Conference Round-up: Sep 11

Last updated : 12 September 2004 By Al Woodcock
Giuliano Grazioli
Grazioli: Seventh goal as Barnet stay top
Barnet and Carlisle are the only unbeaten teams left in the Conference after this weekend's games.

But Bees fans will be much the happier after their side stayed on top of the table with a 2-0 victory at Tamworth United. Top scorer Giuliano Grazioli remained at the top of the Conference charts with his seventh goal of the season after Dean Sinclair had opened the scoring in the 13th minute. Barnet's Dwane Lee received a red card late in the game but it made little difference. Barnet boss Paul Fairclough lavished praise on his star striker after the game. "It makes my job so much easier when I have a quality striker like Giuliano in the side," he drooled. "His record is phenomenal. He is a natural predator and we saw again today why defences cannot afford to take their eyes off him."

Cumbrians boss Paul Simpson was a happy enough man after his team collected their fifth draw in seven games at Woking, a result which drops them three places to ninth in the table. Justin Richards fired the Surrey side into a shock 50th-minute lead but seven minutes later Karl Hawley bagged his sixth goal of the campaign with a close range finish.

"We played very well today," said 38-year-old Simpson, who was tipped to manage in the Premiership by his assistant Dennis Booth earlier in the week. "We were very, very patient when we were on the ball and created chance after chance. We just let ourselves down with our quality in the final third."

Gravesend and Northfleet saw their unbeaten record, which stretched back last season to 18 games, disappear at home to Hereford United. They went ahead in front of a 1,678 crowd at Stonebridge Road when Matt Lovell scored direct from a corner just a minute from the half-time interval. But the Bulls continued their fine away form with a brace of second half goals to turn the match around. Andy Tretton and Craig Stanley were on target as Graham Turner's side moved into 6th place, behind the play-off places only on goals scored.

Aldershot are still struggling to find their best form but the Shots are still in the top three after an incident-packed match at lowly Leigh RMI that ended in a nail-biting 3-3 draw. Leigh boss Phil Starbuck was fuming after the game in which his side led 3-1 with a man advantage but proceeded to concede two goals in stoppage time. Michael Byrne headed the Railwaymen in front, and just minutes later Steve Watson was ordered off to reduce Aldershot to 10 men. Chris Giles levelled for the visitors on 65 minutes but Leigh used their extra man to their advantage and went 3-1 up with goals from a Craig Warner effort into his own net and Karl Rose with only four minutes left. But disaster struck the home team as Shots grabbed two goals at the death through Jon Challinor and Aaron McLean.

Halifax moved into the top five for the first time with a 4-0 crushing of bottom side Forest Green. Rovers are both pointless and manager-less after Tim Harris was sacked in the week but there was little comfort to draw from this game for his stand-in Alan McLoughlin, the former Republic of Ireland international. On-loan Darren Mansaram began the rout in the 9th minute before Ryan Sugden claimed two goals early in the second half. The victory was completed by Lewis Killeen in the 76th minute. Both Russell Osman and former Carlisle and Spurs star John Gorman have been linked with the vacant position at The Lawn, but the Gloucestershire side already look doomed after just 7 games, having conceded a league-worst 25 goals.

Canvey's Lee Boylan was one of two hat-trick heroes. He grabbed all three goals for the Essex side at Farnborough, as they moved into the top half of the table, while the other to grab three was Accrington's former Oldham player Ged Brannan who played a major part in their 5-0 demolition of former leaders Dagenham and Redbridge, who have now gone four games without a win.

HOW THEY STAND
Barnet761018419
Accrington751115716
Aldershot751113616
Gravesend742118814
Halifax7412171013
Hereford741215813
Crawley T74129913