Scarborough Athletic suffer home defeat against Gainsborough

Scarborough Athletic were hit by a smash-and-grab 2-0 defeat on Saturday as Gainsborough Trinity left the Flamingo Land Stadium with three points.
Boro reportBoro report
Boro report

Boro struggled to click out of the low gears on a chilly afternoon and they paid the ultimate price.

One change was made to the Boro side from last week's win against Marine, with Luke Lofts taking the place of Matty Dixon in the Boro starting line-up.

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The game raced away at 100mph, with big chances coming at both ends.

Wayne Brooksby slammed a shot into the sidenetting as Boro pushed on first, then Gainsborough's Alex Byrne shuddered the upright after cutting in from the left.

The end-to-end nature of the game continued at pace. Bryne brought a good save out of Tommy Taylor and the dancing feet of Lofts whipped in a delicious cross that just missed the toe of Michael Coulson.

The play eased as the half progressed, but there was a spike of action just before the interval.

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Ashley Worsfold charged onto a throughball, but his effort was deflected just wide.

Then after Nathan Stainfield had won his fifth header from a set-piece in the Boro box, a flurry of chances followed for Gainsborough, but they failed to convert.

Boro almost made the perfect start to the second half, when a quick Coulson free-kick fed Lofts into the box, though his effort was smothered by keeper Jonathan Stewart.

Defender Kev Burgess must have then thought that he'd opener the scoring after rising to angle a header towards the top corner, but Stewart matched his effort with a stunning save.

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Things soon settled down again, before Gainsborough stunned Boro with a swift one-two.

They opened the scoring when the right of the Boro defence vanished and Simon Russell swept home Alex Simmons free-kick.

A second followed minutes later. Ashley Worsfold spinning in the box and firing home, while Boro's statuesque back-line were left appealing unsuccessfully for a handball.

Boro's frustrating afternoon was summed up with the minutes creeping towards full-time, as Coulson fired a low shot at goal that was blocked on the line by teammate Declan Bacon.

In the end Boro were fortunate not to concede another goal as Simmons was brilliantly denied by Taylor right in the final seconds.