Ebbsfleet had a player sent-off for the third game in a row on Saturday.

It didn’t help their cause but they were always up against it as National League title-chasers Harrogate showed their class at Stonebridge Road.

After Jack King saw red at Barrow and Andre Blackman against King’s Lynn it was Josh Payne who headed for an early bath this time.

There was drama less than 10 minutes before kick-off when referee James Durkin damaged his ankle in the warm-up. Fourth official Kirsty Dowle stepped up to take charge with a spectator answering a request over the public address system for a qualified referee to step in on the sidelines.

After a 15-minute delay, neither team settled early on with plenty of passes failing to find their intended targets.

It took Fleet until midway through the first half to register a first attempt on goal. John Goddard’s free-kick was cleared only as far as skipper Payne, but his first-time shot was always swerving wide of the upright.

Fleet went even closer four minutes later when Goddard won the ball back in the Harrogate half and fed Josh Umerah, whose deflected shot lacked power but still beat keeper James Belshaw only to come back off the post.

Harrogate started to put their passes together and they had a goal disallowed 11 minutes before the break when keeper David Gregory could only parry Josh Falkingham’s long-range shot and Jack Muldoon was ruled offside when he tucked away the rebound.

The visitors took the lead on 39 minutes. Jamie Grimes’ defensive header lacked distance and Connor Hall’s unstoppable first-time left-foot volley flew into the far corner.

Payne had a free-kick saved at the other end before Frankie Sutherland was booked just before the break for a late foul on Falkingham.

Fleet went close to an equaliser eight minutes after the break when Jermaine McGlashan met Umerah’s near-post cross but keeper Belshaw produced an excellent save to keep it out.

The game swung in Harrogate’s favour thereafter. Payne’s foul on Jack Diamond saw the Harrogate man retaliate but he was shown only a yellow card - a similar reaction for Fleet’s Andre Blackman saw him see red last week against King’s Lynn.

Payne was booked for the foul and it proved a costly decision when he slid in on the edge of his own box three minutes later. After considerable thinking time, Dowle reached to her pocket and a second yellow card left the Fleet down to 10 men.

Fleet boss Kevin Watson promptly made a triple substitution on the hour but within three minutes his team were 2-0 down.

A simple move down the right saw Jon Stead cross to the near post and Muldoon finished beuond Gregory.

Will Smith’s header from a corner moments later clipped the top of the bar as the visitors threatened to run riot.

They were forced to take Diamond off before he also collected a red card. He somehow escaped a second yellow card for stopping Fleet taking a quick free-kick near halfway.

The amount of time it took for the ball to finally be returned and the free-kick to be taken - once Diamond was substituted - only helped fuel the crowd’s anger towards the referee, many feeling that she’d lost control of the game.

Ebbsfleet: Gregory, Obileye, Wilson, Goddard (Mekki 60mins), Umerah (Ugwu 60mins), Grimes, Egan (Adeloye 60mins), Sutherland, Ekpiteta, Payne, McGlashan. Subs not used: Palmer, Dainkeh.

Harrogate: Belshaw, Bradley, Hall, Burrell, Falkingham, Kerry, Emmett (Harratt 85mins), Stead, Smith, Muldoon (Kiernan 88mins), Diamond (Thompson 70mins). Subs not used: Gallacher, Cracknell.

Attendance: 822.