Gravesend & Northfleet 2-0 Grays Athletic. Deadly duo strike again as sixth placed Fleet shine

GRAVESEND & NORTHFLEET 2-0 GRAYS ATHLETIC
Tuesday 12^th September 2006
Nationwide Conference
Stephen McCartney reports from Stonebridge Road

Gravesend & Northfleet boss Liam Daish has issued a rallying cry to get more fans to watch his entertaining side in action at Stonebridge Road.

The Fleet sealed a fine victory over a side that started the game in second place in the Nationwide Conference table, and in doing so the Kent side climbed two places into sixth place - just eight points adrift of leaders Oxford United.

Star striker Charlie MacDonald took his tally up to seven for the season, with another fine strike coming from former Grays Athletic player Mark DeBolla, whose now scored five, doing the damage.

Grays, wearing yellow and blue, the colours of the Fleet’s arch-rivals Canvey Island, had no answer to Fleet’s determined attitude and Aaron McLean and Michael Kightly, who have scored 13 goals between them, failed to trouble Fleet goalkeeper Lance Cronin.

After both sides played cat-and-mouse early on, it was the Kent side, roared on by their highest crowd of the season to date, that took the lead after 21 minutes.

Former Canvey Island star Jon Keeling burst down the left hand side, on the counter-attack, reaching the by-line.

He cut the ball back to MacDonald, who bundled the ball home from close range, right in front of the visiting fans.

But before the deadlock was broken, Cronin had to be alert to thwart Dennis Oli from opening his account for the new season, parrying his angled drive.

The Essex side went close again when skipper Jamie Stuart glanced Kightly’s corner over after 36 minutes.

But the Fleet came desperately close to doubling their lead on the stroke of half-time.

Praise must go to striker Luke Moore for chasing a lost cause on the left by-line and cutting the ball back to Keeling, who received the club’s player-of-the-month award for August before kick-off.

Keeling’s square pass was met by DeBolla, whose drilled right-footed shot flashed agonisingly past the foot of the left post.

Fleet defender Jamie Smith saw his header on the hour mark headed off the line underneath the crossbar following Keeling’s corner.

But the visitors squandered an excellent chance to draw level before the Kent side wrapped up a deserved three points after 62 minutes of this pulsating Riverside derby.

McLean was played in by Oli and as Cronin rushed quickly off his goal-line, the seven-goal striker lobbed the ball over the blonde haired goalkeeper, only to see the ball drop agonisingly over the bar.

But Dangerous DeBolla sealed the victory when his drilled right-footed effort from 25-yards trickled past Ashley Bayes, who should have done better, and inside the foot of the far corner to send the Fleet faithful wild.

Kightly’s played a free-kick square to the unmarked Glenn Poole, whose left-footed drive from 30-yards flashed past the post as the Essex side increased their urgency.

But they failed to get past a stubborn Fleet side, which played good football and were also a joy to watch.

“I was very proud of my lads Saturday with the way we played against Halifax, but we didn’t get the result,” Fleet boss Liam Daish told www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards.

“Today we had the performance and the result. Results are everything and I thought the way the lads worked and played was magnificent really.”

With Exeter City visiting Stonebridge Road on Saturday, Daish calls upon the fans to make it a difficult place for teams to take points away from the Garden of England.

And he wants 1,500 fans to flock through the turnstiles on Saturday.

“Well, I mean it’s not the flashiest of stadiums but we’ve got seats in now and we’re playing some decent stuff,” he said.

“The lads are enjoying it, I think the fans are enjoying it, hopefully we’ll have 1200 here on Saturday.

“We need crowds. We do need some bodies in here. We need more fans.

“If you came down today see the lads, young, fit, hungry lads that have worked very hard today - it’s been a good night.”

Daish, meanwhile, hopes his side can put on another good display against the Devon side.

He said: “We’ve got another challenge, can we produce that or get close to it?

“Exeter are always going to be a tough side to play against but we’re going in there now on a couple of great results.

“Halifax is a point on Saturday, becomes a big point now because we backed it up with three points at home.

“If we get another three points on Saturday or close to that, we’re going on quite nicely.”

When asked how many fans he wants at Stonebridge Road on Saturday, Daish replied: “As many as I can. It’s a big area and I’d like to see 1200.

“We’ve got a good side down here with young lads that are running their socks off.

“It would be great if it was 1500, that would make one hell of a difference.”

Danny Slatter (illness) was replaced by Liam Coleman, who impressed his manager, who said: “Danny rang up today and was ill during today so he stayed away, but the lads got the result for him as well.

“The lad who came in, Liam Coleman caused no end of problems in his first start - he’s done brilliant.”

Daish, speaking to local reporters, complained about the lack of publicity in the national press before speaking in the press conference tonight.

But this result, only the second time the Fleet have beaten Grays Athletic, and performance will have the rest of the Conference taking notice.