REPORT: Playoff-bound Harrogate take the points against Dronfield

Playoff-bound Harrogate Railway Athletic claimed all three points at the HE Barnes Stadium with a 3-1 win over hosts Dronfield Town. The North Yorkshire outfit took a two goal lead before Dronfield pulled one back on the stroke of half time. A penalty award straight after the restart saw the Rail reinforce their second place spot in the Northern Counties East League Division One table as the season enters its latter stages. Dronfield, who put up a committed display as ever, move on to a weekend encounter with the side below themselves in the table, 14th placed in-form Glasshoughton Welfare.

As you would expect of a side placed second in the table, Harrogate made a typically lively start. Their first real chance of note didn’t come until the 13th minute however, when an away-swinging free kick from the left was met by the head of Andrew Shepherd, who brought an outstanding point blank save from Dronfield stopper Lewis Naylor.

It took until the 20th minute for Dronfield to truly threaten; Cam Knight’s shot being charged down by the Harrogate defence following Charlie Stewart’s free kick.

The Rail took the lead a minute later. The Town defence pleaded for offside as Jacob Robertson found himself free to comfortably slot home past Naylor and make it 0-1.

Harrogate skipper Dan McDaid was involved in a pair of set piece opportunities. His goalbound 20 yard free kick was tipped away by Naylor instead of heading into the top corner. Then on 35 minutes, another dead ball from the edge of the box on the right hand side was beaten away by the Dronfield custodian once again.

As conditions became wetter, the referee saw fit to have words with Town’s Sam Bebbington, Tom Gladwin and eventually Cam Knight, who picked up a yellow card for a seemingly innocuous challenge.

Harrogate doubled their lead on 39 minutes. A corner out on the far side saw Elliott Holmes glancing header nestle in the back of the net with the score at 0-2.

Dronfield gave themselves hope on the stroke of half time. Charlie Stewart’s inswinger was headed in at the back post by Jake Hatton to tee up an interesting second period.

That hope dissipated just a minute after the restart. Cam Knight tussled with the lively Oliver Norman down the left and as the Harrogate man went down in the area, the referee pointed to the penalty spot. Lewis Naylor saved Daniel Thirkell’s spot kick but Thirkell tapped home on the rebound for the Rail’s third of the game.

The flow of the game was disrupted by a series of niggly foul calls by the officials and series of substitutions. Dronfield withdrew Sam Bebbington, Mark Fereday and Callum Mawbey for Henry Adams, Cameron Hill and Nick Benson and things looked promising when Hill’s marauding run fed Adams, who skewed his attempted first time shot well wide.

McDaid swerved a 25 yarder over the bar in the latter stages for Harrogate and Hill saw a pair of half-opportunities sail over the bar.

Dronfield’s final chance came two minutes into added time – Stewart’s free kick was headed down by Benson with Adams shot being deflected out of play off the post. From the resulting corner, Harrogate headed on to their own bar but by this stage it was too little, too late as the visitors claimed their 24th win of the campaign.

Dronfield’s commitment was again typified by youngster Cam Knight ahead of a big game on Saturday. Thirteenth-placed Town travel to fourteenth ranked Glasshoughton Welfare, who have 7 wins in their last 9 games.

Dronfield Town: Naylor, Riley, Stewart, Knight, Wright, Hatton, Gladwin, Bebbington, Mark Fereday, Mawbey, Pearson. Subs: Hill, Lindores, Benson, Adams, Mike Fereday.

Harrogate Railway Athletic: Wilton, Hardcastle, McDaid, Thirkell, Holmes, Owen, Norman, Shepherd, Robertson, Ibrahimi, Greenway. Subs: Alfie Lee, Dunckley, Harry Lee, Attakorah, Sharkey.

Attendance: 67