SPORT - Ruthless Daggers leave Mills still searching for first win

The Minstermen lost 2-0 to Dagenham and Redbridge at Bootham Crescent on Saturday

It was a tale of two strikers at Bootham Crescent on Saturday afternoon as York's winless run extended to 14 games in all competitions following a 0 - 2   defeat to Dagenham and Redbridge. 

The Daggers were clinical, in-form striker Oliver Hawkins was involved in both goals, scoring the first with a looping header on the 30 minute mark and then nodding down for Luke Guttridge to poke home just before half time. 

At the other end, home debutant Robbie McDaid spurned several chances, including a golden opportunity just after the interval when he found himself in plenty of space 12 yards from the goal. The resulting shop was scooped well over.

After the match, York manager Gary Mills was keen to emphasise the performance, and the Minstermen did look far more creative and fluid than they have in the past few months. 

But the defeat dropped York into the bottom four of the National League for the first time this season, while the three points for Dagenham kept them fourth.

Mills is intending to bring in at least two players in the next week, with one of those expected to be a striker, and is hopeful they'll be in place before the home clash with Lincoln on Tuesday. 

Gary Mills, York City Manager

I thought we played well today, I thought we passed it well, we've created numerous chances. As always in football if you don't put your chances away you don't win games.

We've had the better chances today but sometimes in football you say one player made a difference and I thought the one player [Hawkins] made the difference to the game today. That's why Dagenham have won the game. Other than that, I couldn't have asked any more of my players, I thought they played well today.

When you play like we have today and not got anything from it it's hard to take but we have to stay strong with that and through defeat we have to stay strong, that's what I've said to the players. I think the positive thing is that we've got a game on Tuesday and we're not waiting a full week for the next game to come along. 

Robbie McDaid's had three or four chances that he would hope to get every game and stick them away, he hasn't today. So as a striker he'll be disappointed with himself for that. 

I thought we were the better side, I thought we passed it really well, like I've asked them to, we were positive and opened Dagenham up two or three times. 

I'm trying [to add new signings before Tuesday], it's not easy, what I don't want to do is go and get the wrong player. I've got a couple that I'd like to bring in, that might not be easy but we're trying, the chairman's giving me absolutely everything to go and do that but it's not always as simple as that. 

If we can strengthen and build on the performance today with a couple more players then we're going to be a team that are going to be hard to beat and we can go and start winning games.