Sulphurites defy Green’s heroics to take a point

By David Flett

HARROGATE TOWN 2

Taylor 85, Rose 87 (og)

HARROGATE: Belshaw 6, Sims 6, O’Connor 6, Moon 6, Burrell 6 (Akono Bilongo 86), Fox 6 (Dooley 75, 6), Morris 6, Muldoon 6, March 6, Taylor 6, Cursons 6 (Daly 45, 7). Subs not used: Oxley, Asare, Sanderson, Gibson.

GRIMSBY TOWN 2

Green 39, Svanthorsson 45+4

GRIMSBY: Wright 5, Rodgers 7, Tharme 8 (Warren 75, 6), McJannett 7, McEachran 7, Svanthorsson 8 (Burns 90+1), Green 8 (Thompson 75, 6), Khouri 6 (Davies 45, 6), Hume 6, Barrington 6 (Vernam 74, 6), Rose 6. Subs not used: Eastwood, Turi.

Att: 3,881 Rating: ★★★★★ Ref: Aaron Bannister 6/10

GRIMSBY boss David Artell admitted he was left infuriated that Kieran Green’s outstanding goal from inside his own half failed to inspire his team to victory at Harrogate.

Green’s wonder goal was built upon in first-half stoppage time by Jason Svanthorsson’s strike.

But the promotion-chasing Mariners tossed away two points at the death as an Ellis Taylor effort and Danny Rose’s own goal saw the shares spoiled.

An angry Artell said: “It takes a terrific strike for anyone to score from inside their own half and especially ly when it’s up the hill they have here, but I’m sure Greeny will be the first to say that it

doesn’t mean much when you don’t win the game.

“It was an outstanding piece of skill and it was also an excellent strike for our second goal, but we’ve only ended up with a point and that’s turned what could have been a good day for us into an infuriating one.

“I said at half-time that I thought we hadn’t been very good in possession, but we had been excellent out of possession and scored two great goals.

“In the second half, we also stopped doing the basics out of possession and didn’t really get any better in possession.”

Collecting the ball just a handful of yards short of the halfway line after 39 minutes, Green spotted home keeper James Belshaw out of his goal and aimed a perfectly flighted effort over his head and into the net.

Svanthorsson doubled the visitors’ lead in the fourth minute of stoppage time, thumping a half-volley into the roof of the net from 15 yards.

Taylor, though, handed Harrogate a lifeline when he took one touch as the ball fell to him 15 yards out and then curled brilliantly into Jor-dan Wright’s top-right corner. Right-back Sims then headed Taylor’s left-wing corner towards goal after 87minutes and Rose could only help it into the Grimsby net.

Harrogate are now nine points clear of the drop zone with four games left to play and Sulphurites chief Simon Weaver hailed the “relentless” nature of his players at Wetherby Road.

He said: “We are hard to beat at home and that’s nine games unbeaten now with five wins and four draws.

“I’m proud of that record, so I was as angry at half-time because my pride was hurt even though I knew it would be hard against a good team.”