City 3, Dagenham 3

Peter Taylor will not be encouraging any of his squad to watch the Champions’ League this week, saying: Forget Barcelona and focus on Bournemouth.

City’s late collapse on Saturday was more messy than Messi as they paid the price for trying to be too clever by half.

The shaking in their ear drums made it very clear to the players what Taylor thought of the farcical build-up to Dagenham’s decisive equaliser.

Rather than hammering the ball from one half to the other, Adam Bolder had decided to play keep ball with Robbie Threlfall just outside the City penalty area.

Jon Nurse spotted the dilly-dallying, mugged the midfielder and whipped in a cross that was buried into his own net by the diving Luke Oliver. No wonder the boss was fuming.

Taylor said: “We had easy possession and then decided to play three-yard passes to each other on the edge of our box. I don’t know why – maybe they’ve been watching Barcelona play.

“Talking would have been an answer. If there had been a strong shout of ‘away’, maybe somebody would have cleared the ball.

“I’d told the players all week that Dagenham are really strong and ask questions of you. It doesn’t matter if there are four minutes left or ten, Dagenham & Redbridge will always create chances and that’s what they did.

“But in the second half we just defended really nervously and poorly. A lot of it was people not giving information to each other.”

So what should have been City’s best home win yet under Taylor panned out into another draw – and they were left clinging on for that point.

The sight of two own goals in the final 15 minutes – Steve Williams also put one past Matt Glennon – knocked the sheen off an afternoon that had also contained plenty of positives.

City, as an attacking force, were full of vigour, especially in a first half that should have seen them out of sight.

James Hanson led the line magnificently once again and his performance warranted the hat-trick denied him by the foot of the post.

Gareth Evans, alongside him, was in Dagenham’s face throughout – if only his awareness at the decisive moment matched his tenacity and endeavour.

And Omar Daley had that old swagger about him with a couple of flashes of old-school wingplay that Taylor would have loved in his prime.

Again, like Evans, if only he had made the right decisions when it came to the penalty area.

Unfortunately Daley’s day came to a cruelly abrupt end after an hour. A break down the right touchline proved one run too many as he pulled up clutching his hamstring. The Jamaican’s hands went to his face as his distress was there for all to see.

After such a long time out of action, his luck had deserted him again. Fingers crossed we at least see Daley again before the season is up.

Michael Flynn, too, was suffering after taking a bang in the ribs. He could be okay for Dean Court but the double blow of losing two key performers was a significant impact in the shifting momentum on Saturday.

The arrival of Dagenham substitute Nurse also played its part. He banged in the first goal with virtually his first touch and then had an assist in the other two.

Nurse and City’s late defensive short-comings took the spotlight away from Hanson’s magnificent contribution.

It’s not often Dagenham get bullied in the air but the big fella had won everything. Both his goals were identical, thumping headers from Threlfall crosses – though maybe keeper Tony Roberts could have been braver.

But Roberts, who enjoyed a running banter with the home crowd, had the last laugh with the late, late equaliser – celebrating with a comic forward roll to mimic the way Ryan Kendall had marked his first goal in senior football.

That had also come courtesy of the Threlfall and Hanson combination; Kendall anticipating the centre forward’s nod-down perfectly and getting the best bounce of the afternoon before lifting the ball coolly over the stranded keeper.

With eight minutes to go, that should have been game over. Kendall obviously thought so, whipping off his shirt to bask in the moment – and receiving a yellow card that I’m sure Taylor will be having a word about this morning.

The fact that City could not see the game out will be of greater concern to the manager. But having shut the door tight on free-scoring Notts County in midweek, it was another example of the hot-and-cold nature of their season.

It was not as if the defence had been suspect all match. For two thirds of the contest, little had been seen of Daggers dangerman Paul Benson and Co.

Taylor had again left out Matt Clarke altogether but the Williams and Oliver partnership looked to be getting the job done without too much fuss.

Both were prominent up the other end as City’s corners once again made their mark. Hanson nodded home the first and there were other moments of alarm for Dagenham whenever Threlfall delivered.

City deserved a second goal before the break and had they got one, Dagenham’s resolve would surely have dissolved.

Daley and Evans had the chances but eye-catching build-up play was let down where it counted; none more so than the instant when Daley put a defender on his backside and then seemed to wait for him to get back up before trying to beat him again.

Having bounced a header off the post, Hanson got his second goal soon after Daley had departed but Nurse cut short the adulation by lashing one back from a tight angle.

His header was then carried past Glennon by the unfortunate Williams, before Kendall eased City nerves with a classy finish.

Cue Bolder’s brainstorm at the back and Dagenham were climbing off the canvas again – almost winning it with two clear sights of goal in a panicky period of stoppage time.

Taylor said: “I can’t complain about the way we were on the ball. But for some reason we didn’t seem to be working as a back four in the second half and that’s annoying.” Attendance: 11,064