GATESHEAD conceded two late goals as they crashed to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of National League leaders Dagenham & Redbridge.

The Heed were under the cosh from the start, and while Theo Vassell cleared the ball off the line in the early stages, Dagenham claimed the lead in the 13th minute.

Gateshead goalkeeper did well to keep out Morgan Ferrier’s close-range effort, but Joe White was on hand inside the six-yard box to slot home the rebound.

An equaliser arrived halfway through the first half, although the visitors were indebted to Daggers defender Kevin Lokko, who put the ball into his own net after Luke Hannant swung over a dangerous free-kick.

Robbie Tinkler came close to putting Gateshead ahead at the end of the first half, but Dagenham remained on top and Ferrier wasted a golden opportunity when he chipped a second-half penalty against the crossbar.

The striker made amends with ten minutes left though, slamming the ball home after Nick Wheeler flicked a cross into his path.

Dagenham claimed a third goal with three minutes left, with Elliott Romain outpacing the Gateshead defence to reach a long ball.

“There were certainly some positives to take from the game,” said Heed boss Neil Aspin. “We were more of an attacking threat compared to our past two games.

“I thought Luke Hannant came in and had a really good game, and justified his place in the team. Dagenham are going to finish in the top two or three in this league because they’ve got quality throughout the team.”

Gateshead: Hanford; Williams, Vassell, Byrne, Fyfield, Mellish (Tinkler 16); Penn (Burrow 81), Preston (Johnson 64), McLaughlin, Hannant; Peniket.