SCARBOROUGH Athletic manager Steve Kittrick is asking his players to show more mental agility after the fifth-placed hosts lost 3-1 to leaders Lancaster City in Evo-Stik Division One North.

Ryan Winter and Louis Mayers made it 2-0 before the home side had goalkeeper Jordan Porter sent off for bringing down Jordan Connerton.

The latter made it 3-0 before half-time, and Kittrick said that the margin could have been six or seven such was City’s dominance.

However, Scarborough turned it around in the second half, with Adam Bolder converting a 63rd-minute penalty after Jacob Hazel was brought down before substitute Lewis Dennison missed a golden opportunity to make it 3-2.

Kittrick said: “It was men against boys in the first half but the second half was a lot better. It would have made it a lot more interesting in the last five minutes if Lewis had scored but we need to show more mental agility and awareness.”

Harrogate Town had an eventful game at home to Bradford Park Avenue in Vanarama National League North, going ahead in the tenth minute via former Avenue player Simon Ainge.

Town were reduced to nine men after the dismissals of Jon-Paul Pittman (red) just before half-time and Ainge (second yellow) in the 64th minute but they survived a penalty five minutes later when Peter Crook pulled off a fine double save from Nicky Boshell.

In the Toolstation Northern Counties East League Premier Division, Stephen Bromley got the only goal for Harrogate Railway Athletic at AFC Mansfield.