Stafford Rangers 3 Gravesend & Northfleet 1

by Alec Peachey

GRAVESEND’S play-off aspirations were dealt a crushing blow on Tuesday when a David McNiven hat-trick guided Nationwide Conference strugglers Stafford Rangers to victory.

Fleet went into the game on the back of a 3-1 home defeat to Weymouth and were forced to make changes to their starting line-up, with Charlie MacDoanld ruled out through sickness and captain Paul McCarthy suspensed.

The result means Gravesend slip to eighth in the table and remain three points outside the play-off zone.

Stafford opened the scoring after 21 minutes when a free-kick from Levi Reid was headed home by McNiven.

A mistake by Fleet goalkeeper Lance Cronin gifted Stafford their second goal after 37 minutes. A long ball forward caught Gravesend’s defence napping and as Cronin came out to clear the ball, Guy Madjo got there first before rolling the ball into the path of McNiven who slotted home.

Stafford put the game beyond Gravesend’s reach just before the hour mark when McNiven completed his hat-trick from the left side of the penalty area.

The visitors pulled a goal back on 69 minutes when substitute Alex Varney fired home but it was too late.

Gravesend: Cronin, J Smith, R Smith, Opinel, Ricketts, Slatter, Quinn, Long (Ledgister 46), Keeling (Coleman 60), Moore (Varney 46), Sodje.
Subs Not Used: Mott, Howe.
Attendance: 524.

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