HARROGATE TOWN...3

RADCLIFFE BORO...0

Unibond League Premier Division

BORO'S season continues to disintegrate, with this defeat at sixth-placed Harrogate never in doubt, after the home side took a 17th minute lead.

The first chance of the match went Boro's way, Simon Carden lifting the ball over the advancing Ashley Connor, but unfortunately it was also well over the bar.

Harrogate enjoyed the majority of possession, with Mark Atkins driving just past the post before he opened the scoring.

A right wing corner played to him 25 yards out caught the Boro defence napping, and his low shot through a crowded penalty area took a deflection, leaving Boro 'keeper Danny Hurst wrong-footed.

Atkins almost doubled the lead with a carbon copy effort, but this time the shot went just wide.

Boro showed some neat build-up play, but their efforts were laboured and rarely threatened to open the Town defence.

Tony Whealing and Karl Marginson combined well, but Connor cut out the final cross, Richard Battersby then made good ground down the left to set-up Steve Foster, but his effort was blocked.

New boy Lee Duffy showed up well in defence with some timely interceptions, and Atkins mis-controlled when well placed.

Harrogate centre-back Neil Aspin drove straight at Hurst, while fullback James Riorden's shot cleared the bar, as Harrogate sought to extend their lead, as the opening 45 minutes drew to a close.

If the first half was lacking in incident, the second was even worse.

Boro lacked invention in midfield; the front two of Steve Foster and Tony Carroll never threatened Connor's goal; and when Harrogate broke out midway through the half they found the Boro defence in generous mood.

Colin Hunter found himself in the clear 11 minutes after the break but shot wide, however, James Turley was not so wasteful, scoring twice within a minute.

A quick counter attack on 70 minutes saw Hunter outstrip Boro's defence to set Turley up for Harrogate's second, and he netted his own second and Harrogate's third a minute later, with Boro's defence all at sea.

Boro were reduced to a spectacular long range effort from Battersby and a Carroll header as the game drew to a close.

Hurst produced a fine double save to deny Sam Warburton, but his opposite number Connor was not called into action until the final minute, when he blocked substitute Mark Redshaw's close range shot.

This was definitely a night to forget for the Boro fans and there seems little prospect of an improvement to maintain even the slightest hope of Conference football next season.

BORO: Hurst, Battersby, Whealing, Kelly, J.Foster, Duffy, Marginson, Carden, Carroll, S.Foster, Price. Subs: Redshaw (for Carden, 61), Sampson (for Price, 79), Spencer (not used).