Harrogate Town 2 Bristol Rovers 3: Goalkeeping error condemns Sulphurites to costly home defeat
A mistake by goalkeeper Henry Gray cost Harrogate Town what would have been an extremely useful point in their quest for Football League survival.
Ellis Taylor’s fine brace had the Sulphurites 2-1 up at home to in-form Bristol Rovers and on course to end the Easter weekend outside the League Two relegation zone for the first time since December.
But a needless Gray challenge inside his own box gifted the Gas a penalty that was duly converted to seal a 3-2 victory.
Although largely impressive since joining Town on loan from Championship Ipswich in January, the 21-year-old has now made a number of costly errors between the sticks.
In early February, with Harrogate on course for a useful point at home to Swindon, the New Zealander rushed off his line and senselessly gave away a late spot-kick which was converted to condemn his side to a 1-0 loss.
A poor bit of distribution then led to Notts County scoring their second goal in last Saturday’s 2-0 win at Wetherby Road, before Gray was caught in no man’s land at Grimsby on Good Friday, presenting Kieran Green with a chance that he duly put away.
On that occasion, he redeemed himself by saving Andy Cook’s stoppage-time penalty, with that moment undoubtedly crucial in Town going on to win the game.
But there was to be no salvation for the young gloveman on this occasion, and if the Sulphurites do end up getting relegated at the end of the season, this Easter Monday disaster is one of a number of games they will surely look back on and wonder ‘what if?’
Up to 22nd place and two points clear of the drop zone with an hour of the match gone, Simon Weaver’s men ended the afternoon where they started it – bottom of the pile and staring down the barrel.
Yet it all could – and should – have been so different.
A bright first-half showing saw the hosts threaten through Cathal Heffernan, who cleared the cross-bar from a Taylor corner, then Jack Evans, who sent a first-time strike wide of the mark.
Taylor then lit up the contest on 27 minutes with a piece of individual brilliance.
The former Sunderland winger cut inside off the right flank following good work by Liam Gibson, beat Clinton Mola, then bent an exquisite finish inside the far post.
Joe Quigley came closest for Rovers in the first half, spinning away from Gibson inside the penalty area and flashing a low shot across the face of goal.
Taylor almost added a second for Town with a very similar effort to the one which saw him break the deadlock, but on this occasion his goal-bound strike was diverted to safety by Riley Harbottle.
But, Harrogate began the second period on the back foot, and having dropped far too deep, they were pegged back in the 50th minute after Shaq Forde drifted in off the right and reversed a low effort into the bottom corner.
The Sulphurites’ response was fairly swift and, after seeing his far-post header from Reece Smith’s excellent left-wing cross blocked by Mola, Taylor crashed the rebound into the roof of the net from close range.
Very much in the ascendancy at this point, Town then began to probe for a third goal, but were stunned just past the hour-mark.
Forde delivered a cross from the right that landed inside Gray’s six-yard box, however the Ipswich loanee was slow to react at his near post, allowing Ellis Harrison to squeeze home a second equaliser.
Gray did then produce a very good save to thwart Yusuf Akhamrich one-on-one after Tobias Brenan had butchered a glorious opportunity on the counter-attack, but disaster was to strike in the 78th minute.
As Harrogate struggled to clear their lines following a set-piece, Gray seemed to lose his bearings, then made the unnecessary decision to go to ground despite there being no imminent danger, clumsily taking Fabrizio Cavegn down in the process.
Harrison converted the resulting spot-kick to make it 3-2, knocking the stuffing out of a Town side who had looked game all afternoon.
One unconvincing, then one decent save followed from Gray as Rovers sought a fourth, and although the Sulphurites worked a couple of promising attacking situations during eight minutes of stoppage time, they were unable to salvage a share of the spoils.