COUNTY DELIVER GRAND FINALE...
Point apiece in thriller
JASON OSWELL’S brace completed County’s comeback as Harrogate threw away an early two-goal cushion.
Town started well, but County grew into the game. Good work from Connor Hampson found Harry Winter whose shot was blocked.
But soon after Harrogate – off the back of two wins in the first two games – began to look dangerous. Joe Leesley, Dominic Knowles and Ainge went close – Hatters’ keeper Ben Hinchliffe doing well to keep them in the game.
Then Ainge took over. After a short period of County pressure, Town broke up the field, the ball falling to Leesley. He crossed to Ainge who volleyed past Hinchliffe for what will be a contender for goal of the season.
Moments later Ainge bagged his second. This time it was Ben Parker’s cross from the left and Ainge headed home.
County boss Jim Gannon was so disillusioned he took the unusual step of making a substitute just over half an hour in, with Ben McKenna replacing Sam Walker.
Gannon said: “Poor application in the first half, poor quality and it was a bit like the game at Spennymoor.”
The home side came out after the break with more purpose and it wasn’t long before Sam Minihan’s low cross reached summer signing Jason Oswell, who slid the ball home.
The home fans sensed a comeback. Oswell himself should have done better from the edge of the area, but his shot sailed over.
County were marauding forward now and Hampson’s low cross found Warburton, but Harrogate’s Ben Middleton’s last gasp block deflected the ball over.
From the corner, Hampson found Oswell six yards out, but he didn’t connect well with his header, which flew wide.
Then the Minihan and Oswell combination reappeared. Minihan’s cross deflected into Oswell’s path, who once again applied the finish.
Harrogate boss Simon Weaver will have wished he had a striker on the end of a corner late in the game rather than centre-half Warren Burrell who wasted a good chance.
Referee Steven Copeland nearly had a decisive intervention when the ball struck him and landed kindly for the away side. The ball found Ryan Fallowfield, who shot straight at Hinchliffe who saved well.
Harrogate pressed in the dying moments, but Ainge was denied a hat-trick when his header flew into the side netting.
Weaver highlighted it was a game of two halves: “We were outstanding in the first half where we dictated the game, and kept the home crowd quiet which is always important when you come here.
“But Despite saying all the right things at half-time, we didn’t contain them well enough in the first 15 minutes of the second half.”