Daish: We acquitted ourselves well

Gravesend & Northfleet boss Liam Daish admitted his new-look side acquitted themselves well during their impressive showing against MK Dons last night, writes Stephen McCartney.

The Fleet, now a full-time club, created a whole host of chances during the first half against a League Two side reported to have contained three first team players.

But two goalkeeping howlers from trialist Alan Brookes gifted MK Dons two second half goals.

John Hastings, top scorer for Tooting & Mitcham United in the Ryman League first division last season, accepted the gifts in the 50^th and 77^th minutes in a game the Fleet didn’t deserve to lose.

But Daish admitted he was impressed with the former Millwall goalkeeper despite his two costly errors that gave the visitors an unlikely victory.

Fleet fans, who were watching their one and only home pre-season friendly before their Nationwide Conference campaign gets underway with a trip to Aldershot Town on 12^th August, will go home happy, having witnessed plenty of entertaining football.

Eleven players, some of them favourites were shown the door by Daish during the summer, but now they might have new ones in former Grays Athletic player Mark Debolla, 23, and former Canvey Island star John Keeling.

One thing is for certain, however, the next generation of Gravesend & Northfleet players are a lot fitter than the ones that wore the red shirt this time last year.

Daish, meanwhile, told www.kentishfootball.co.uk after the game that he was pleased with his players following their third pre-season outing.

Having lost 3-1 at Ryman Premier League side Folkestone Invicta in their opening warm-up game, the Fleet bounced back with a 2-0 win at Eastbourne Borough, from the Nationwide Conference South, at the weekend.

But the Fleet are without a game on Saturday before ending their pre-season programme at AFC Hornchurch next Tuesday and Chelmsford City on Friday, 4^th August.

Fleet fans that aren’t travelling to these two games or their league opener in Hampshire should flock through the turnstiles when they host Tamworth at Stonebridge Road on Tuesday, 15h August.

“Well, I thought we acquitted ourselves well,” Daish said after tonight’s game.

“We had a good shape about us, some good performances there, looked fairly solid and created chances at the other end.”

And he has high hopes for Mark De Bolla, a player he signed from league rivals Grays Athletic.

“He’s lively, I thought he played well and his actually comfortable up front as you saw. I’m sure he’s going to be a good acquisition for us.”

Reflecting on the game, Daish added: “I thought the only thing that was missing first half for us was a goal. We had chances but their keeper was quite decent actually.”

On the subject of goalkeepers, Daish wasn’t too harsh on Brookes.

“Well, first half he was ever so tight, he’s kicking was good and sods law sitting next to Ron (Hillyard) on the bench saying “he’s kicking’s decent here”, but that’s football for you - two mistakes, two goals.

“I haven’t got a problem with that. He’ll learn from that, I’m sure he will.”

Daish is now running out of pre-season games before the big kick-off to a league campaign that should see the Kent side challenging for the top half of the table.

But he was pleased that he gave the majority of his starting eleven as close to 90 minutes as possible.

“I wanted to get the majority of the lads today 90 minutes, against good opposition as they were very athletic, a league club, and that will do them a well of good,” he said.

“The trialists, I’m still looking to get them some games. I thought young George Purcell, when he came on, had a bit of pace and directness and as I say it’s a game today that I wanted to get the majority of my contracted players with some decent minutes on the pitch.”

Daish, who had an eighteen man squad, but only used three substitutes, added: “I thought it was a good work-out. Performances was there but obviously the result wasn’t but I thought we acquitted ourselves well.”