Liddle strikes in injury time to deny Daggers all three points

Gary Liddle scored in the 95th minute to give Hartlepool United a deserved point at Dagenham & Redbridge on Saturday afternoon.

After an eventful first half, which was more exciting than the goalless statistic would imply, Daggers eventually took the lead on 49 minutes.

After Gavin Tomlin was tripped en route towards goal, Darren Currie sent a quickly-taken free kick to Phil Ifil, whose drilled cross from the right took deflected heavily off Hartlepool defender Peter Hartley and looped into the top corner of the net.

The goal brought the visitors to life with substitute Armann Bjornsson’s aerial threat proving difficult to deal with.

The Icelandic forward was denied a certain goal on the hour mark by a heroic block from Mark Arber, before Leon McSweeney’s fizzing shot flew just over the bar.

Antony Monkhouse’s deflected shot then hit the woodwork before home defenders Arber and Damien McCrory both nearly scored embarrassing own goals.

However, after the announced four minutes of injury time had already been played, Liddle struck a ball from the edge of the box, which took a deflection and agonisingly spun past the stranded Tony Roberts in the Dagenham goal.

Dagenham & Redbridge: Roberts, McCrory, Doe, Arber, Scott (Savage, 73 mins), Tomlin, Ifil (Walsh, 69 mins), Scannell (Nurse, 81 mins), Currie, Taiwo, Vincelot.

Subs: Lewington, Bingham, Gwillim, Pinney.

Hartlepool United: Kean, Austin, Liddle, Collins, McSweeney (Behan, 62 mins), Gamble, Monkhouse, Sweeney (Poole, 76 mins), Murray, Larkin (Bjornsson, h/t), Hartley.

Subs: Yantorno, Humphreys, Haslam, Mooney.

Referee: Mr Dave Phillips

Attendance: 2,464, including 201 visiting supporters.