Gravesend & Northfleet vs Gresley Rovers
Rarely can the fortunes of two debutants have differed as much as those of David Taylor and Stuart Ford at Stonebridge Road on Saturday.
Taylor capped off an excellent first Beazer Premier appearance with a superbly taken goal but it was a day to forget for Ford, sent off a minute into the second half for handling outside his area.
Ford's departure looked to have doomed Gresley to defeat but the home fans expecting a flood of goals reckoned without the heroics of Tony Marsden.
Marsden, as Rovers fans will recall, has donned the keeper's jersey with distinction before - but never like this.
The midfielder filled Ford's breach brilliantly, earning his team a point with a string of excellent saves and prompting manager Steve Dolby to observe: "You wouldn't have known Tony was an outfield player from the way he played in goal."
Marsden's heroics - and a linesman's flag that denied Gravesend an 88th minute winner - left Rovers grateful for the draw although Dolby's team had done enough with 11 men to suggest that they may well have returned home with all three had it not been for Ford's indiscretion.
The home team dominated possession but Rovers, with Taylor a constant threat and fellow new boy Adie Mann shining in midfield, made three best chances of the opening half.
Only one was converted, Taylor leaving his marker to head neatly home at the near post after Mann's backheel had released new full back Brian Horseman to curl in a precise left wing cross.
Alas for Rovers, the lead lasted less than a minute, midfielder Micky Cotter - who, ironically, may do much of his training with Rovers this season after moving from Kent to Leicester - bursting past Paul Wardle and Stuart Evans to fire past Ford's left shoulder.
Rovers were stunned but when David Powell threatened to turn the game on its head after a typical burst through the centre Ford made an excellent save at the midfielder's feet.
Rovers then created a better chance at the other end, Mann running from deep and exchanging passes with Taylor before releasing Marsden whose firmly hit shot flew over from eight yards.
More home pressure followed, but six minutes from the break Rovers created a copycat opening, this time for Mark Hurst with Mann and Taylor again the providers, only for the striker's shot to follow almost the exact trajectory of Marsden's effort.
Gravesend's goal attempts had been mainly long-range affairs but during a frenzied spell of pressure just before the break Ford produced an excellent double stop to deny last season's match-winner Marl Munday.
With a minute of the second half gone Powell broke clear onto Cotter's pass and Ford, left exposed, handled as he raced from his area.
With referee Peter March having already proved to be no slouch with the contents of his breast pocket the red card was inevitable.
Stand-in keeper Marsden was immediately beaten by Jimmy Jackson's free kick but Rovers had a big let-off when the ball rebounded from the inside of the post.
Marsden held Cotter's shot towards the top corner before pulling out a blinding stop from Grant Best's close range drive, flicking Paul Lamb's waspish cross shot from beneath the bar and diving to gather Powell's header.
Rovers' resolution grew as Fleet became more frustrated, but it all seemed to have come to nothing when Peter Mortley headed in two minutes from time but Rovers breathed again when an offside flag came to the rescue.
That meant a torrid seven minutes of injury time with Marsden producing one more heart-stopping save, flicking the ball from beneath the bar when Stuart Evans skied the clearance.
Gravesend & Northfleet (1) 1
Gresley Rovers (1) 1
Scorers: Cotter 11 (Gravesend & Northfleet); Taylor 10 (Gresley Rovers)
Gravesend & Northfleet: Turner, Harrop, Lamb, Gubbins, Mortley, Powell, Best (Thomas 81), Cotter, Blewden, Munday, Jackson. Subs not used: Gibbs, Reynolds
Gresley Rovers: Ford, R Wardle, Horseman, Rigg, P Wardle, Evans, Fowkes, Marsden, Hurst (McGovern 72), Mann (Forster 85), Taylor. Sub not used: Garner.
Rovers man-of-the-match: Tony Marsden.
Referee: P March (Ramsgate).
Attendance: 527
