sport news Dagenham & Redbridge 3-0 Wrexham: Dragons miss out on automatic promotion to ... trends now
Phil Parkinson believes that home advantage for the playoffs will be crucial for Wrexham after they missed out on automatic promotion from the National League to League Two with defeat at Dagenham & Redbridge.
A three-goal collapse at Victoria Road gave Wrexham their heaviest defeat of the season ahead of a semi-final against the winners of either Grimsby or Notts County.
It was a lackluster performance by the North Wales side that became most notable when Stockport took the lead against Halifax, but Parkinson wanted his team to take full advantage of finishing second.
Dagenham emphatically snuffed out Wrexham's hopes of automatic promotion to League Two
Wrexham fans arrived in London knowing a win and a Stockport loss would give them a chance
Wrexham began the day three points behind Stockport, who occupied the only automatic promotion spot and had a superior goal difference to their nearest rivals.
Parkinson said: 'Today wasn't our day but we've got some big games coming up now. The lads have showed so much effort and commitment throughout this season.
'Being at the Racecourse will be absolutely crucial for us – we're guaranteed that second place.
'The way the play-offs are structured, it's important to finish second or third. It's not what we wanted but it's the next best option.
The Daggers cut Wrexham's optimism to ribbons by scoring three without reply after the break
Paul McCallum had threatened to score before he netted the second of the home side's goals
'It was a tough day for us; we weren't at our best. Dagenham played really well today. Stockport's second goal filtering around the place knocked the wind out of our sails.
'As much as you don't want that to happen, it is understandable. These lads have come a long way.'
Victory for Dagenham was no less than they deserved in soggy conditions, although Chesterfield drawing against Woking denied the Daggers a play-off spot.
The first effort came after 15 minutes when Wrexham goalkeeper Christian Dibble had to pull off a save from Brandon Comley.
Reece Hall-Johnson (left) and Wrexham held out for 55 minutes but will settle for the play-offs
An eventful and impressive regular campaign came to a painful end for the visiting supporters
