Mark Beck 'deserved' to score Harrogate Town's winner against Grimsby Town after 15 months of injury problems

Harrogate Town players celebrate after Mark Beck handed them a 77th-minute lead against Grimsby Town. Pictures: Matt Kirkham

The 27-year-old striker guided a clever header from Ryan Fallowfield’s right-wing cross inside the far post on 77 minutes to settle Saturday’s League Two clash.

And that strike was the former Scotland youth international’s first in the Football League for the Sulphurites having been unable to shake off a troublesome hamstring injury which he first picked up all the way back in November 2019.

Beck has broken down three times since thinking he had originally recovered from a tear to the tendon at the top of his left leg, but has now featured as a substitute in each of Harrogate's previous four matches.

Mark Beck and Jack Muldoon, right, watch on as the former's header makes its way into the Grimsby net.

“It was great movement inside the box and a superb header,”Weaver reflected.

“He’s a good centre-forward, he just needed a bit of luck like we’ve been saying recently. He’s a player with a lot of ability, not just a big unit up front.

“He’s had to overcome a lot of things, not least a bad injury, but he was a real handful when he came on. He was a big problem for Grimsby We needed a big presence, which Aaron Martin was first half and Becky provided when he came on.

"He thoroughly deserved that goal. I’m really pleased for him.”

Beck’s goal arrived almost out of the blue after Harrogate had seemed to run out of ideas having dominated the first half, but failed to find a breakthrough.

“Sometimes you have to be patient and grind out the points,” Weaver added.

“It’s a satisfying feeling because it felt like it was heading for a 0-0 bore draw, but we found a way in the end.”