Harrogate Town maintained their promotion challenge with a dominant display at a freezing, Steel Park, Corby.
Town, fielding an unchanged side were nearly undone as early as the third minute when the tall defender, Clayton McDonald, pushed forward to head Kurtis Revan’s corner on to the top of the crossbar.
Harrogate,prompted by Paul Thirlwell and Lloyd Kerry, began to take control and Brendan Daniels fired a thirty yard free kick at Harry Burgoyne after a foul on Joe Colbeck.
Danny Ellis headed a Colbeck corner wide,but on twentyseven minutes Town took the lead.
A superb pass inside the full back by Kerry found the overlapping Lewis Turner and his astute cut back was hammered into the net by Jerry Yates.
Corby retaliated with a brilliant turn and pass by Greg Mills but Revan shot straight at Peter Crook.
Harrogate’s movement off the ball was presenting the home defence with plenty of problems and Town almost made it two when Colbeck just failed to reach Dom Knowles’s centre across goal.
A raid early in the second half by the “Steelmen” saw Danny Draper find Revan but Callum Ball miskicked to let Town off the hook.
Two goals in eight minutes put Harrogate well on the road to victory.
After fiftysix minutes,Colbeck caught the home defence napping with a quick free kick to Daniels, who made ground down the left before centering for Luke Shiels to net from close range.
Then home skipper,Cleveland Taylor, completely misjudged a back pass and Yates Yates calmly rounded Burgoyne to roll the ball into the empty net.
Corby tried vainey to salvage something from the afternoon with a run and shot from Kalern Thomas causing Crook to fumble the ball which trickled inches wide for a corner.
Crook then made a magnificent save to tip McDonald’s header over the bar,but it was Harrogate who finished the stronger.
The introduction of Jack Emmett for Daniels,meant that the left flank of the Corby defence had to endure a torrid last ten minutes as Emmett provided a series of low centres, one of which saw a Knowles shot blocked on the line.
So, its on to Tuesday evening when high flying AFC Fylde arrive at Wetherby Road for a tasty
clash in the National North.
Corby Town 0 Harrogate Town 3 Att.477
Town
1 Crook, 2 Turner,3 Swain, 4 Thirlwell,(Nyoni 68), 5 Shiels, 6 Ellis (C), 7 Colbeck (Thewlis 79), 8 Kerry, 9 Yates, 10 Knowles, 11 Daniels (Emmett 71).
Unused subs,15 Clayton,17 Bloomer. Bookings nil
Scorers,Yates 27,64. Shiels 56 Att.477
By John Harrison
