Clean sheet was main thing on Griffiths’ to-do list

The shut out was Town’s first on the road this term and only their third of the campaign to date, four less than at this stage last season.

Griffiths said: “That was my main aim for the game, my main target, to try and keep a clean sheet.

“We haven’t really done well enough since the start of the season defensively as far as clean sheets go.

“I think we’ve kept two other clean sheets and for me that’s not good enough considering last season we had quite a few.

“The clean sheet was the main thing on my list of things to do.”

It’s significance wasn’t lost on first team coach Hakan Hayrettin either who said: “The most important thing for us was we kept our shape and kept our discipline in the second half, we didn’t want to lose that, that was the turning point.

“We made sure everyone knew their jobs and had to do their jobs in the right areas to win the game.

“Everyone worked industriously hard when we didn’t have the ball to nullify what they had.”

Hosts Dagenham had two decent shouts for penalties when Griffiths pushed winger Jodi Jones in the box and then Joss Labadie was cautioned for diving after a challenge from Jack Marriott.

Griffiths continued: “I touched him, but just to the point of like a pat, it was nothing.

“He was very quick, sharp off the mark, goes down quite easy. I’ve been in the gym so it might have been that. Once you read him a bit, you’ve just got to stay on his toes as he is a good player.

“He came off injured in the second half and they brought someone else quick on. They knew they needed someone else quick to get past me!

“I did see that (Labadie booking), but I don’t know why he gave a yellow card. I don’t think it looked too bad for me. It wasn’t a foul from us, but to give a yellow card, seemed a bit harsh, that’s the ref’s decision though.”

On both shouts, Hayrettin addded: “I don’t think they were, I think the referee got it spot on. Listen, they will think it was a penalty, we don’t think it was a penalty because there’s no real contact in the first half or the second half, so we’re happy with that.”