Dagenham & Redbridge sealed a comfortable 3-0 victory over local rivals Hornchurch thanks to goals from Mauro Vilhete, trialist Aaron Blair and Scott Wilson.
FA Trophy winners Hornchurch started brightly as they pushed forward despite coming up against higher opposition.
Urchins striker Chris Dickson sprinted in behind then threaded the ball across the box to winger Ellis Brown who was denied by Elliot Justham from point blank range in the eighth minute.
Not even a minute later Dagenham attacker Angelo Balanta fired over from the edge of the box as the ball span back on the captain.
Matt Robinson then drove a shot goal bound which was denied before George Saunders then also fired wide of the left post after a good run from Balanta who set the former Hornchurch winger up.
Myles Weston picked out Matt Robinson just inside the box for Dagenham’s next opportunity but the midfielder had his effort saved by Finlay Thackway.
Back down the other end Chris Dickson lined up fellow attacker Liam Nash who took a touch pushed the ball past his marker before unleashing a shot that whistled over the crossbar.
Balanta then nodded the ball over the crossbar after being picked out by Mauro Vilhete in the 28th minute.
Hornchurch defender Rickie Hayles then made a fantastic tackle to stop Dagenham forward Josh Walker in his tracks as he looked to shoot.
Dagenham did eventually open the scoring in the 35th minute as Mauro Vilhete nabbed the ball under the feet of Urchins left-back Tommy Cummings before dinking it over the top of goalkeeper Thackway.
Early in the second-half, George Saunders let a shot fly over the bar after a good run down the left flank.
In the 61st minute Hornchurch were awarded a free-kick and up stepped Charlie Ruff.
The former Barnet youngster had his delivery cleared but only as far as Jordan Clark who hammered a shot over the crossbar.
Ruff went close with just over 10 minutes left to play as he turned and let fly but his effort hit the left post.
Dagenham made it 2-0 in the 89th minute as young trialist, who was most recently at Ongar Town, slotted home into the bottom left corner.
One minute later it was 3-0 as Scott Wilson picked out the back of the net to seal a comfortable victory.
Hornchurch: Thackway, Parcell (Trialist 46), Clark, Hayles, Cummings (Trialist 46), Christou (Hassan 62), R.Winn (Spence 62), Brown, Ruff, Nash, Dickson (Stimson 46).
Dagenham & Redbridge: Justham (Strizovic 78), Ling (Trialist 82), Reynolds, Johnson (Trialist 78), Saunders (Trialist 82), Sagaf (Trialist 78), Robinson (Jones 59), Vilhete (Trialist 66), Weston (Wright 59), Balanta (McCallum 59), Walker (Wilson 66).
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