Lewis Payne was the 'best player on the park' during Harrogate Town's draw at Forest Green Rovers
Wing-back praised for contribution to fightback from two goals down
Lewis Payne was the “best player on the park” during Harrogate Town’s 2-2 draw at Forest Green Rovers on Saturday afternoon.
That was the view of Sulphurites boss Simon Weaver after he saw his right wing-back lead the visitors’ recovery from two goals down.
Payne delivered a tidy allround performance, but was particularly influential during the four-minute period shortly after the interval that saw Town get themselves back on terms.
The former Southampton trainee picked out the bottom corner of the Rovers goal with a clinical right-footed finish to make it 2-1 in the 52nd minute.
Moments later, he then showed both vision and great technique as he switched the play from right to left with a raking 40-yard pass to set Josh Hmami away to tee up Ellis Taylor for Town’s equaliser.
“I thought that he was the best player on the park on Saturday in terms of composure, but with edge as well,” Harrogate manager Weaver said.
“He was excellent and he played his role in the second goal as well as scoring the first. So, full credit to him, he deserves all the plaudits.
“It’s what we need from our wing-backs, working both ways and to be able to deliver top-of-the-table performances, like Lewis did on Saturday. That was fantastic.”
Saturday’s draw keeps Town second in the National League standings after 16 rounds of fixtures, though they now find themselves 12 points behind runaway leaders Boreham Wood.