Tranmere Rovers 2 Harrogate Town 1: Another poor showing sees Sulphurites slump to third straight defeat

The Sulphurites started Saturday lunch-time’s fixture reasonably well and took the lead through James Daly’s fourth goal of the season.

But they were thoroughly second best for almost the entirety of the last hour of the contest, and can have absolutely no complaints about the final score.

Hosts Tranmere began the weekend below struggling Town in the table, having managed to come out on top in just one of their previous seven league matches.

They had also failed to win a single game this term having conceded first, but were of course able to end that run as they took advantage of another flat display from a Harrogate team who once again looked so desperately lacking in quality when in possession of the ball.

Following a decent start to proceedings, Town edged in front on 14 minutes after their hosts failed to properly deal with Stephen Duke McKenna’s right-wing free-kick.

Rovers goalkeeper Luke McGee came a long way off his line in an attempt to claim that delivery, and when Connor Jennings only headed it as far as James Daly, he was able to chest the ball down on the edge of the penalty area and loft an effort over the back-pedalling Tranmere stopper and just underneath the cross-bar.

Harrogate looked to build on that early opener and should have had the chance to add to their tally from the penalty spot in the 17th minute.

Duke-McKenna drove past Connor Wood inside the box and was clearly taken out by the Rovers left-back. But, not helped by a spineless piece of officiating by his assistant, who was stood just yards from the incident, referee Tom Reeves opted against blowing up for what was an obvious foul.

Undeterred, Town came again and James Daly skinned Lee O’Connor wide on the left before delivering a good cross that Matty Daly could only nod straight at McGee.

The rest of the opening period would however belong to the home team. Having begun to enjoy more and more possession, they drew level on 25 minutes in fortuitous fashion, but aided by some slack Harrogate defending at a right-wing throw-in.

It was too easy for the thrower, O’Connor, and Kristian Dennis to play a one-two, with the latter then able to advance into space inside the Sulphurites’ box and take aim.

And, just as was the case with the first goal they conceded against AFC Wimbledon last time out, a seriously unkind deflection wrong-footed James Belshaw and took the ball into the back of his net – this time via the heel of Jasper Moon.

Tranmere pushed hard for a second before the interval, Sam Finley seeing a goal-bound effort well blocked by Moon before Harvey Saunders and Omari Patrick shot narrowly wide of the mark.

The early stages of the second period saw Rovers continue to look the more dangerous of the sides.

As they had done during the closing stages of the first half, Harrogate continued to make life difficult for themselves by playing too many hopeful long balls forward to no-one in particular, and found themselves trapped deep in their own territory.

Despite seeing his side offering absolutely nothing as an attacking force and struggling to string more than a couple of passes together, Simon Weaver opted against changing either Town’s system or any of their personnel and they were inevitably punished in the 66th minute.

Jennings launched the ball forwards from midfield and found Patrick, who cut inside off the left and past Toby Sims, before bending a cultured finish beyond Belshaw and in off the upright.

The visitors raised their game slightly after falling behind – and making the substitutions which were needed 20 minutes earlier – and should have equalised with a quarter-of-an-hour remaining.

A bright bit of attacking play by Duke-McKenna down the right saw him deliver a cross which substitute Josh March met inside the six-yard box, however he could only manage to stab the ball straight at McGee.

At the other end, Town survived the most almighty of goal-mouth scrambles in the 84th minute, with Patrick’s effort eventually blocked on the goal-line by Dean Cornelius before March was extremely lucky not to give away a penalty for a rash lunge on Chris Merrie.

Jennings then came close to adding a third for the hosts when he fired narrowly wide of the mark, with Dennis forcing an excellent stop out of Belshaw in stoppage time, but Rovers had already done enough.