AFC Telford United 0 Harrogate Town 1
AFC Telford United's unbeaten start of the Skrill Conference North season ended in game six as numbers told for the 10-man hosts against Harrogate.
The Bucks lost midfielder Russell Benjamin to a straight red card six minutes before half-time and were undone by Craig Nelthorpe's goal after the break.
Telford's task was made harder by the dismissal of Benjamin on 39 minutes, scything down Ashley Worsfold from behind where a red card was the only probable outcome.
Benjamin tried to remonstrate with referee John Brooks but seemed to know what was coming and trudged down the tunnel at the New Bucks Head, leaving the hosts outnumbered.
It had all started so well for the home side – Wes Baynes had rattled the post with goalkeeper Craig MacGillivray beaten all ends up after being found by Tony Gray with just 12 minutes gone.
But a man's disadvantage with most of an hour to play told on Telford nine minutes into the second-half, as Harrogate got the goal they had been threatening through Nelthorpe.
And Dan Preston, playing his first match minutes of the season for the Bucks after being brought into the starting line-up as one of three centre-backs, was at fault.
His poor ball out of danger landed right with Chris Hall, who went straight for goal and had the beating of goalkeeper Ryan Young, but not the far post as it came back off the woodwork.
Nelthorpe was on hand to move virtually unchallenged to tap the ball back into the intended corner, with Young on the floor and unable to act.
Telford huffed and puffed in search of an equaliser and Gray came closest with a golden chance on 65 minutes, where the end result should have been a goal.
Gray had thought fast to rob a dithering Dave Merris off the ball outside of the box and hared down on goal one-on-one, but put his effort wide of the far corner.
Further chances came and went for the Bucks - captain Simon Grand headed wide for the Bucks from Matthew McGinn's free kick on 72 minutes.
The post then came to Harrogate's rescue with 12 minutes left as substitute Robbie Booth's effort took a wicked deflection and came back off the upright.
MacGillivray also held onto Sean Clancy's effort, while Grand's header from McGinn's corner dropped inches wide of the left hand post with two minutes left.
