Harrogate Town 0 Mansfield Town 0: Sulphurites end Stags' long winning run

Luke Armstrong missed a couple of decent chances as Harrogate Town played out a goalless draw with Mansfield Town. Picture: Matt Kirkham

Beaten 3-0 by lowly Stevenage on Saturday, the Sulphurites gave a far better account of themselves this time around, matching the Stags throughout and creating more than enough chances to have taken maximum points.

The first half of Tuesday's League Two clash 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 over-hit their forward passes, meaning that the away goal never came under any threat.

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 themselves on the front foot.

They really ought to have broken the deadlock after 52 minutes when the first decent opening of the contest finally materialised.

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

But, the young Middlesbrough loanee couldn’t beat Nathan Bishop one-on-one, the Stags custodian making himself big and producing an important 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 Wolves loanee Lewis Richards forced off with a muscle injury early on, Town lost their second starting centre-half in the 61st minute when Rory McArdle had to be substituted.

The man who replaced the veteran defender would however come to his team's rescue shortly after entering the fray, Leon Legge making a superb block on his own goal-line to keep out Jordan Bowery's effort from four yards out.

Town countered immediately, Kavanagh releasing Diamond, who forced Bishop to parry the ball into the path of Luke Armstrong, whose first-time 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 before Harrogate wrestled back the ascendancy and went on to finish with a flourish.

They should have nicked a 90th-minute winner when substitute Jack Muldoon's far-post header from Lewis Page's left-wing cross was saved unconvincingly by Bishop, though Armstrong failed to force the rebound into the net from just a couple of yards out.

A miss-hit clearance then led to a stoppage-time sight of goal for the excellent Alex Pattison, however his well-struck half-volley was straight down the throat of the Stags stopper.

Tuesday's point keeps Harrogate 14th in the League Two standings.