Gravesend & N 1 Forest Green 1

GRAVESEND & Northfleet will continue to tread water at the wrong end of the Nationwide Conference all the time they fail to kill off opponents like Forest Green.

Seasonal charity by the Fleet allowed the visitors to climb from their knees and take something from a game that was fast moving out of reach in the first half. The draw left the Fleet with one win in 10 games.

Manager Andy Ford, so keen to build on last week's hard-earned win at Nuneaton, was left scratching his head as his side were forced to share the points.

He admitted: "We stressed at half time the need to concentrate, the need to keep our shape and the need not to concede. But I'm bound to wonder if some players listen. In the end we were lucky to come away with a point.

"The first half display showed that we were ready to pick up where we left off at Nuneaton but I was so disappointed with the second when we appeared to sit back. We're finding it tough at the moment because we can't get a settled side."

Chris Giles, signed on a month's loan from Conference leaders Yeovil, celebrated his home debut by giving Fleet the lead the lead their first half supremacy deserved in the 25th minute. The centre-back timed his run perfectly to meet Justin Skinner's corner at the near post and head wide of goalkeeper Steve Perrin.

Ford and the Fleet's supporters could only look on in amazement as the team surrendered their first half territorial advantage. Neil Grayson, Forest Green's 37-year-old veteran striker, levelled in the 69th minute, netting the rebound after goalkeeper Paul Wilkerson had done well to save his first effort.

Substitute Alex Meechan and Kayode Odejayi spurned chances to have won the game for Forest Green in the closing stages.

Gravesend: Wilkerson; Lee, Wilkins, Giles, Skinner; Bentley, Strouts, Lye, Jackson; Budge, Stadhart. Substitutions: Evans for Stadhart 45 mins, Kwashi for Lye 59 mins. Not used: Turner, Coyle, Gedling.

Attendance: 876.