strike away to keep Daggers level.

Stags Kee continued to cause a nuisance and Cousins pushed away a cross with the Mansfield forward in close proximity. It came out to Lambe and his shot into the ground was going in, but Doe headed clear.

Burnett introduced new signing Fenelon with 10 minutes left for his debut, Jakubiak the man making way. But the hosts continued to press for the winner.

Ogogo was forced to clear off the line in the 81st minute after Oliver had beat Cousins in the air.

Daggers continued to defend for their lives with Obileye and Doe making crucial blocks to keep it level.

But in the 83rd minute the hosts did finally take the lead when Brown smashed in from close range after another throw from Elder caused problems.

Although Daniel Carr was introduced, Stags seemed the most likely to score and they were able to comfortably see out four minutes of stoppage time to consign Daggers to a disappointing defeat.

Mansfield Town: Pidgeley, Sutton, Riley, Tafazolli, Ravenhill, Lambe (Monakana 78), Thomas (Kee 66), Brown, Oliver, Elder, Clements.

Unused substitutes: Studer, Rhead, Bingham, McGuire, Beevers.

Dagenham & Redbridge: Cousins, Ogogo, Doe, Obileye, Widdowson, Howell (Carr 85), Bingham, Boucaud, Hemmings, Jakubiak (Fenelon 80), Cureton.

Unused substitutes: O’Brien, Saah, Labadie, Raymond, Gayle.

Attendance: 2,546 (122 Daggers supporters)