Umerah haunts former club Dagenham as Maidenhead United close in on Play-Offs

Josh Popoola with Josh Umerah. Photo: Darren Woolley

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Maidenhead United 2, Dagenham & Redbridge 0

Josh Umerah found the net against his old club as Maidenhead United deservedly beat Dagenham & Redbridge 2-0 to move within three points of the play-off places.

Umerah showed his strength and agility to hold off his marker in the 10^th minute before poking a low shot beyond Sam Howes in the Daggers’ goal.

The burly striker clearly enjoyed getting one over his former team and the Magpies generally had the better of proceedings at York Road.

But they couldn’t kill off Dagenham until the 88^th minute when substitute Dillon De Silva escaped down the right and swept in a low cross that Liam Dulson smashed home at the back post.

Maidenhead weren’t at their fluent best in attack. But they were resilient in defence, restricting the visitors to a handful of half chances.

Some stories write themselves... pic.twitter.com/2k5beT0cp3

— Maidenhead United (@MUFCYorkRoad) February 21, 2026

With Remy Clerima and David Mantle in excellent form in central defence, Dagenham struggled to make inroads, with Joe Haigh – who scored the winner when the sides met at Victoria Park back in November – largely a peripheral figure.

They also didn’t play to Haigh’s strengths, with the Magpies content to head away any crosses that came into the box in the first half.

Reggie Young did well for the visitors in the 17^th minute, slaloming in from the right side before sending a shot goalwards which deflected over the crossbar.

Umerah had another chance on the turn in the box a few minutes later, but he couldn’t get enough power on the strike to trouble Howes.

A lull in the first half was followed by chances at either end, with Kien Connolly denied by an alert Miles Welch-Hayes, while Dulson fired a rising shot just over the bar in the closing minutes of the half.

Maidenhead pressed hard for a second goal in the early minutes of the second half, with Clerima heading one chance from a corner over the bar and another into the arms of Howes.

It looked like the Daggers had weathered that storm by the hour mark and they then had a spell which could have turned the game back in their favour.

Haigh appeared to be taken down in the box in the 64^th minute, but referee Callum Jones blew for a dive against the Dagenham player. Dylan Stephenson then pulled a low shot just wide of the mark after Jones had played a good advantage after a foul on a Daggers’ player in the 76^th minute.

Maidenhead hacked another couple of balls into the box away as the visitors pressed for a leveller. But the hosts were a threat on the break. They very nearly got substitute De Silva away from a lofted Clerima ball in the 70^th minute, while Umerah had a great chance to score a second against his former club when the ball broke kindly to him from Alfie Pendlebury’s cut back in the 80^th minute. The striker’s first-time shot was straight at Howes, but he had time to take a touch and compose himself before firing at goal.

Haigh missed a gilt-edged chance to make it 1-1 when a hopeful ball into the box from the left was missed by Pendelbury, but the striker’s effort went narrowly wide at the back post.

Maidenhead made the most of the reprieve when they broke forward in the 88^th minute. Asher Yearwood moved the ball wide for De Silva whose low cross missed a few in-rushing teammates but wasn’t missed by Dulson who swept it beyond Howes and into the net.

THREE POINTS!! ➕3⃣ pic.twitter.com/2iQaZDupGf

— Maidenhead United (@MUFCYorkRoad) February 21, 2026

The hosts might have scored again in the closing minutes, when Dulson couldn’t pick out Harry Pritchard on his own in the middle, but the outcome of this game wasn’t much in doubt by this stage.

United’s Dutch keeper Jordi Van Stappershoef has come to the Magpies rescue on several occasions in recent matches, but he was largely a spectator for this one.

Maidenhead remain ninth in the table but are now just three points off the play-off places. They’ve moved level on points with Hemel Hempstead Town in eighth after their 2-0 loss at Horsham. Chesham United are now seventh after their impressive 4-1 win over Ebbsfleet United.

Sealing the deal for his 11th of the season pic.twitter.com/Twox8yHfxW

— Maidenhead United (@MUFCYorkRoad) February 21, 2026