Huddersfield Town's Brahima Diarra hailed as a 'top player' after netting first-ever goal in Harrogate Town's defeat to Crawley Town

Brahima Diarra celebrates after netting a second-half equaliser for Harrogate Town against Crawley. Pictures: Matt Kirkham

The 18-year-old Frenchman, who is on-loan from Championship Huddersfield, capped another fine individual performance by breaking his Sulphurites duck with a neat 61st-minute equaliser.

Receiving the ball in space from Jack Diamond on the right flank, he drove infield towards the penalty area, cut inside Nick Tsaroulla as if he wasn't there and calmly rolled a low finish past Red Devils' goalkeeper Glenn Morris.

Unfortunately for Diarra, what should have been a night to remember was soured somewhat as Town went on to gift their visitors all three points, eventually going down by a 3-1 scoreline.

Brahima Diarra slots home with his left foot to draw Harrogate Town level with Crawley at the EnviroVent Stadium.

But, frustrated though he was by the outcome of the contest, Harrogate boss Simon Weaver still found time to praise his young loan star for his contribution as he reflected on a disappointing night's work.

“Brahima is such a great character to have and, the way he plays football, that’s the way we want to play here,

“He’s a top player and it was great to see him get a goal, it’s the least he deserved. We needed his goal [at 1-0 down] and it gave us a lift.

"At 18, he is showing with his level of consistency that he is good enough to take us into that next level, which is where we want to be.

“It was another eight out of 10 performance from him, at least, and this is why the fans have taken him in to their hearts. We’ve got to keep feeding him and making sure he’s enjoying his football."

Tuesday night saw Diarra make his eighth appearance in Harrogate colours since joining the club on loan until the end of the season in early January.

And not for the first time, he showcased his mesmerising footwork and close control on a number of occasions, leaving opponents for dead with some outrageous bits of skill.

Thus, the consistently high level he has been operating at means that he is sure to leave a big hole when he returns to his parent club this summer, a fact that has not escaped Weaver.

“Brahima, and Jack Diamond, they were a constant threat for us out wide," he added.

"They can do some real damage. But they’re on loan and we’ve got a real job on our hands replacing those two at the end of the season as we look to continue to evolve.”