Halifax 1 Gravesend & N 0

GRAVESEND & Northfleet failed to repeat last season’s victory at Halifax and stay rooted to the bottom of the Conference after their third straight defeat.

Manager Andy Ford knows his attacking options are a little thin and this was illustrated when defender Lee Shearer was forced to play up front.

Ford said: “Ben Abbey was out with a knee injury and Leroy Huggins decided to leave the club last week.

“We are still looking for a big target man, and have been ever since we lost Liam Hatch, but we’re no closer to finding him yet.”

Ryan Mallon’s glancing header in the 83rd minute proved enough to take all three points and send Halifax third behind unbeaten pacesetters Hereford and Aldershot.

But the margin should have been greater as striker Jon Cullen had a day to forget, hitting the post and missing an open goal.

Fleet’s best chance fell to midfielder Steve Perkins on 17 minutes. Halifax struggled to clear a Justin Skinner free-kick, and Perkins drilled the ball goalwards, but it drifted inches wide.

Ford said: “I think seeing as 80 per cent of our team are new this season and are still bedding down we did quite well.

“They came at us hard early on, as you would expect for a team who will be challenging for the title, but we took the sting out of their tail.

“I think we could have even sneaked a goal, but for the second week it a row we lost to a late strike so we are disappointed.

“But our spirit is good and we are only losing by the odd goal, so two wins next week and the picture will look very different.”