Harrogate leave it late to edge past Wrexham

Posted Sunday, November 07, 2021 by PA

Substitutes Danilo Orsi and Simon Power saved Harrogate from an FA Cup upset with second-half goals to secure a 2-1 win against Wrexham.

The non-league visitors had earlier taken a 38th-minute lead courtesy of striker Jordan Ponticell’s first goal of the season.

Ponticelli tapped in from a yard after Ben Tozer had sent in a cross from the left that the home defence failed to deal with and James Jones directed an overhead kick towards goal.

It meant the Welsh club maintained their record of scoring in every match they have played since mid-May, extending that impressive sequence to a 17th fixture.

The visitors came close to doubling their advantage early in the second half but Josh Falkingham cleared Tyler French’s sidefooted, eight-yard effort off the line.

Instead, it was Harrogate who grabbed the game’s next goal with their first shot on target in the 73rd minute.

After Jack Muldoon won a foul, Jack Diamond tapped the resulting free-kick to Power and he lived up to his surname by blasting in from 20 yards.

Fellow replacement Orsi then rolled the ball into an empty net from just inside the box after Dragons keeper Rob Lainton had raced out of his goal to meet Muldoon.

It was Orsi’s sixth goal of the season, with five coming in cup competitions.