HARRIERS lost out in the early top-of-the-table clash in National League North as they went down 2-0 at Scunthorpe United on Friday night.

After a fairly even first half, the Iron broke clear of the injury-hit visitors in the second period and sealed their win thanks to two goals by the hour mark.

The team news at the Attis Arena confirmed the news that Phil Brown was without two primary striking options in Amari Morgan-Smith (concussion) and Ben Beresford (hamstring) after a fairly luckless last couple of weeks or so for the men from Aggborough.

With Seb Thompson handed a starting berth in place of the latter, the visitors almost sprang a surprise with an early goal. Christian Dibble had already made one good save between the sticks at the other end when a loose Scunthorpe back-pass set Thompson in, but the youngster aimed at the near post with his shot and could only find the side netting.

Ashley Hemmings fired an effort at goalkeeper Ross Fitzsimons on 28 minutes before the Iron’s Max Kouogun nodded over the bar when Dibble had been unable to decisively clear away a home attack.

Maliq Cadogan kept the tally of Harriers chances ticking over just after the half hour with a low effort from 18 yards that was gathered by the goalkeeper, Dibble then doing superbly to thwart the hosts with an excellent double save five minutes later. Callum Roberts had been played through and shot firmly, denied by a strong Dibble stop one-on-one, the Harriers custodian recovering superbly to also parry away an Alfie Beestin header on the follow-up.

Roberts then showed power and strength to charge forward two minutes before the break, angling across goal with a shot that fizzed wide of the far post. It was then Beestin who put Scunthorpe ahead just seven after the restart, ghosting in at the back post to slot home a dangerous cross along the six-yard box.

Three after the hour it was two. A long ball forward was nodded down neatly by into the path of Roberts who drove it across the area where the pace of the pass caused all sorts of problems, Kian Scales on hand to coolly slot it under Dibble to double his side’s lead.

Not long after, Carlton Ubaezuonu fired over the bar with a firmly struck effort from ten yards as the home side firmly found their groove.

With 76 on the clock, Harriers sub Reiss McNally had what was, by that point, a rare sight of goal. Rising high at a corner, the defender nodded the ball downward and watched on as it bounced wide of the upright.

Fellow sub Tope Odabeyi took Harriers closer four minutes later when his header off Hemmings’ deep cross came back off the upright and away.