Sympathy is a rare emotion at football matches but there was bucketloads of it at Harrogate Town on Saturday for visiting manager Kevin Wilson.

Forget robbed - Kettering were positively mugged of three points. by some controversial refereeing.

Town boss John Reed was quick to offer words of reassurance for his counterpart while revelling in a slice of luck big enough to consolidate their second-in-the-table status after a 2-1 Conference North win.

Reed said: "I do genuinely feel very sorry for Kevin. He's a passionate bloke - as most football managers are - and if I were them I would be very upset going home.

"I had to pull him away from the referee at half time and he put out a statement saying he feels like packing it in, but I told him not to.

"We have had a couple of slices of luck really. We have had our fair share of bad luck but today it came back to give us three amazing points."

Danny Holland, the four-goal hero against Armthorpe Welfare midweek, scored the eventual winner, but it was referee Matt McGrath whose name was on everyone's lips after red-carding Kettering goalkeeper Barry Hateley.

The visiting goalkeeper was swallowed by a red mist after being controversially sent off for pulling down Holland as he looped the ball over him. The header was on target, hit the post... and trickled to a halt on the line.

A blue shirt raced to clear it from danger but with the sight of Holland poleaxed on the floor, McGrath conferred with one of his assistants and thrust the red card into Hateley's face. Hateley's response: a boot through the dressing room door.

Manager Wilson had to be restrained by Reed at half time.

Anyone wanting to give the referee the benefit of the doubt would have struggled after the second half.

One offside was called against the hosts even though the player who got the ball - and from a Kettering defender, no less - was onside throughout the move.

And then Holland controlled the ball with his chest two yards offside in the Kettering box, stopped along with the entire field and turned to look over at the linesman and, not believing his eyes, slotted it past stand-in 'keeper defender Brett Solkhon, who had otherwise done well to keep out Marc Smith, Richard Dunning and Colin Hunter.

Kettering had bundled their way into the lead when Rob Gould poked a scrappy corner over the line on seven minutes with Town defender Simon Sturdy agonisingly short of a last-ditch clearance.

And Paul Shepherd produced a quality finish to nudge in Mark Barnard's 23rd minute free kick.

Harrogate were not at their best and Kettering deserved a lot more than they got for a display high on no-nonsense football but low on luck.

Fortress Wetherby Road, though, is still unbreached.

Updated: 10:53 Monday, December 06, 2004