TOWN BECK IN BUSINESS AS BELSHAW IS THE HERO
HARROGATE TOWN 1 MAIDENHEAD Beck 53 UNITED 0
MARK Beck scored the only goal as Harrogate Town recorded their fourth win from five at a wet and windy CNG Stadium.
Visiting Maidenhead came close to claiming a point when Ryan Upward headed towards goal, only for Town stopper James Belshaw to pull off an outstanding save and ensure his side kept a third consecutive clean sheet.
“We needed Belshaw to be at his best for an unbelievable save in the second half, but other than that we barely conceded any chances.” said Harrogate manager Simon Weaver.
“I thought we were the better team and deserved the win, but we had to do it the hard way.
“It was a battle, it was always going to be with the elements like they were today.
“We were prepared for that though, we knew we had to have the mentality to grind out a gritty win and it turned out to be just that.”
Weaver had named the same starting line-up for the fifth match in a row having witnessed his side record their joint best win of the campaign last weekend at Braintree.
The first opening went the way of the hosts after eight minutes when captain Josh Falkingham played a one-two with Beck before working Carl Pentney with a low shot.
Jack Emmett was next to try and force an opening, but saw his volley crowded out after Callum Howe’s header had found its way to the midfielder.
With ten minutes left of the half, Town attempted to turn the screw and take the lead, though Emmett was only able to poke Fallowfield’s low cross the wrong side of the post. Warren Burrell thought he had given his side the lead in the last action of the half, but headed George Thomson’s corner agonisingly wide. Harrogate remained in the ascendency as the second half got underway and took the lead after eight minutes of action when Beck cushioned Thomson’s lofted cross back across goal and in. The striker’s ninth goal of the season, and third in his last two, gave Town the opening they had been searching for, but it would have been cancelled out not long after if not for some outstanding goalkeeping. Max Worsfold, who had made a positive impact from the bench, delivered a quality cross towards Upward, who thought he had headed his side back on level terms, only for Belshaw to somehow reach out and tip the ball onto the crossbar. But it was Town who went closest in the final exchanges with Beck heading Fallowfield’s cross over and Jack Muldoon almost adding a second. Victory takesWeaver’s side to sixth in the National League table, with games in hand on the sides below them.