In a game full of incident, but devoid of goals,Harrogate battled hard to come away from second placed AFC Fylde with a valuable point.
Town had to make one enforced change with Lloyd Kerry replacing Jack Emmett who had sustained a pulled hamstring in Saturday’s win over Solihull,while Ben Parker was recalled to the subs bench.
Fylde,with Zaine Francis-Angol prominent,made a bright start,with strong attacks down the left.
Joe Cardle,Ryan Croasdale,and Andy Bond all sent shots over Town’s bar,but the visitors began to hit back with a vengeance.
A searching cross field pass from Josh Falkingham released George Thomson down the right but his angled drive was straight at Jay Lynch in the home goal.
Next,Liam Kitching sent Joe Leesley down the left touchline and his deep cross found Thomson,but his shot rebounded off Francis-Angol and Thomson’s follow up sailed past the angle while Dom Knowles lurked unmarked near the penalty spot.
Just before the break,a Thomson centre over Neill Byrne found Knowles free,but Lynch was quickly off his line to block the strikers effort.
The second period started with a brilliant one handed save from James Belshaw to turn James Hardy’s strike from just inside the area past the upright to prevent the Coasters taking the lead.
A series of assaults from Town saw the Coaster’s goal bear a charmed life,with a Kelvin Langmead header hitting the crossbar and Kitching also had a header tipped over by Lynch,after good work from Knowles and Thomson.
The prolific Danny Rowe,who had been well policed by Langmead and Callum Howe,was finally sent clear by Hardy’s free kick over Town’s defensive wall,but he was denied be a superb point blank save from Belshaw.
The introduction of Mark Beck gave Town an added dimension and his header back across goal from Jack Muldoon’s cross was turned over the Fylde bar by Lloyd Kerry.
Town almost snatched a late winner when Kerry’s cross evaded the home defence but it was a fraction too far for Howe to convert at the far post.
It was a sterling away performance from Town,unfortunately marred by a groin injury to skipper Falkingham which may see him out for a few weeks.
Town, Belshaw,Falkingham(c)(Agnew 73),Howe,Burrell,Thomson(Beck 67),Knowles(Williams 88),Leesley,Langmead,Kerry,Muldoon,Kitching.
Unused subs,Parker,Cracknell. Booked Thomson,Langmead,Kerry.
AFC Fylde Lynch,Francis-Angol,Byrne,Bond(c),Hardy(Hemmings 89),Croasdale,Rowe,Cardle((Tasdemir 45)),Burke,Kane,Kellerman(Toure (73)
Unused subs Tunnicliffe,Birch Booked Lynch Att 1709 (148 away)
BT Sports Man of the Match, Kelvin Langmead
Referee Andrew Miller
By John Harrison
