On-loan Blues keeper Henry Gray saved a penalty as Harrogate Town won 3-1 away at Grimsby yesterday.

New Zealand U20 international Gray has impressed since joining League Two’s bottom side in January and has played a big part in their revival which has seen the Sulphurites give themselves a chance of survival despite not winning a league game between September and February.

Yesterday, the score was 2-1 going into first-half injury time when Gray, 21, stopped Andy Cook’s spot-kick.

“It was big,” Harrogate boss Simon Weaver said. “It was a big moment for us and it could have been a turning point for Grimsby because their crowd are partisan.

“When the penalty award was given I was thinking that if we go in at 2-2, we will have to pick the players up from being two-up.

"But it was a great response from Henry, I thought it was a superb save. He’s such an athletic lad, and fair play to him.”

Gray had made an error on the Grimsby goal, but Weaver mainly put that down to the conditions.

“He just got caught with the wind for Grimsby’s goal,” he added. “He dithered a bit. It’s not easy in these conditions and he got caught under it and there was a bit of miscommunication.

“But it is all about your reaction. Everybody on the pitch probably made a mistake and that one was costly for him, but he redeemed himself with a fantastic save.

“He is an athletic goalkeeper and he has a great future ahead of him.”

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