Harriers Gain just one point from Borough

The Harriers finally failed in their attempt to overhaul AFC Fylde to the title today but this drawn game wasn't the reason after Fylde won 3-0 at Boston Utd.  It was lost due to our season long poor away form that has seen us drop too many points in games that we should have been expected to win.  Telford, Worcester, Salford, Brackley and Stalybridge away are all games that we could have got a point or three from and at the end of the day it's those missing points that have gone a long way to us losing out in the title race.

Today was no different and with Gainsborough struggling at the wrong end of the table a team with an eye on promotion failed to up their game enough to beat them.

We started the game with the same starting eleven that had soundly trounced Altrincham last Monday with a storming first twenty minutes and a solid second half and today we were the first out of the blocks with a couple of chances that we should have scored from.  Elton N'Gwatala fired an effort wide and then the Trinity keeper almost gifted us a goal from James McQuilkins shot as he almost let it slip through his fingers and into the net.

After that our usual composed game plan was out of the window as the home side woke up to their relegation worries and began to come into the game.  Almost against the run of the play they took the lead when the former Grimsby striker Nathan Jarman put them into the lead when a long ball through fell perfectly into his path and all he had to do was finish the move off by rolling it into the goal.

They controlled the remainder of the half on their own terms and the Harriers were reduced to feeding off the scraps.

They almost added a second goal when Jordan Thewlis' lob over Sam Hornby bounced off the bar for a goal kick.

With seconds to go until the break we finally had another chance on goal when a corner gave Tyrone Williams the opportunity to score but his shot was blocked on the line by a Trinity defender.

The second half we came out with the obvious blasting from John Eustace hitting home.  Andre Brown came on for Daniel Nti and straight away we looked a more potent team.  Within five minutes of his arrival Brown had drawn us level with a typical poachers goal.  A ball played through the middle was pounced on by him and then taken on into the area before slipping the ball through the keepers legs.

We began to press as expected and Jordan Tunnicliffe went close to giving us the lead but then with Trinity realising that they could end up losing the game they began to tighten up and concentrate more on their defensive duties.

We were restricted to shots from the edge of the area and half chances when we should have been ripping them to pieces al la Altrincham last week.  Arthur Gnahoua sent a shot wide fifteen minutes from time and then saw a chance blocked once more.  In between those chances a Gainsborough substitute, Chib Chilaka, forced Hornby into a smart save.

The game came to an end without any further action and the news that Fylde had won.  We now have just our final league game to go at home to Bradford next Saturday before we enter the play-offs against who we know not yet but it's looking likely to be between one from Chorley, Salford or Stockport.

 Goal for Gainsborough: Jarman 20
 Goal for Harriers: A Brown 50

REFEREE:

Mr M Dicicco Middlesborough