Harrogate Town 0-0 Mansfield Town (EFL League Two) 01.02.22
The Stags winning record came to an end in North Yorkshire but a solid point away from home and a third clean in four games was little consolation to take back home with Mansfield now stretching their unbeaten league run to nine games in League Two.
It was a game which the Stags had the majority of the chances but Harrogate always looked dangerous on the break and might have had the best opportunity of the match late on to snatch all three points themselves.
An early chance for the Stags was presented for George Maris on nine after Jordan Bowery and Elliott Hewitt combined down the right wing, Hewitt chipping into the on running Maris who couldn’t keep his shot down following a late run into the box.
A McLaughlin free-kick straight at Town goalkeeper Oxley the only other notable attempt on target of a first half of little action played on a carpet like pitch but in touch windy conditions.
In the second half it was Harrogate on the counter-attack that might have took the lead, Diamond found Kavanagh who ran through on goal but Bishop denied the striker with a fine save on 52. The Manchester United loanee spreading himself to avert the danger.
A header by O’Toole from an in-swinging corner then flashed over the bar before Bowery thought he had the opener on 69, Atkins mis-fired shot was prodded on by the former Aston Villa man just a few yards out but the defender on the line cleared and from the resulting attack, Harrogate themselves went up the other end to nearly steal the lead as Diamond shot at Bishop who couldn’t hold on to the ball only for it to be cleared out for a corner by Stirk.
Stirk himself had a shot well saved by Oxley who flicked the midfielders powerful effort from outside the box over the bar, but late on, Mansfield goalkeeper Bishop grinned a huge sigh of relief, after palming away a header at the back post the ball fell to Armstrong who poked towards goal but against the crossbar, the ball eventually bouncing down and cleared for a corner.
Manager Nigel Clough saying after “we certainly weren’t at our best and it highlighted our need for bringing in a couple of players to freshen it up when we’re playing Saturday, Tuesday.”
“We got away with a couple at our end, they had a couple of efforts ourselves, so it was probably a fair result overall.”
Mansfield are at home on Saturday against Colchester United who are 21st in the division.
Harrogate Town: Oxley, Page, Falkingham, Thomson, Kavanagh (Muldoon 73), Pattison, Diamond, Diarra, McArdle (Legge 62), Armstrong, Richards (Burrell 15).
Mansfield Town: Bishop, Hewitt, O‘Toole, Hawkins, McLaughlin, Stirk, Quinn(Perch 90) Clarke (Wallace 55), Maris (Akins 67), Oates, Bowery.
Venue: Wetherby Road (1,800)
*Main image @mansfieldtownfc Ollie Hawkins was a marked man in Harrogate.
