Harrogate Town lost their unbeaten record, when they went down 3-0 to fellow undefeated club,Leyton Orient,at a packed CNG Stadium.
For Town,Josh Falkingham returned from injury,relegating the unlucky Liam Agnew to the subs bench,and Mark Beck made the starting line up because of a training ground injury picked up by Joe Leesley.
In a cagey start to the match,George Thomson had a shot charged down after a Falkingham free kick and the O’s,Jobi McAnuff, fired over Town’s bar.
Unfortunately,it was the visitors who opened the scoring after twentythree minutes, when Zimbabwean international Macauley Bonne broke down Town’s left flank,before cutting in and beating James Belshaw with superb strike into the far corner.
Orient’s,Josh Koroma then shot across the face of Town’s goal,but the Wetherby Roaders hit back with Dom Knowles diverting a Jack Muldoon shot past the upright,although the assistants refs flag was raised for offside.
A Beck header found Thomson who curled his effort wide of the post,while Callum Howe pushed forward to head a long Belshaw free kick across the O’s goal.
Almost immediately, Orient made Town rue their missed chances when Koroma got behind the defence and hit a low centre across goal which Belshaw could only block and Jobi McAnuff slotted in from close range.
As the break approached,Town mounted powerful attacks to try to redress the balance.
Liam Kitching’s header from Thomson’s free kick was cleared off the line by Bonne,while Karl Langmead volleyed wide from a Falkingham cross and a Beck back header from a Belshaw free kick required a spectacular flying save from keeper,Dean Brill,to keep the ball out of the net.
Town carried on in the same vein after the interval,after McAnuff had blazed wide from distance,Brill cleared a Langmead shot from close range and Thomson fired narrowly wide from the edge of the area.
However,it was Howe who had Town’s best chance when he met a Thomson free kick, but placed his header wide with Brill well out of position.
Sadlly for Town,with twenty minutes left ,they were given the proverbial mountain to climb when Komora broke down the right and pulled back for McAnuff to slam the ball into the top corner from the edge of the area.
There was no way back for Town,although Warren Burrell forced another stupendous save from Brill when he met an Aaron Williams cross at the far post.
Town have an early chance to return to winning ways,when they meet third placed Wrexham at the CNG on Tuesday evening.
Town,
Belshaw,Falkingham(c),Howe,Burrell,Thomson,Beck(Williams 62),Knowles,Langmead,Kerry,Muldoon,Kitching.
Unused subs,Parker,Cracknell,Agnew,Sutton.
Leyton Orient,
Brill,Judd,Coulson,Ekpiteta,Widdowson,Dayton Clay(Gorman 89),Lee,McAnuff,Bonne(Harrold 91),Koroma(Alabi 75).
Unused subs,Happe,Sergeant.
Scorers,Bonne 23,McAnuff 36,69 Bookings Dayton,Judd,Koroma Att.2584
Harrogate Man of the Match Burrell.
Referee Marc Edwards,
By John Harrison
@JohnHar59276371
