A scintillating second half performance from Harrogate Town saw them come from behind to beat Gainsborough Trinity and gain their first victory of the new season.
Simon Weaver started with the same team that narrowly lost at Brackley on Saturday and they almost took an early lead when Dom Knowles back headed a Joe Colbeck corner over the bar.
For Trinity, a Jamie Yates corner across Town’s goal found no takers,while at the other end,Cecil Nyoni had a shot blocked on the line by the boot of Jan Budtz.
Town were having the lion’s share of the play, but on the half hour disaster struck!
A loose pass from Colbeck was intercepted and a high ball up the field saw Andy McWilliams attempt to head back to Peter Crook, but the header was under powered and Nicholas Bignall nipped in to push the ball just inside the near post to open the scoring for the Blues.
This seemed to spur on the visitors and Bignall latched on to a weak Town clearance and crossed for the diving Nathan Jarman to head wide.
Jarman then broke down the right forcing Lewis Turner to concede a corner,from which Bignall tested Crook with a low twentyfive yard drive.
The half ended with Paul Clayton finding Knowles with an header twenty yards out and Budtz did well to beat out his vicious low drive for a corner.
The second period opened with Luke Shiels diverting a Jarman shot for a corner,but that was as good as it got for Trinity.
Matty Wilson’s foul on Colbeck presented Town with a free kick which eventually filtered through to Nyoni who smashed it against the upright.
However,it was the introduction of Brendan Daniels after fiftyseven minutes,which gave Town greater flair and mobility and paid instant dividends.
On the hour,Daniels won the ball on the left before squaring to Knowles, who made ground and then released Colbeck down the right.Colbeck’s centre to the far post took a slight deflection leaving Knowles to easily head in the equaliser.
Four minutes later, the Knowles, Colbeck combination struck again, when they carved out an opening for Daniels, who beat Budtz with a brilliant shot on the turn into the far corner.
Trinity,were making little headway against a strong Town rearguard, well organised by skipper, Paul Thirlwell,and their frustrations began to show,with both Dom Roma and sub, Darryn Stamp receiving cautions from Referee, Graeme Fyvie.
The best was yet to come for Town, when in the final minute,Daniels defied the massed Blues defence and lashed home a tremendous drive from the edge of the area to seal a well earned victory.
Harrogate Town 3 Gainsborough Trinity 1 Att. 390
Town
1 Crook, 2 Turner, 3 McWilliams, 4 Thirlwell (c), 5 Shiels, 6 Ellis, 7 Colbeck (Thewlis 77), 8 Nyoni, 9 Clayton, 10 Knowles, 11 Swain (Daniels 57).
Unused subs,14 Kerry, 15 Bloomer, 17 Emmett Caution Nyoni.
Scorers,Knowles 60,Daniels 64,89 Att.390
By John Harrison.
Photography by Craig Hurle
