Fleet Canadian star: We'll get back on track for play-offs

Sunday 19th February 2006

Ross Graham-Smith, Gravesend & Northfleet’s 25-year-old Canadian defender, makes his first ever trip to Forest Green Rovers on Tuesday night, as the Kent side look to bounce back following their 3-1 defeat to Accrington Stanley on Friday, writes Stephen McCartney.

Friday night football has struck a cord with Kent football fans as the Fleet attracted their highest crowd of the season when 1616 flocked through the Stonebridge Road turnstiles.

However, Accrington Stanley stretched their unbeaten run to 14 league games and are 14 points clear of second placed Morecambe.

Graham-Smith, formerly of Margate, netted his third goal of the season when he headed Robert Watkins’ cross late in the game, but he is certainly enjoying his first season playing in the Nationwide Conference.

Plenty of positives came from the game. Fleet enjoyed plenty of possession before Andrew Todd headed the Lancashire visitors into the lead, against the run of play – ten minutes before the break.

Striker Paul Mullin netted two second half goals to send the small, but vocal, visiting fans home happy.

A frustrated Graham-Smith, admitted: “I think the scoreline doesn’t do us any justice. I think we really went at them, had a go and they finished the chances that they had. That was the difference.

“The guys are just gutted because we felt we really gave it a go.

Stanley were given a helping hand with their first goal when Fleet midfielder Danny Slatter’s back-header clipped his own post before Todd nodded home.

”When you’re top of the table all the bounces go all your way and the luck seems to come,” added the player, who lives a goal-kick away from the club’s Stonebridge Road ground.

“They’re a good Conference side, top of the table, they finished every chance they had.”

Graham-Smith, however, revealed the players were left stunned during the half-time interval, going in 1-0 down instead of winning.

He said: “We came in at half-time and we were just so unlucky not to come in 1-0 up but 1-0 down.

“Danny Slatter had an incredible game, you could see for yourself he didn’t get his head down.

“We had a lot of good performances, just so disappointed after the run we’ve had not to come away with anything.”

When Forest Green Rovers came to Stonebridge Road on a Tuesday night in late September, the game attracted the Fleet’s lowest league crowd of the season when 706 watched the home side's 2-0 win.

“This is my first year in the Conference so there’s a lot of grounds I still haven’t seen,” said Graham-Smith.

“I know when Forest Green came here it was a battle. It wasn’t a pretty game but we’re expecting much the same.

“It’s going to be a physical game but we’re definitely up for it - we’ve got to get back on track.”

Liam Daish’s side are now eleventh place in the table and the club hasn’t rule out pushing for a play-off place.

“It would have been a huge lift if we got any points on Friday night,” said Graham-Smith. “No question we can get back on track and push for the play-offs.”

Daish added: "It's going to be a very tough game. A different game. I don't want to get into the trap of playing against a top of the league side where its a big crowd under lights and all that. We've got to go to Forest Green now and we've got to show that little bit of determination and get a result down there.

"We've got to keep focusing on the next game, our attitude has got to be right as Forest Green are fighting for their lives."