Bradford Park Avenue 2, Harrogate Town 3

IT TOOK some time but Harrogate Town's visit to the Horsfall Stadium did turn out to be the keen Yorkshire derby that it promised to be.

The visitors took the Vanarama National League North spoils thanks to Warren Burrell's 88th-minute winner, which keeps Simon Weaver's men on the tails of leaders FC Halifax Town.

Avenue are now 17th with just three points from their first five games – one of only four clubs still looking for their first win.

Saturday's was a second defeat on the spin, after opening with three draws, and the frustration for manager Alex Meechan was clear as he apologised to the assembled media for not feeling able to fulfil the post-match interview formalities.

Meechan cut a manic figure in the technical area during a first half in which his side were decidedly second best.

He must have left his players in no doubt as to what he demanded because they came out in the second half and immediately imposed themselves on the game.

Harrogate led 2-0 at the time but it could have been four or five, such was Avenue's ineptitude.

Town centre back Luke Shiels headed the visitors into a 13th-minute lead and Jon-Paul Pittman raced through to add a second three minutes later.

Harrogate skipper Simon Ainge, who was Avenue's club captain last term, thought he had made it three when he netted a diving header but an offside flag rescued the hosts.

Another former player, Chib Chilaka – Avenue's leading scorer for the last two seasons – was then handed a chance to beat home keeper Dan Eccles from 12 yards.

Eccles was penalised as he challenged for the ball after Joe Leesley had fallen in the area and got in a tangle with the grounded man and Chilaka. However, the young keeper redeemed himself with a smart save low to his left.

There were nervy moments for the visitors' defence from the off after the break and it took Avenue just 11 minutes to halve their deficit, midfielder Luke Dean drilling home a low shot from over 25 yards.

Ten minutes later Dean bettered that superb strike with an excellent curling shot that followed a great move.

Meechan had sent Andy McWilliams on at left back, after taking Leon Osborne off, and pushed Tom Davie forward.

A great break begun by Davie led to Dean's second goal and he continued to run the visitors' defence ragged.

Yet it was to no avail as midfielder Burrell used his skill to break into the area and create space for a shot that he curled past Eccles at his near post.