Ten-man Scarborough Athletic edged out by late Taylor goal at high-flying King’s Lynn​

​Alex Purver served a one-match suspension, while new loan signing from Sheffield United, 19-year-old right-back Jack Waldron came in for his debut, but had little chance to shine in the appalling conditions, as both sides battled hard, but struggled to contend with the heavy pitch, swirling winds and torrential rain, writes Steve Adamson.

It was the hosts who had the wind at their backs in the first half, and early chances saw Josh McCammon flash a volley narrowly wide, and a cross from former Boro loanee Cody Johnson was headed wide by Tom Wilson.

Boro then went close, as Frank Mulhern fed Harry Green wide left, and he skipped past his marker and sent over a cross, that deflected goalwards off defender Kyle McFadden, but keeper Pat Boyes dived to push wide.

The hosts pressed forward, several wind-assisted long balls and crosses being gathered by keeper Ryan Whitley, who also punched a cross from Freddie Sass off the head of Jonny Margetts.

The excellent Johnson then surged forward and blasted a 25-yard shot that Whitley did well to tip over.

A strong tackle from Kieran Weledji halted a run into the box from Margetts, a sliding-tackle from Will Thornton foiled Josh Hmami, and Whitley dived to keep out a glancing header from Margetts.

Boro created a good chance when Dom Tear squared to Mulhern, but Boyes smothered his shot.

Mulhern then limped off with a toe injury after a collision with the keeper five minutes before the interval.

Boro had the wind in their favour after the break, but on 51 minutes striker Richie Bennett, who had been booked for a trip on Greg Taylor in the first half, got in a tangle, and appeared to put his opponent in a headlock, and was shown a second yellow card and dismissed.

Margetts fired wide for the hosts and Thornton blocked a Johnson strike as the game became scrappy and disjointed in the awful conditions. The hard-working Wiles almost conjured up a goal on 71 minutes when he accepted a pass from Luca Colville and flashed the ball across the goalmouth, but no one was there to tap home.

There were a couple of hold-ups in play due to alleged homophobic chants from a section of the home crowd, and the match-winning goal then followed in the 82nd minute, when Boro old boy Finlay Barnes sent a right-wing cross into a crowded Boro area, Weledji headed clear, but Hmami tapped the loose ball into the path of skipper Taylor, who unleashed a fierce 25-yard left-foot shot that crashed in off the underside of the bar.

Boro’s 10 men, with Colville and Cam Wilson as makeshift strikers, battled to the end, but the strong King’s Lynn defence wasn’t troubled, and the depleted visitors returned home empty-handed.

KING’S LYNN - Boyes, Crowe (Crane 61), McFadden, Wilson, Sass, Taylor(c), Johnson, Hmami, McCammon, Barnes (Hughes 87), Margetts (Williams 90)

BORO - Whitley, Waldron, Brown, Weledji, Thornton(c), Tear, Green (Glynn 63), Wiles, Mulhern (Wilson 40), Bennett, Colville

REFEREE - Jonathan Chadwick

GOAL - Greg Taylor (King’s Lynn) 82

GOAL ATTEMPTS - KING’S LYNN 7 (3 on target) BORO 3 (2 on target)

CORNERS - KING’S LYNN 5 BORO 3

OFFSIDES - KING’S LYNN 1 BORO 1

RED CARD - Richie Bennett (Boro) (2 yellows) 51 min

YELLOW CARDS - Dylan Crowe (King’s Lynn). Harry Green, Jack Waldron (Boro)

BORO MAN OF MATCH - Ryan Whitley

ATTENDANCE - 811 (54 away).