My over-riding emotion after it was all over, was that of disbelief writes Phil Ravitz.
"Was this a dream,'' I asked all around me. Mark Clemmitt, reporter on BBC TV's The Football League Show, duly obliged by pinching me to inflict pain and establish that it wasn't.
Daggers will truly be lining up among the 24 clubs contesting English football's third tier - League 1 - after winning what every media commentator I met at Wembley on Sunday, confirmed as the best Play-off final of this season and one of the finest of recent seasons.
And that includes Blackpool's thrilling win in the Championship final eight days previous, by the same score!
An elated and seemingly half-crazed Tony Roberts forecast on national TV that "Daggers would become the new Wimbledon FC,''. If he is right then Daggers fans have an FA Cup final triumph and a long stay in the country's top flight to look forward to.
Boss John Still told countless media interviewers, "He doesn't know how far he can take this club.''
What is for certain is that just three seasons as a League club and just 18 years after formation of the present club, Daggers will play League fixtures against Sheffield Wednesday, Southampton and Charlton Athletic, all permanent Premier League outfits in the last decade.
And they achieved it in a pulsating and thrilling final tie that you couldn't take your eyes off for a second.
Two pain-killing injections into Peter Gain's calf - the last one just 90 minutes before kick-off - eased Daggers' only pre-match injury concern and manager Still was able to field his strongest line-up and the one that inflicted a 7-2 aggregate semi defeat on Morecambe.
Opponents Rotherham, despite media suggestions to the contary, also kept the same side that had beaten Aldershot 3-0 in their semi.
Daggers settled early, always a good sign, and Jon Nurse whipped over the first meaningful cross of the game in two minutes, that saw Danny Green slip as he closed in on it and the effort went harmlessly across the face of goal.
Green then quickly gave a taste of his shooting power, when in four minutes he forced Rotherham keeper Andy Warrington to beat away a near post effort, after Abu Ogogo and Josh Scott had shown up well in the build-up.
It took their Yorkshire opponents 12 minutes to muster a goalbound effort. The dangerous Nicky Law got over a good cross from the right that forced Daggers' skipper Mark Arber to head behind. From the resulting corner, Rotherham captain Ian Sharps headed on and converted midfield man Pablo Mills nodded just past a post.
Moments later, the Millers went much closer. Again it was a headed effort, from striker Ryan Taylor as Kevin Ellison put in an instant cross and Taylor's effort went beyond Roberts, but also the far post as well.
The Daggers keeper was then in diving action, holding onto a 17th minute Taylor header as Rotherham began to exert sustained pressure.
But Daggers withstood it and the action dropped off for a few minutes before John Still's side brought it back to life spectacularly, when Ogogo got over a cross on the run and Daggers' French talisman Romain Vincelot executed a spectacular bicycle kick that brought a truly outstanding save from keeper Warrington in 31 minutes.
As the ball dropped, Sharps made a goal-saving block as Paul Benson closed in.
Two minutes later Nurse was tripped in full flight, earning Sharps the game's first booking and Daggers a free-kick opportunity. Green drove in a powerful effort, under the Rotherham wall, but again Warrington produced an outstanding parry to keep the effort out.
The Millers' 30 goal man Adam Le Fondre then became Rotherham's second booking of the final, going in with his shoulder and foot raised on Roberts as the keeper collected a Danny Harrison through header.
Two minutes later Daggers had the lead. Skipper Arber took a quick free-kick, Gain kept the ball moving, easing it on to an overlapping Damien McCrory and although the low cross was behind Paul BENSON, Daggers' top scorer controlled, swivelled and despatched a low effort beyond Warrington, before beginning a run the length of the pitch to celebrate.
But within 52 seconds, the sides were level again. Daggers were caught napping from a left-side throw-in. Gavin Gunning found Ellison, again he delivered an instant cross and Taylor, without a goal all season or in his last 42 games, steered a powerful header over Roberts to ensure the sides were on equal terms at the interval.
Daggers didn't let the set back affect their early second-half play and 10 minutes after the resumption, re-took the lead.
McCrory again overlapped down the left and got over a deep cross, Rotherham central defender Nick Fenton headed away, but only to Danny GREEN, who set himself before driving a low, rising effort across keeper Warrington and into the far corner.
Rotherham responded immediately and when full-back Mark Lynch overlapped and crossed on the run, the cross eluded everyone before bouncing up and striking the incoming Harrison on the knee and rearing over the crossbar from two yards!
But Daggers' reprieve was short-lived. A minute later and just five after restoring their lead, they were pulled back again. This time Law sped down the right and expertly cut back a low cross. Taylor, having the game of his life, took the cross down and drove an unstoppable effort beyond Roberts for 2-2.
In the manner of the game, Daggers came straight back and Benson neatly touched off a right-wing cross to give Arber a shooting opportunity, but the skipper's effort was too close to keeper Warrington.
Then with 20 minutes remaining, Daggers got their noses in front a third time. It wasn't a goal to match the previous two or either of Rotherham's, but was just about the most important ever scored for the club.
A right-wing corner deflected off Scott Doe and fell to Jon NURSE. He clearly scuffed his shot, but the low-hit effort clearly had sufficient menace to persuade Ellison to stick out a shin and the deflection it took was enough to wrong-foot Warrington to find the net.
Could Rotherham hit back a third time? Somehow that rather scrubby effort seemed to deflate the Yorkshire side for really the first time in the final and this time Daggers held them at bay with much greater comfort than before.
Graeme Montgomery got a first taste of Wembley, replacing Nurse minutes after the Barbados international had restored Daggers' lead and with seven minutes left, Phil Walsh emulated his footballing father Alan, who turned out twice at Wembley for his former club Bristol City, replacing Josh Scott.
The Millers huffed and puffed for the closing stages, but Daggers were in no mood and didn't look likely to surrender a prize that seemed means so much.
As I eluded to earlier, they will now meet a trio of clubs next season who were Premier League 'fixtures' just a decade ago. At the same time, Daggers were a mid-table Ryman League outfit for whom a day like Sunday was just a dream.
Except, I've been assured it wasn't a dream!
*On a personal note, this is my final, formal match report after 43 years of non-stop reporting as a sports journalist and in the last couple of years as a club media officer.
I'd like to personally thank the current Daggers for making it such a thrilling swansong and fitting finale.
D&R: 1. Tony Roberts, 3. Damien McCrory, 4. Scott Doe, 6. Mark Arber - capt, 7. Danny Green, 9. Jon Nurse (22. Graeme Montgomery 72mins), 10. Josh Scott (31. Phil Walsh 83 mins), 14. Paul Benson, 19. Abu Ogogo, 20. Romain Vincelot, 33. Peter Gain. Unused subs: 30. Chris Lewington (GK), 15. Anwar Uddin, 17. Darren Currie, 24. Billy Bingham, 26. Tommy Tejan-Sie.
Att: 32,054
