Frustration for Town as Stevenage ‘ park bus’ to claim point

HARROGATE TOWN endured a frustrating evening at the EnviroVent Stadium as they failed to find a way through a thoroughly unambitious Stevenage.

Boro signalled their intentions from the first whistle, lining up with five in midfield and keeping 10 men behind the ball whenever Harrogate were in possession.

And, Alex Revell’s tactics worked to good effect during the opening 45 minutes, Town finding the going tough and with very little space to play in.

With the home side struggling to open their opponents up, it was the visitors who came closest to breaking the deadlock on 34 minutes when Elliot List glanced a header from Marcus Dinanga’s cross just past the far post.

An even better opportunity arrived at the other end just moments later as Ryan Fallowfield picked out the unmarked Jon Stead with a centre from the right. The veteran seemed to have all the time in the world to pick his spot, only to direct his header the wrong side of the upright.

The second period saw Stevenage continue to keep numbers behind the ball and happy to time- waste in between punting aimless long balls forward. Still, despite enjoying plenty of possession, Harrogate couldn’t find sufficient momentum or that one bit of magic to unlock their visitors.

Brendan Kiernan was introduced in the 68th minute and briefly threatened to breathe life into the Town attack, getting past visiting right- back Alex Vancooten on three occasions in quick succession and delivering decent balls into the box.

The same player almost made a breakthrough on 80 minutes with a sweetly- struck volley that Jamie Cumming did well to push to safety before denying Tom Walker at his near post just a couple of second later.

For all their lack of ambition, Stevenage could have snatched victory late on when Scott Cuthbert nodded wide at an 87th- minute corner.

Walker then took aim from 20 yards in injury- time, but his strike cleared the cross- bar, taking Harrogate’s hopes with it. Harrogate Town: Belshaw; Fallowfield, Smith, Hall, Burrell; Thomson ( Walker

78), Falkingham, Kirby, Miller ( Kiernan

63); Muldoon, Stead ( Beck 70). Unused substitutes: Cracknell, Jones, Lokko. Stevenage: Cumming; Vancooten ( Carter 70), Cuthbert, Prosser, Coker; Vincelot; List ( Marshall 75), Osbourne, Read, Akinwande ( Newton 82); Dinanga. Unused substitutes:

Johnson, Effiong, Smith, Oteh.

Referee: G Salisbury ( Lancashire).