Harrogate Town lit up a damp and dismal afternoon, when they came from behind to defeat a spirited Chesterfield.
New loan signing from Solihull Moors, Mitch Hancox, was given a place in the starting line up with George Smith reverting to the subs bench.
Town almost made an early breakthrough when Jack Diamond tested Spireite’s keeper, Shwan Jalal, with a low drive, but Jalal held onto the ball as Brendan Kiernan closed in to take advantage of a rebound.
However, it was the visitors who took the lead after ten minutes when Jermaine McGlashan crossed from the right and although Liam Mandeville’s initial shot hit the post, Mike Fondop followed up to smash the ball past James Belshaw.
Town’s Will Smith had to make a vital defensive tackle and Fondop headed over the bar as Town were forced onto the backfoot.
But Town refused to be cowed and Diamond and Warren Burrell both had shots blocked by the Spireite’s defence, before the former had a shot saved at the near post by Jalal.
Although Belshaw had to turn a Mandeville free kick over the top and a cross shot from the impressive Fondop produced a fine save from the Town custodian, it was Town who struck before the break.
A clearance found Mark Beck and his header was picked up by Jack Muldoon inside the Chesterfield box, he unselfishly found Josh Falkingham who lashed home from the edge of the area to level the scores.
Diamond and Hancox were combining well down the left and a free kick in the dying seconds of the half from Hancox was headed against the bar by Smith.
Town started the second period in the ascendency and both Kiernan and Beck had efforts deflected to Jalal, but on 67 minutes, Town took the lead.
A square pass from Muldoon found Ryan Fallowfield on the overlap and he advanced to smash a tremendous shot into the left hand top corner of the net.
A minute later, Town almost struck again when Jalal could only parry a powerful shot from Beck into the path of Muldoon, who unfortunately, couldn’t keep the rebound under the crossbar.
Five minutes later, Town wrapped the game up when sub George Thomson, who had replaced Kiernan, gained possession in midfield and played Muldoon through on goal and he calmly rounded Jalal and stroked the ball into an empty net.
Although Chesterfield never gave up the fight, their main threat was a series of crosses which just served to give Belshaw catching practice.
Town,
Belshaw, Fallowfield, Hall, W Smith, Hancox, Falkingham, Burrell, Kiernan(Thomson 62), Diamond, Muldoon, Beck.
Unused subs, Cracknell, G Smith, Emmett, Bradley.
Scorers, Falkingham 37, Fallowfield, 67, Muldoon 71.
Booked, Kiernan. Town Man of the Match, Fallowfield
Chesterfield,
Jalal, Weston(Smith 74), Sheridan, Buchanan, Evans, McGuire, Shaw, McGlashan, Fondop, Nepomuceno, Mandeville(Boden 64).
Unused subs, Coddington, Weir, Rowley.
Scorer, Fondop 10. Att.1710 (inc 572 away)
Booked, Shaw, Gevera, Maguire
Referee, S Yanni.
