Crawley Town 3 - 2 Dagenham and Redbridge: Rhys Murphy double crucial in Crawley win over Dagenham

Posted Sunday, December 13, 2015 by PA

Top scorer Rhys Murphy scored twice to give Crawley their first win in three games with a 3-2 home victory over Dagenham.

Matt Harrold bagged the other Crawley goal to leave the Daggers deep in trouble in Sky Bet League Two with only two wins all season.

Crawley started well and striker Murphy was thwarted early on after good work by winger Gwion Edwards.

The Daggers, with only one win now in their last 15 league games, came into it when Justin Hoyte got in behind the defence but no one was on hand to convert his low cross.

Veteran Daggers striker Jamie Cureton was off-target at the far post from a Josh Passley cross, and later had a deflected shot saved by goalkeeper Darryl Flahavan.

But Crawley took charge to score twice in the final five minutes of the half with strikers Harrold and Murphy on target.

Harrold broke the deadlock on 40 minutes with a powerful close-range shot from an Edwards cross before Murphy (45) doubled the advantage by firing his eighth of the season following a cross by Mitch Hancox.

Cureton was unfortunate shortly after the break when his fierce shot cannoned against the crossbar from Passley's cross.

Crawley had a strong penalty appeal waved away for a challenge by Nyron Nosworthy on Harrold before substitute Christian Doidge (64) made it 2-1 by converting Cureton's short pass.

Murphy (82) restored Crawley's two-goal advantage with a tremendous 20-yard strike before Cureton, set up by Passley, replied for Dagenham three minutes later.