Pools twist the knife as Daggers and City drift into the abyss

There have been few comforts for York City fans this season, this afternoon being no different. But with Hartlepool hosting Dagenham & Redbridge, there was at least the guarantee that not all those around them would be winning.

Unlike last week.

Dagenham, Hartlepool and York sat adrift together at the foot of League Two before kick-off, with two of the three seemingly destined to fall out of the Football League.

The consequences can be disastrous. Funding is lost, fans start to drift, even FIFA games give you the boot.

But with 11 games left, relegation has become a stark reality for the three.

Hartlepool, the highest of the three on 31 points, have the luxury of having played three games less than their counterparts and had an excellent chance today to pull away out of sight.

York trailed behind on 26 and Dagenham further still, a point shy of the Minstermen. With Stevenage the closest to the terrible trio on 35 points it had fast become an unenviable mini-league, the clubs suffering 60 defeats between them already this season.

With just three minutes on the clock, Dagenham were the first to shoot themselves in the foot.

A ridiculous barge in the box left the referee no choice but to point to the spot and first blood was there for Pools on a plate. Veteran captain Billy Paynter gave the keeper the eyes and slotted home confidently into the bottom right.

Dagenham eyes were ashamedly on their feet, whilst those in York looked frustratedly to the skies. Thanks to ill-discipline from the Redbridge defence, it was advantage Pools.

Ten minutes passed before the visitors threw another gift the way of their hosts. A soft free kick was drifted in from the right and took the slightest of touches off left-back Jake Carroll, hardly changing trajectory on its way into the net.

For a team that had started the day bottom of League Two, the lack of fight from Dagenham was astounding.

Hearsay reported that relegation was starting to become a positive for the Daggers. A chance to rebuild and start again. Understand what it is like to play against similar opposition and build a fresh legacy from there.

But there was a catch. Their lethargy against a mediocre Pools side was dragging down another club with them. A proud northern city rather than a forgotten borough in the East End of London.

Capitulation against a top team was Dagenham’s own prerogative, their own nosedive into non-league obscurity. But the spineless attempts on display today were not making any friends 60 miles down the road in Yorkshire.

News filtered through from York. Unlike their southern counterparts, they were not willing to give up the ghost. Debutant Lewis Alessandra had fired the Minstermen into a 22nd minute lead after a rare assist from Jake Hyde.

As it stood, the Daggers were digging their own footballing grave. But City were determined to stay alive.

The plot thickened further after the half hour mark as, against the run of play, Dagenham  got themselves a lifeline.

An innocuous strike from striker Matthew Cash stung the palms of Pools keeper Trevor Carson, ricocheting into the top of the net. The clumsy keeping from the Irishman was an unwarranted reward for the basement club, and a stiff reminder that the Monkey Hangers themselves were neither home nor dry.

Five minutes later and a Josh Passley shot was cleared off the line with Carson beaten again. Dagenham had woken up.

Almost instantaneously, there was another goal at York. Barnet striker John Akinde finding the top corner from inside the six-yard box to pull the Minstermen back. All three teams had scored, but as usual they had leaked at the back.

From a City perspective, it quickly went from bad to worse after the break.

No sooner had the fans brushed their half-time pie pastry off of their chests, news filtered through that Hartlepool had their third.

Palace loanee Jake Gray beat his defender and bore down on goal, finishing expertly across goal after 53 minutes, almost identically to how he had for the Sky cameras against Orient.

The Daggers had come out fighting at least, but lacked the finishing touch. A one-on-one fell to Diodge, then a blank range header to Hawkins. But time after time there was no end product.

What City were up to was becoming irrelevant. Luke Summerfield struck the bar as York continued to press, but the all-important look of the league table was unwavering.

As the attendance was announced over Victoria Park, a heartwarming ripple of applause rang around the ground, with almost a sense of gratitude towards the visiting fans for cementing one of those relegation spots. Mutual respect had set in as the sets of supporters said goodbye to each other, not sure when they would meet again.

With a seven point gap between themselves and York (not to mention the potential nine from the games in hand), Hartlepool could finally relax.

Dagenham & Redbridge looked a defeated outfit both on the pitch and in the stands come the final whistle. Voted the worst place to live in Britain at the start of the season, you couldn’t help but empathise as they trudged their way back towards the coach.

For York meanwhile, another team had got away. Their 1-1 scoreline was respectable, but not what the doctor had ordered. Stevenage remained mathematically conquerable, and with that a hopeless thread of faith will remain in an optimistic few.

Nevertheless, another week has passed and the gap between City and safety has grown even larger.

York travel to the Vic in April to pit their wits against Pools themselves, but it in all truth it looks set to be a similarly awkward send-off.