“We were comfortable for the first half, but just got stretched a bit late on in the first half.” Said the Gingerbreads manager. “Overall, the performance was good. We were compact and solid, but at times need to be a bit braver in possession. It’s two results in the league now and something we can build on.”

Grantham couldn’t have got off to a better start. With only 4 minutes on the clock, they took the lead. Michael Williams recovered the ball after his own short pass and spotted Mickleover goalkeeper Callum Hawkins off his line. From fully 40 yards out, a perfectly weighted lob had the visitors custodian clawing fresh air as Williams’ effort ailed over him into the net.

The visitors were allowed a lot of possession around the halfway line by a well organised Grantham side. For a long time, Mickleover could not make any impression on the Gingerbreads defence. From around a quarter of an hour gone, Andy Dales began to find space on the left wing and cause the Gingerbreads some problems. He got on the end of a deep cross from Declan Bacon after 14 minutes, but good defending blocked his effort.

A minute later, Dales turned provider, the visitors taking a direct route towards the Grantham goal and setting up Dales to cross into the Grantham penalty area. AJ Adelekan just got a toe in to take the ball away from Bacon.

The game flowed from end to ends for a while, with neither side able to open tight defences. Nathan Modest tried to get a shot away but was closed well for Grantham and at the other end, Bacon missed a good opportunity when he headed wide.

Eleven minutes before half time, Mickleover equalised. Grantham were left open to a long ball which hit space on the Grantham right. Jake Bennett delivered a cross that was just out of the reach of Nico DeGirolamo and Stuart Beavon nipped in behind the Gingerbreads captain to volley home.

It was Grantham who started best in the second half. Williams fired over the bar in the first minute of the half and Rio Molyneux got the crowd on their feet when he worked his way through three challenges, only for his cross to be cut out by the Mickleover defence.

Molyneux set up a great chance for Sam Scrivens after 53 minutes. His cross was met cleanly by Scrivens, but the header flew wide of the target. New signing Finlay Shrimpton was next to try his luck with two efforts in a short space of time. His first lacked power, while his second flew over the crossbar.

Dales again caused Grantham problems. He kept coming inside from the Grantham right looking to fire off a shot. He got one away on 59 minutes and brought a great save from Jim Pollard at the expense of a corner. Two minute later, Dales turned

Tierry Latty-Fairweather to cross. This time Adelekan blocked Bacon from getting a shot away.

Manny Kainga was brought into the game by Palmer and immediately ran at the Mickleover defence, beating two defenders, but finding no options for a cross thanks to good defending by the visitors.

Mickleover regularly won corners, but the Grantham defence held firm. It took three good headers too clear one flag kick, while a late corner was fed back into the Grantham penalty area by Beavon for Bacon to volley over the top of the Grantham goal.

More solid defending kept the Gingerbreads a share of the points in the last minute. Bacon was fouled in the centre of the pitch, 19 yards from goal. Palmers’ call for Grantham to get the wall right was heeded as the free kick was well blocked by the Grantham back line.

Report by Graham Cowell