BRIAN LITTLE ANXIOUS AFTER DAGENHAM STALEMATE
Mark Currie - Daily Post

WREXHAM manager Brian Little feared yesterday's failure to beat Dagenham & Redbridge could prove costly in the club's fight against relegation from the Football League.

The Dragons spurned a host of chances to win the match, with a combination of poor finishing and a fine display by ex-Wales goalkeeper Tony Roberts making for a frustrating afternoon.

Little said: "This was a game we went out to win and it was a game we should have won, so it feels like a defeat because we have not really closed the gap on the teams above us."

With nine matches left to preserve their Football League status, Wrexham have games in hand on some of the clubs they have yet to face, but the Racecourse boss admitted one point from six over the weekend was a poor return.

"We did more than enough to have won the game and I just hope we play like that in the remaining matches," he added.

"But it is getting more difficult. We said Easter would make a massive difference but one point is not really good enough for us.

"But the players haven't given up."

WREXHAM FAN ROBERTS PRAYING REDS' SURVIVE THE DROP
Richard Williams - Wrexham Evening Leader

DAGENHAM AND REDBRIDGE goalkeeper Tony Roberts admitted he is desperate to see Wrexham avoid relegation.

Holyhead-born Roberts has been a Wrexham supporter since childhood but yesterday played his part in earning Dagenham a 0-0 draw at The Racecourse - further denting the Reds' hopes of avoiding the drop.

And Roberts is hoping Wrexham enjoy a change in fortunes in their nine game run-in: "A big club like this should not be down where they are," he said.

"Me being a Wrexham fan, I hope they go on a run and get the points to stay up because I really don't want to see them go down.

"I am from Holyhead just up the road, I came to The Racecourse as a supporter as a boy and I have been here a few times with the Wales squad.

"Wrexham means a lot to me as a club and I want them to stay up.

"We have got Mansfield last game of the season so hopefully if it comes down to that, I will pull out some saves, we will batter them and Wrexham go and win, and get the points to stay up."

Roberts, who won two full Wales caps, made a number of saves to deny Wrexham who created a host of chances.

The 38-year-old was happy Dagenham picked up a point and believes fifth from bottom Daggers now need just one more win to ensure they are playing League Two football next term.

"It was a big game for Wrexham, but we came here to try and spoil it and get a point," added Roberts.

"Wrexham had a few chances. They were quite tasty with the balls coming into the box and had a few chances but luckily for us did not take any.

"I made a couple of saves so I am well happy.

"We have got six games left and I think if we get another win, which would take us to 45 points, we should be okay.

"But you never know. We were on a good run, then lost a few, but everybody is beating each other in this league.

"We just have to keep on going and see what we get."

WREXHAM 0 DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE 0
Mark Currie - Daily Post

IF Wrexham do lose their battle for Football League survival this season everyone associated with the club will look back on this Bank Holiday as the afternoon when the die was probably cast.

The Dragons - and striker Drewe Broughton in particular - missed enough goalscoring opportunities to have won several matches on a massively frustrating afternoon at the Racecourse.

And while opponents Dagenham & Redbridge rode their luck to somehow keep a clean sheet on their first visit to North Wales, the news from fellow relegation candidates Macclesfield simply piled on the agony.

The Moss Rose side boosted their survival hopes as they cruised to victory at home to Barnet and moved above Notts County, who are seven points ahead of the Dragons and Mansfield occupying the bottom two places.

Broughton, who before the match signed a loan extension to stay at the Racecourse until the final week of the season, will never have a better chance to improve on his one goal to date for Wrexham than yesterday.

But an outstanding display by Dagenham's proud Welsh keeper Tony Roberts and the fact that his goalmouth was endowed with a charmed existence dealt a massive blow to the home side's chances of avoiding the drop.

Home boss Brian Little, who was unhappy with his side's performance at Brentford on Saturday, reverted to a tried and tested 3-5-2 line-up in the hunt for some much-needed points.

Defender Richard Hope was recalled in place of Mike Williams - away on international duty with Brian Flynn's Wales under-21 squad - and teenager Matty Done was deployed as a wing back with the result that Neil Roberts found himself dropped to the bench.

Undoubtedly aware that they had not done themselves justice in the 2-0 Griffin Park defeat, the Dragons needed just seven minutes to carve out as many chances as they had in 90 at the weekend, but failed to make an early breakthrough.

Danny Sonner gave Michael Proctor the opportunity to run at the visitors' defence, but the striker's shot was deflected behind, Broughton was denied by a goal line clearance and Sam Aiston drove a powerful effort just wide from 20 yards in an encouraging opening spell for the home side.

Broughton was proving a handful for the Daggers' defence and former Wales international Roberts made a fine 23rd minute save to deny the striker.

As Wrexham continued to press, two further openings were spurned, Aiston steering a header wide of the target before Proctor needed one touch too many from Broughton's flick-on.

Those misses threatened to haunt the home side, who were not looking too confident at the back and Ben Strevens tested Gavin Ward after a poor clearance from Gareth Evans before Phil Bolland lunged in with a vital block when Peter Gain made room for a shot.

The goalmouth incidents continued to come thick and fast at either end, Broughton glancing a header wide and the visitors' defence stood firm as Chris Llewellyn twice had shots blocked, but it was the Dragons who were on the back foot as a breathless opening period drew to a close.

Roberts was introduced for Sonner from the restart and the match resumed a similar pattern with Dagenham resorting to some desperate defending when Aiston's shot was parried by Roberts and Smith blocked Proctor's attempt to force home the rebound.

The visitors stretched their luck to breaking point in the 54th minute when Roberts stuck out a hand to block a Broughton header and Proctor's follow-up rebounded from the foot of an upright.

And with Dagenham unable to break out of their own half the two Wrexham strikers combined again, Broughton slicing an instinctive flick wide of the goal.

It was pretty much one-way traffic but the home side simply could not find the knockout punch.

After Roberts won a midfield tussle Broughton curled another shot off target, but as they pushed forward in ever-increasing numbers, the Dragons looked vulnerable at the back.

Strevens took advantage of an error to sting Ward's hands and when the visitors broke quickly in a two on two raid, Simon Spender sensibly conceded a corner.

But it was a rare Dagenham attack and Broughton spurned another inviting chance to score when he met Llewellyn's cross with a powerful header that again flew wide of a gaping net.

In a last throw of the dice, Little withdrew leading scorer Proctor in the hope that the pace of substitute Stuart Nicholson would prove decisive.

But it was local favourite Roberts who raised everyone's hopes as the striker threw himself full length to meet Done's cross, only to mistime the header, which was easily gathered by the Dagenham keeper.