Gravesend & Northfleet 1-4 Stafford Rangers - Sparse Stonebridge suffer Stafford shocker

GRAVESEND & NORTHFLEET 1-4 STAFFORD RANGERS
Tuesday 10^th October 2006
Nationwide Conference
Stephen McCartney reports from Stonebridge Road

Gravesend & Northfleet boss Liam Daish criticised his side’s work ethic as they crashed to their heaviest defeat of the season tonight.

With the Fleet 2-0 down, striker Charlie MacDonald headed home his 12th goal of the season, to give Fleet’s lowest crowd of the season something to cheer.

An eleventh minute own goal from Fleet skipper Paul McCarthy set the tone for a poor performance from the Kent side.

A brace from 41-year-old striker Neil Grayson, taking his tally up to six for the season, was sandwiched by a goal from his forward partner Guy Madjo.

And when Madjo fired home his second goal of the season, many Fleet fans were heading towards the exits.

Gravesend & Northfleet created their first real chance after ten minutes when visiting goalkeeper Danny Alcock made a comfortable save from Danny Slatter’s glancing header.

James Smith, whipped in a right-footed cross from the right, after Mark Ricketts’ throw, but the former Welling United midfielder was never going to trouble the former Accrington Stanley goalkeeper.

But the visitors opened the scoring just one minute later.

Richard Sutton’s cross from the right wing found Grayson in the middle and he was denied by a fine save from Lance Cronin, but the ball came off the unfortunate McCarthy and rolled into the back of his own net.

McCarthy almost made amends two minutes later but he headed Slatter’s free-kick into Alcock’s grateful arms.

Gravesend & Northfleet, however, created their best chance of the first half after 17 minutes when MacDonald’s shot sailed agonisingly over the bar.

Cronin, though, made a fine save to deny Kevin Street four minutes later, tipping his angled drive around the far post.

Fleet midfielder Robert Quinn rose to glance Sacha Opinel’s corner - their first of the game - wide after 31 minutes.

Stafford forced an in-direct free-kick on the edge of the penalty area, but Robin Gibson, who was teed up by Grayson, drove his shot towards goal but the ball struck Ricketts’ leg and flashed past the right post.

But the Fleet sparked into life towards the end of the first half, creating a couple of decent chances.

Rickett’s long throw into the penalty area was flicked on towards MacDonald, whose glancing header from six-yards forced a fine diving save from Alcock.

And Luke Moore raced down the middle on the counter attack, and slipped the ball to MacDonald, but the striker was denied again by the Stafford goalkeeper.

But Stafford doubled their lead within five minutes into the second half. Madjo’s initial shot was parried by Cronin and Grayson slid the ball home.

Eighteen-year-old Moore had a great chance to bring the Fleet back into the game eight minutes later, but he was denied by another fine save from Alcock.

Gravesend & Northfleet clawed themselves back into the game after 63 minutes, courtesy of MacDonald nodding home Opinel’s left-footed inswinging corner.

Their joy, however, was short lived as Stafford Rangers added a third goal seven minutes later when Madjo fired into the bottom right hand corner to the delight of the small band of travelling supporters that had made the 336 mile round-trip to north Kent.

Teenage substitute Chris Anderson was desperately unlucky not to score just two minutes later, after cutting in from the right, his shot curled past the far post.

Another 18-year-old substitute, George Purcell impressed his manager when he reached the by-line, after racing down the left-flank, but his low cross deflected off Richard Sutton and rolled into Alcock’s grateful arms.

Purcell’s diagonal cross was met by a towering header by McCarthy but flew agonisingly past the far post.

But Stafford scored a fourth goal with three minutes remaining when Grayson headed home, past Cronin’s desperate dive, following Gibson’s cross from the left.

Cronin denied Grayson a hat-trick when he saved at the striker’s feet as he was about to pull the trigger.