Harrogate Railway 0-1 Rossington Main
NCEL (Division One)
Tuesday 29th March 2022
Things looked set to end goalless at Station View following a tightly contested 90 minutes where plenty of commitment and effort was on show from both teams but 'quality' was often lacking infront of goal.
That was until Brad Grayson, signed on a dual registration deal from Gainsborough Trinity earlier this month, let fly with a low drive which flew into the bottom corner deep into injury-time.
You don't need to be a gambler to work out the celebrations in the immediate aftermath of that goal were emphatic - and although the result doesn't quite yet guarantee Ben Hunter's team a top five spot (one more win is needed), it does mean they can breathe slightly easier having extended the gap between themselves and sixth-placed Selby Town to seven points.
With the clocks having gone forward to signal the start of summer and the weather having also been decent recently, that influenced my decision to go to this game. Another factor was Rossington won this fixture 7-2 last season and I regret not being there to see it! On top of that, Station View (somewhere I'd not been previously) is only a stone's throw away from Starbeck Railway Station which means it's very easy to reach.
On the balance of play, Rozzo probably deserved the three points but they rode their luck at times and spent much of the opening 10 minutes on the back foot.
Harrogate, seeking to overhaul Brigg Town who are level on points but above them in third position, twice went close early on; Harry Clark heading narrowly wide from a set-piece whilst a downwards header by Joe Crosby soon afterwards also drifted wide of Kian Johnson’s post.
Slowly but surely, adjusting to the tricky sloping pitch better and better with each passing minute, Rozzo began to get a foothold and they dominated for a good 20-25 minute spell up to half-time because the hosts sat back too much and too often - something which only served to invite more pressure.
The visitors created a few good chances; the first of which saw Dec Slater release Grayson whose subsequent near-post drive had to be tipped wide. Greg Young also headed narrowly off target from a Jamie Green corner whilst Railway ‘keeper Joe Wilton endured a worrying moment when he scooped over a dangerous ball which was headed up in the air at close-range and almost dipped right beneath his crossbar.
The closest Main came in the first period was around the half-hour mark. A deep back-post cross from open play was headed back across goal and Young made the perfect connection but was unfortunate to see his effort cannon back off the upright before the ball got scrambled away to safety.
There were a few other bits and pieces of nice play. Paul Sherburn had some success on the right flank a few times, Tyla Bell showed some good footwork to accelerate away from his marker in one instance and it was clear from quite an early stage that Harrogate’s No.8 (Fatlum Ibrahimi) was their playmaker who could influence things.
By half-time though it was also clear that Harrogate needed to stop sitting too deep at times and having no doubt received a b*llocking during the interval, they perhaps shaded the second 45 minutes.
Main initially had a chance when Grayson’s inswinging free-kick from a tight angle on the edge of the area almost crept in at the far-post, but the hosts definitely had a spell on top around the midway point in the second half during which they went close on a few occasions.
After play became stretched and there were openings at both ends in quick succession, Rossington rode their luck as Marcus Day’s low cross caught a connection which took the ball narrowly wide. Johnson then thwarted Day a few minutes later with a smart low save, before another teasing right-wing ball from open play went right the way through the six-yard box and was begging for any sort of connection.
The visitors mustered up some chances at the other end with Slater forcing a good save from Wilton who tipped the ball wide at his near-post. Fingertips were also required from the resulting set-piece after the ball was knocked goalwards but the referee incorrectly gave a goal-kick which is testament to the current standards of officiating in the NCEL.
The last 15 minutes saw changes by both teams and Rozzo regained their foothold to enjoy more possession, but with little in the way of goalmouth action things looked to be heading towards a 0-0 draw.
That was until the brink of injury-time when the visitors won a corner. The ball was cleared only as far as Grayson on the edge of the box and instinctively, as any good striker would, he looked up and drilled a low drive straight into the bottom corner to spark scenes of pure delight.
Another win is still needed to guarantee a Play-Off spot and, should they do it, Rossington will be the underdogs anyway as they'll probably face promotion favourites North Ferriby who are some 15 points better in the Division One table. There is still a possibility they could leapfrog Harrogate in fourth position and end up facing Brigg Town but this is all something which will unfold in the coming weeks.
Regardless of what happens, however, nobody can deny it’s been a good season for Rozzo. The lads have done themselves proud and it's results such as this one which they’ll remember with fondness for some time to come.
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