Spennymoor’s FA Trophy run ended at the hands of Dagenham & Redbridge after two second half goals and the controversial dismissal of captain James Curtis.

Two changes were made to the side who began the defeat at Alfreton Town a fortnight ago, with the cup-tied Jordan Thewlis missing out and Frank Mulhern dropping to the bench.

Adriano Moke and Ryan Hall were chosen to replace them, with Claudio Ofosu and Jude Oyibo both also cup-tied having played for another club in the competition this campaign.

Spennymoor were the brighter and more engaging of the two sides in the opening exchanges, with Glen Taylor firing a shot goal wards which Daggers keeper Elliot Justham tipped over the bar.

Despite their status as underdogs heading into the occasion, Moors were clearly unfazed by their National League opponents, nullifying the home side’s apparent threats.

But, Dagenham did creep into the contest with Junior Morias firing wide before heading a cross past the post despite being unmarked.

As the first half continued a recurring theme of poor Dagenham ball retention became evident, with the home following at The Chigwell Construction Stadium becoming growingly restless.

The managerial trio of Anthony Johnson, Bernard Morley and Steve Halford repeatedly barked at Moors’ players to press Dagenham and almost earned a reward when a free-kick won by Rob Ramshaw was headed goal bound by Joe Tait.

Tait’s header was firm but Justham was positioned correctly to push it away, with Taylor looping the follow-up past the post.

A superb first half display was undermined just two minutes into the second period as the home side took the lead with an ugly goal following a long throw-in.

Paul McCallum, introduced at the interval, flicked a header towards goal which Jordan Amissah parried into the six yard area, before a series of deflections ended with the opening goal.

A rejuvenated Daggers side almost doubled their lead when Josh Walker’s low effort was saved by Amissah, before the game’s turning point arrived shortly after the hour mark.

A 50/50 challenge between Curtis and George Saunders saw the latter come off worse, resulting in a distressing sight with players from both sides clearly affected.

After an extended stoppage in which the referee and linesman were in discussion, Curtis was shown a straight red, leaving Spennymoor’s bench in disbelief.

Daggers captain Will Wright smacked the crossbar with the resulting set-piece as the game shot up to a new level of intensity.

At a stage in the game in which Moors could have crumbled, the opposite reaction happened, with second half sub Mulhern creating a promising opening, however, the final ball was lacking.

With Spennymoor committing numbers forward, a long ball forward found the run of Walker, and after his effort was blocked by Amissah, the Daggers forward found Morias who nodded in from close range.