Dan Sweeney’s late header from close range broke the visitors’ resilience after what had looked for so long to be a frustrating afternoon for Steve Evans and his side.

The hosts only began to really turn up the pressure on the Harrogate backline after the manager produced a flurry of substitutes just after the hour mark.

Jake Reeves, Jamie Reid, Jordan Roberts and Saxon Earley were all introduced at once to swing momentum Stevenage’s way.

TOUGH DAY: Harrogate Town manager Simon Weaver Picture: Pete Norton/Getty Images)

Town have now not scored in open play throughout September, last doing so when beating Gillingham 2-0 on August 16.

“I thought first half there really wasn’t much in it,” said Weaver. “We’ve missed a great chance one v one with their keeper.

“That could have changed with that if we had scored, we didn’t, but I thought at half-time we were right in the game.

“We are searching for that magic formula for this group because we’ve got so many good players.

“The last few games we’ve been in every single game, but we need to start scoring goals and put the easy chances away.

“We also need to attack set-pieces better because the quality of delivery has certainly been good enough.

“We’ve got a lot of attacking players in there with decent pedigree but we need more, it’s as simple as that. We aren’t scoring enough goals to win games.

“They had people in the box at key moments and a bit of quality with their cross has decided the game.”

Stevenage: Ashby-Hammond, Smith, Sweeney, Vancooten, Piergianni, Clark (Earley 64), Campbell (Reeves 63), Gilbey, Taylor (Roberts 63), Norris (Reid 63), Rose. Unused substitutes: Chapman,Read,Bostwick.

Harrogate Town: Jameson, Ramsay, McArdle, Mattock, Richards, Pattison, Burrell, Coley (Folarin 70), Daly, Muldoon (Angus 76), Armstrong. Unused substitutes: Oxley, Welch-Hayes, Headley, Austerfield, Dooley.

Referee: Sam Allison (Somerset).

Harrogate Town boss Simon Weaver left to rue poor finishing on frustrating away day