Survival in the Football League rates even higher than success at a lower level for Paul Benson, whose miscued goal earned Dagenham & Redbridge a remarkable victory that maintained their hard-won status as a Coca-Cola League Two club.

Promoted as Conference champions 12 months ago, Dagenham have, for most of the season looked likely to make a swift return. Trailing 2-0 early in the second half at Darlington, it seemed that their anxiety was to be prolonged until goals from Sam Sloma and Dave Rainford were followed by Benson’s 73rd-minute winner.

Benson, 28, was playing for White Ensign in the Essex Olympian League only three years ago. “It’s hard to explain our emotions at the moment,” he said afterwards. “I thought winning the Conference was a big achievement, but this is probably bigger. The looks on the players’ faces at the end when we realised we were safe was brilliant. And I’ve got the scrappiest goal of my career by far.”

John Still, the manager, knows better than anyone that it has been a difficult season for Dagenham. Still, who celebrated with his team in front of the small band of travelling supporters, said: “It is a monumental achievement, it really is. To stay in this league is so much greater than us winning the championship last season. It’s unbelievable. I don’t think people seriously realise what we work with and on what sort of budget. If they did, I think they would die of shock.”

Darlington, already destined for the play-offs, appeared to be heading for a routine victory when Ricky Raven-hill’s accurate header gave them a deserved lead after 20 minutes and Shaun Reay ended a slick passing move to volley them farther ahead in the 52nd minute.

But Sloma, a Dagenham substitute, initiated a revival after 63 minutes and Rainford scored from the penalty spot three minutes later after Ben Parker had been sent off for a foul on Sam Saunders. “We were down to ten men, they’ve sniffed blood and gone for it,” Dave Penney, the Darlington manager, said.

Benson’s goal was Dagenham’s reward and provided a disappointing end to a week in which David Stockdale, the Darlington goalkeeper, was named the club’s player of the year and agreed a move to Fulham in the summer. “We are one game from the play-offs and we can’t afford to play like that,” Stockdale said. “I’m not thinking about Fulham at the moment. I just want my Darlington career to go on as long as it can. I want to play four more games for them and I want to be a winner at Wembley.”

His manager was far from happy. “We were cruising, but you can’t expect to win anything if you defend like we did,” Penney said. “We wouldn’t have let in three goals like that earlier in the season. Now we need to get some belief back.”

Darlington are likely to go into the play-offs without Pawel Abbott, their record signing. The striker made his return from a hamstring injury but limped off after only 16 minutes. “It’s a big worry,” Penney, whose team have taken only three points from their past eight matches, said.

Darlington (4-4-2): D Stockdale – B Parker, A White, S Foster, S Wiseman – N Wainwright, C Keltie, R Raven-hill, C Nelthorpe (sub: I Miller, 71min) – P Abbott (sub: S Reay, 18), T Wright (sub: M Cummins, 55). Substitutes not used: P Kazimierczak, J Kennedy. Sent off: Parker.

Dagenham & Redbridge (4-4-2): A Roberts – S Griffiths, M Arber, J Boardman, S Huke – P Gain, D Rainford, S Saunders, P Benson (sub: J Nurse, 82) – G Southam (sub: S Sloma, 57), B Strevens (sub: C Moore, 90). Substitutes not used: S Taiwo, D Hogan. Booked: Benson, Sloma, Huke.