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League Two strugglers Gillingham needed a replay to get the better of National League North side Fylde in the first round of the FA Cup, and that 1-0 success marks just one of two wins for Neil Harris‘s men in their last 12 games, the other being a memorable penalty-shootout EFL Cup win over Brentford.
However, progression in the cup competitions has not offered much of a silver lining for the Gills amid their dismal fortunes in the fourth tier, with their most recent match ending in a comprehensive 3-0 defeat to Salford City on Saturday courtesy of strikes from Theo Vassell, Ryan Watson and Callum Hendry.
While Harris accepted most of the blame for that loss, he pulled no punches when criticizing his players’ failures to put the ball in the back of the net, and Gillingham are now without a win in League Two since beating Sutton United 1-0 on October 1.
Harris’s men have now failed to score in each of their last six League Two matches during an abysmal run of profligacy, and they have only amassed a measly six league goals all season long – unsurprisingly the worst tally in the division by far as they sit 23rd in the table.
If Harris was not already on borrowed time, an early FA Cup exit to lower-league opposition could very well accelerate any decision from the powers-that-be, but their opponents also come into Thursday’s game on the back of a disappointing defeat.
The Daggers are outsiders when it comes to pushing for a playoff place in the National League – sitting 10th in the table with eight wins, five draws and seven defeats from their first 20 matches, but a three-game winning streak in the fifth tier was brought to an end last time out.
McMahon had led his side to successive wins over Wealdstone, Solihull Moors and Scunthorpe United before Will Goodwin scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 success for Torquay United at the weekend, but their proposed meeting with Gateshead this weekend has been postponed due to their FA Cup commitments.
There is more than one motivation for Harris and McMahon to conjure up a winning performance here, as whichever team comes up trumps in Thursday’s game will have the honour of hosting 2020-21 winners Leicester City in the third round.
Gillingham defender Dave Tutonda is stepping up his recovery following a knee operation two months ago and is now back in training with the squad, but the weekend’s clash with Salford came too soon for him to make a comeback.
Olly Lee is also an uncertainty as he rehabilitates following a broken toe, while striker Callum Harriott is not quite ready for first-team action either, with Harris admitting that the ex-Reading man would need “a few weeks” to get up to speed.
Midfielder Robbie McKenzie and defender Elkan Baggott will also need assessing after picking up groin and head injuries at the weekend, so Haji Mnoga could be brought back in amid reports of Portsmouth preparing to recall the Tanzania international in January.
As for Dagenham, goals have not been an issue for McMahon in recent times, as strike partners Junior Morias and Walker have 14 between them this term and ought to start up front.
The visiting manager should keep faith with the majority of the XI from last week’s 1-1 draw, although Joel Taylor was brought back into the side in place of Mo Sagaf and could hold his place in a 3-5-2 setup.
Gillingham possible starting lineup:
Turner; Alexander, Wright, Ehmer, Mnoga; Jefferies, Williams; Adelakun, Reeves, Kashket; Mandron
Dagenham & Redbridge possible starting lineup:
Justham; Onariase, Haire, Phipps; Weston, Mussa, Robinson, Rance, Taylor; Morias, Walker
In the week that the Bulls lost their most famous ex-player, FA Cup legend Ronnie Radford – 50 years on from his iconic match-winning goal against Newcastle – it briefly looked like there might be some left-over magic in the air.
For seven minutes, the sixth-tier outfit led after Miles Storey’s goal against the team 81 places above them in the English football pyramid in League One.
But Pompey hit back, with Reeco Hackett quickly levelling before second-half goals from Colby Bishop and substitute Joe Pigott earned the twice FA Cup winners a safe passage to Monday’s second-round draw
Making their first trip to Edgar Street in 38 years, Pompey were given a good first-half workout by the fired-up hosts.
Although home keeper Dale Eve had to keep out Hackett’s left-foot curler bound for the top corner, Pompey had a first real scare when Bishop’s challenge on Hereford’s former million-pound marksman Tyrone Barnett in the visitors’ penalty box went unpunished.
And there was worse to follow for Pompey when Hereford took the lead on 26 minutes.
Sean Raggett played a loose pass inside to Hackett, who was immediately closed down and robbed by Storey – and the former Pompey player raced away down the inside-left channel before keeping his cool to nutmeg on-loan West Bromwich Albion keeper Josh Griffiths.
Fittingly, just two days on from the announcement of the sad passing of Hereford’s legendary number 11, their modern-day number 11 emulated his predecessor.
There had already been a minute’s silence, which cascaded into applause from the whole ground, followed by chants of ‘there’s only one Ronnie Radford’ when the clock showed 11 minutes.
But this goal was destined not to prove so famous.
Ronan Curtis headed down Connor Ogilvie’s far-post cross for Hackett to bring down and fire home coolly from six yards.
On 63 minutes, Portsmouth took the lead when, from Clark Robertson’s in-swinging right-foot corner from the left, Bishop timed his run to get there first and head his 10th goal of the season.
And Pigott wrapped up victory 10 minutes from time when, again from a corner by skipper Robertson, Bishop won the initial header before Pigott reacted sharpest to sidefoot home
Hereford FC boss Josh Gowling told BBC Sport:
“I’m really disappointed because we should have got something out of it, but goals change games – and the quality of the delivery they have changes games.
“In the first half we were excellent. We were in the ascendancy and they looked nervous.
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“We were on top and looked like we could go on and win, but we’ve made one mistake, it has cost us a goal and that’s the difference in levels.
“We’ve given them a leg up and a little lift and you could see their performance raise after that.”
Portsmouth boss Danny Cowley told BBC Sport:
“I was so sad to hear the news about Ronnie Radford. He was such an iconic figure and he had that iconic moment. For a lot of people my age, his famous goal was their first memories of the FA Cup. But what a brilliant night to celebrate his life