HARROGATE TOWN 3 HINCKLEY UNITED 1

ATTENDANCE:

By ANDY GIBBS at THE CMG STADIUM

HINCKLEY United wasted a great opportunity to cement their place in the top three as a poor second half showing allowed the home to come back and earn three priceless home points in their battle to avoid the drop.

Despite a number of enforced changes, United knocked the ball around well in the first half but a 1-0 half-time lead was scant reward for their control of the game at the halfway stage, and Harrogate punished them when they came back strongly after the break.

With the suspended Andy Hall joining Adam Webster, Richard Lavery and Chukki Eribenne on the sidelines as well as Sam Smith returning to Rushden at the end of his loan, Dean Thomas saw his squad stretched to breaking point, but despite those changes, he would have enjoyed the first half as his side assumed control.

They passed the ball sweetly and kept possession well for long spells as they pinned their hosts in their own half and created all the first half chances. Home keeper Aaron Ratchford was kept busy, he saved an early Lee Collins effort before saving long ranges shots from Matt West and Dan Dillon but the closest Hinckley came was when West’s header beat Ratchford but was headed to safety off the line by Craig James.

United broke the deadlock ten minutes before half-time. Goals from Neil CARTWRIGHT are usually memorable ones and this was no exception as he received Dillon’s beautifully weighted pass on the right hand edge of the area before unleashing a fierce shot that Ratchford got a hand to but such was the power, he could only divert it into the top corner.

James Mace almost doubled the lead moments later, cutting in from the right and spotting Ratchford off his line, he curled his shot narrowly over the bar.

Harrogate made a change at half-time, striker Jason Bradley joining target man Peter Knox up front as the home side opted for a more direct approach and after Andy Hutchinson saw his goalbound shot well saved at his near post by Ratchford, the home side began to threaten and levelled just after the hour mark, Ben Muirhead getting in behind the defence on the right flank before drilling a ball across the face of goal for KNOX to finish from six yards.

One could feel to game turning Harrogate’s way as United’s defence began to look shaky and after Knox missed a great chance just six yards out, the home side won it with two goals in the final six minutes. Knox turned provider, crossing for BRADLEY to score from close range before KNOX completed the turnaround late on when he was sent clean through to beat Chris MacKenzie from the edge of the area to secure the home side’s first win since September.

HINCKLEY UNITED: MacKenzie, Mace, Franklin, Dillon, Lister, Collins, Cartwright, Gooding, West, Hutchinson (Newton 70), Taylor. Subs not used: Hamilton, Storer.