Dagenham & Redbridge's winless run in the National League reached four matches with a 1-0 defeat at home to Hartlepool United.

The only goal of the game came in the 29th minute, with Oliver Finney's cross-come-shot being diverted into the home goal by an unfortunate Sam Ling in his efforts to block it on the line.

The hosts were much improved after the break, but despite creating a hatful of chances, Dagenham were unable to take any of them to find a way back into the match.

Dagenham made two changes from Tuesday's 1-0 home defeat to Bromley, with Harry Phipps and Sydney Ibie coming into the side.

Phipps came in at the back for Aidan Francis-Clarke, who dropped to the bench, while Ibie replaced Frank Vincent, who missed out on the matchday squad entirely.

Vincent's absence only added to the hosts' recent shortage of players, with Daggers only able to name four on the substitutes' bench.

Those concerns looked like being further added to in the 15th minute when Lewis Page went down clutching his knee following a robust challenge from Finney, but the left-back was able to continue.

The game's first shot in anger arrived a minute later, but Hartlepool forward Josh Umerah fired the ball over and behind into Bury Road rather than trouble Elliot Justham in the home goal.

Dagenham should have taken the lead in the 24th minute, with Ibie having two bites at the cherry and unable to find the target either time.

After good work by Josh Rees to keep the ball in play, Ryan Hill found Ibie in the box and the forward's initial shot was blocked on the floor by Luke Hendrie.

The ball rebounded back into Ibie's path, but with the goal at the mercy, the forward blazed his half volley over from six yards as the game remained goalless.

Page was then substituted during a break in play having been unable to overcome the knee injury he sustained earlier, with Josh Hare taking his place.

That prompted a minor reshuffle in the defence, with Hare playing at right back and Ling moving over to the left flank to cover the departure of Page.

Ibie's miss would come back to haunt Ben Strevens' men just before the half-hour mark as Hartlepool took the lead when  Finney powered into the box on the left and fired at goal from a tight angle, with his shot deflecting off Ling and into the net.

Ibie went close to an equaliser for Dagenham three minutes later when meeting Hill's cross from the right with a header, but visiting keeper Pete Jameson was well behind the effort.

Only a fingertip save from Justham stopped Daggers falling further behind as he diverted a curling Umerah effort from 18 yards over the bar on 39 minutes.

But a bright start to the second half nearly saw the hosts draw level in the 47th minute, with only a brilliant save from Jameson denying Phipps from heading home a corner.

Finney could have doubled Pools' lead with 24 minutes left when latching on to a Joe Grey cross into the box, but he was unable to keep his effort from 12 yards down.

In the 74th minute, Jake Hessenthaler slipped the ball into the path of Hill just inside the area, but the winger was unable to apply the finish with his left-footed shot going over the bar.

With five minutes to go, Hill's ball from the right was met by Nikola Tavares, having made a long run forward from the back, but the defender saw his effort go over.

A minute later, Hill went close to a leveller when a cross into the box was only cleared as far as him on the edge of the area, but his half volley narrowly went wide of the far post.

And in the third minute of stoppage time, Ling had a chance to atone for his earlier own goal when gifted a free header to meet a Hessenthaler cross from the right, but he was unable to find the target.

Daggers continued to apply the pressure, though, with an effort from Omar Mussa in the last of five additional minutes being headed over on the line by Manny Onariase on his return to Victoria Road.

With time up, there was still time for Phipps to narrowly nod wide, but the hosts ultimately were unable to find the equaliser they craved as their winless run hit four matches.

Dagenham (4-3-3): Justham; Ling, Phipps, Tavares, Page (Hare 24); Rees (Lawless 66), Hessenthaler, Mussa; Hill, Kendall, Ibie. Unused subs: Francis-Clarke, Appiah-Forson.

Hartlepool (3-5-2): Jameson; Hendrie (Burton 90+2), Onariase, Lacey (Aghatise 90+8); Seaman, Grey, Wallace (Dolan 61), Finney, Ferguson; Umerah, Dieseruvwe. Unused subs: Dixon, Wreh, Aghatise

Referee: Wayne Cartmel.

Attendance: 1,536 (including 220 Hartlepool fans).