Match report courtesy of Nuneaton News;
There are not many times in life when you get a chance to put right a wrong – Nuneaton Town had to wait just four days to do just that in the Vanarama National League North.
On Tuesday night Nuneaton held a somewhat comfortable 3-0 lead at home to Stalybridge Celtic, a lead that they somehow threw away in the second half to draw 3-3.
Boro boss Kevin Wilson was less than impressed after that game, his mood must have been totally the opposite after this performance though, as the Boro put right the wrong of Tuesday to hold on to a 3-0 lead away at Harrogate.
This was one of the best results since the former Ilkeston manager joined the club in the summer.
Nuneaton started slowly away from home, allowing Harrogate too much time on the ball.
It was a fact they could easily have been punished for a number of times in the opening five minutes as the home side created numerous half-chances.
It was against the run of play, then, when Boro took the lead seven minutes in.
It was their first chance on goal and it was superbly taken, Aaron Williams linking-up well with Marlon Harewood on the edge of the box before slotting it expertly through a defenders legs and in off the far post.
The goal came out of the blue and in a way did nothing to change the flow of the match as Harrogate continued to pour forward whenever possible.
They launched balls into the Boro box from distance as they looked to test the Nuneaton defence as much as they could.
That defence was a lot more solid than it was in the second half on Tuesday, though, as the Boro dealt with everything Harrogate threw at them.
The home side must have been thinking they would be unlucky to go into the break one goal down after the chances they had created.
It was worse than that, though, as they were to go in two down after Harewood made it a scoring return to the first team in stoppage time.
The former Nottingham Forest man was left unmarked at the back post from a corner and simply headed home under no pressure whatsoever.
Nuneaton had a 3-0 lead at half-time in that infamous game on Tuesday, they waited another 20 minutes before reaching that milestone in this encounter.
The goal was 10 per cent down to Elliott Whitehouse, who had a shot from 30-yards, and 90 per cent down to luck, as it cannoned off the nearest defender before whizzing past Peter Crook in the Harrogate goal and hitting the post before spinning backwards and somehow finding the back of the net.
Harrogate had the odd chance late on, one near post effort from Jordan Thewlis was superbly saved by Jordan Smith, but it was not a back against the walls job, as Boro comfortably eased towards all three points.
NUNEATON TOWN: J.Smith, Clifton, Reid (C.Keane 87), J.Keane, Maguire, Lane, Morgan (Chettle 85), Whitehouse, Byrne, Williams (Daniels 89), Harewood.
SUBS NOT USED: Repstad, Dyer.
HARROGATE TOWN: Crook, Turner, McWilliams, Platt, Shiels, McGurk, Colbeck, Nyoni (Thewills 59), Clayton (Kerry 59), Knowles, Daniels (Emmett 63)
SUBS NOT USED: Swain, Bloomer.
ATTENDANCE: 503
# | Team | Pd | Pts |
1. | Solihull Moors | 28 | 59 |
2. | North Ferriby United | 28 | 52 |
3. | AFC Fylde | 27 | 52 |
4. | Harrogate Town | 27 | 52 |
5. | Boston United | 30 | 51 |
6. | Nuneaton Town | 29 | 50 |
7. | Alfreton Town | 29 | 40 |
8. | Gainsborough Trinity | 29 | 40 |