Drissa Diallo headed the only goal of the game as league leaders MK Dons edged a bruising encounter against struggling Dagenham.

Diallo found the net from Dean Lewington's corner on 23 minutes to keep the Dons top of League 2 but John Still's Daggers made them work for it with a dogged display.

Lloyd Dyer could have put the finishing touch to the win but saw a stoppage time penalty saved by Daggers 'keeper Tony Roberts after Colin Cameron was fouled by Jon Boardman in the area.

But 2-0 would have been harsh on the home side, who squandered a string of excellent chances to claim a much needed point and sunk to 23rd in the table.

The night promised to be difficult enough without the suspended Keith Andrews and Danny Swailes but the way Dagenham started suggested more problems were on the horizon.

Within two minutes, Paul Benson was bearing down on Dons 'keeper Willy Gueret from Ben Strevens' pass but the Dons got out of jail when the striker's shot hit the foot of the near post and trickled across goal to safety.

Aaron Wilbraham in action for the Dons at Dagenham.

Tackles were flying in from the first whistle, Daggers full-back Scott Griffiths thundering into more than a few, with the home side clearly up for the challenge of facing the League 2 pace setters.

Their direct approach was causing Ince's men a few problems and while stand-in skipper Sean O'Hanlon stood strong with Diallo, the difficult pitch coupled with the home side's uncompromising style made chances inevitable.

The Dons had Gueret to thank when one did present itself, the Frenchman reacting superbly to block a Jon Nurse header from Sam Sloma's left wing cross.

The pace was frantic and space was at a premium but the Dons slugged it out with the Daggers until Diallo put them in front halfway through the first period.

Lewington swung a dangerous corner from the right to the near post and the Guinean defender arrived bang on cue to head home his second goal of the season from five yards.

Drissa Diallo heads the only goal of the game.

It was a training ground special, and at times after that the visitors looked like they were still there as they popped the ball about with far more confidence.

Jemal Johnson fired a shot just wide after Cameron had been put through by Alan Navarro as the Dons seized the initiative but from a Navarro foul just before half time, the Daggers should have been level.

Sloma delivered another dangerous ball into the Dons box and with the ball placed perfectly between Gueret and his defenders, Nurse somehow diverted the ball wide from a couple of yards out.

Dons tempers frayed towards the end of the half as both Gueret and Lewington were booked harshly for time wasting and Ince as keen to let referee Darren Deadman what he thought at half-time.

Dean Lewington tries his luck with a shot from range.

The bookings kept coming for the men in black as O'Hanlon was carded for a foul on Nurse despite a reckless challenge on Dyer going unpunished just seconds before.

Dyer could have made life easier on 67 minutes when he side-footed wide from Mark Wright's centre after great work from substitute Leon Knight but that was about as slick as the football got as Cameron resumed usual service with a crunching challenge on Strevens.

Dyer and Wright combined again two minutes later, this time the roles reversed as Dyer squared for Wright inside the box but the winger was crowded out by the scrambling Dagenham defence.

The game was no less scrappy but the chances were starting to flow and substitute Chris Moore missed the pick of them, jabbing over Gueret and past the post after Boardman's free-kick had been flicked on.

Having missed two great chances in the first half, Nurse's luck got no better as he smacked a header from substitute Dominic Green's cross against the bar with eight minutes to go.

Mark Wright puts Scott Griffiths under pressure.

Gueret pushed away a fierce free-kick from Anwar Uddin late on as the Dons continued to hold firm but they should have made it safe with almost the final kick.

Substitute Drewe Broughton linked up well with Cameron as the pair chased a ball into the Daggers half and when Broughton headed through for his team-mate, Cameron was upended by Boardman.

Dyer's penalty was hardly a poor one, credit should go to 'keeper Roberts for an outstanding full-stretch save.

But the Dons held out for three points they may well look back on as crucial come the end of the season.

Dag & Red: Roberts, Okuonghae, Boardman, Uddin, Griffiths, Southam, Huke, Sloma (Green 69), Strevens, Nurse, Benson (Moore 54).
Subs Not Used: Thompson, Cook, Tejan-Sie.

Booked: Uddin, Boardman.

Milton Keynes Dons: Gueret, Stirling, Diallo, O'Hanlon, Lewington, Wright (Hadfield 89), Cameron, Navarro, Dyer, Wilbraham (Broughton 46), Johnson (Knight 66).
Subs Not Used: Abbey, Gallen.

Booked: Gueret, Lewington, O'Hanlon, Cameron.

Goals: Diallo 23

Attendance: 1,880

Referee: Darren Deadman (Cambridgeshire)