By Gregg Davies @ Victoria Road
Graeme Montgomery's spectacular injury-time goal denied Hereford United a deserved point in their final away game of the season, keeping Dagenham & Redbridge's play-off hopes alive as a result.
Marc Pugh's close-range effort shortly after the hour mark had cancelled out Paul Benson's controversial first half opener.
But having laid siege to the Daggers' goal in the latter stages, the Bulls were sunk by a sucker punch at the death.
Graham Turner named the same XI that had started the 2-1 victory over promoted Rochdale for what was expected to be his last match on the road managing United.
His side came close to taking the lead inside 60 seconds, with Pugh latching onto Kenny Lunt's chip over the Londoners' defence, only to be denied by goalkeeper Tony Roberts.
The Bulls continued to pose the greater threat. Mathieu Manset drove down the left channel but dragged his low effort across goal with no team-mate well-positioned for a tap-in.
The Frenchman then headed Ryan Green's centre harmlessly over and Pugh's corner comfortably wide, before connecting better with an inviting Gavin McCallum cross but glancing it the wrong side of the upright.
John Still's side, who had barely threatened with Benson's ambitious volley sailing over, Damien McCrory's free-kick doing like-wise and Jon Nurse heading into the side-netting, then sprang to life.
Benson latched onto a loose ball inside the penalty area and fired inches past the post with Adam Bartlett scrambling. But the striker was not to be denied moments later.
Richard Rose hacked the ball upfield under pressure from the former White Ensign goal-getter, who appeared to be coming back from an offside position as Abu Ogogo returned the ball into the danger zone.
However, the assistant referee's flag stayed down, allowing Benson to convert despite Bartlett's best efforts to deny him.
Romain Vincelot could have doubled the hosts' lead before the break, failing to get a toe-end to Benson's low right-wing centre.
And he threatened again shortly after the interval, smashing a low 20-yarder agonisingly wide of the post.
An unmarked Mark Arber then headed off-target from a corner, before Josh Scott wastefully lashed the ball high and wide following a neat turn as the Daggers' continued to probe.
But the Bulls regrouped and, after Manset had seen his left-footed effort deflect behind off Scott Doe, they were level.
Manset's cross-field pass to Lunt inadvertently hit the midfielder's back. However, McCallum retrieved possession and laid the ball off for the onrushing Green, whose pin-point centre picked out Pugh at the far post.
Bartlett rushed out of his goal to beat Vincelot to the ball following a dangerous Danny Green through-ball, before brilliantly denying substitute Phil Walsh's downward header.
However, it was Hereford who looked the side more likely to snatch a winner after piling on the pressure in the dying embers.
Manset lashed over from 20-yards after fashioning himself half-a-yard, while substitute Leon Constantine was denied by Roberts and Lunt's deflected free-kick was cleared off the goal-line by Arber.
But as the contest entered added time the Daggers drove a knife through Hereford's heart with a piece of magic from Montgomery.
Bartlett opted to punch opposite number Roberts' long hump forward but only found the home side's midfielder, who looped the ball home on the volley from 20 yards.
Dagenham & Redbridge: Roberts, Ogogo, Doe, Arber, McCrory, D. Green (Uddin 90), Vincelot, Gain, Nurse (Walsh 78), Benson, Scott (Montgomery 65).
Subs Not Used: Lewington, Currie, Bingham, Tejan-Sie.
Booked: Doe.
Hereford United: Bartlett, R. Green, Rose, D. Jones, Valentine, McCallum, Lunt, McQuilkin, Pugh, Manset, King (Constantine 79).
Subs Not Used: Done, Gwynne, C. Jones, Weir, Lowe.
Booked: Valentine
Attendance: 2,663 - 239 away
