Reece Smith grabs Maidenhead winner against bottom of the table Dagenham

Reece Smith fired Maidenhead to a 1-0 victory over Dagenham and Redbridge in a hard-fought encounter at York Road.

A tight first half ended goalless with neither side having troubled the opposition keeper unduly.

Maidenhead’s Charlee Adams blazed a 34th-minute free-kick over and fellow midfielder Casey Pettit failed to hit the target with Sam Ling equally inaccurate for the visitors in a late flurry as the halftime whistle approached.

Midfielder Smith broke the deadlock for the home side 12 minutes after the restart when he blasted a shot into the top corner.

Adams saw a 71st-minute strike tipped over by keeper Elliot Justham, but Smith’s contribution proved enough to claim the points.