Strevens: I’m burning inside after Dagenham & Redbridge defeat

Myles Weston had a shot saved in the first half, while Inih Effiong was stopped in his tracks by Harry Taylor’s sliding challenge.

And Elliot Justham twice denied Harry Cardwell at the other end as the scoreline remained blank at the break.

But Daggers conceded two penalties in the first 12 minutes of the second half, which Jack Bridge converted to earn the home side the points and leave Strevens fuming.

“I’m angry with my immediate reaction,” he told the club website.

“I’ve got to be calm with my words but I’m proper burning inside.

“I was for a large part of the second half. The way I felt at half-time, the way the first half went, then going out into the second half how I thought we could carry on that and I see a moment go against us, everyone is pretty certain it’s a dive, but the reaction to that was nowhere near where I want it to be.

“They probably would’ve gone in at half-time and been right on them because we was controlling the first half, without being at our best, but we were certainly causing them more problems than they were causing us.

“That reaction, the way they come out the second half, you’ve got to be expecting that.

“It’s a local derby, you’re playing at home, I’d be wanting them to come out with that reaction.

“You’ve got to match that reaction from them, then do what we were doing.

“It’s tough to go into what I really want to say but I’ve done a lot of interviews and been quite calm, but today I feel a certain way.”

It meant a fourth defeat in seven games for Strevens since taking over the managerial hotseat at Victoria Road.

And he warned things will have to start changing as they are currently ‘not good enough’.

“Games are a reflection of how you conduct yourself every single day and how you train every single day and what you’ve got inside you to become better and really appreciate the opportunities you’re being given,” he added.

“It hasn’t been every game, it’s not every player, you can see some proper men in that dressing room hurting the same as I am.

“But it’s not good enough for this club, for where I want to be and where I want this club to be.

“I’ve been very calm and open and spoke about things, but stuff needs to change because I will not have performances where we go off and lose.

“You can lose a game of football because that’s the nature of football, but I see a worriedness and a weakness when we went 1-0 behind that led to us not really being in the second half, without them being great.

“Fair play to them, they’ve won the game but I’m more concerned about us and what I want to see.

“It’s not every person but certain people need to do more and they’ll do more or they won’t but that will lead to what I want to do.”

Daggers head to Altrincham on Tuesday, before hosting FC Halifax Town in their last home game of the season on Saturday.