Harrogate Town 3 Gainsborough Trinity 1 Att. 266
Another storming second half performance saw Town come from behind to defeat Gainsborough Trinity and do the double over Brian Little’s men. The first half hour was one way traffic as the visitors found themselves pinned into their own half. Within the first ten minutes Craig James drove a free kick into the defensive wall and Wayne Phillips had a goal bound shot headed away by Andy Boyce.
Steve Bowey and Richard Marshall both tested Phil Barnes in the visiting goal as Town poured on the pressure,but stout defending and Town’s tendency to over hit their crosses kept the score level.
Trinity began to get into the game,and both Leon Mettam and Josh Davies shot narrowly wide. In fact, it was the visitors who came closest to scoring in the first period when Paul Mayo’s long throw was lobbed onto the bar by Sam Aiston.
Three goals in seven minutes at the start of the second half set the game alight. On fortynine minutes,a perfectly measured centre by the diminutive Ryan Williams was headed home by Ryan Kendall,to give Gainsborough the lead,but two goals in two minutes set the C N G Stadium buzzing. Firstly,the impressive Chib Chilaka squared to Graeme Armstrong who blasted into the far corner,and then Craig James drove in through a crowded penalty area as Trinity failed to clear a corner.
Gainsborough’s free kick specialist,Nathan Peat missed a chance to equalise when he shot high over the Town bar after Bowey had been penalised for handball. Ex Town favourite Peat, then dragged down Chilaka in the box with twenty minutes left,and Armstrong scored his second from the spot to make the game safe. A heartening sight for Town fans was to see Liam Hardy play the last few minutes,his first appearance since breaking his leg in October. John Harrison, Harrogate Town F C.
