Dom Tear & Richie Bennett on target as Scarborough Athletic beat Radcliffe 2-0


Midfield dynamo Alex Purver completed his two-match ban, but new signing from Whitby, striker Stephen Walker came in for his debut, with returning loanee Mackenzie Maltby on the bench, writes Steve Adamson.
Visitors Radcliffe included ex-Boro loanee Danny Greenfield in their side.
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Hide AdBoro winger Harry Green played a clever reverse pass towards Luca Colville on the edge of the area, but left-back Scott Duxbury made a timely interception.


Radcliffe then enjoyed a good spell, dominating possession in the opening 20 minutes.
George Glendon dragged a shot wide, Greenfield passed into the path of Jordan Hulme, who curled his shot against the inside of the right-hand post on 11 minutes, then Kieran Weledji hacked clear when Josh Hancock ran onto a through-ball from Glendon, and Glendon fired narrowly wide from 20 yards.
Boro were slow to get going, but gradually took control, a long throw from Alex Brown was flicked on by Colville towards debutant Walker, but Richard Smith kicked clear, Richie Bennett, who had replaced the injured Alex Wiles early on, sent a long-range volley into the arms of keeper Mat Hewelt, and a Colville free kick was headed over by Will Thornton.
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Hide AdThe deadlock was broken on 37 minutes, when Dom Tear, who scored a hat trick at Radcliffe in August, headed in from a right-wing Colville corner. Jack Waldron then had a fierce volley tipped round the post by Hewelt, Bennett fired wide, and also headed wide from a Colville cross.


The second half was well contested, with both sides trying to get forward and create chances. Boro were unlucky when Green, on the left teed up Michael Woods, who smashed his shot against the bar, then Woods laid off to Tear, who fired into the side-netting.
Waldron had a fine game, and he passed to Bennett, who curled a shot wide, then Green had a strike blocked by Brad Roscoe.
The lead was doubled from the penalty spot on 58 minutes. A Bennett volley forced a terrific save from Hewelt, but from the rebound, another Bennett shot struck the arm of a defender, and Bennett sent the keeper the wrong way from 12 yards.
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Hide AdBrown played some superb cross-field passes to Waldron and Tear on the right, while Woods and Colville impressed in midfield, but the visitors also tried to get forward.


A ferocious Hancock volley whizzed over the bar, Thornton did well to intercept a Glendon through-ball to Hulme, and a Matt Sargent shot was blocked by the outstanding Brown.
In Boro attacks, a mazy dribble by Green ended with him shooting inches wide, a slide-rule pass from Bennett found Green, whose low shot was well saved by Hewelt, then Tear burst forward but was halted by a Roscoe tackle.
Radcliffe went close late on, as a Hancock strike was pushed wide by the diving Ryan Whitley, a cross from Tom Walker bounced off the top of the bar, and a Harrison Wood cross was headed wide by Anthony Dudley.
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Hide AdBORO - Whitley, Waldron, Brown, Weledji, Thornton (c), Wiles (Bennett 22), Green, Tear, S.Walker (Marshall 82), Woods, Colville, unused subs - Maltby, Glynn, Wilson.


RADCLIFFE - Hewelt, Jackson (Dudley 76), Duxbury (T.Walker 70), Smith, Maynard, Roscoe, Hancock (Wood 70), Glendon, Hulme (c) (Navarro 76), Sargent (Riley 70), Greenfield.
REFEREE - Lee Hible.
BORO GOALS - Dom Tear 37, Richie Bennett 58(pen).
GOAL ATTEMPTS - BORO 16 (7 on target) RADCLIFFE 9 (3 on target).
CORNERS - BORO 7 RADCLIFFE 5.
OFFSIDES - BORO 0 RADCLIFFE 1.


YELLOW CARDS - Kieran Weledji (Boro), Richard Smith (Radcliffe).
BORO MAN OF MATCH - Alex Brown.
ATTENDANCE - 1,062 (32 away).