Harrogate Town moved into the last eight of the F A Trophy with an excellent victory over Eastleigh F C at the CNG Stadium.
Harrogate Town 2 – 0 Eastleigh
As against Darlington in the previous round,Simon Weaver rang the changes in the Town starting line up with both recent signings,Kian Harratt and Maxim Kouogun ,being given starts.
After an even opening ten minutes,Town began to take control.
Jack Diamond spurned a great chance to open the scoring when he headed Ryan Fallowfield’s centre wide, after the full back had been released down the right by Brendan Kiernan.
Harratt and Kiernan went close with shots,while George Thomson headed wide from an Alex Bradley cross.
Next,Harratt almost opened Town’s account,when his swerving drive from Diamond’s pass,hit the inside of the post and bounced clear.
However,halfway through the half,Town’s pressure paid off when Harratt found Bradley on the edge of the area and he bent a superb strike into the top corner of the net.
It took until just before the break before Eastleigh had a meaningful attempt on Town’s goal,when Tom Bearwish intercepted Kouogun’s headed clearance,but shot well wide of Joe Cracknell’s goal.
Town kept up the pressure in the second half with Harratt and Bradley firing over the top and Kiernan forcing Ryan Flitney in the ‘Spitfire’s’ goal to make a good save.The woodwork,then came to Eastleigh’s rescue for the second time in the match,when Kiernan turned sub,Jack Emmett’s, cross onto the base of the upright.
Even so,Eastleigh had a great chance to equalise when Jack Scrimshaw broke through the home defence,but scooped his effort over the bar.
But with four minutes left,Emmett put the result beyond doubt when he converted Kiernan’s low cross from the left after the ball took a slight deflection off a defender.
Eastleigh made a last desperate attempt to save the game,but the Town defence,with Cracknell displaying a safe pair of hands in goal and Warren Burrell and Will and George Smith supreme in front of him,Town coasted into the Trophy quarter finals.
Town,
Cracknell,Fallowfield,G Smith(Gallacher 90),Burrell,Thomson,Kiernan,Bradley,W Smith,Diamond(Emmett 71),Harratt(Muldoon 71),Kouogun.
Unused subs,Belshaw,Stead,Kerry,Hall.
Scorers,Bradley 23,Emmett 86.
Town Man of the Match,Diamond.Att.947
Eastleigh,
Flitney,Partington,Boyce,Payne(McKnight 68),Rendell,Smart,Bearwish(Scrimshaw 77),
Wynter(Green 35),Miley,Alabi,Godwin-Malife.
Unused subs,Stryjek,Barnett,Hollands
Referee,S Copeland.
