League Two: Burton Albion 1 Dagenham & Redbridge 1

Some heroic second half defending from the 10 men of Dagenham & Redbridge helped them come back from Burton Albion with a well-earned point.

Lawson D’Ath’s fine strike on the stroke of half time gave them the lead, but Jack Connors was dismissed for a second bookable offence six minutes into the half.

Substitute Billy Kee did level for the hosts, but the Daggers held out despite plenty of pressure to pick up a battling point.

Manager Wayne Burnett made two changes to the side which lost 2-0 at home to Hartlepool United with Billy Bingham and loanee Ade Azeez starting in place of Zavon Hines and Luke Norris.

The Daggers started promisingly with some early pressure on the Brewers goal and from one attack Scott Doe headed on to the roof of the net.

A lot of Burton’s play was coming down the left in the early stages, with Jimmy Phillips delivering plenty of dangerous balls into the box and on one such occasion Gary Alexander headed goalwards, however Chris Lewington gathered in the Daggers goal.

Luke Wilkinson tried his luck from long range and Burton ‘keeper Rob Lainton only gathered at the second attempt.

The chances continued to come and Connors superbly headed clear off the line from Adam McGurk’s header, while Scott Doe blocked a Phillips shot after Alexander found the winger in acres of space.

And most of the crowd at the Pirelli Stadium thought the hosts had taken the lead on 33 minutes when the ball fell to McGurk on the edge of the area but his shot fell agonisingly wide.

Daggers midfielder Lawson D’Ath has impressed of late and just as the half appeared was drawing to a close, a fine strike from the Reading loanee gave Wayne Burnett’s side the lead.

He picked the ball up from 35 yards out before unleashing a curling effort into the top corner, with little Lainton could do about it in the Burton goal.

The visitors started the second half brightly and it was only Lainton that denied the Daggers a second when he superbly tipped Medy Elito’s effort wide.

Despite the strong start the visitors would be up against it when Jack Connors was shown his marching orders for a tackle from behind on Ismail.

The young left back was already in the book having brought down the tricky winger in the first half and referee Wright had no option but to send him off.

Elito was the sacrificial lamb with Femi Ilesanmi coming on and Ismail got the better of sub straight away.

But having done all the hard work in beating his man, he then shot straight into the side netting.

The pressure was mounting on the Daggers defence as Burton pushed for the equaliser, but they could only hold out until the 69th minute.

Substitute Billy Kee, scorer of the winner in the 3-2 success here against the Daggers last season picked the ball up 25 yards out and shot low past Lewington.

But for all the possession for the hosts in the final third, they were failing to turn it into a goalscoring opportunity and Daggers had to have a third left back of the game after Ilesanmi was forced off through injury, and the ever-dependable Scott Doe filled the void for the final 15 minutes.

Burton threw everything at the Daggers, and in added on time the goal led a charmed life.

Some heroic defending saw Wilkinon block an attempt on goal, but it fell to the feet of Robbie Weir who thundered the strike against the post.

That wasn’t it, as a ball back into the box was diverted behind for a corner by Abu Ogogo.

The remainder of the five minutes added on was played out, and Daggers valiantly held out for the point against the odds.

Burton Albion: Lainton, Edwards, Sharps, Cansdell-Sheriff, McCrory, Phillips (MacDonald 79), Ismail, Weir, McGurk (Kee 54), Palmer, Alexander (Knowles 79)

Unused substitutes: Lyness, Hussey, Bell, Gray.

Dagenham & Redbridge: Lewington, Hoyte, Doe, Wilkinson, Connors, Bingham, D’Ath, Ogogo, Elito [Ilesanmi 54 (Saah 75)], Murphy (Norris 70), Azeez.

Unused substitutes: Seabright, Dickson, Shields, Hines.

Attendance: 2,934