Harrogate Town earned a vital 2-0 win over Blue Square North relegation rivals Gainsborough at the CNG Stadium, despite the dismissal of Peter Knox.

Town stay bottom but goals from Craig James and Ben Muirhead gave them hope of avoiding the drop.

Town manager Simon Weaver told BBC Radio York: "Everyone was hungry, I can't fault any of the players today.

"It was a pressurised situation today. Right from the first minute they did all the things we wanted them to do."

Although Town achieved an impressive 3-1 win over Hinckley last month, this was the first time they had scored the first goal for 12 matches.

"You're on the front foot when you're one-nil up, you really feel you're stamping your authority on the game," Weaver added.

James' goal came from a first-half free-kick and Weaver added: "He's a very cultured player, he came to this club with a very good reputation for free-kicks and set-pieces."

Weaver was unimpressed with the decision to dismiss lone striker Peter Knox just before the break for what looked like nothing more than a late challenge.

"I explained to the referee it was a yellow. It was clumsy more than anything. I don't think it was malicious, he's not a player with any malice about him," he said.

Town play Vauxhall Motors, the team just one point above them, on Tuesday.

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