Hill relishes Daggers' chance

Plymouth Argyle 2 Dagenham & Redbridge

The part-timers of Dagenham & Redbridge will feature in today's fourth-round draw but they must still overcome Plymouth Argyle in a replay if they are to reach that stage, Junior McDougald's second-half equaliser earning the Conference side a 2-2 draw at Home Park.

Paul Terry had put the Daggers in front before Plymouth hit back with goals from Ian Stonebridge and Paul Wotton. However, McDougald produced an opportunistic finish with 23 minutes to go to thwart the Second Division side.

Dagenham very nearly won promotion to the Football League last season but were pipped at the post by Boston United. Yet their manager Garry Hill felt his team could have added a third League scalp to their name, after previous FA Cup wins over Exeter City and Lincoln City.

"We thought we could get a result after those other victories," Hill said. "We all love the FA Cup and it's great to be in the draw. It will be good to have the replay back at our place. I'm not saying we're going to win. I think it will be another even match."

The visitors from Essex started the game much the brighter, with McDougald going close in the eighth minute after a counter attack following a Plymouth corner. Five minutes later the midfielder John McGrath, on loan from Aston Villa, was instrumental in setting up their opening goal, when his cross from the right was headed home at the near post by Paul Terry.

The non-League side kept Plymouth on the back foot for most of the half but the West Country side levelled in the 43rd minute, when Graham Coughlan lobbed Martin Phillips' left-wing cross back across goal for Stonebridge to head home from close range.

Wotton then made it 2-1 in the 61st minute with a powerful 35-yard free-kick which took a deflection before beating the former Welsh international goalkeeper Tony Roberts at his near post.

The Plymouth captain went close with another free-kick minutes later but he and his fellow defenders gifted Dagenham a 67th-minute equaliser when hesitation in dealing with a long ball allowed McDougald to coolly lob Argyle's injured goalkeeper, Romain Larrieu.

Such lapses summed up the home side's overall performance, according to their angry manager, Paul Sturrock. "It was a bad day at the office," he said. "At the end of the day we have not approached the game properly. We played badly as a team and it nearly cost us dearly."

Goals: Terry (13) 0-1; Stonebridge (44) 1-1; Wotton (61) 2-1; McDougald (67) 2-2.

Plymouth Argyle (4-4-2): Larrieu; Worrell, Wotton, Coughlan, Aljofree; Phillips (Friio, 61), Bent (Sturrock 81), Adams, Norris; Evans, Stonebridge (Keith, 74). Substitutes not used: McCormick (gk), McGlinchey.

Dagenham & Redbridge (4-4-2): Roberts; Heffer, Smith, Matthews, Vickers; Janney, Terry, Shipp, McGrath; West (Hill, 85), McDougald (Rooney, 90). Substitutes not used: Gothard (gk), Potts, Stein.

Referee: T Parkes (Birmingham).

Bookings: Plymouth: Wotton, Aljofree. Dagenham & Redbridge: Terry, Shipp.

Man of the match: McGrath.

Attendance: 11,885.