Calum Kavanagh grabs injury-time equaliser to salvage point for Harrogate

Posted Sunday, March 20, 2022 by PA

On-loan Middlesbrough striker Calum Kavanagh’s first senior goal earned Harrogate a stoppage-time draw against Walsall.

Substitute Kavanagh, 18, headed in during the fourth of five added-on minutes to cancel out Conor Wilkinson’s fifth goal in six games for the Saddlers.

Earlier, Ryan Fallowfield had flashed a shot across the face of the visitors’ goal after Manny Monthe had given away possession.

Saddlers keeper Carl Rushworth also spilled an Alex Pattison drive but recovered to save Jack Muldoon’s follow-up effort before Mark Beck blasted wide from the edge of the area.

At the other end, Wilkinson fired just past Mark Oxley’s near post from 25 yards late in the first half.

But the former Dagenham and Leyton Orient forward was in no mood to pass up a second opportunity to score his 10th goal of the season when Oxley grabbed Walsall substitute Devante Rodney following Donervon Daniels’ long throw from the right.

Wilkinson directed the subsequent spot kick down the middle of the goal as Oxley dived to his right.

In the 90th minute, Kavanagh then laid on a simple chance for fellow substitute Simon Power that the latter directed weakly at Rushworth.

Kavanagh, the son of former Republic of Ireland international Graham, made no mistake, though, when his looping header from Jack Diamond’s left-wing cross sailed over Rushworth from eight yards out at the death.