Harrogate stun Gillingham with second-half salvo

Harrogate left fellow League Two play-off hopefuls Gillingham shell-shocked as a devastating second-half comeback secured a 5-1 home win.

Matty Daly (two), Anthony O’Connor, Jack Muldoon and Abraham Odoh emphatically turned the tables after George Lapslie had given the visitors the lead, meaning the Gills also lost after scoring an opening goal for the first time since January 2022.

Earlier, away keeper Glenn Morris made a brilliant first-half reflex save to keep out Rod McDonald’s powerful header before Lapslie netted in the 41st minute.

The ex-Mansfield midfielder was initially denied by an excellent save from James Belshaw but when the ball rebounded off the underside of the crossbar, he was quickest to react with a diving header from six yards out.

Harrogate levelled on the hour when George Thomson’s cross from the left was headed in at the far post by O’Connor.

Eight minutes later, Conor Masterson’s dreadful ball out of defence was intercepted by Thomson. The hosts’ 14-goal top scorer fed Daly, who curled into Morris’ bottom-left corner from 15 yards.

Daly was back on the scoresheet moments later, prodding in after Morris had saved from Josh March.

Substitute Muldoon made it 4-1 in the 93rd minute as he broke on to a loose ball and thumped a dipping strike over Morris from 15 yards.

Two minutes later, fellow replacement Odoh completed the rout from a similar distance, firing inside the far post after cutting inside from the left flank.