Harrogate Town vs Swindon Town. Sky Bet League Two.
The EnviroVent StadiumAttendance1,948.
Saturday 30 July 2022 18:40, UK
Alex Pattison, Matty Daly and Jack Muldoon all scored as Harrogate kicked off the new campaign with a clinical 3-0 home victory over Swindon.
The hosts converted three of their five on-target attempts during a ruthless display, with Daly scoring on his debut following a loan move from Huddersfield.
Last season's beaten play-off semi-finalists Swindon, meanwhile, lacked potency with Ben Gladwin hitting an upright from a second-half penalty as the Wiltshire outfit's incredible run of eight consecutive opening-day victories since 2013 ended in emphatic fashion.
Pattison opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time when he crashed a 10-yard effort in off the crossbar after Swindon failed to clear a George Thomson corner from the left and Miles Welch-Hayes was first to the loose ball.
The advantage was doubled six minutes into the second period when good pressing by Pattison led to a chance for Daly that he thumped into Soloman Brynn's top-left corner from the edge of the box.
Swindon squandered their best chance to reduce the deficit midway through the half when Welch-Hayes swung a leg and made contact with Kyle Ferguson, only for Gladwin to hit goalkeeper Pete Jameson's right-hand post from the spot.
Substitute Muldoon then wrapped up matters in the 77th minute, racing onto Daly's through ball and tapping into Brynn's net after the on-loan Middlesbrough keeper had failed to grab the ball off his toes.
