Simon Weaver has said that he will not let Harrogate Town‘s loss to Notts County define their season.
After a few positive results against Bradford City and Newport County, The Sulphurites have found themselves on the receiving end of 1-0 scorelines. League leaders Port Vale clinched a win at Wetherby Road and this weekend it was the turn of Notts County, with Allassana Jatta scoring the defining goal in the second half.
“Got To Be Realistic”
Reflecting on the result at Meadow Lane, Weaver told the Harrogate Advertiser:
“I don’t think that narrow defeats to Notts County and Port Vale are going to define our season. There are other games that we have to take points from that will see us okay.
“We are obviously disappointed to lose any game of football but we have lost by narrow score-lines against two teams who are probably going to be promoted automatically. They have such strong squads.
“It’s not being negative about our own situation, we have got to be realistic. We are trying to be hard to beat and have conceded two goals from open play in five [league] games through being resilient and organised.”
The loss to The Magpies have put Town back in 17th place in League Two, which would mark their joint second-best finish in a League Two season should they remain there. Last season saw Harrogate come on leaps and bounds and were early-season play-off contenders before tailing off towards the end of the campaign.
Home Sweet Home
Weaver has the privilege of eight days of rest before their next encounter, facing Wrexham on Sunday as part of the FA Cup’s first round. The Sulphurites were one of a few sides last season that Phil Parkinson failed to get the best of, drawing both home and away games.
Their next league game comes six days after facing the Welsh side when they will welcome bottom side Morecambe to North Yorkshire. Each of their next four games will be at Wetherby Road, before taking the long trip south to Gillingham at the end of November.
Writer’s View
Harrogate Town have faced two of the favourites for promotion in back-to-back games and held them to very close games. They should be proud of that and will surely take those lessons into another tense league encounter with a Morecambe side that will be desperate to get three more points on the board.
Football journalist with The Real EFL since 2023. A 2024 Multimedia Journalism graduate from the University of Salford, Lewis specialises in Salford City FC and EFL coverage.
