Gravesend & Northfleet 0 - 2 Exeter City

A GOAL in each half by Lee Phillips condemned Gravesend to defeat in their opening Nationwide Conference match against Exeter at Stonebridge Road on Saturday.

Exeter took the lead entirely against the run of play 90 seconds before half-time.

Phillips out-muscled Scott Gooding after chasing a long clearance and beat Craig Holloway in the Gravesend goal with a left-foot shot.

Holloway was immediately substituted as a result of an injury he had been carrying for most of the half.

The visitors had Leslie Afful dismissed for kicking out at Danny Slatter, but they doubled their lead from the penalty spot after 73 minutes.

Jon Challinor got away from the Fleet defence before being felled by a Ross Graham-Smith challenge in the box.

Graham-Smith received his marching orders for the tackle and Phillips did the rest from 12 yards.

The new-look Gravesend side, which had seven players making their debuts, made an encouraging start and Danny Slatter tested the keeper as early as the second minute with a powerful run and shot.

But Exeter created chances of their own early on, the best of which was a Dean Moxey header from a Paul Buckle free kick, which was comfortably saved by Craig Holloway.

But Fleet were well in charge in the first half and could easily have been three or four up at the break.

MacDonald skewed a shot wide when through on goal, before Kim Grant had an effort well saved by Paul Jones. Then Jay Saunders was brilliantly tackled when he was about to shoot.

Gravesend: Holloway (Kerr 45), Gooding, Graham-Smith, McCarthy, Skinner, Slatter, Saunders (Omoyinmi 76), Bowry, Jackson, MacDonald, Grant. Subs Not Used: Glozier, Surey, Drury.

Other Nationwide Conference results:

Accrington Stanley 1 - 0 Canvey Island
Aldershot 0 - 2 Tamworth
Burton Albion 1 - 1 Grays Athletic
Dagenham & Redbridge 3 - 1 Southport
Forest Green 1 - 0 Cambridge United
Hereford United 4 - 0 Scarborough
Kidderminster 2 - 1 Woking
Morecambe 1 - 0 Halifax
Stevenage 4 - 0 Altrincham
York 0 - 0 Crawley Town