Harrogate Town recorded their first win in seven League Two matches, with a gritty 1-0 victory over Mansfield Town.
Manager Simon Weaver was again, back in charge,after missing two matches through self isolation due to the coronavirus.
Warren Burrell,Mark Beck and Calvin Miller were recalled to the starting line up and it was the visitors who made the brighter start.
Town were playing a more direct brand of football than normal,and helped by several tremendously long throws from Dan Jones they kept the Stags on the defensive.
George Thomson forced home keeper,Marek Stech into making an excellent early save and Jones fired wide of the target.
The Stags began to find their feet and Burrell had to make a goal line clearance to deny Kellan Gordon,while James Belshaw blocked Harry Charsley’s shot at his near post.
However,on 27 minutes Town took the lead when Jack Muldoon held off a challenge on the right and skimmed a centre across goal which Miller stabbed in from five yards for his first goal in the EFL.
The wounded Stags hit back strongly,but once again Burrell was in the right place at the right time to clear George Lapsile’s shot off the line.
Just before the break,Mansfield almost slipped further behind when Jones’s header bounced off the top of the crossbar.
Although Mansfield were more in the game after the break,Beck could have stretched Town’s lead on the hour when he headed wide from a Jones cross.
The Stags,desperately in need of league points themselves,pressed forward and Nicky Maynard headed wide when well placed,while sub,Andy Cook,fired narrowly over Town’s bar.
Burrell and Ryan Fallowfield made vital blocks but Town were in no mood to surrender all three points and their game management was excellent,with most of the remaining minutes,being played round the Mansfield corner flags.
This win will have put Town in good heart for Saturday’s mouth watering F A Cup clash with Blackpool.
Town,
Belshaw,Fallowfield(Lawlor 88),Jones,Falkingham,Burrell,Thomson,Beck,Kerry,Muldoon(Martin 82),Miler(Kiernan 67),Hall.
Unused subs,Cracknell,Kirby,Walker.
Scorer,Miller 27. Booked,Beck
Mansfield Town,
Stech,Gordon,Rawson,PerchBenning,Charsley(Reid 78),Clarke,Lapsile,McLaughlin,(Sinclair 89),
Maynard(Cook 68),Bowery.
Unused subs,Stone,O’Keeffe,Sweeney,O,Driscoll.
Referee,C Boyeson.
By John Harrison.
