Forest Green 2 Gravesend & N 1

GRAVESEND & Northfleet returned empty-handed from their trip to Nationwide Conference basement boys Forest Green Rovers on Saturday.

Fleet had gone to Gloucestershire in good form having beaten Nuneaton 4-1 and Woking 3-2 in their previous two league outings.

But a second half penalty by Neil Grayson gave new Rovers manager Colin Addison a win in his first game in charge.

Fleet manager Andy Ford said: "It is always a bit difficult when you are playing against a side that has had a change of manager, and they made four changes from their team the previous week. I appreciated beforehand that it was going to be tough for us because I don't think we can go into any games in this league thinking they are going to be easy.

"But having said that I think they asked a few questions of our defence today that we were not able to answer."

Akpo Sodje had an early opening for Fleet when he let fly with a shot which went wide of the goal after a quarter of an hour, before they fell behind two minutes later.

Kayode Odejayi turned and curled right-footed shot from 25-yards into the top corner of the net past keeper Paul Wilkerson.

As Fleet looked to get back in the game before half-time, a Jimmy Jackson free-kick and long range effort by Justin Skinner were kept out by Green keeper Jon Richardson. And Nick Burton's six-yard header from Jackson's corner went over the bar.

Gravesend replaced Robert Owen with Tostao Kwashi at half-time and only four minutes into the second half came within a whisker of an equaliser when Steve McKimm's shot from right side of penalty area hit woodwork.

In the 65th minute things got worse for Gravesend when Craig Wilkins gave away a penalty by fouling Odejayi, and Grayson made no mistake from the spot.

With 15 minutes left Gravesend gave themselves hope when Sodje powered the ball high into the centre of net from six yards from a Che Stadhart cross. Burton again headed over the bar in the last minute, but Fleet were unable to force an equaliser.

Gravesend: Wilkerson, Watts, Wilkins, Burton, Skinner (Parker 71mins), Owen (Kwashi 45mins), McKimm, Strouts, Jackson, Stadhart, Sodje. Subs not used: Turner, Coyle, Lee.