Morias treble leads seven-up Dagenham & Redbridge romp

Junior Morias scored a 12-minute hat-trick as Dagenham & Redbridge netted a magnificent seven on Good Friday.

Daryl McMahon’s men led 5-0 at the break and, after Barnet briefly threatened an unlikely comeback with three goals in 10 second-half minutes, added two more late on to cap an Easter extravaganza.

McMahon named an unchanged side from the 2-0 win at Bromley as Victoria Road basked in the 21-degree heat.

And Mauro Vilhete looked liveliest in the opening minutes, against his former club, finding space on the left on a couple of occasions, winning a corner that Will Wright saw palmed away by Jake Askew and cleared by the visiting defence as Manny Onariase looked to pounce.

Matt Robinson’s effort from the left corner of the box was grabbed by Askew, before Vilhete was clipped by Jordan Thomas, who was booked on 10 minutes.

Wright’s deep free-kick found Callum Reynolds at the far post, but he could only steer the ball wide from close range in a huge let-off for the Bees.

But the respite was brief as Daggers took the lead in the 14th minute when Morias picked up the ball just inside his own and advanced towards goal, before drilling a crisp, low shot from 20 yards past Askew’s right hand and inside the post.

Elliot Justham was called into action to make a routine save from Ryan De Havilland’s free-kick at the other end before Morias got into the box again and pulled the ball back, but behind strike partner Paul McCallum.

And Justham showed great reflexes to get down and palm a low shot from De Havilland behind on 19 minutes, after the Barnet man was found in space just inside the box.

Daggers doubled their lead soon after, as a De Havilland free-kick was cleared by Robinson up the left wing and Morias got away from his marker and ran from halfway to the edge of the box before firing another low shot past Askew.

And it was 3-0 on 26 minutes as Daggers drove forward again and McCallum found Morias on the left edge of the box to send a left-footed shot into the net to complete a 12-minute hat-trick and take his tally for the season into double figures.

McCallum almost squeezed home a fourth from close range, after winning possession from a throw-in and showing good footwork, then headed another chance from Wright’s delivery into the box just over the crossbar.

And McCallum also had a shot from the edge of the box saved after Morias and Mo Sagaf had combined on another quick attack, then a downward header from Wright’s inswinging corner flew just past the far post on 41 minutes.

But the big striker got his name on the scoresheet in the last minute of the half, as Weston swapped passes with Sagaf on the right and crossed for McCallum to thump a header into the roof of the net for his 17th of the campaign.

And it was 5-0 in the first minute of stoppage time as Weston swapped passes with Morias and sent a low left-footed shot into the corner of the net to leave the home fans ecstatic and Barnet looking utterly shellshocked.

A quick check of the record books revealed the club’s best-ever win to be an 8-1 victory over Woking in April 1994 and they went close to a sixth a minute after the restart as Vilhete cut in from the left and saw his dipping strike tipped over by Askew.

But Barnet hit back on 54 minutes with a goal out of nothing, as Daniel Powell beat Justham with a low shot, and it was 5-2 less than a minute later as a swift passing move ended with Wes Fonguck crosses from the left for Powell to tap in at the far post.

The 210 Barnet fans in a crowd fo 2,010 had started the second half singing about winning 6-5 and gave the chant another airing after that quickfire double, with De Havilland slicing a good chance over the crossbar.

Weston forced a diving save from Askew after cutting in from the right and shooting left-footed on the hour, then let fly again with a better struck effort after Sagaf led another surge upfield, but saw it deflected behind by Reiss Greenidge.

Ephron Mason-Clark found space as Barnet broke from the corner, but his cross for Powell was put behind by Reynolds.

And the Daggers defender was then unfortunate to have the final touch from another set-piece on 65 minutes to put the ball just inside the post and see the gap reduced to two.

The visitors suddenly looked a different side, as did Daggers, and the momentum shift on the pitch had led to a change of atmosphere in the stands, with home fans now somewhat tense.

Reynolds had a header from a corner saved at the other end midway through the half, but Fonguck saw an effort deflected just past the far post and had another snap shot saved by Justham after Sam Ling had been sent on for Weston.

Robinson did well on the byline to play the ball right across the face of Askew’s goal but found no takers, before hat-trick hero Morias made way for Josh Walker for the final quarter of an hour.

And Walker had penalty claims waved away by referee Jacob Miles after going down in the box, before Vilhete’s poor final ball denied Sagaf a shooting chance as Daggers suddenly found themselves with a 4-on-2 break.

Walker almost wriggled through on the left, with the subsequent corner dropping to Reynolds, whose shot from the edge of the box was saved.

But Daggers got their sixth with six minutes left as Walker did superbly on the left to get to the byline and centred for McCallum, who teed up Robinson to sidefoot under Askew from around 12 yards.

And it was 7-3 on the stroke of full time as Vilhete was fouled wide on the right and Wright’s free-kick found McCallum to score with a bullet header from close range.

The win sees Daggers four points off a play-off place ahead of a trip to Aldershot Town on Bank Holiday Monday.

Dagenham & Redbridge: Justham, Wright, Onariase, Reynolds, Weston (Ling 71), Sagaf, Comley, Robinson, Vilhete, McCallum, Morias (Walker 76). Unused subs: Johnson, Rance, Hare.

Attendance: 2,010 (including 210 Barnet fans).

https://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk/sport/dagenham-and-redbridge-barnet-national-league-match-report-8897228

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