Toolstation NCEL Division One
Selby Town 0-4 Harrogate Railway
Clinical Harrogate Railway claimed a sixth straight league win by brutally dispatching in-form play-offs rivals Selby Town on their own turf.
Jacob Robertson, captain Dan McDaid, Joe Crosby and Ryan Gothard’s own goal pushed Railway further towards a potential shot at being part of the title race.
The next two weeks will define whether they are as their next two games are the club’s biggest in years.
Railway host fallen leaders North Ferriby at Station View next Saturday before venturing to current table-toppers Hallam on 22nd January.
If fearless Railway play like they did at Selby, who were nine games unbeaten, then they have a huge chance of becoming a real contender for the title.
Their latest win under-lines the progress made by Mick O’Connell inside two years.
On 11th January 2020, O’Connell was assisting Des Macorison for the first time and witnessed Selby ruthlessly rip struggling Railway apart in a 7-3 demolition.
O’Connell was installed as manager just a few weeks later and he has overseen a total transformation of a famous name which were hurtling towards the West Yorkshire League.
The boot was on the other foot for Selby in 2022.
Christian Fox’s side had won seven and drawn two of their last nine games but this was a nightmare day for the Robins and they never got to grips with the game.
Railway handled the pitch and conditions far better, whilst playing some lovely football.
Down the right was Selby’s downfall as both first half goals inside the opening 15 minutes were almost identical.
Both were low crosses across the six-yard-box.
Robertson turned home the first one and then Gothard put the second into his own net.
Railway were thoroughly dominant and they hit the bar twice and had another chance kept out by home goalkeeper Jody Barford.
Even though they lost wing wizard Rob Youhill to injury in the first half, Railway pulled away at the beginning of the second half.
Selby failed to clear Robertson’s cross and a falling McDaid managed to bend a low effort into the bottom corner.
A five-minute period then summed up Selby’s ghoulish afternoon.
Gothard received a second yellow card for a bad challenge and then Liam Flanagan spurned the chance to pull a goal back.
McDaid had charged a shot down with his arm but Flanagan didn’t take advantage as he put the penalty wide.
Railway soon punished their hosts as Crosby netted after a big scramble inside the penalty area.
What They Said
Selby Town manager Christian Fox
“We obviously didn’t have the best of starts and it got gradually worse from there.
“(Harrogate) played some decent stuff and they got what they deserved and we got what we deserved.
“Fair play to them, they have come here and battered us really.
“It could have been a lot worse.
“I think they had three off the bar and Jody has made a couple of decent saves.
“The most disappointing thing for us was our decision-making in the final third – especially in the first half.”
Harrogate Railway manager Mick O’Connell
“Our performance was good and I think it could have been better to be fair.
“We are better than what we showed today.
“It ended up being a really frantic game and there was a lot at stake.
“For how well we started we didn’t settle down and play how we normally play.
“That was mainly down to the conditions but I thought we controlled 80% of the game.
“I was really pleased with how we looked after the ball and I thought we were really professional.
“We could have scored more.
“We hit the crossbar twice, hit the post once and we were one-v-one two or three times and should have scored and we should been out of sight at half-time.”
The Teams
Selby Town: Barford, Sheppard, Sellars, Rogerson (Clamp 61), Gothard (captain), Qualter, Davison (Vass 61), Cooper, Flanagan, Ward, Balderson (Murray 61). Subs unused: Snaith, Lawman.
Harrogate Railway: Wilton, Robertson, McDaid (captain) (Clark 70), Thirkell, Holmes, Hardcastle, Crosby, Ibrahimi, Day (Shaw 50), Greenway, Youhill (Norman 32). Subs unused: Danby, Gore.
Who Was In Charge
Conor Everard (7/10)
How Many Were There
310
Man of the Match
Jacob Robertson (Harrogate Railway)
