Hereford succumbed to their second Nation-wide Conference defeat inside a week and slipped to eighth in the table with a feeble performance at Edgar Street on Saturday.

The Daggers became only the second team to inflict a home league defeat on United this season in their first ever league trip to Edgar Street, following their 2-1 home victory in September.

It was the sixth consecutive win for the in-form visitors, who were the second side to complete a Conference double over Hereford this season.

Not for the first time this term, the Bulls turned in a shockingly uninspired showing in front of their home crowd, their 'poorest performance' of the season according to boss Graham Turner.

And it took a moment of incisive brilliance from the East Londoners to break the deadlock 11 minutes into the second half.

Midfielder Paul Terry, who ran the Dagenham show from the centre of the park, made a fine run into the Bulls' box and was found at the near post by defender Lee Good-win's accurate low cross from the right.

Terry, brother of Chelsea player John, managed to get his foot around the ball on the run and diverted an unstoppable shot from 10 yards past keeper Scott Cooksey and into the bottom left corner of his net.

United were without left-back Paul Sturgess through illness, midfielder Ian Rodgerson with a thigh problem, and star front man Gavin Williams, a particularly notable absentee, with a calf injury.

However, this was no excuse for such a lack-lustre effort as the Bulls struggled to make any kind of impact on a big, muscular Dagenham defence and produced a mere handful of shots on goal.

Indeed none of these truly troubled the Daggers' stopper, former QPR and Welsh international keeper Tony Roberts.

Paul Parry made his first start since October on his return from a long-term ankle injury, which provided possibly the only bright spot of the match for Hereford with a solid match wide on the left.

Cooksey produced the save of the game after 33 minutes when he fantastically tipped over a header from Jason Broom, who was making his 300th appearance for Dagen-ham, but it was a rare moment of excitement in an otherwise barren encounter.

Even the introduction of Steve Bull with 26 minutes remaining failed to rally the Bulls, who had a miserable afternoon completed by late bookings for James Wall and Phil Robinson.

Hereford: Cooksey, Clarke, Wall, Robinson, Wright, James, Quiggin (Hanson 46 mins), Snape, Elmes, Giddings (Bull 64 mins), Parry. Subs not used: Baker, Gardiner, Shirley.

Dagenham: Roberts, Cole, Vickers, Goodwin, Matthews, Terry, Jones, Heffer (Brennan 71 mins), Shipp (Keen 89 mins), McDougald, Broom (Gallagher 47 mins). Subs not used: Wignall, Cobb.

Referee: K Pike (Gillingham, Dorset).

Attendance: 1,561.