Gary Phillips' hopes of his side keeping a clean sheet lasted barely seven minutes, and by 16 minutes United were already 3-0 down. They eventually slipped to their biggest defeat of the season with a very poor performance at a windswept Stonebridge Road.
United began the game quite brightly and for those opening seven minutes Gravesend & Northfleet hardly got a touch of the ball. But in their first attack Che Stadhart, recently signed from Hampton & Richmond Borough, flicked the ball over Lennie Brayshaw and Lee Spiller volleyed past Phillips. Cool, clinical and very simple.
Three minutes later a Spiller free kick was passed on by Dave Powell and Stadhart, looking suspiciously offside, fired into the net. On 16 minutes the home side effectively killed the game as a contest with another. Stadhart squared the ball back to Jimmy Jackson who buried a low 16-yard shot home with United's pedestrian looking defence helpless.
Moments later there followed a 15 minute delay when an assistant referee pulled his hamstring and both teams returned to the warmth of the dressing rooms whilst a replacement was found. When play resumed United marked much better, with Gravesend getting just one more chance in the half, Phillips saving well from Nick Hegley after 34 minutes.
On 54 minutes Gravesend went 4-0 up when Hegley's nearpost cross was turned in by Spiller. Their keeper Micky Desborough was called into action on 59 minutes, tipping away a shot by Danny Hutchings. At the other end Stadhart could have got himself a hat-trick, but on 76 minutes they did get to score again as Powell sent Hegley clear and the winger chipped over Phillips.
As this one-sided match came to an end, United were denied a consolation when the flying Desborough tipped over an Ollie Stanbridge drive.
