Matty Foulds and Matty Daly combine to provide rare bright spot during Harrogate Town's draw at Carlisle United
But, Sulphurites boss Simon Weaver was more than impressed by the football which led to his side taking a 39th-minute lead against the run of play.
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Hide AdDean Cornelius won possession in the middle of the park, allowing Jack Muldoon to send the ball down the left flank for the overlapping Matty Foulds to run on to.
The Town full-back then delivered an excellent cross from close to the byline which landed invitingly on the edge of the six-yard-box for Matty Daly to beat Harry Lewis with a first-time finish.
“It was a really good goal from our perspective,” Weaver said. “I thought it was really good build up.
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Hide Ad“Jack Muldoon, after the interception by Dean Cornelius, I thought that he had over-hit his pass, but Fouldsy got there and, first time, what a ball into the middle of the six-yard-box.
“It will be one of the best deliveries from out wide in today’s fixtures I would have thought.
“And then Matty Daly showed his poaching instinct, it was a really good finish.”
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Hide AdOn the contribution of Daly, who has only recently returned from a six-week injury lay-off but played the full 90 minutes against both Carlisle and Newport, Weaver added: “He’s had to put in a bigger shift than he probably would have imagined he’d have to, but we need him, we need him on the pitch.
“The depth of the squad is what it is, and like in the old days, players have to show resolve and dig in.
“He’s a key player for us.”
On the back foot from pretty much the word go, Town defended their box reasonably effectively throughout and the closest Carlisle came to making an early breakthrough was when Harrison Biggins rattled the cross-bar with a fine effort from a 10th-minute free-kick.
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Hide AdVisiting goalkeeper James Belshaw was then forced into a save by Dominic Sadi before James Daly's strike from distance at the other end proved too hot for Harry Lewis to handle, Jack Muldoon just failing to reach the rebound in time to give Harrogate the lead.
Harrison Neal's powerful shot then drew another stop from Belshaw before Town took the lead through Matty Daly's first goal of the season.
Carlisle would however level matters before the interval. Armstrong was played in on Belshaw's goal, and although the Sulphurites stopper did well to block his initial effort, the former Harrogate forward managed to find the net at the second time of asking.
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Hide AdIn the second period, Sadi cut in off the right and curled one strike narrowly wide and another straight at Belshaw, while Biggins and Ethan Robson saw shots blocked.
Late on, Town could have nicked all three points when substitute Sam Folarin pounced on a poor header by Jon Mellish and ran past Sam Lavelle on his way into the penalty area, only for Neal to come to United's rescue with a perfectly-timed last-ditch challenge.
Saturday’s result means that Harrogate are now unbeaten in seven League Two clashes with Carlisle and keeps them 14th in the League Two standings, where they sit seven points clear of the relegation zone and four shy of the division’s last play-off berth.
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