Stevenage FC 1 Harrogate Town 0: Toothless Sulphurites stung late once again

Pete Jameson's goalkeeping heroics were not enough to save Harrogate Town from a 1-0 defeat at Stevenage. Picture: Matt Kirkham

Harrogate Town once again failed to score a goal and once again conceded in stoppage-time as their winless run was extended into a seventh match at Stevenage.

Just as was the case against Salford City last week, the Sulphurites made it through the regulation 90 minutes with the scores locked at 0-0, only to then see their defences breached late on when Dan Sweeney headed in.

But, on this occasion, Simon Weaver’s team got exactly what they deserved having served up a woeful performance and ridden their luck for almost the entirety of the second period.

An inspired goalkeeping display by Pete Jameson looked like it was going to be enough to somehow earn Town a share of the spoils, however Sweeney saw to it that Boro would take all three points by nodding home Alex Gilbey’s deep cross from the left flank.

A cruel blow it may have been arriving so late in the day, but that goal had been coming from some time, the second 45 of the contest resembling a game of attack-versus-defence at times with toothless Harrogate failing to muster a single genuine scoring opportunity.

Indeed, the only decent chance of the afternoon that fell the way of a visiting side who have now gone more than 10-and-a-half hours of football without netting from open play was created by Stevenage in the sixth minute.

Sweeney tried to be too clever and sold Carl Piergianni short with a risky pass across the edge of his own penalty area, teeing up Josh Coley for a one-on-one opportunity that he could not convert, his attempted dink blocked by the onrushing Taye Ashby-Hammond.

And, while Town enjoyed a few other decent spells during the opening half, they only made it into the interval on level terms thanks to some fine work by Jameson.

First he came off his line to narrow the angle and thwart Gilbey after Jack Muldoon’s loose pass played the home side clean through on goal.

Luke Norris then glanced a header from Max Clark’s cross narrowly wide before Jameson had to push away Danny Rose’s close-range header then produce an even better stop to bravely thwart Jake Taylor on the follow up.

The second period began with Stevenage making all of the running, Harrogate dropping deeper and deeper and inviting more and more pressure.

Taylor headed straight at Jameson before Norris missed the target when well placed and substitute Jamie Reid saw a strike deflected just wide.

Town’s over-worked goalkeeper then had to push away a Sweeney effort, Piergianni instinctively following up and sending an attempt just over the top of the unguarded goal.

Piergianni came close again on 73 minutes, meeting Gilbey’s free-kick from the left at the far post, however Jameson again came to the visitors’ rescue.

Moments later, a Rose strike hit the inside of the upright and looked as if it was going to be diverted over his own line by Alex Pattison, but the ball hit the underside of the cross-bar and was eventually scrambled clear.

Boro continued to press and Sweeney should have broken the deadlock when he met a delivery from the right inside the six-yard box, only to fluff his lines with the goal at his mercy.

He would make no mistake in the first minute of time added on, however, leaving the Sulphurites with just one point to their name from the last 18 on offer.

Saturday’s loss, their sixth in 10 League Two matches this term, drops Town down one place to 19th in the table.