DAGENHAM & Redbridge might have employed former Olympian Dalton Grant as their fitness coach but it is York City’s players who will be for the high jump with many more performances like this one.

Athletics field ace Grant watched on as the Daggers leapt above their fellow strugglers in League Two’s lower reaches following a 2-0 win that left the Minstermen fourth bottom in the standings after ten fixtures.

Never mind Fosbury flops, Nigel Worthington’s players look in real danger of failing way short of the expectations of their manager and City supporters for this season.

Worthington has been issuing threats to draft in loan reinforcements for a fortnight now and another under-par performance in Essex will have added a greater urgency to that search.

The club have now won just one game – against ten-man Stevenage – in 15 fixtures and looked bereft of confidence once they fell behind to a Daggers team who had only won two of their last 17 home matches themselves prior to Saturday’s contest.

Worthington has proved himself capable of halting and reversing such concerning sequences in the past, successfully preserving the club’s Football League status at Dagenham 17 months ago and masterminding a play-off challenge last term after the club ushered in 2014 following their worst-ever end to a calendar year.

He must now draw on both of those experiences as he attempts to oversee another transformation in the team’s fortunes.

There were no new faces in Essex but there was a change in formation as Worthington dispensed with 4-4-2 and plumped for a 4-2-3-1 system.

It was a line-up that should have seen Michael Coulson prosper in a roving central role behind lone striker Wes Fletcher but the former Barnsley attacker failed to take advantage of some promising openings with his wayward shooting.

Fletcher also made few inroads and Jake Hyde looked uncomfortable wide on the left.

The recalled Ryan Jarvis did, at least, offer some quality with his deliveries from the right but the crosses travelled across the face of goal without any of his team-mate able to apply a finishing touch.

As a tactical switch, it was, by no means, flawed but, if Worthington is to choose the same shape in future matches, he might need to revise his choice of personnel in the different positions.

At the other end of the pitch, meanwhile, midfielder Joss Labadie scored with both of the hosts’ on-target attempts.

Labadie had only netted twice in 37 matches prior to facing City but matched that tally in a single afternoon and was teed up on each occasion by ex-Bootham Crescent winger Ashley Chambers, who was later applauded by away fans following his 86th-minute substitution.

In contrast, Luke Summerfield was cheered ironically off the pitch by those same supporters as he continues to bear the brunt of the boo boys’ frustrations after being replaced midway through the second half in back-to-back fixtures.

Earlier, the visitors had started brightly enough with Coulson shooting narrowly wide from 20 yards in the second minute and an unmarked Hyde heading off target from Summerfield’s corner.

Coulson also fired over from 15 yards following a neat Fletcher lay-off and Marvin McCoy forced the first save of the afternoon with a long-range pot shot.

But, after Chambers had curled a frightful free kick over at the other end, he claimed his first assist of the match following a left-wing raid.

His scuffed low cross did not find his intended target but, when it fell to Labadie on the edge of the penalty box, Summerfield dived into a challenge that the Croydon-born, 24-year-old comfortably sidestepped before beating Michael Ingham with a low drive into the City keeper’s bottom right-hand corner.

The visitors went on to have strong shouts for a penalty appeal rejected after Jarvis appeared to be felled by left-back Jack Connors as the half drew to a close.

Following the restart, Coulson curled a free kick way too high and, just before the hour, centre-back Dave Winfield squandered an excellent opportunity to level the scores.

Winfield grappled his way into the six-yard box to get on the end of Summerfield’s corner but, somehow, managed to head wide of an exposed Mark Cousins’ right-hand upright.

Three minutes later, Jarvis was penalised for handball and Chambers curled a left-wing free kick on to Labadie’s head, allowing him to beat Ingham from four yards.

Dagenham went on to coast to victory, only mustering one more goal attempt – a speculative long-distance drive from ex-Minsterman Andre Boucaud that drifted wide.

For City, there was bluster during the last half-hour with substitute Lindon Meikle teeing up Jarvis in the inside right channel but he dragged disappointingly across the face of goal.

Coulson also shot over from 20 yards and Winfield’s downward header was comfortably saved by Cousins following Russell Penn’s free kick to the far post.

Another Coulson effort was deflected wide and Keith Lowe found Cousins’ hands with his head from Jarvis’ flag kick before Meikle blazed woefully over at the end of a promising burst through the left channel.

As a result, City have now failed to get on the scoresheet in five of their last seven matches and angry away fans vented their frustration at the final whistle.

 

Match facts

York City

Ingham 5 – beaten by Dagenham’s only two on-target efforts and might have claimed Chambers’ free kick for second goal

McCoy 5 – offered attacking spirit but both goals emanated from his side of the pitch

Lowe 6 – kept things largely simple and rarely troubled by former team-mate Cureton

Winfield 6 – should have scored but remains a threat in opposition box and solid enough in defence

Ilesanmi 6 – battled away throughout and tried to give his team forward impetus when possible

Penn 6 – snapped and snarled during early exchanges and refused to surrender

Summerfield 5 – delivered a couple of corners that deserved goals but struggled in general play

STAR MAN Jarvis 7 – took good care of the ball when in his possession and delivered dangerous crosses

Coulson 5 – grafted but disappointed in the free role that should have played to his strengths

Hyde 5 – looked a little uncomfortable playing on the left and too hesitant at times

Fletcher 5 – did not give a leaky Dagenham defence too much discomfort and only managed one weak shot

Subs: Lindon Meikle 6 – eager (for Hyde, 63), Platt 5 – quiet (for Summerfield, 68).

Subs not used: Jason Mooney, John McCombe, Lewis Montrose, Ben Hirst, Anthony Straker.

 

Dagenham

Mark Cousins, Damian Batt, Matt Partridge, Brian Saah, Jack Connors, Luke Howell (Ashley Hemmings, 78), Andre Boucaud, Abu Ogogo, Joss Labadie, Ashley Chambers (George Porter, 86), Jamie Cureton (Ade Yusuff, 90). Subs not used: Liam O’Brien, Scott Doe, Nathan Green, Bradley Goldberg.

Dagenham star man: Labadie – took his goals in no-nonsense fashion

Booked: Lowe 54

Attendance: 1,801 (335 from York)

Referee: Phil Gibbs (West Midlands)

Rating: 6/10 – might have given Jarvis penalty but did little else wrong

Shots on target: Dagenham 2, City 4

Shots off target: Dagenham 4, City 9

Corners: Dagenham 2, City 6

Fouls conceded: Dagenham 7, City 15

Offsides: Dagenham 3, City 1