DEFIANT Andy Ford has vowed to lift rock bottom Gravesend & Northfleet away from the Nationwide Conference danger zone and promised the club will not be where they are at the season's end.

The Fleet dropped to 22nd with one win in six Conference games following Saturday's 4-0 home defeat by full-timers Chester that brought mutterings of discontent from the terraces.

But Ford retorted: “We may be bottom but we will not be there at the end of the season. The spirit in the dressing room is good and there are no problems there.

“There is nothing wrong that getting a few of our injured players back won't put right.”

Ford's attempts to turn things around have not been helped by the continued absence of three experienced centre-backs - Adrian Pennock (Achilles), Francis Duku (thigh) and Robin Trott (broken foot).

Midfielder Andrew Drury is two weeks away from a return but first choice goalkeeper Paul Wilkerson has been earmarked for a reserve team comeback on September 10.

Fleet visit another full-time club Scarborough on Saturday desperate for points to ease their plight. One aspect of play Ford will be keen to see improved will be their number of shots on target. Against Chester they managed just one compared to nine from the visitors.

The manager has confirmed that no decision has been made regarding the long-term future of striker Rob Haworth who is on loan from Ryman League Hendon. He said: “Rob is a contract player and if he comes here we will have to pay a fee for him so there is a lot to consider.”