Havant and Waterlooville move closer to safety

Havant and Waterlooville conjured a vital 3-0 National League victory over Dagenham and Redbridge at Westleigh Park to revive their hopes of avoiding relegation.

The result ended a run of seven league games without a win, lifting the Hawks to within two points of safety.

Lee Bradbury’s side made the perfect start, with Alfie Rutherford scoring his 11th goal of the season in the third minute, firing into the bottom corner after latching on to a floated ball over the top of the Dagenham defence.

In the 73rd minute defender Ed Harris hammered the ball home from two yards after the visitors failed to clear a corner.

In injury time, Theo Lewis made sure of the points with a stunning strike from 25 yards to hand the visitors their first defeat in five.

The match ended on a sour note, though, with Havant’s Andreas Robinson and the Daggers’ Alex McQueen both sent off.