Accrington Stanley 1 Gravesend & Northfleet 2

GRAVESEND and Northfleet climbed to the heady heights of fourth in the Conference table after their third win from five away games.

Fleet played superbly in the first hour of their match at Accrington Stanley and took a deserved 2-0 lead through goals from Roy Essandoh and Manny Omoyimni.

They were left hanging on at the end after Jonathan Smith pulled one back for Stanley but Fleet manager Andy Ford was delighted with the result, which moves them just three points behind leaders Barnet.

Ford said: "It was a really good win. We earned the points with our display in the first half and the first 15 minutes of the second half.

"In the last half hour they came right back into it but we deserved to win and I'm pleased with our form.

"If someone had offered us fourth place after 10 games at the start of the season we would have bitten their hands off.

"But we need to look at it as just the first quarter of the season. If our next two quarters are anywhere need as good then we'll be right in the mix at the end."

Fleet nearly got off to a dreadful start at the Interlink Express Stadium, though, when Paul Mullin squandered a good chance from six yards out after just 60 seconds.

Omoyimni had Fleet's first effort of note on 27 minutes but shot straight at the keeper, while at the other end defender Chris Moore had to block an Ian Craney shot.

Omoyimni then had a good shout for a penalty turned down after he was bundled to the ground by last defender Jed Brannan.

Ford had to reshuffle his pack in the 37th minute when French defender Rumauld Bouadji had to come off following a heavy fall.

A hospital X-ray later showed that Bouadji had escaped with bruising to his shoulder, while Ford moved Jay Saunders back to centre half and brought on Jimmy Jackson to play in midfield.

The change didn't seem to unsettle the visitors too much and they took the lead just before the interval when Essandoh headed home from a Lee Protheroe cross.

Omoyimni made it 2-0 in the 54th minute when he used his pace to latch on to an Essandoh flick on and got between a defender and the goalkeeper to finish from an acute angle.

Stanley defender Smith set up an electric finish to the game when he headed home in the 70th minute and Wilkerson had to make a great save from Lee McEvily eight minutes later.

But Fleet held on for their fourth win in the last six games, leapfrogging Stanley in the table as a result.