Gnahoua gives the Harriers a great away win

A single goal from Arthur Gnahoua was enough to make the long trip to Darlington on a Friday evening all the more worthwhile.  With most Reds fans holding little hope of winning away they saw the Harriers eventually take the game to the hosts with high hopes of continuing with our un-beaten away record.  With an unchanged line-up for the third game running we are now reaping the benefit of a team that are beginning to gel.

It was Darlington that started the game the strongest and tried to force an early lead.  Mani Dieseruvwe could have given us an early lead but he slid in a little too late to connect with a slippery pass into the area but that was it as Darlington took charge ending with Liam Hardy having the best of those chances when he latched onto a cross from Kevin Burgess but then sent his simple shot wide of the upright.

Within a minute the Harriers had taken an un-assailable lead.

Gnahoua and Zaine Francis-Angol shared passes until, within sight of goal, Gnahoua let loose with a shot that curled into the net from fully twenty yards out and into the net leaving the Darlington keeper Peter Jameson clutching at thin air as it soared into the top corner of the net.

The Quakers tried to hit back with chances for Mark Beck and Terry Galbraith but Jordan Tunnicliffe cleared the first over the bar the second went wide.  Galbraith also sent a better chance well wide minutes later just before Elton N'Gwatala hit a left foot shot that took a deflection and went just past Jameson's post in the thirty seventh minute.

The hosts finished the half stronger with shots from Beck and Steve Thompson that Sam Hornby, the Harriers keeper, did well to keep out.

At the start of the second period it was the Harriers that were asking the questions but sadly not getting any answers.  Arthur Gnahoua was the danger man once more but his powerful left foot shot was palmed over by Jameson.

Darlington then made an early substitution by taking off Leon Scott and replacing him with Adam Mitchell.  That gave them a bit of impetus to take the game to the Harriers with a couple of free kicks that went high or wide of the target and then Galbraith thought he had scored when another free entered the area only for Wayne Thomas, on for the injured James McQuilkin, to head/clear the ball straight into the arms of Sam Hornby.

The Darlington manager, Martin Gray, then upped the ante by throwing on two more substitutes with Adam Nowakowski and Nathan Cartman replacing Tom Portas and Liam Hardy.  We were now struggling to hold on to our slender lead with only last gasp defending keeping the home side from drawing level.  Mitchell hit the bar and then Nowakowski saw his volley superbly saved by the Harriers keeper.  He saved well again a minute later when Mitchell, again, tried his luck from distance.

With Darlington pressing us for an equaliser they began to leave gaps at the back waiting to be exploited and we almost capitalised when Tyrone Williams crossed the ball over for Mani Dieseruvwe but the Harriers frontman sidefooted it wide from close range when he should really have buried it to make the three points safe for us.

In the dying seconds of the four minutes added on Darlington saw their last chance of a point fade away when Galbraiths close range chance was blocked on the line.

Although it was another three points on the road for us, and up to third place in the league, it's still very worrying that we cannot kill teams off any more and seem to be thinking that a slender one goal lead is enough.  As we saw at Boston and at home to Altrincham last week that state of mind could easily backfire on us and we could end up with nothing more that egg on a blushing face.

 Goal for Harriers: Gnahoua 14

REFEREE:

Mr W Finnie Northumberland