Harrogate break Mansfield’s winning streak

HARROGATE TOWN ended Mansfield Town’s eight-match winning streak, holding their high-flying visitors to a goalless draw in League Two.

The first half was a complete non-event, with neither side able to find any rhythm on an extremely blustery evening.

The hosts had a considerable breeze at their backs for the opening 45, but constantly overhit their forward passes.

Playing into the wind, Harrogate began the second period with greater intensity and, as a result of them keeping the ball on the deck, got on the front foot. They really ought to have broken the deadlock on 52 minutes when the first decent opening of the contest finally materialised.

Jack Diamond counterattacked down the centre of the pitch and threaded an expert ball in behind to send Calum Kavanagh clean through.

But, the Middlesbrough loanee couldn’t beat Nathan Bishop one-on-one, the Stags custodian making himself big and producing a crucial save.

Mansfield responded with a spell of pressure of their own, John-Joe O’Toole clearing the cross-bar with a close-range header from a corner before Kieran Wallace fired wide.

Having already seen Lewis Richards forced off early on, Town lost their second starting centre-half when Rory McArdle had to be substituted.

The man who replaced the veteran defender came to his team’s rescue, Leon Legge making a superb block on his own goal-line to keep out Jordan Bowery’s effort.

Town countered immediately, Kavanagh releasing Diamond, who forced Bishop to parry the ball into the path of Luke Armstrong, whose follow-up was narrowly off target.

With the visitors beginning to look the more likely, Mark Oxley showed good reactions to tip Ryan Stirk’s goal-bound blast over his cross-bar.

Town should have nicked a 90th-minute winner when substitute Jack Muldoon’s farpost header from Lewis Page’s left-wing cross was saved by Bishop, but Armstrong failed to force the rebound into the net.