Gravesend & Northfleet 1 Hereford United 2

GRAVESEND face the prospect of playing out the rest of their season in mid-table limbo unless they rapidly re-discover the form that recently took them to the fringe of the Nationwide Conference promotion play-offs.

Tuesday’s defeat by second placed Hereford stretched their winless sequence to five games on a night when they again recklessly tossed away a hard-earned lead against opponents forced to play with 10-men for 59 minutes following Daryl Taylor’s dismissal.

Exasperated Fleet manager Liam Daish confessed: "I’m frustrated and extremely disappointed. It was a great position to be 1-0 up against 10-men. But we froze and we panicked.

"I’m not going to make the excuse about being a young side because we were in a great position to win that game."

He insisted: "There is no way I am going to stand by and watch our season peter out because there are so many points still to play for."

The match should have turned in the Fleet’s favour when the lively Taylor was shown a straight red card for a reckless 31st minute challenge on Bradley Johnson. Two minutes later Jimmy Jackson headed in off a post from Danny Slatter’s cross for his fourth goal of the season.

Ten-man Hereford, beaten only five times in the Conference this season, incredibly upped the tempo and raised their game to such an extent that the Fleet’s numerical advantage counted for nothing.

With centre-backs Ross Smith and skipper Paul McCarthy off injured, the home defence were always vulnerable to the pacy Hereford attack.

Robbie King equalised in the 75th minute after picking his spot from the edge of the area and five minutes later Andy Williams powered his way through the home defence before firing in a fierce drive that went under the body of goalkeeper Craig Holloway.

The match was watched by a crowd of 618 - the Fleet’s lowest home attendance of the season.

Gravesend: Holloway, Gooding, R Smith (J Smith 56), McCarthy (Fuller 65), Watkins, Slatter, Johnson, McKimm, Jackson (Sodje 84), Rawle, Moore.
Subs Not Used: Kerr, Saunders.
Attendance: 618.