The PAUL MULLIN column

WE couldn't have asked for a better start at Gravesend and Northfleet on Tuesday. But the lion's share of the decisions went against us and I think that's what cost us in the end.

From a personal point of view, I was delighted with our first goal.

I chested down a Chris Butler free kick, knocked it to Ian Craney, and when I took the return pass I just hit it from the edge of the box and in-off the underside of the bar.

Coley, Jimmy and Cooky had told me the night before that I had to start taking more of my chances. I didn't even think about it when the ball came back to me - it was instinct - and it was nice to see it go in the back of the net.

It was just disappointing that we couldn't build on a good first half with another couple of goals on top of mine and Steve Jagielka's. We knocked the ball around well, had a few good chances and Jags hit the woodwork. But in the second half we made the mistake of sitting back and inviting them onto us.

They are big, physical side with a tricky lad out on the left, and in the end he got brought down for the penalty they equalised from, although I thought that was harshly awarded because Ged Brannan definitely got the ball. But that and Jonathan Smith's sending off were the two decisions which proved crucial.

I felt sorry for Smithy because, although the incident looked bad, he didn't mean to catch the lad with his elbow on his way down from jumping for the ball.

I've known Smithy for years and he would never delibertately elbow anyone.

Having said that, there was contact, and I can see why the officials chose to dismiss him. It's just unfortunate because he's not that type of player.

I felt the other four bookings we picked up were harsh as well because now the club will get fined, and we've worked so hard on improving our discipline. It was a physical game, but not a dirty one, and four bookings didn't reflect the game at all.

But we've got to take the good points into Monday's game at Halifax. It was disappointing not to play them on Boxing Day after building ourselves up to the game, plus we felt the pitch was playable.

We'd trained on Christmas Day morning to get us focused and remind us that we had a game ahead, but it wasn't to be.

It will be unusual to kick-off at 12:05pm on Monday, but we will prepare right and hopefully we will carry on the trend of doing well in front of the television cameras.

Halifax are where we want to be so we have to take some points off them then we don't lose any ground, plus the league's tight down to about 15 or 16th place.

I can slowly see the confidence starting to come back into the side. So, hopefully, with a similar good following like we had there last year, we can make it a Happy New Year!